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No.139 Sqn RAF

Name : No.139 Sqn RAF Founded : 3rd July 1918 Disbanded : 31st December 1968 Re - founded : 1st January 1962 Re - disbanded : 31st December 1968 Country : UK Fate : reformed again at RAF Wittering on 1 January 1962 with the Handley Page Victor B2, before it was finally disbanded on 31 December 1968. More Details : Jamaica Si placet necamus - We destroy at will Known Code Letters : , XD, DX, GB, SY,

No. 139 Squadron was formed at Villaverla, Italy, on 3rd July 1918, as a fighter-reconnaissance squadron equipped with Bristol Fighters, and between that date and the Armistice it claimed the destruction of 27 enemy aircraft (a further seven were classified as "probably destroyed"). Disbanded in 1919, The squadron reformed on 3 September 1936 at Wyton, equipped first with Hawker Hinds and then Bristol Blenheims. On 3 September 1939 a Blenheim IV of the squadron piloted by Andrew 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 near Wilhelmshaven. In December 1939, the squadron was moved to Betheniville, France and in May 1940 when based at Plivot it was overrun by the German advance and lost most of its aircraft. In December 1941, the squadron converted to the Lockheed Hudson aircraft, which it operated in Burma until April 1942. In June 1942, the squadron returned to England and re-equipped with the Blenheim V before quickly switching to the de Havilland Mosquito at Horsham St. Faith. On 3 March, it carried out a daring air raid on the molybdenum processing plant at Knaben in Norway. It is believed that this was one of the raids on which the fictional work 633 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. In the summer of 1943 No. 139 Squadron changed over to night raiding and joined the Pathfinder Force, its early work with the PFF consisting mainly of preceding waves of heavy bombers to drop Window (thin strips of metal foil) and so confuse the enemy's early warning radar, and making "spoof" raids on other targets to divert enemy night fighters from the primary target attacked by the "heavies". In 1944 it became an H2S-equipped Mosquito marker squadron and during the year visited a long list of the most famous targets in Germany - Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Mannheim, Hanover, Duisburg, Lübeck, and many others. Very many 4,000-lb. "cookies" were dropped on these targets in addition to TIs (target indicators) to guide the main force heavies. Amongst other duties the squadron inaugurated the "Ploughman" raids in which each aircraft dropped a single bomb on each of four different diversionary targets; and it lit the way for minelaying operations in the Kiel Canal. .

Known Service Details :
Pilot or Aircrew	Rank	Start of Service	End of Service	Known Dates	Aircraft	Airframes	Notes
Harold Reginald Baker	Leading Aircraftsman	unknown	14th May 1940		Blenheim	N6223	Killed in Action
Mike Bayon		unknown	unknown		Mosquito
R. Bennett	Sergeant	unknown	7th April 1941	28th February 1941	Blenheim	L9402 L9386	Killed in Action
E. J. Bonney	Sergeant	unknown	22nd January 1941		Blenheim	T2435	Killed in Action
W. Brown		unknown	unknown
Fred Crawley		unknown	unknown		Mosquito
Kenneth Mitchell Alves De Souza	Flying Officer	unknown	16th May 1940		Blenheim	L9411	Killed in Action
Dennis	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	07th April 1941	Blenheim	V5521
Handley	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	28th February 1941	Blenheim	T1799
S. G. Hill	Sergeant	unknown	14th April 1941	07th April 1941	Blenheim	V5521
T. E. Hyde		unknown	unknown
, Jennings	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	07th April 1941	Blenheim	V5826
Kendrick	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	14th May 1940	Blenheim	N6223
E. W. Laban	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	28th February 1941	Blenheim	L9402
E. W. Laban	Pilot Officer	unknown	7th April 1941		Blenheim	L9386	Killed in Action
A. W. Lee		unknown	unknown
William John McCarthy	Aircraftsman 2	unknown	16th May 1940			L9411	Killed in Action
Tom McPhee		3rd September 1939	August 1943		Blenheim
G. J. Menzies	Flight Lieutenant	unknown	22nd January 1941		Blenheim	T2435	Killed in Action
Mills	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	28th February 1941	Blenheim	L9402
J H Newberry	Flying Officer	unknown	unknown	14th May 1940	Blenheim	N6223
Scholefield	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	07th April 1941	Blenheim	V5826
Shrimpton	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	07th April 1941	Blenheim	V5826
Ken Tempest	Flight Lieutenant	1944	May 1945		Mosquito
Edmund Winchester Tough	Sergeant	unknown	16th May 1940		Blenheim	L9411	Killed in Action
R. Tribick	Sergeant	unknown	22nd January 1941		Blenheim	T2435	Killed in Action
Waddington	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	07th April 1941	Blenheim	V5521

Pilots and Aircrew for : No.139 Sqn RAF
A list of all aircrew from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name.
Name	Info
Arrowsmith, Click the name above to see a profile of Arrowsmith,	Arrowsmith,
Baker, Harold Reginald Click the name above to see a profile of Baker, Harold Reginald    Died : 14 / 5 / 1940	Baker, Harold Reginald Killed aged 22 on 14th May 1940 when his Blenheim Mk.IV N6223 of No.139 Sqn was shot down by fighters near Sedan. He is buried in Choloy War Cemetery. Son of Reginald Walter and Ellen Baker, of Steyning, Sussex.
Barrow, V S G Click the name above to see a profile of Barrow, V S G	Barrow, V S G
Bayon, Mike Click the name above to see a profile of Bayon, Mike	Bayon, Mike Having completed training as a Navigator he joined the Path Finder Force flying on Mosquitos with 128 Sqn and later 139 Sqn as part of the Light Night Strike Force. During the final two years of the war he completed a total of 52 Operations over Europe.
Bennett, R. Click the name above to see a profile of Bennett, R.    Died : 7 / 4 / 1941	Bennett, R.
Bonney, E. J. Click the name above to see a profile of Bonney, E. J.    Died : 22 / 1 / 1941	Bonney, E. J. Sergeant E.J.Bonney of No.139 Squadron was killed on January 22nd 1941. His Blenheim (T2435) was shot down on return by friendly AA fire after failing to give recognition signals.
Brady, Click the name above to see a profile of Brady,	Brady,
Britton, R V Click the name above to see a profile of Britton, R V    Died : 1 / 10 / 1939	Britton, R V
Brown, W. Click the name above to see a profile of Brown, W.    Died : 1 / 10 / 1939	Brown, W.
Burrows, J S Click the name above to see a profile of Burrows, J S    Died : 30 / 10 / 1939	Burrows, J S
Cash, George Click the name above to see a profile of Cash, George	Cash, George As Navigator in Joe Patient’s Mosquito he flew with 139 Sqn over North West Europe. Whilst on his second tour with another pilot he was shot down and finished the war as a PoW.
Cassels, J R Click the name above to see a profile of Cassels, J R    Died : 19 / 12 / 2008	Cassels, J R No's 14, 29, 98, 106, 125, 139 (Jamaica), and 162 Squadrons. "April, 1941 - Enlisted in Edinburgh and accepted for pilot training. April 1941 to April 1942 - No 4 I.TW. Paignton, No 9 E.F.T.S. Ansty, Coventry, No 12 S.F.T.S. Spittlegate, Grantham, (22/01/1941 Received wings as Sgt. Pilot) No 14 O.T.U. Cottesmore flying Hampdens. April 1942 - No 106 Squadron, RAF Coningsby commanded by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, DSO, DFC. I was second pilot on Manchesters and did 4 operational sorties. Converted to Lancasters as first pilot and did 26 operational sorties, including Le Creusot raid on 17 October '42, between June and December 1942. Final sortie on 8 December 1942. December 1942 to March 1943 - Survived several attempts to turn me into a flying instructor. March 1943 - No 1485 Conversion Unit ie. No 5 Group Gunnery Flight training air gunners. October- November 1943 - No 1655 Mosquito Training Unit. November 1943 to June 1944 - No 8 Group, Pathfinder Force - No 139 (Jamaica) Squadron. H2S Mosquito Marking Squadron, RAF Wyton and Upwood. Completed 44 operational sorties before ending up interned in Sweden. 12 June 1944 to 20th September 1944 interned at Falun, Sweden. October 1944 to June 1945 - rejoined No 139 (Jamaica) Squadron at RAF Upwood after an air crew medical where a Group Captain M.0. told me that, as I was warm and my goolies didn't drop oftwhen I coughed, I was back to war. Completed 46 operational sorties before V.E. day. Total sorties on 139 squadron 90. June 1945 to July 1946 - Transport Command, No 162 Squadron flying Mosquitos (ALDS ic, Air Delivery Letter Service) RAF Blackbush. August 1946 to February 1950 - No's 14 and 98 Squadrons, No 139 Wing, RAFO, at RAF Wahn and Celle. February 1950 to August 1950 - abortive EIPS Course. August 1950 to October 1951 - Air Traffic Controllers Course and ATC Officer at RAFWest Raynham. November 1951 to October 1952 - No 29 Night Fighter Squadron, RAF Tangmere. Meteor NFXI. October 1952 to April 1953 - Air Ministry and All Weather Wing, RAF West Raynliam. April 1953 to November 1955 - No 12 Group Headquarters, Group Accidents Officer. November 1955 to April 1957 - No 125 Night Fighter squadron, RAF Stradishall, Meteor NFM and Venom NF. April 1957 to August 1959 - Eastern Sector Operations Centre, Recovery Executive. RAF Neatishead. October 1959 to July 1962 - Hg FEAF, Joint Intelligence Staff. Commissioner Generals Office and RAF Changi. July 1962 to March 1965 - No 3 Group Hg, OC HQ Unit and RAF Liaison Officer to USAF Mildenhall. Retired from RAF as Squadron Leader March 1965. Employed by Airwork Services Ltd, as pilot. March 1965. March 1965 to August 1970 - No 3 (Civilian Anti Aircraft Unit) Exeter Airport. Vampire TX1 and Meteor T=. September 1970 to April 1977 - FRADU ( Fleet Requirements Air Defence Unit) RNAS Yeovilton. Hunter GAII and Mk 8. September 1977. Aged 55. RN age limit for fast jet flying. September 1970. Commissioned in RA17VR M. September 1970 to May 1982 - No 4 AEF, Exeter Airport, Chipmunk. Retired from RAFVRM aged 60, May 1982. Total Flying Hours - 11,300 Ins. Sadly passed away 19th December 2008.
Child, C C Click the name above to see a profile of Child, C C    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Child, C C
Coles, K R Click the name above to see a profile of Coles, K R	Coles, K R
Crawley, Fred Click the name above to see a profile of Crawley, Fred	Crawley, Fred As a Navigator Fred completed a full Tour with 158 Sqn during 1943 on Halifaxes. He was then posted to 139 Sqn on Mosquitos, and completed 45 further Operations. Of Fred's 75 Operations, over 20 were to Berlin.
Davis, T W Click the name above to see a profile of Davis, T W    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Davis, T W
de Montmorency, R H Click the name above to see a profile of de Montmorency, R H    Died : 14 / 5 / 1940	de Montmorency, R H
De Souza, Kenneth Mitchell Alves Click the name above to see a profile of De Souza, Kenneth Mitchell Alves    Died : 16 / 5 / 1940	De Souza, Kenneth Mitchell Alves Killed on 16th May 1940 when his Blenheim Mk.IV L9411 of No.139 Sqn crashed near Sedan. He is buried in Floing Communal Cemetery.
Dennis, Click the name above to see a profile of Dennis,	Dennis,
Garbett, H T Click the name above to see a profile of Garbett, H T    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Garbett, H T
Glenn, George Click the name above to see a profile of Glenn, George	Glenn, George During 1941 he flew as a Pilot on Hampden Bombers with 144 Sqn before joining the Path Finder Force on Mosquitos and serving with 139 Sqn as part of part of the Light Night Strike Force and completing a total of 83 Operations by the end of the war in Europe
Gray, P C Click the name above to see a profile of Gray, P C    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Gray, P C
Gregory, F W Click the name above to see a profile of Gregory, F W    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Gregory, F W
Grey-Smith, G E Click the name above to see a profile of Grey-Smith, G E	Grey-Smith, G E
Hadley, Les Click the name above to see a profile of Hadley, Les	Hadley, Les As a Navigator Les did a full Tour with 40 Squadron on Wellingtons. His second tour was completed on Mosquitos with 139 PFF, from where he later transferred back to heavy Bombers with 156 PFF, completing his war-time service.
Hale, Click the name above to see a profile of Hale,	Hale,
Hale, H R Click the name above to see a profile of Hale, H R	Hale, H R
Handley, Click the name above to see a profile of Handley,	Handley,
Harrison, T C R Click the name above to see a profile of Harrison, T C R    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Harrison, T C R
Hill, Click the name above to see a profile of Hill,	Hill,
Hill, S. G. Click the name above to see a profile of Hill, S. G.    Died : 14 / 4 / 1941	Hill, S. G.
Hyde, T. E. Click the name above to see a profile of Hyde, T. E.	Hyde, T. E.
Jennings, , Click the name above to see a profile of Jennings, ,	Jennings, ,
Jones, N S D Click the name above to see a profile of Jones, N S D    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Jones, N S D
Keegan, J B Click the name above to see a profile of Keegan, J B    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Keegan, J B
Kendrick, Click the name above to see a profile of Kendrick,	Kendrick, On 14th May 1940, his Blenheim Mk.IV N6223 of No.139 Sqn was shot down by fighters near Sedan. He was uninjured and returned to service.
Laban, E. W. Click the name above to see a profile of Laban, E. W.	Laban, E. W.
Laban, E. W. Click the name above to see a profile of Laban, E. W.    Died : 7 / 4 / 1941	Laban, E. W.
Lee, A. W. Click the name above to see a profile of Lee, A. W.    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Lee, A. W.
MacLachlan, A C Click the name above to see a profile of MacLachlan, A C	MacLachlan, A C
Maddox, S A Click the name above to see a profile of Maddox, S A    Died : 14 / 5 / 1940	Maddox, S A
McCarthy, William John Click the name above to see a profile of McCarthy, William John    Died : 16 / 5 / 1940	McCarthy, William John Killed aged 23 on 16th May 1940 when his Blenheim Mk.IV L9411 of No.139 Sqn crashed near Sedan. He is buried in Floing Communal Cemetery. Son of William and Annie McCarthy, of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
McFadden, W A Click the name above to see a profile of McFadden, W A    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	McFadden, W A
McKraken, W G Click the name above to see a profile of McKraken, W G    Died : 30 / 10 / 1939	McKraken, W G
McPhee, Tom Click the name above to see a profile of McPhee, Tom    Died : 22 / 2 / 2009	McPhee, Tom Born in Greenock in November 1917, Tom McPhee joined the RAFVR in 1938, and at the outbreak of war Tom was called up and posted to 139 Squadron as a Sergeant Pilot flying Blenheims on low level bombing raids. He was commissioned in 1941. In August 1943 he joined 464 Squadron flying Mosquitos, and in February 1944 took part in Operation Jericho when 18 Mosquitos of 140 Wing , nd TAF, attacked the Gestapo held prison at Amiens, liberating over 100 French Resistance fighters, many of whom had been condemned to execution the following morning. Flying number two on the raid in Mosquito MM403 SB-V, he was promoted to Squadron Leader as a result. From June 1944 he was posted to a Forward Control Unit until the end of the war. Sadly passed away 22nd February 2009.
McPherson, A Click the name above to see a profile of McPherson, A    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	McPherson, A
Menzies, G. J. Click the name above to see a profile of Menzies, G. J.    Died : 22 / 1 / 1941	Menzies, G. J. Flight Lieutenant G.J.Menzies of No.139 Squadron was killed on January 22nd 1941. His Blenheim (T2435) was shot down on return by friendly AA fire after failing to give recognition signals.
Middleton, J W Click the name above to see a profile of Middleton, J W	Middleton, J W
Mills, Click the name above to see a profile of Mills,	Mills,
Mitchell, S R Click the name above to see a profile of Mitchell, S R    Died : 30 / 10 / 1939	Mitchell, S R
Newberry, J H Click the name above to see a profile of Newberry, J H	Newberry, J H On 14th May 1940 his Blenheim Mk.IV N6223 of No.139 Sqn was shot down by enemy fighters near Sedan. He was uninjured and returned to service.
Over, H F Click the name above to see a profile of Over, H F    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Over, H F
Parker, W Click the name above to see a profile of Parker, W    Died : 14 / 5 / 1940	Parker, W
Patient, Joe Click the name above to see a profile of Patient, Joe	Patient, Joe As a pilot on 139 Sqn he flew with George Cash as his Navigator as part of the Pathfinder Force completing 59 Operations in Mosquitos over North West Europe.
Pepper, N E W Click the name above to see a profile of Pepper, N E W	Pepper, N E W
Power, J O Click the name above to see a profile of Power, J O    Died : 14 / 5 / 1940	Power, J O
Rooney, J Click the name above to see a profile of Rooney, J    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Rooney, J
Scholefield, Click the name above to see a profile of Scholefield,	Scholefield,
Scott, W I Click the name above to see a profile of Scott, W I    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Scott, W I
Shrimpton, Click the name above to see a profile of Shrimpton,	Shrimpton,
Stuart-Harris, D T Click the name above to see a profile of Stuart-Harris, D T    Died : 14 / 5 / 1940	Stuart-Harris, D T
Taylor, C Click the name above to see a profile of Taylor, C    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Taylor, C
Tempest, Ken Click the name above to see a profile of Tempest, Ken    Died : 2 / 6 / 2015	Tempest, Ken Pilot, No.139 Squadron. Kenneth Tempest, who has died aged 93, flew with the RAFs Pathfinder Force as a navigator and later became a pilot with BOAC; during his flying career he completed 788 crossings of the Atlantic. Tempest joined the RAFs Light Night Striking Force (LNSF) – part of the Pathfinders - in the summer of 1944 as part of No 139 Squadron, operating the Mosquito. His first operation was to bomb Berlin on October 30, the first of numerous sorties to the Big City. In addition to dropping markers as aiming points for the main bomber force, the Mosquitos of the LNSF carried out nuisance raids, dropping a single bomb on a number of industrial cities during one sortie. The aim was to deny sleep to the German work force and keep the emergency services busy every night. These raids had the additional benefit of acting as a diversion for the main force and confusing the enemys air defence organisation. On March 3rd 1945 Tempest and his pilot were returning from Berlin when there was a loud explosion in the rear of the aircraft. Unaware of the cause, they crossed the Dutch coast with no navigation or radio aids before discovering that the hydraulic system had also failed, disabling the brakes. They headed for the emergency airstrip at Woodbridge, one of three 9,000ft strips built near the coast to receive damaged aircraft returning from Europe. Before landing, one of the two engines failed but the crew managed to crash-land and survive unhurt, although the Mosquito was wrecked. Three nights later Tempest returned to Berlin, which, by this stage of the war, was almost a nightly event for the Mosquitos of the LNSF. On the night of May 2/3, Tempest headed for Kiel on his 43rd operation. It was also Bomber Commands final operation of the war. Shortly after, Tempest was awarded the DFC. Kenneth Tempest was born in Cawnpore, India, on April 9 1922 and educated at Keighley Grammar School. After a brief period with Lloyds Bank he joined the RAF and trained as a navigator in Florida under a US/UK bilateral training programme. On completion of his training and return to Britain, he and two colleagues were given an unusual posting when they joined BOAC at Poole and changed from their RAF uniforms to that of the commercial airline. He entered the flying boat division and after specialist training started to fly routes to West Africa on BOAC’s Boeing 314 A Clipper aircraft. On January 3 1943 he completed the first of many hundreds of transatlantic flights, when he flew to Belem in Brazil. In February he was sent to BOACs post at Baltimore in the US. The following September he was the navigator on flights to support the Quebec Conference, when Anthony Eden, the foreign secretary, Lord Mountbatten and the three service chiefs were his passengers. He returned to the RAF in the summer of 1944 and trained for the RAFs Pathfinder Force. Tempest left the Air Force as a flight lieutenant after the war and rejoined BOAC, initially as a navigator before training as a pilot. He returned to Baltimore and also operated from the airlines base in Canada, initially on converted wartime bombers and then the Lockheed Constellation. By the end of 1951 he had completed 237 transatlantic flights as a navigator and started his pilot training. After a period operating in the Caribbean, he started flying the Bristol Britannia. In 1964 he converted to the VC 10 and a year later carried the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on a return flight to Addis Ababa. He made his final flight on June 25 1975 having amassed more than 14,000 hours flying time. Kenneth Tempest, born April 9 1922, died June 2 2015.
Thomson, Click the name above to see a profile of Thomson,	Thomson,
Tideman, T G Click the name above to see a profile of Tideman, T G	Tideman, T G
Tough, Edmund Winchester Click the name above to see a profile of Tough, Edmund Winchester    Died : 16 / 5 / 1940	Tough, Edmund Winchester Killed aged 23 on 16th May 1940 when his Blenheim Mk.IV L9411 of No.139 Sqn crashed near Sedan. He is buried in Floing Communal Cemetery. Son of John and Annabella Jack Tough, of Govan, Glasgow.
Tribick, R. Click the name above to see a profile of Tribick, R.    Died : 22 / 1 / 1941	Tribick, R. Sergeant R.Tribick of No.139 Squadron was killed on January 22nd 1941. His Blenheim (T2435) was shot down on return by friendly AA fire after failing to give recognition signals.
Waddington, Click the name above to see a profile of Waddington,	Waddington,
Wallis, H B Click the name above to see a profile of Wallis, H B    Died : 14 / 5 / 1940	Wallis, H B
Willsher, Click the name above to see a profile of Willsher,	Willsher,
Womersley, Geoffrey Click the name above to see a profile of Womersley, Geoffrey    Died : 28 / 10 / 2010	Womersley, Geoffrey Geoffrey Harland Womersley was born on the 19th November 1914 at Bingley, Yorkshire. Geoffrey went to Bradford Grammar School and in 1936 joined the RAF and trained as a pilot at the RAFs flying school in Egypt. Geoffrey Harland Womersley joined No.102 Squadron flying biplane bombers. The squadron was re equipped with the Whitley bomber. Immediately after the outbreak of war he dropped propaganda leaflets over German cities and bombed the German seaplane bases on Heligoland and Sylt. On the night of May 11 1940, however, Womersley flew on the RAFs first raid on a German town, when 37 aircraft bombed road and rail links at Monchengladbach. The squadron supported the British Expeditionary Force and on 22nd May, his aircraft was hit by flak. Womersley and his crew were forced to bail out. On the ground he inadvertently stumbled into a group of German soldiers. Turning round and striding off in the other direction, he eventually came across some British soldiers. From there he managed to get to Paris and on to the last flight to England from Le Bourget airport. Womersley would go on to complete 30 operations, before becoming a bombing instructor. In August 1942 Womersley volunteered for the new Pathfinder squadrons, joining No 156, one of the Forces original four squadrons. In his Wellington he attacked targets in Germany and in Italy, dropping flares to illuminate the targets. In January 1943, whilst still a junior flight lieutenant, he was awarded a DSO. The citation concluded: "He has displayed outstanding ability and pressed home his attacks with unusual courage in the face of enemy fighter and anti-aircraft opposition." 156 squadron was re-equipped with the Lancaster and Womersley went on to complete 25 operations during the Battle of the Ruhr. A few months after receiving his DSO he was awarded a DFC. In April 1943 he joined the air staff at Pathfinder headquarters, working directly for its commander, Air Vice-Marshal Donald Bennett. Ten months later he took command of No 139 Squadron. Womersley was promoted group captain to command the Pathfinder airfield at Gransden Lodge near Cambridge, and flew a number of operations with the resident RCAF Lancaster squadron. He left the RAF in November 1945. Donald Bennett in 1946 established British South American Airways, whose civilianised RAF bombers flew routes to the Caribbean and South America. Womersley along with many other Pathfinder Pilots joined the company. British South American Airways went on to use the Avro Tudor, one of which was lost without trace in the Bermuda Triangle. On May 10th 1954, following the British South American Airways merger with BOAC, Geoff Womersley would go onto to fly a Comet into Rome airport, where another crew took over for the flight to London. Disaster struck when soon after take-off the aircraft suffered an explosive decompression and crashed into the sea off Elba - there were no survivors. Geoffrey remained with the airline until 1968, retiring as one of its senior Boeing 707 captains. Geoff Womersley died on October 28th 2010.

Aircraft for : No.139 Sqn RAF
A list of all aircraft associated with No.139 Sqn RAF. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name.
Aircraft	Info
Blenheim Click the name above to see prints featuring Blenheim aircraft. Manufacturer : Bristol Production Began : 1935 Retired : 1956 Number Built : 4422	Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim, the most plentiful aircraft in the RAFs inventory when WWII began, was designed by Frank Barnwell, and when first flown in 1936 was unique with its all metal monoplane design incorporating a retractable undercarriage, wing flaps, metal props, and supercharged engines. A typical bomb load for a Blenheim was 1,000 pounds. In the early stages of the war Blenheims were used on many daylight bombing missions. On the day that war was declared on Germany, a Blenheim piloted by Flying Officer Andrew McPherson was the first British aircraft to cross the German coast and the following morning 15 Blenheims from three squadrons set off on one of the first bombing missions The Blenheim units operated throughout the battle, often taking heavy casualties, although they were never accorded the publicity of the fighter squadrons. The Blenheim units raided German occupied airfields throughout July to December 1940, both during daylight hours and at night. Although most of these raids were unproductive, there were some successes; on 1 August five out of 12 Blenheims sent to attack Haamstede and Evere (Brussels) were able to bomb, destroying or heavily damaging three Bf 109s of II./JG 27 and apparently killing a Staffelkapitän identified as Hauptmann Albrecht von Ankum-Frank. Two other 109s were claimed by Blenheim gunners. Another successful raid on Haamstede was made by a single Blenheim on 7 August which destroyed one 109 of 4./JG 54, heavily damaged another and caused lighter damage to four more. There were also some missions which produced an almost 100% casualty rate amongst the Blenheims. One such operation was mounted on 13 August 1940 against a Luftwaffe airfield near Aalborg in north-western Denmark by 12 aircraft of 82 Squadron. One Blenheim returned early (the pilot was later charged and due to appear before a court martial, but was killed on another operation); the other 11, which reached Denmark, were shot down, five by flak and six by Bf 109s. Blenheim-equipped units had been formed to carry out long-range strategic reconnaissance missions over Germany and German-occupied territories, as well as bombing operations. In this role, the Blenheims once again proved to be too slow and vulnerable against Luftwaffe fighters and they took constant casualties While great heroism was displayed by the air crews, tremendous losses were sustained during these missions. The Blenhiem was easy pickings at altitude for German Bf-109 fighters who quickly learned to attack from below. To protect the vulnerable bellies of the Blenheims many missions were shifted to low altitude, but this increased the aircrafts exposure to anti-aircraft fire. In the German night-bombing raid on London on 18 June 1940, Blenheims accounted for five German bombers, thus proving that they were better-suited for night fighting. In July, No. 600 Squadron, by then based at RAF Manston, had some of its Mk IFs equipped with AI Mk III radar. With this radar equipment, a Blenheim from the Fighter Interception Unit (FIU) at RAF Ford achieved the first success on the night of 2–3 July 1940, accounting for a Dornier Do 17 bomber. More successes came, and before long the Blenheim proved itself invaluable as a night fighter. One Blenheim pilot, Squadron Leader Arthur Scarf, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for an attack on Singora, Thailand, on 9 December 1941. Another bomber of No. 60 Squadron RAF was credited with shooting down Lt Col Tateo Katō's Nakajima Ki-43 fighter and badly damaging two others in a single engagement on 22 May 1942, over the Bay of Bengal. Katō's death was a severe blow to the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force.
Bristol F2B Click the name above to see prints featuring Bristol F2B aircraft. Manufacturer : Bristol Production Began : 1916 Retired : 1932 Number Built : 0	Bristol F2B The Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 First World war early two-seater pusher biplane and was used by the Royal Flying Corps as a fighter and also as a day or night bomber. The FE2 was one of the few aircraft which gave the allies the edge over the Fokker aircraft of 1914/1915. In May 1915 the F.E.2b entered service with No 6 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps and it was 20 squadron which was the first squadron to be totally equipped with Fe2 aircraft which was deployed in January 1916. The Fe2B remained in day use throughout 1916 and 1917 and in 1918 was used solely as a night bomber. The FE2b equipped 22 squadrons, 16 of which served in France with the other 6 serving the home defence. As the German fighters got better the FE2B was outclassed and was used only as a light night bomber or used on the home defense front against the Zeppelins. Crew: Two Speed: 80 knots (91.5 mph,) Endurance 3 hours Ceiling 11,000 ft Maximum take off weight 3,037 lbs Length: 32 ft 3 in Height: 12 ft 8 in Wingspan 495 ft² Engine Beardmore 6 cylinder inline piston engine giving 160 HP
Canberra Click the name above to see prints featuring Canberra aircraft. Manufacturer : English Electric Production Began : 1951	Canberra The English Electric Canberra first flew on Friday 13 May 1949 when its performance created a sensation. Such was the quality of the original design that in May 1951, when the first B2 Canberras entered service with No 101 Squadron at RAF Binbrook they could out manoeuvre all the fighters of the period and fly with impunity more than 10,000 feet above them. Operated by 17 airforces in more than 20 different variants, Canberras have been to war at Suez and in India, in Vietnam and the Falklands campaign, and in 1996 Canberra PR9s were engaged in operational reconnaissance flights over Bosnia and in other regions. It is widely and justifiably regarded as one of the greatest aircraft designs of all time.
Mosquito Click the name above to see prints featuring Mosquito aircraft. Manufacturer : De Havilland Production Began : 1940 Retired : 1955 Number Built : 7781	Mosquito Used as a night fighter, fighter bomber, bomber and Photo-reconnaissance, with a crew of two, Maximum speed was 425 mph, at 30,300 feet, 380mph at 17,000ft. and a ceiling of 36,000feet, maximum range 3,500 miles. the Mosquito was armed with four 20mm Hospano cannon in belly and four .303 inch browning machine guns in nose. Coastal strike aircraft had eight 3-inch Rockets under the wings, and one 57mm shell gun in belly. The Mossie at it was known made its first flight on 25th November 1940, and the mosquito made its first operational flight for the Royal Air Force as a reconnaissance unit based at Benson. In early 1942, a modified version (mark II) operated as a night fighter with 157 and 23 squadron's. In April 1943 the first De Haviland Mosquito saw service in the Far east and in 1944 The Mosquito was used at Coastal Command in its strike wings. Bomber Commands offensive against Germany saw many Mosquitos, used as photo Reconnaissance aircraft, Fighter Escorts, and Path Finders. The Mosquito stayed in service with the Royal Air Force until 1955. and a total of 7781 mosquito's were built.