RAF Regiment
MILITIA
“Every airfield should be a stronghold of fighting air-groundmen, and not the abode of uniformed civilians in the prime of life protected by detachments of soldiers” (Churchill, 1941).
"Every airfield should be a stronghold of fighting air-groundmen, and not the abode of uniformed civilians in the prime of life protected by detachments of soldiers."
The quote above comes from a private memo from the then Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, to the Secretary of State for War and CIGS and is dated 29th June 1941. The memo is contained in the book The Grand Alliance written by Churchill, in Annex C.
The British Government “in a statement in Parliament in January 1942, the formation of the RAF Regiment as a specialised airfield defence corps was announced,” (Oliver & Batt, 1982). The Royal Air Force Regiment is a Corps established by Royal Warrant of His Late Majesty King George VI on 1st February 1942 as an integral part of the Royal Air Force (Oliver, n.d.).
It is clear that leading up to the parliamentary announcement, in Europe there was an urgent need for soldiers from the British Army, and that it was not appropriate for those soldiers to be back in Britain defending airfields whilst members of the Royal Air Force looked on. That quote at the top of this post was to be seen framed on many an office or canteen wall. It was then, and remains so today, an inspiring quote that is the very “reason to be” for the officers and men of the RAF Regiment.
The RAF Regiment is a specialist corps of the Royal Air Force that carries out soldiering tasks relating to the delivery of air power. Upon its formation in 1942 its first headquarters was established at RAF Belton Park, Grantham, Lincolnshire (Pitchfork, 2008).
During World War II, the RAF Regiment played a crucial role in the defence of airfields. Disappointed with the failure of the British Army to recognise the importance of airfields in modern warfare, “The Regiment” was tasked with preventing a successful enemy attack in the first instance, minimising the damage caused by a successful attack, and ensuring that air operations could continue without delay in the aftermath of an attack.
In the post-war era, the RAF Regiment continued to evolve and adapt to the changing face of warfare. In the 1950s, the Regiment was involved in operations in Malaya and Kenya; in the 1960s it was deployed to Aden and Oman. During the Cold War, the Regiment was responsible for the defence of RAF bases in the UK and Germany with the Rapier missile system (Wikipedia contributors, 2023). Most squadrons took turns at sending a flight to Belize (formerly British Honduras) in Central America on a 4 month rotation. Following the Falklands Conflict in 1982 the Germany based squadrons rotated through The Falklands based at RAF Mount Pleasant, and the UK based squadrons continued with Belize. The USAF funded 3 Rapier squadrons, based in the UK, who took no part in the Falklands and Belize detachments. In the 1990s, the RAF Regiment was involved in operations in the Gulf War, Bosnia, and Kosovo. Once the USAF commitment to Rapier ceased the remaining 2 squadrons in the UK and the 4 squadrons in Germany took turns manning the Belize and Falklands detachments. Following the Gulf War the Germany based squadrons took responsibility for detachments to The Gulf and the 2 Scotland based squadrons for The Falklands. The Rapier air defence of Belize had ceased.
Authors Note: Happy to be corrected on some of the detail in this last paragraph. It won’t be far away from “which squadron went where” as I served on squadrons in The Falklands and Belize many times. I also spent a few years on the USAF Rapier squadrons / Rapier Training Unit (RTU).
Bibliography
Churchill, W. S., 1941. The Grand Alliance. London: s.n.
Oliver, K., n.d. Through Adversity. s.l.:s.n.
Oliver, K. O. & Batt, K., 1982. The Royal Air Force Regiment : A Short History. 4th ed. Dorking: Adlard & Son Ltd, Bartholomew Press.
Pitchfork, G., 2008. The Royal Air Force Day by Day. Stroud: History Press.
Wikipedia contributors, 2023. RAF Regiment. [Online]
Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=RAF_Regiment&oldid=1191677619
[Accessed 12 January 2024].