No. 139 (Jamaica) Squadron RAF
Active	3 July 1918 – 7 Mar 1919 3 Sept 1936 – 31 Dec 1959 1 Jan 1962 – 31 Dec 1968
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Nickname	Jamaica
Mottos	Latin:Si placet necamus ("We destroy at will")[1]
Insignia
Squadron Heraldry	Afasces in front of a crescent (The fasces is from the badge ofNo. 28 Squadron RAF to which No. 139 was first attached in 1918)
Squadron Codes	SY (Apr – Sep 1939) XD (Sep 1939 – Mar 1942, Jun 1942 – 1951)

No. 139 (Jamaica) Squadron RAF was aRoyal Air Force Squadron that was fighter unit inWorld War I and a bomber unit fromWorld War II until the 1960s.

No. 139 SquadronRoyal Air Force was formed on 3 July 1918 atVillaverla inItaly and was equipped withBristol F2b fighter aircraft. It was disbanded on 7 March 1919.

The squadron reformed on 3 September 1936 atWyton, equipped first withHawker Hinds and thenBristol Blenheims. On 3 September 1939 a Blenheim IV of the squadron piloted byAndrew McPherson was the first British aircraft to cross the German coast after Britain had declared war on Germany. On 4 September 1939,Nos. 110,107 and 139 Squadrons led the first RAF air raid of the war against German shipping nearWilhelmshaven. In December 1939, the squadron was moved to Betheniville,France and in May 1940 when based atPlivot it was overrun by the German advance and lost most of its aircraft.

AJamaican newspaper started a fund to buy bombers for Britain and in recognition of money raised to buy Blenheims it was decided to link Jamaica with a squadron of the Royal Air Force, hence the "Jamaica" tag given to the squadron. In December 1941, the squadron converted to theLockheed Hudson aircraft, which it operated inBurma until April 1942.

In June 1942, the squadron returned to England and re-equipped with the Blenheim V before quickly switching to thede Havilland Mosquito atHorsham St. Faith. On 3 March, it carried out a daring air raid on themolybdenum processing plant at Knaben in Norway. It is believed that this was one of the raids on which the fictional work633 Squadron was based. As a result of this raid a number of flight crew received decorations. On 20 March, the squadron lost a number of aircraft a week before the official announcement of the decorations.

It became part of thepathfinder force in July 1943 and remained so for the remainder of the war.

The squadron equipped with theEnglish Electric Canberra B2 atRAF Hemswell beginning in November 1952. It disbanded on 31 December 1959 and reformed again atRAF Wittering on 1 January 1962 with theHandley Page Victor B2, before it was finally disbanded on 31 December 1968.

• Kenneth Tempest

Wikimedia Commons has media related toNo. 139 Squadron RAF.

• History of No.'s 136–140 Squadrons at RAF Web
• 139 Squadron history on official RAF website
• IWM Interview with RAF officer Edward Sismore

https://kenfentonswar.com/ Pilot training and flying Blenheim's with 139 Squadron

• Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons
• Military units and formations established in 1918
• 1918 establishments in the United Kingdom
• Bomber squadrons of the Royal Air Force in World War II

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