No. 21 Group RAF

No. 21 Group RAF
Public domain · source
Unit name	No. 21 Group RAF
Dates	1918–1946
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Type	Group
Role	Training and command

No. 21 Group RAF was a formation of the Royal Air Force that existed in several incarnations between 1918 and 1946, primarily responsible for training, flying instruction, and operational control of training units. The group served during the aftermath of the First World War and throughout the Second World War, interacting with training schools, operational conversion units and support formations drawn from across the United Kingdom, India, and other parts of the British Empire.

History

Originally formed in 1918 amid the demobilisation following the Armistice of 11 November 1918, the group reappeared in the interwar period as part of the RAF's restructuring during the 1920s and 1930s. With the expansion of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and the establishment of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell, the group adapted to provide systematic instruction linked to the requirements of the Air Ministry and commands such as RAF Training Command and RAF Flying Training Command. During the Second World War the group was heavily engaged in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, coordinating with commands in Canada, Australia, and South Africa. Post-war reductions after the VE Day period and the wider demobilisation led to the group's eventual disbandment amid the drawdown of RAF training establishments.

Role and Operations

No. 21 Group RAF functioned principally as a training and supervisory headquarters, overseeing Service Flying Training Schools, Elementary Flying Training Schools, and other instructional units. It liaised with the Air Ministry and subordinate formations such as No. 23 Group RAF and No. 25 Group RAF to allocate flying instructors, aircraft and maintenance support drawn from depots like RAF Halton and No. 1 School of Technical Training. The group's operations contributed to pilot and aircrew throughput feeding into operational commands including Fighter Command, Bomber Command, and Coastal Command during large-scale operations such as the Battle of Britain and the Battle of the Atlantic by preparing replacements and conversion crews.

Organization and Stations

The group's organisational structure comprised headquarters staff, liaison officers, and command of multiple training squadrons and schools located at stations including RAF Leconfield, RAF Cranwell, RAF Tern Hill, RAF Hucknall, and RAF Doncaster. It also exercised control over maintenance units and repair facilities tied to depots like RAF St Athan and RAF Henlow. During wartime expansion, the group coordinated with overseas training centres in the Gold Coast and India as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme and maintained administrative links with the Air Council and the Inspectorate of Training.

Aircraft and Equipment

Aircraft types under the group's supervision featured primary trainers and conversion types such as the Avro Tutor, de Havilland Tiger Moth, North American Harvard, Airspeed Oxford, and basic twin-engine trainers used for multi-engine conversion. Support equipment included ground instructional rigs from schools like RAF Halton and radio navigation training gear used in preparation for operations by crews destined for types such as the Avro Lancaster, Handley Page Halifax, and Vickers Wellington within Bomber Command. Maintenance and armament training utilised facilities and stores drawn from establishments like No. 41 Maintenance Unit RAF and No. 43 Maintenance Unit RAF.

Commanders

Senior commanders who held leadership roles at group or equivalent level often had prior service with formations such as RAF College Cranwell and theatres including the Western Front and the Middle East Theatre. They included officers who had served alongside figures connected to the Air Council, Sir Hugh Trenchard, and contemporaries from Fighter Command and Bomber Command. Command appointments were coordinated through the Air Ministry and announced alongside other senior postings across the Royal Air Force.

Notable Personnel and Units

Training units under the group's control produced aircrew who later served with distinction in formations like No. 617 Squadron RAF, No. 303 Squadron RAF, and in theatres exemplified by the Normandy landings and the Burma Campaign. Instructors and trainees often transferred to operational conversion units supporting aircraft models from manufacturers such as Avro, Handley Page, Vickers, de Havilland, and Boulton Paul. Alumni of the group's schools were associated with awards including the Victoria Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom), and the Distinguished Service Order in subsequent operational service.

Legacy and Commemoration

The group's legacy is preserved in the institutional histories of establishments like RAF Cranwell, RAF Halton, and the records of Flying Training Command, forming part of the collective memory maintained by organisations such as the Royal Air Force Museum and veterans' associations connected to the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Commemoration appears in squadron histories, memorials at stations including St Clement Danes and in regimental displays at repositories like the Imperial War Museum. The training doctrines and instructional methods overseen by the group influenced post-war RAF training reforms and the evolution of training pipelines in successor institutions such as No. 1 Flying Training School RAF.

Category:Royal Air Force groups Category:Military units and formations established in 1918 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1946