RAF Badge 149 Bomber Squadron Enamel Metal Crest Kings Crown

RAF Badge 149 Bomber Squadron Enamel Crest Metal Pin Badge Royal Air Force Kings Crown 1940s Lancaster Bombers Marked Heraldic Birmingham

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Unit history 1937-1956

On 12 April 1937 149 Bomber Squadron reformed from B Flight of No. 99 Squadron RAF under at RAF Mildenhall with Handley Page Heyford biplane bombers and converted to Vickers Wellingtons in January 1939. After being re-equipped with the Short Stirling in November 1941, the squadron took part in the first 1,000 bomber raid. The squadron also established No 149 Squadron Conversion flight on 21 January 1942 to train new Stirling crews and on 7 October this was formed into 1657 Heavy Conversion Unit HCU together with 7, 101 and 218 Squadron Conversion Flights. In August 1944 the Stirlings were replaced with Avro Lancasters, which served the squadron until 1949. At the end of the war no. 149 squadron participated in Operation Manna, to drop food to the starved Dutch population still under German occupation, and Operation ‘Exodus’, to return former prisoners of war back to the UK.

After the war No 149 Squadron continued to fly with RAF Bomber Command moving to RAF Tuddenham in April 1946 and then later in November on to RAF Stradishall. In February 1949 the squadron returned to RAF Mildenhall, where the Lancasters were replaced with Avro Lincolns. The  Squadron remained at Mildenhall until disbanding on 1 March 1950.

The Squadron was reformed on 14 August 1950 as the RAF’s first Boeing Washington bomber unit moving to RAF Coningsby in October 1950. The Washingtons were on loan by the RAF from the USAF as an interim nuclear bomber pending the arrival of the RAF’s own jet bomber, the Canberra. The squadron reequipped with the Canberra in March 1953 and in August 1954 it relocated to RAF Ahlhorn in West-Germany where it joined 125 Wing of Royal Air Force Germany. The following month it moved again to RAF Gutersloh where the Squadron had its final disbandment on 31 August 1956.

This badge dates from the 1940s.