| No. 125 (Newfoundland) Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 February 1918 – 1 April 1918 (RFC) 1 April 1918 – 1 August 1918 (RAF) 16 June 1941 – 20 November 1945 31 March 1955 – 10 May 1957 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Role | Fighter Command / Night Fighter |
| Nickname | Newfoundland |
| Mottos | Latin:Nunquam domandi ("Never to be tamed")[1] |
| Battle honours | •World War II • Home Defence • Operation Overlord |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | On a mount, acaribou.[1] Approved byKing George VI in April 1944.[2] (The caribou is the official animal of Newfoundland) |
| Squadron roundel |  |
| Squadron Codes | FN (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939) VA (Jun 1941 – Nov 1945) |
Number 125 (Newfoundland) Squadron was aRoyal Air Force squadron active duringWorld War II and briefly in the mid-1950s. Throughout its service the squadron primarily operatednight fighters.[1]
No. 125 Squadron was initially formed atOld Sarum,Wiltshire on 1 February 1918 as alight bomber squadron of theRoyal Flying Corps, operatingAirco DH.4 andDH.9s.[3] It was planned for the squadron to become operational and deploy toFrance in September however it was instead disbanded on 1 August 1918, thus never seeing active service in theFirst World War.[1]
No. 125 Squadron was reformed on 16 June 1941 atRAF Colerne equipped withBolton-Paul Defiant night fighters.[4] The squadron was raised as a result of a war loan raised by theNewfoundland Commission of Government in 1940. After discovering a surplus of revenue, the commission presented the British Government with $500,000 to establish a squadron with the hope that it would be manned by Newfoundlanders. This hope was realised with at least a dozen Newfoundlanders flying with No. 125 Squadron in its early days along with a contingent of English, Scottish, Welsh, Commonwealth and Polish pilots.[5]
On 24 September 1941, the squadron moved toRAF Fairwood Common,Wales and became fully operational, with the Defiant proving to be a more than effectivenight fighter.[6] By February 1942, No. 125 Squadron began to convert over to the twin-enginedBristol Beaufighter, with these becoming operational by 21 April.[5] Defiants andHawker Hurricanes were also used to supplement the Beaufighters in the squadron's patrols. With an increasing number of Newfoundlanders being found in No. 125 Squadron's ranks, some aircrew began to name their aircraft in recognition of theirNewfoundland heritage:St, John's,Corner Brook,Deer Lake andBuchans were some of the names they used.[5] From October to December 1942, the squadron operated a detachment atRAF Sumburgh in theShetland Islands.[7]
No. 125 Squadron moved north toRAF Valley on 14 November 1943 in order to carry out patrols over theIrish Sea.[6] While based here the squadron operated a detachment fromRAF Ballyhalbert inNorthern Ireland. Despite being a 'Newfoundland' squadron, by November 1943 only 5 of the 30 aircrew were from Newfoundland as well as 45 of the roughly 200 ground crew came from the Dominion.[8] With a conversion tode Havilland Mosquito night fighters in February 1944, No. 125 Squadron moved south toRAF Hurn,Dorset at the end of March. This was in preparation to cover theOperation Overlord landings inNormandy.[5] In April, No. 125 Squadron had theircaribou squadron badge officially approved byKing George VI.[2] The squadron also participated in interceptingOperation Steinbock raids from January to May 1944. With a bridgehead secured in France and with the commencement ofV-1 flying bomb attacks onLondon, the squadron moved toRAF Middle Wallop in July 1944 to fly night time interceptions.[7] During this time it also flew patrols fromRAF Bradwell Bay over theLow Countries.[1]
On 18 October 1944, No. 125 Squadron moved toRAF Coltishall,Norfolk.[6] From Coltishall the squadron defended against enemy intruders andHeinkel He 111s carrying flying bombs, as well as undertaking reconnaissance to locate the remainder of German shipping.[7] On 24 April 1945, No. 125 Squadron transferred up toRAF Church Fenton inYorkshire.[6] Here it saw out the war before disbanding for the second time on 20 November 1945 when its aircraft and personnel were renumbered toNo. 264 Squadron.[9] By the end of the war No. 125 Squadron had managed to score 44 victories, 5 probables and 20 damaged.[5]
No. 125 Squadron reformed on 31 March 1955 atRAF Stradishall,Suffolk as a night fighter unit operatingGloster Meteor NF.11s.[3] In November 1955, the squadron converted to thede Havilland Venom NF.3. These remained with the squadron until it was disbanded for the final time on 10 May 1957.[1] While based at Stradishall, the squadron operated alongside fellow night fighter unitsNo. 89 Squadron andNo. 152 Squadron, as well asNo. 245 Squadron who flew Meteors andHawker Hunters.[10]
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