DONALD ROY CAMPBELL
Founder/Director
Donald Campbell served 36 years in the Royal Air Force and retired as a Warrant Officer in 2006. His years of service as an engineer extended to many countries around the world, including Northern Ireland, Madagasca, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Norway, Sardinia, Saudi, Falkland Islands, Belize and the USA.
He served most of his years on large Operational Units as a Survival Equipment Technician working on Fast Jet aircrafts such as Jaguar, Harrier, Tornado, Hawks and a variety of helicopters. His final 7 years were in charge of his Trade Training School as the Training Manager, at RAF Cosford, Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering.
He was awarded 2 commendations for meritorious service, one of which was in conjunction with the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2002 and a Good Show Award for an outstanding personal contribution to the work of the Careers Information Service 2004.
Donald is now a proud veteran who gives of his time as a role model and Community Ambassador by doing presentations in schools, organisations and to the West Midlands Police Cadet Force.
Black History Month: ITV News Central Report on The Forgotten Generations Project
They were trailblazers’ – Midlands RAF veteran shares forgotten war stories of black men and women
Donald interview for the RAF 100 Celebration Aug 2018
2 Birmingham based RAF Veterans Received Points of Light Awards from the Prime Minister
Pilots of The Caribbean featuring Donald Veteran Royal Air Force
Mr Donald Campbell, Mr Albert Jarrett, PM Boris Johnson and MP Ben Wallace Secretary of State for Defence on VJ Day 15th August 2020, National Memorial Arboretum Staffordshire
Donald Campbell & Carlos Acosta, Birmingham Royal Ballet Director, at the opening of the Royal Ballet Performance, Birmingham Hippodrome, 23/06/2022
(Left) Donald Campbell, Albert Jarrett & Kenneth Straun at RAF Wittering, Jamaica Day 22/06/2022
The Forgotten Generations presented a copy of the British African and Caribbean Service Personnel Poppy Flower to the Station Commander RAF Wittering on Jamaica Day 22/06/2022
(Left) Albert Jarrett, Mary Nightingale Journalist and TV Presenter, & Donald Campbell, Downing Street 06/06/2022
Donald Campbell outside No10 Downing Street London proudly holding his Points of Light Award for the Prime Minister 06/06/2022
Albert Jarett & Donald Campbell with members of the Royal Air Force Cadet outside No10 Downing Street London, after attending The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Big Lunch 06/06/2022
Albert Jarrett & Donald Campbell outside No10 Downing Street London after receiving The Points of Light Award from the Prime Minister 06/06/2022
Albert Jarrett & Donald Campbell at the Ex-Service Personnel Reunion (EPR) Annual Event 04/06 2022
Grandad Donald Campbell, Grandson Treyvan Campbell & Son Gavin Campbell at Wolverhampton Wonderers FC 21/05/2022
Donald Campbell with High Commissioner of Jamaica Seth Ramocan & his wife Dr Lola Ramocan after he signed a copy of the book ‘Jamaicans In Britain A legacy of Leadership’ at Launch of Jamaica 60th George St Church Birmingham 24/04/2022
Veteran Donald Campbell, RAF Mount Pleasant, Falkland Island 1991
Veteran Donald Campbell & Dr Sergeant Johnson Beharry VC, May 2019, National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire
Veterans Donald Campbell, Ronald Lisk-Carew and colleague, Londonderry, Northern Ireland 1971
Donald meeting the Duke of Kent, RAF Wyton, Cambridgeshire
Panoramic view of the “Forward Together” monument at Victoria Square, Birmingham 4th July 2021
Panoramic view of the “Forward Together” monument at Victoria Square, Birmingham 4th July 2021
Three generations, Donald Campbell with son Gavin and Grandson Treyvan at the unveiling of the monument 4th July 2021
Mr Albert Jarrett World War 2 Veteran RAF, Mrs Shirley Jarrett and Donald Campbell Veteran RAF, Victoria Square, Birmingham
Veteran Donald Campbell, retired Warrant Officer RAF, next to his effigy as one of 25 people making up the monument 4th July 2021
Donald and wife Barbara at the factory in Cradley Heath, Birmingham, May 2021
Forward Together plaque story of the monument
The meeting of 4 x Royal Air Force veterans at the COMMONWEALTH DAY SERVICE 11th MARCH 2019 at MEMORIAL GATES, CONSTITUTION HILL, LONDON
Left to right: Neil Flanigan WW11, seated Alan Wilmot WW11, Donald Campbell & Albert Jarrett WW11
Presentation of 139 (Jamaica) Squadron Battle Standard
WAWI Project presentation 18 October 2014
Motto: Si placet necamus (We destroy at will)
The honour of being presented with the Battle Standard of this historic Squadron is accepted with full grace. Having servered 36 years in the RAF at many different Units, it is very fitting to be presented with this Standard, being based 12 of those years, at different times, at Wyton.
139 Squadron was re-equipped at Wyton with Blenheim Aircrafts in July 1937 and then in September 1939, where it carried out the first RAF operation of World War Two, a reconnaissance of the German fleet in Wilhelmshaven.
Blenheim Aircraft
Royal Air Force No 139 (Jamaica) Squadron Battle Standard
During the early years of the war, a Jamaican newspaper, The Daily Gleaner, started a fund to buy bombers for Britain. The money Jamaica subscribed was the foundation of the “Bombers for Britain” Fund, to which many other Colonies and Dominions subsequently contributed. Jamaica herself contributed enough money to buy twelve Blenheims by 1941 and in recognition of this service it was decided, in the words of Lord Beaverbrook, the wartime Minister of Aircraft Production, “that Jamaica’s name shall evermore be linked with a squadron of the Royal Air Force”.
I was Jamaican born. I completed school in Birmingham England. I enlisted in the RAF age 18, September 1969 as a Survival Equipment Technition (Life Support, Assisted Escape & Survival). I served at Wyton on four different tours with various Squadrons and different types of aircrafts:
1971-1972 Victor Aircraft 543 Squadron (with streamed Brake Parachute)
1979-1981 Canberra Aircraft 39 PR
Nimrod Aircraft 51 Squadron
1985-1992 Canberra detachment in Norway
Hawk Aircraft 100 Squadron
My fourth and final tour at Wyton, 2004-2005, was as a Desk Officer for Assisted Escape Equipment on fast jets Royal Air Force wide.
It is for these reasons that I am extremely proud to be associated with Wyton, its history and indeed to be presented with the 139 (Jamaica) Squadron Battle Standard.
I promise to protect and care for the Standard of the Jamaica ‘139’ squadron, and continue to follow in the footsteps of our ancestors, to honour the memory of those who fought and died as well as those currently serving, as they strive to make this a better world for us all.
Donald Campbell
Warrant Officer
Ex Royal Air Force