No. 59 Squadron RAF

Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

No. 59 Squadron
Active	1 August 1916 (RFC) to 4 August 1919 28 June 1937 - 15 June 1946 1 December 1947 - 31 October 1950 1 September 1956 - 4 January 1961
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Motto(s)	Latin: Ab uno disce omnes ("From one teach all")^[1]
Insignia
Squadron badge heraldry	A broken wheel.
Squadron codes	PJ Sep 1938 - Sep 1939 TR Sep 1939 - Oct 1942 1 Aug 1943 - Jul 1944 WE Jul 1944 - Oct 1945 BY Oct 1945 - Jun 1946, Dec 1947 - Oct 1950

Military unit

No. 59 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force, based in Norfolk, England.

History

No.59 Squadron was formed at Narborough Airfield in Norfolk on 1 August 1916 as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps.^[2] On 13 February 1917, the Squadron crossed the English Channel, deploying to Saint-Omer in northern France to operate in the army co-operation role, equipped with Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8s.^[3]

During the Second World War it was attached to RAF Fighter Command (1937–1940), Bomber Command (taking part in the Millennium II raid on Bremen) and Coastal Command (1940–1945). After the war, No 59 Squadron was attached to Transport Command, flying troops to India from September 1945 until 15 June 1946, when the squadron was disbanded. On 1 December 1947 whilst at RAF Waterbeach, half the crew of No 51 Squadron were designated to reform as No 59 Squadron. At 0800 the move from RAF Waterbeach to RAF Abingdon commenced whereupon the arrival of their commanding officer, Squadron Leader E.V Best A.F.C at 1000, the squadron officially reformed, as a Long Range Transport Unit flying Avro Yorks. A detached flight would later take part in the Berlin Airlift (1948–49). The squadron disbanded again on 31 October 1950, then reformed at RAF Gutersloh, Germany in August 1956, when No. 102 Squadron was re-numbered No 59 Sqn flying English Electric Canberra B.2s and B(I).8s. No 59 Squadron was last disbanded in 1961, when it was re-numbered to No.3 Squadron.^[4]

References

^ Pine, L.G. (1983). A dictionary of mottoes (1 ed.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 3. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
^ "Historic Squadrons: 59 Squadron". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
^ Halley 1980, p. 96.
^ "No. 59 Squadron (RAF) during the Second World War". www.historyofwar.org. Retrieved 1 April 2021.

Halley, James J. (1980). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-083-9.
Rawlings, John D.R. (1982). Coastal Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.
No.59 Squadron RFC RAF Historical and Memorial Site
Royal Air Force:Historic Squadrons: 59 Squadron
Air of Authority: No 56 - 60 Squadron Histories

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to No. 59 Squadron RAF.

Australian War Memorial 59 Squadron RAF- Roll of Honour

Royal Air Force flying squadrons

Currently active

Inactive

Australian Flying Corps units
attached to the RAF
during the First World War

67 (1 Sqn AFC)
68 (2 Sqn AFC)
69 (3 Sqn AFC)
71 (4 Sqn AFC)

Article XV (Commonwealth) air force units attached to the RAF during the Second World War

Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)	400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)	450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 466 467
Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)	485 486 487 488 489 490

Squadrons formed from
non-Commonwealth personnel
during the Second World War

Argentine	164
Belgian	349 350
Czechoslovak	310 311 312 313
Dutch	320 (Netherlands) 321 (Netherlands) 322 (Dutch)
French	326 327 328 329 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347

Greek	13 335 336
Norwegian	330 331 332 333 334
Polish	300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 315 316 317 318 663
United States	71 121 133
Yugoslav	351 352