No. 142 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
History
No. 142 Squadron of the Royal Flying CorpsRoyal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
(RFC) was formed at RFC Ismailia, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in 1918, flying a mixed bag of reconnaissance and bomber aircraft. On the formation of the Royal Air Force, on 1 April 1918, 142 Squadron was at RFC Julis in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, becoming No. 142 Squadron RAF (142 Squadron). After operations in Palestine the squadron retired to RAF Suez where it disbanded on 1 February 1920, to form No. 55 Squadron RAF
No. 55 Squadron RAF
No. 55 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1916 at Castle Bromwich as a unit of the Royal Flying Corps. No. 55 Squadron was the last RAF Squadron to operationally fly the Handley Page Victor, in its Victor K.2 in-flight refuelling tanker role. It was subsequently a...
World War II
Fairey Battle
The Fairey Battle was a British single-engine light bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company in the late 1930s for the Royal Air Force. The Battle was powered by the same Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engine that gave contemporary British fighters high performance; however, the Battle was weighed...
and Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
after hostilities opened in 1939, deploying as part of the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
(BEF) to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. On 5 October 1944 142 squadron was dis-banded at Regine in Italy to allow the Squadron to re-form at RAF Gransden Lodge flying de Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
bombers as part of No. 8 (PFF) Group
Pathfinder (RAF)
The Pathfinders were elite squadrons in RAF Bomber Command during World War II. They located and marked targets with flares, which a main bomber force could aim at, increasing the accuracy of their bombing...
's Light Night Striking Force. Soon after World War II ended the squadron was dis-banded while still based at RAF Gransden Lodge.
Post war era
A brief period of existence occurred between 1 February 1959 and 1 April 1959 at RAF Eastleigh in KenyaKenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, where the squadron flew de Havilland Venom
De Havilland Venom
The de Havilland DH 112 Venom was a British postwar single-engined jet aircraft developed from the de Havilland Vampire. It served with the Royal Air Force as a single-seat fighter-bomber and two-seat night fighter....
FB.4s and de Havilland Vampire
De Havilland Vampire
The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...
] trainers, before re-forming as No. 208 Squadron RAF
No. 208 Squadron RAF
No 208 Squadron is at present a reserve unit of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Valley, Anglesey, Wales. It operates the BAe Hawk aircraft.-World War I:...
.
The latest incarnation of 142 Squadron occurred on 22 July 1959 at RAF Coleby Grange
RAF Coleby Grange
RAF Coleby Grange was a Royal Air Force station situated alongside the western edge of the A15 on open heathland between the villages of Coleby and Nocton Heath and lying due south of the county town Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England....
as one of 20 Strategic Missile (SM) squadrons associated with Project Emily
Project Emily
Project Emily was the deployment of American-built PGM-17 Thor Intermediate-range ballistic missiles in the United Kingdom between 1959 and 1963....
, equipped with three US Douglas Thor
PGM-17 Thor
Thor was the first operational ballistic missile of the U.S. Air Force . Named after the Norse god of thunder, it was deployed in the United Kingdom between 1959 and September 1963 as an intermediate range ballistic missile with thermonuclear warheads. Thor was in height and in diameter. It was...
intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBM). 142 The Thor missiles would be armed with W-49 thermonuclear warheads, each with an explosive yield of 1.44 megatons. The warheads remained under the control of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
(USAF) under the "Dual Key" arrangement, whereby launch of a live missile would require authority from both the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and US governments. RAF Coleby Grange was the base one of five squadrons, each armed with three missiles, based in Lincolnshire, with the headquarters at RAF Hemswell
RAF Hemswell
RAF Hemswell was an airfield used by RAF Bomber Command for 20 years between 1937 and 1957 and saw most of its operational life during World War II. Later used by RAF Fighter Command as a nuclear ballistic missile base during the Cold War it closed to military use in 1967...
and a squadron each at RAF Bardney
RAF Bardney
RAF Bardney was a RAF station situated near Bardney, in Lincolnshire, England. It was built as a satellite to RAF Waddington in 1943.-Time line:* Opened on 13 April 1943 as home to No. 9 Squadron...
, RAF Caistor and RAF Ludford Magna
RAF Ludford Magna
RAF Ludford Magna was a Royal Air Force airfield operated by Bomber Command during World War II and the Cold War. The station lay on agricultural farmland immediately south of the village of Ludford, Lincolnshire and was sited 21.4 miles north east of the county town of Lincoln, Lincolnshire...
.
During October 1962 142 Squadron was kept at full readiness, with the missiles aimed at strategic targets in the USSR, as part of the threatened response to the Cuban missile crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
. At the conclusion of the crisis, de-activation of the Thor missiles in the UK were offered up as part of the negotiations, along with the Jupiter medium range missiles in Turkey. The Thor missile squadrons were stood down in 1963, with 142 Squadron disbanding on 24 May 1963.
Operaiton bases
- Ismailia, Egypt
- Julis, Palestine
- Suez, Egypt
- RAF Netheravon
- RAF Bicester 9 May-2 Sep 1939
- Berry-au-BacBerry-au-BacBerry-au-Bac is a commune in the department of Aisne in Picardy in northern France.-References:*...
(France) 2 - 12 Sep 1939 - PlivotPlivotPlivot is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France....
12 Sep - 16 May 1940 - Faux-VillecerfFaux-VillecerfFaux-Villecerf is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France.-Population:-References:*...
16 May - 6 Jun 1940
Villiers-Faux 6 - 15 Jun 1940 - RAF WaddingtonRAF WaddingtonRAF Waddington is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England.-Formation:Waddington opened as a Royal Flying Corps flying training station in 1916 until 1920, when the station went into care and maintenance....
15 Jun 1940 - 3 Jul 1940 - RAF BinbrookRAF BinbrookRAF Binbrook was a Bomber Command station during World War II. After the war it was amongst others the home of the Central Fighter Establishment...
3 Jul 1940 - 12 Aug 1940; 6 Sep 1940 - 26 Nov 1941 - RAF EastchurchRAF EastchurchRAF Eastchurch was a Royal Air Force station near Eastchurch village in the English County of Kent. The history of aviation at Eastchurch stretches back to the first decade of the 20th century when it was used as an airfield by members of the Royal Aero Club...
12 Aug 1940 - 6 Sep 1940 - RAF Waltham & RAF KirmingtonRAF KirmingtonRAF Kirmington was a Royal Air Force Bomber Command station in North Lincolnshire during World War II.It took its name from the village of Kirmington nearby; the most notable squadron based there was 166 Squadron and a memorial plaque to the members of that unit is in the parish church.-After World...
26 Nov 1941 - Dec 1942 - RAF ThruxtonRAF ThruxtonRAF Station Thruxton is a former World War II airfield in Hampshire, England. The airfield is located approximately west of Andover; about southwest of London...
7 Jun-7 Jul 1942 - BlidaBlidaBlida is a city in Algeria. It is the capital of Blida Province, and it is located about 45 km south-west of Algiers, the national capital. The name Blida, i.e...
19 Dec 1942 - 5 May 1943 - Fontaine Chaude 5–26 May 1943
- KairouanKairouanKairouan , also known as Kirwan or al-Qayrawan , is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia. Referred to as the Islamic Cultural Capital, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city was founded by the Arabs around 670...
26 May - 15 Nov 1943 - Oudna 15 Nov - 16 Dec 1943
- CerignolaCerignolaCerignola is a town and comune of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, 40 km southeast from the town of Foggia. It has the third-largest land area of any comune in Italy, at 593.71 km², after Rome and Ravenna.-History:...
16 Dec 1943 - 14 Feb 1944 - AmendolaAmendolaAmendola may refer to:*Buddy Amendola — college football coach*Danny Amendola — professional football player*Ferruccio Amendola — Italian actor*Giorgio Amendola — son of the Italian politician, Communist writer...
14 Feb - 3 Jul 1944 - RegineRegineRegine or Régine is a feminine given name. Regine is a German form of Regina, and Régine is a French form of Regina. It may refer to any of the following persons:-Regine:*Regine Heitzer, Austrian figure skater...
3 Jul - 5 Oct 1944 - RAF Gransden Lodge 25 Oct 1944 - 28 Sep 1945
- RAF Eastleigh 1 Feb 1959 - 1 Apr 1959
- RAF Coleby GrangeRAF Coleby GrangeRAF Coleby Grange was a Royal Air Force station situated alongside the western edge of the A15 on open heathland between the villages of Coleby and Nocton Heath and lying due south of the county town Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England....
22 Jul 1959 - 24 May 1963
Memorial at Ashdown Forest
The Airman's Grave at Ashdown ForestAshdown Forest
Ashdown Forest is an ancient area of tranquil open heathland occupying the highest sandy ridge-top of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is situated some south of London in the county of East Sussex, England...
is a memorial to the six man crew of a Wellington bomber of 142 Squadron who were killed when it crashed in the forest on the morning of 31 July 1941 on its return from a raid on Cologne
Bombing of Cologne in World War II
The City of Cologne was bombed in 262 separate air raids by the Allies during World War II, including 31 times by the Royal Air Force . Air raid alarms went off in the winter/spring of 1940 as enemy bombers passed overhead. However, the first actual bombing took place on 12 May 1940...
. The memorial, which is a simple stone-walled enclosure on the heathland west of Duddleswell, shelters a white cross surrounded by a tiny garden of remembrance and was erected by the mother of Sergeant P.V.R. Sutton, who was aged 24 at the time of his death. A short public service takes place each year on Remembrance Sunday when a wreath is laid by an Ashdown Forest Ranger, at the request of Mrs Sutton, together with one from the Ashdown Forest Riding Association. The Ashdown Forest Centre has published a circular walk to the memorial from Hollies car park.
See also
- List of RAF Regiment squadrons
- List of Fleet Air Arm aircraft squadrons
- List of Army Air Corps aircraft squadrons
- List of Air Training Corps squadrons
- Battle of Britain RAF squadrons
External links
- http://www.couplandbell.com/marg/142sqn_losses.htm
- http://www.raf-lincolnshire.info/142sqn/142sqn.htm
- http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/142_wwII.html
- Sqn Histories 141-145 at Air Of Authority
- 142 Squadron at raf.mod.uk
- http://www.bcar.org.uk/kirmington_history.html
- http://www.bcar.org.uk/waltham_history.html
- http://www.moorewallpaper.com/Moore-Cyril-RAF-Binbrook.htm
- http://firyalimpex.com/products12.htm
- http://wikimapia.org/4480986/Former-RAF-Binbrook
- http://www.raf-lincolnshire.info/colebygrange/colebygrange.htm
- RAF Coleby Grange
- Thor Missile