The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), formerly the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF), together with the Air Force Reserve, is a component of His Majesty's Reserve Air Forces (Reserve Forces Act 1996, Part 1, Para 1,(2),(c)). It provides a primary reinforcement capability for the regular service, and consists of paid volunteers who give up some of their weekends, evenings and holidays to train at one of a number of squadrons around the United Kingdom. Its current mission is to provide trained personnel in support of the regular Royal Air Force (RAF).
Formation The Royal Auxiliary Air Force owes its origin to Lord Trenchard's vision of an elite corps of civilians who would serve their country in flying squadrons in their spare time. Instituted by the (SR&O 1924/1212), an Order in Council, on 9 October 1924, the first Auxiliary Air Force squadrons were formed the following year. The pilots of AAF squadrons were generally formed from the wealthier classes, as applicants were expected to already have, or be prepared to obtain, their pilot's licence at their own expense, at a cost of £96, about £ today. The Royal Air Force Reserve (RAFR) differs in that its members were trained in the RAF and left, but are obliged to return to service if required. Pilots of the AAF were expected to join for a period of no less than five years, and were required to fly a few hours every quarter and attend annual training for 15 days. Each squadron was provided with a town base for training, and facilities at an aerodrome. All serving members were required to wear the letter A on their uniforms.
Second World War
By March 1939, 21 flying squadrons had been formed, the 20 surviving units being 'embodied' (included) with the Royal Air Force at the outbreak of war. Notably, all enlisted men continued to serve under their auxiliary conditions of service until they expired when they were required to transfer to the RAFVR. The squadrons were equipped with a variety of operational aircraft which included Hurricanes and Spitfires. The squadrons scored a number of notable successes before and during the Second World War: the first flight over Mount Everest, undertaken by auxiliary pilots from 602 Squadron, the first German aircraft destroyed over British territorial waters – and over the mainland, the first U-boat to be destroyed with the aid of airborne radar, the first kill of a V-1 flying bomb; the first to be equipped with jet-powered aircraft, and the highest score of any British night fighter squadron. In the Battle of Britain, the AAF provided 14 of the 62 squadrons in RAF Fighter Command's Order of Battle and accounted for approximately 30% of the accredited enemy kills. Indeed, in 11 Group Fighter Command, that saw the heaviest fighting over South East England in 1940, of the 15 top scoring squadrons, eight were auxiliary. The losses sustained during the Battle of Britain, as with all other squadrons, were replaced by drafting in regular and RAFVR pilots. In fact, the volunteer reserves of the RAF outnumbered the regular RAF pilots in the Battle of Britain.
The Tactical Air Force squadrons were chosen to carry out several successful ultra low-level raids on key 'pin-point' targets in occupied Europe. The Balloon Squadrons also played their part, downing and deterring many hostile aircraft, and were accredited with the destruction of 279 V-1 flying bombs.
The Auxiliary Air Force was also responsible for the anti-aircraft balloon defences of the UK. At the outbreak of war in 1939 there were about 42 Squadrons operating barrage balloons, with the number of squadrons peaking at about 102 in 1944.
Cold War These achievements were honoured by the prefix "Royal", conferred by King George VI in 1947. Twenty of the pre-war squadrons were reformed postwar as fighter units. Events after the Second World War heralded a time of great danger for the UK: the onset of the Cold War with the Communist Bloc leading to the Berlin Air Lift and ultimately the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950. During these crises the RAuxAF fighter squadrons, the five newly formed air observation post (AOP) squadrons and other RAuxAF units, played their part in the UK's air defence and participated in many NATO air exercises. In 1951, at the height of the Korean War, all 20 RAuxAF fighter squadrons (representing one third of Fighter Command strength) were called up for three months full-time service; they were required for home defence in place of regular squadrons earmarked for deployment to Korea. In the event RAF fighter squadrons were not needed in Korea, but the RAuxAF squadrons were retained for intensive refresher training at their home bases.
On 10 March 1957 all 20 RAuxAF fighter squadrons were disbanded, along with the five post-war AOP squadrons and the Light Anti-Aircraft ground-based squadrons of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment. In the following two years or so, the Auxiliary Fighter Control Units associated with them were also disbanded. On 16 March 1960, the Air Commodore-in-Chief and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, invited the Squadron Commanders and Flight Commanders of all the disbanded Royal Auxiliary Air Force units to a reception at Buckingham Palace. All were given the following letter from the Air Commodore-in-Chief:
The renaissance of the RAuxAF began in 1959 with the formation of three Maritime Headquarters Units and one Maritime Support Unit. The MSU in Belfast was short-lived, but No 1 (County of Hertford) MHU in Northwood, No 2 (City of Edinburgh) MHU in Edinburgh and No 3 (County of Devon) MHU in Mountbatten continued in existence until No 3 was amalgamated into No 1 in 1999. Later that year No 1 was renumbered 600 (City of London) Squadron and No 2 was renumbered 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron. These three units formed the entirety of the RAuxAF for twenty years until expansion starting in 1979, with the formation of three Regiment Field Squadrons, continuing with a Movements Squadron in 1982, and, following lessons learned during the Falklands conflict, an Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron in 1983. A later addition, in 1987, was an auxiliary element (The Grampian Troop) formed within a regular RAF Regiment Rapier Air Defence Squadron. Another step forward was taken in 1986, with the raising of four Defence Force Flights with the role of ground defence of key points on air bases. In 1984, the RAuxAF's Diamond Jubilee was marked by the award to the Service of its own badge, which forms the basic motif of the Sovereign's Colour for the Royal Auxiliary Force presented by Queen Elizabeth II in 1989. The words of the badge motto are COMITAMUR AD ASTRA – Latin "We go with them to the stars".
Gulf War and beyond During the Gulf War in 1991, the Aeromedical and Movements Squadrons were mobilised and performed with great distinction in theatre and at other locations in the UK and overseas.
On 5 April 1997, all of the four war-appointable flights of the then Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve were fully amalgamated into the RAuxAF, each with squadron status. In recognition of their origins, and in the absence of direct county or city territorial affiliations, they were each given the honour of retaining the letters "VR" within their squadron titles. The remaining non-active support elements of the RAFVR were and remain unaffected by this amalgamation, namely the RAFVR(T), the RAFVR(UAS), and at its point of formation, the RAFVR(DTUS) (being the branches for Training, University Air Squadron, and the Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme, respectively).
During 2003 the RAuxAF was involved in the first large-scale mobilisation for over 50 years. More than 900 personnel, over 70% of its trained strength, were called into full-time service and were deployed to support RAF operations in Cyprus, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Falkland Islands, as well as those in the UK.
The Royal Auxiliary Air Force establishment (liability) is set at 2,920 – though recruitment difficulties mean the RAuxAF is currently at a strength well below that. The RAuxAF comprised 1,510 personnel as of April 2014.
On 19 July 2007, Senior Aircraftman Chris Dunsmore, aged 29, of 504 (County of Nottingham) Sqn RAuxAF was one of three men killed by a rocket attack on the RAF base at Basrah Airport, Iraq. He was the first serving RAuxAF member killed by enemy action since the Second World War.
On 13 April 2008, Senior Aircraftman Gary Thompson, aged 51, of 504 (County of Nottingham) Sqn RAuxAF was killed by a roadside bomb while on patrol in Kandahar. SAC Thompson was the oldest British serviceman killed in Afghanistan.
In November 2014 the Ministry of Defence announced the creation of six new RAuxAF units: No 502 Squadron to be based at RAF Aldergrove, No. 505 Squadron to be based at RAF St Mawgan in Cornwall, No. 605 Squadron to be based at RAF Cosford in Shropshire, No. 607 Squadron to be based at RAF Leeming, No. 611 Squadron to be based at RAF Woodvale near Formby, Merseyside and No. 614 Squadron to be based in Cardiff.
In August 2016, it was announced that RAuxAF personnel will no longer wear identifying Auxiliary insignia on Parade and Mess Dress. The wearing of such on working dress was discontinued earlier in the 2000s.
On 1 April 2019, No 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron was re-formed at RAF Waddington.
Structure Current RAuxAF Units
None of the squadrons listed below are flying units with their own allocated aircraft. No. 3 Tactical Police Squadron (RAF Honington) No. 6 Cyber Reserve Squadron (RAF Digby) No. 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron RAuxAF (RAF Brize Norton) No. 502 (Ulster) Squadron RAuxAF (Aldergrove Flying Station) No. 504 (County of Nottingham) Squadron RAuxAF (RAF Wittering) No. 505 (Wessex) Squadron RAuxAF (RAF St Mawgan) No. 600 (City of London) Squadron RAuxAF (RAF Northolt) No. 601 (County of London) Squadron (RAF Northolt) No. 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron RAuxAF (Glasgow) No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron RAuxAF (Edinburgh) No. 605 (County of Warwick) Squadron RAuxAF (RAF Cosford) No. 606 (Chilterns) Squadron RAuxAF (RAF Benson) No. 607 (County of Durham) Squadron RAuxAF (RAF Leeming) No. 609 (West Riding) Squadron RAuxAF (RAF Leeming) No. 611 (West Lancashire) Squadron RAuxAF (RAF Woodvale) No. 612 (County of Aberdeen) Squadron RAuxAF (Leuchars Station) No. 614 (County of Glamorgan) Squadron RAuxAF (Cardiff) No. 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron RAuxAF (RAF Waddington) No. 622 Squadron RAuxAF (Reserve Aircrew) (RAF Brize Norton) No. 4624 (County of Oxford) Movements Squadron RAuxAF (RAF Brize Norton) No. 4626 (County of Wiltshire) Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron RAuxAF (RAF Brize Norton) No. 7006 (VR) Intelligence Squadron RAuxAF (RAF Waddington) No. 7010 (VR) Photographic Interpretation Squadron RAuxAF (RAF Waddington) No. 7630 (VR) Intelligence Squadron RAuxAF (RAF Waddington) No. 7644 (VR) Media Ops Squadron RAuxAF (RAF Halton) No. 2503 (City of Lincoln) Squadron RAuxAF Regiment (RAF Waddington) No. 2620 (County of Norfolk) Squadron RAuxAF Regiment (RAF Marham) No. 2622 (Highland) Squadron RAuxAF Regiment (RAF Lossiemouth) No. 2623 (East Anglian) Squadron RAuXAF Regiment (RAF Honington) No. 2624 (County of Oxfordshire) Squadron RAuxAF Regiment (RAF Brize Norton) RAuxAF Band (Royal Air Force College Cranwell)
Former Squadrons and Units RAuxAF Flying Squadrons formed 1925–1939 and 1947–1957
Air Observation Post Flying Squadrons formed in 1949
The Fighter Control Units