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| No. 1 Parachute Training School RAF | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | No. 1 Parachute Training School RAF |
| Caption | Parachute training emblem |
| Dates | Established 1940 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Type | Parachute training unit |
| Role | Airborne forces training |
| Garrison | Various (including RAF Ringway, RAF Brize Norton) |
| Notable commanders | Brigadier Gerald Lathbury, Air Marshal Sir Hubert Patch |
No. 1 Parachute Training School RAF is the principal Royal Air Force establishment responsible for training parachute and airborne personnel for the United Kingdom's airborne forces. Founded during the Second World War to support operations in the North-West Europe and beyond, the school has supported joint operations involving the British Army, Special Air Service, Parachute Regiment, and NATO partners. Its graduates have taken part in major operations including Operation Market Garden, Operation Overlord, and later deployments to Falklands War, Gulf War, and Afghanistan.
The school traces origins to training begun at RAF Ringway in 1940 amid the expansion of airborne capabilities driven by leaders such as Sir Winston Churchill, Major General Frederick Browning, and Brigadier Gerald Lathbury. Early instructors included figures with experience from the British Expeditionary Force and veterans of the Battle of France. During the Second World War, the establishment developed parachute techniques used in Operation Husky, Operation Dragoon, and the controversial Operation Market Garden. Postwar restructuring saw relocations to stations like RAF Brize Norton and closer integration with the Ministry of Defence policies on airborne doctrine, reflecting lessons from the Suez Crisis, the Falklands War, and engagements in Northern Ireland. During the late 20th and early 21st centuries the school adapted to new threats exemplified by operations in Iraq War and Afghanistan, updating training to cover free-fall, static-line, and high-altitude, low-opening techniques used by units such as Special Air Service and Special Boat Service.
The school provides parachute training for personnel from the Parachute Regiment, Royal Marines, British Army Air Corps, Royal Navy, and international partner forces including members of NATO and the United States Armed Forces. Responsibilities include certification for static-line and military free-fall qualifications recognized across formations like 3 Commando Brigade, 16 Air Assault Brigade, and airborne elements attached to the United Nations. It supports exercises such as Exercise Joint Warrior, Exercise Swift Response, and interoperability projects with formations like the French Army, German Army, and Polish Land Forces.
Organisationally the school comprises instructor cadres, parachute packing sections, and medical and logistics wings drawn from RAF trades and attached army cadres including officers commissioned through Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and non-commissioned ranks promoted from units such as the Parachute Regiment. The syllabus covers aircraft exit procedures, canopy control, landing fall techniques developed from lessons of Operation Market Garden and manuals influenced by experts like John Frost. Courses include Elementary Parachute Course (static-line), military free-fall (HALO/HAHO), tandem training for special operations, and refresher modules for jungle, arctic, and urban environments encountered in deployments such as Falklands War and Gulf War. Medical and survival training draws on protocols from Royal Air Force Medical Services and doctrine used in Operation Granby and Operation Herrick.
Training facilities have included drop zones at former wartime fields like RAF Ringway and modernized ranges near RAF Brize Norton, with mock-up aircraft fuselages, wind tunnels, and a dedicated parachute packing depot. Aircraft types used for jumps and training sorties have included the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley historically, later types such as the Vickers Varsity, De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou, Lockheed C-130 Hercules, and more recently the Airbus A400M Atlas and military variants of the Lockheed C-130. Drop zones and simulation assets are managed with support from formations including RAF Regiment and civilian contractors accredited by the Ministry of Defence.
Graduates from the school participated in major airborne operations including Operation Overlord, where parachute units landed behind the Normandy landings; Operation Market Garden aimed at securing bridges over the Rhine; and Operation Varsity. Postwar deployments included parachute insertions during the Suez Crisis, actions in Aden Emergency, the Falklands War where air-transported infantry operations proved decisive, and more recent deployments in Iraq War and Afghanistan where parachute-qualified personnel supported airborne assaults, special reconnaissance, and external security tasks for formations such as Operation Telic and Operation Herrick.
Commanders have included senior officers from both RAF and army backgrounds, among them figures associated with airborne doctrine like Brigadier Gerald Lathbury and senior RAF commanders such as Air Marshal Sir Hubert Patch. Instructors and cadre often come from the Parachute Regiment, Royal Air Force, and special forces units including Special Air Service and Special Boat Service. Distinguished alumni include officers and NCOs who later commanded formations in conflicts like the Falklands War and Iraq War, and recipients of decorations such as the Victoria Cross, George Cross, and Distinguished Service Order.
The school’s insignia and traditions draw on airborne heraldry established during the Second World War with motifs similar to those of the Parachute Regiment and airborne units of the British Army. Ceremonial practices include beret flashes and parachute wings awarded after successful completion of courses, parades linked with remembrance of operations like Operation Overlord and commemorations connected to Airborne Forces Day. Unit customs reflect interoperability with NATO partners and maintain links to historic formations such as the 1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom), preserving airborne standards used in major engagements including Operation Market Garden.