List of communications units and formations of the Royal Air Force

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This is a list of communications units and formations of the Royal Air Force.

In the Royal Air Force sense, wings, groups, and commands can be considered formations. A formation is defined by the US Department of Defense as "two or more aircraft, ships, or units proceeding together under a commander".[1] "Formations are those military organisations which are formed from different speciality Arms and Services troop units to create a balanced, combined combat force."[2]

Higher level communications formations in the Royal Air Force included RAF Signals Command, which was later reduced to group status and incorporated into RAF Strike Command. Nos 26 and No. 60 Group RAF were established in the 1940s. No. 26 Group was reformed on 12 February 1940 within RAF Training Command, and transferred to RAF Technical Training Command on 27 May 1940. It was transferred to RAF Bomber Command on 10 February 1942, and then amalgamated with No. 60 (Signals) Group to form No. 90 (Signals) Group RAF on 25 April 1946.

The Radio Warfare Establishment (RWE) was established 21 July 1945 at RAF Swanton Morley, and later became the Central Signals Establishment (CSE). The CSE was formed 1 September 1946 at RAF Watton, equipped with Dominie and Tiger Moth, and disbanded there on 1 July 1965.[3] When the establishment disbanded, the Research Wing and civilian parts of the "..Installation Squadron became the RAF Signals Command Air Radio Laboratories, and the training and service elements of Installation Squadron became the EW Support Wing."[4] Many files regarding the CSE are accessible in the National Archives at Kew [1].

Radio units and formations

Radio Establishment

Name Formed Location Aircraft Disbanded at Disbanded Unit became
Radio Warfare Establishment 21 July 1945 Swanton Morley Fortress
Halifax		 Watton 1 September 1946 Central Signals Establishment[5]

Radio Schools

Name Formed Location Aircraft Disbanded at Disbanded Unit became
1 Radio School 10 March 1941 Cranwell Botha
Proctor		 N/A N/A [6] Active
2 Radio School 18 January 1940 Yatesbury Tiger Moth
Botha		 Yatesbury 31 October 1965 Disbanded[5]
3 Radio School 27 December 1940 Prestwick Audax
Blenheim		 Compton Basset 30 November 1964 Disbanded[5]
4 Radio School 1 January 1943 Madley Dominie
Proctor		 Swanton Morley 1 May 1951 1 Air Signallers School[5]
6 Radio School 1 January 1943 Bolton Blenheim
Tiger Moth		 Cranwell 1 December 1952 Absorbed by 1 Radio School[5]
10 Radio School 1 January 1943 Carew Cheriton Anson
Oxford		 Carew Cheriton 24 November 1945 Disbanded[5]
11 Radio School 11 December 1942 Hooton Park Botha
Anson		 Hooton Park 31 August 1944 Disbanded[5]
12 Radio School 17 July 1943 St Athan Proctor
Anson		 St Athan 7 March 1946 Empire Radio School[5]
14 Radio School 1 June 1944 St Athan Proctor
Anson		 Debden 7 March 1946 Empire Radio School[5]
3 Radio Direction Finding School 19 August 1942 Prestwick Hart
Botha		 Hooton Park 13 December 1942 11 Radio School[6]
Empire Radio School 7 March 1946 Debden Tiger Moth
Proctor		 Debden 20 October 1949 Royal Air Force Technical College, Signals Division[7]

Radio Flights

Name Formed Location Aircraft Disbanded at Disbanded Unit became
Radio Development Flight December 1942 Drem Defiant
Beaufighter		 Drem 1 June 1943 1692 (Special Duties) Flight[6]
1 Radio Maintenance Unit Calibration Flight 1 July 1940 Wick Hornet Moth
Blenheim		 N/A 16 October 1940 1 Radio Servicing Section Calibration Flight[6]
2 Radio Maintenance Unit Calibration Flight 1 July 1940 Dyce Hornet Moth
Blenheim		 N/A 16 October 1940 2 Radio Servicing Section Calibration Flight[6]
3 Radio Maintenance Unit Calibration Flight 1 July 1940 Usworth Hornet Moth
Blenheim		 N/A 16 October 1940 3 Radio Servicing Section Calibration Flight[6]
4 Radio Maintenance Unit Calibration Flight 1 July 1940 Church Fenton Hornet Moth
Blenheim		 N/A 16 October 1940 4 Radio Servicing Section Calibration Flight[6]
5 Radio Maintenance Unit Calibration Flight 1 July 1940 Duxford Hornet Moth
Blenheim		 N/A 16 October 1940 5 Radio Servicing Section Calibration Flight[6]
6 Radio Maintenance Unit Calibration Flight 1 July 1940 Biggin Hill Hornet Moth
Blenheim		 N/A 16 October 1940 6 Radio Servicing Section Calibration Flight[6]
7 Radio Maintenance Unit Calibration Flight 15 July 1940 Filton Hornet Moth N/A 16 October 1940 7 Radio Servicing Section Calibration Flight[6]
8 Radio Maintenance Unit Calibration Flight 1 July 1940 Speke Hornet Moth
Blenheim		 N/A 16 October 1940 8 Radio Servicing Section Calibration Flight[6]
1 Radio Servicing Section Calibration Flight 16 October 1940 N/A Hornet Moth
Blenheim		 Longman 16 February 1941 70 Wing Calibration Flight[6]
2 Radio Servicing Section Calibration Flight 16 October 1940 N/A Hornet Moth
Blenheim		 Dyce 16 February 1941 71 Wing Calibration Flight[6]
3 Radio Servicing Section Calibration Flight 16 October 1940 N/A Hornet Moth
Blenheim		 Usworth 16 February 1941 72 Wing Calibration Flight[6]
4 Radio Servicing Section Calibration Flight 16 October 1940 N/A Hornet Moth
Blenheim		 Church Fenton 16 February 1941 73 Wing Calibration Flight[6]
5 Radio Servicing Section Calibration Flight 16 October 1940 N/A Hornet Moth
Blenheim		 Duxford 16 February 1941 74 Wing Calibration Flight[6]
6 Radio Servicing Section Calibration Flight 16 October 1940 N/A Hornet Moth
Blenheim		 Biggin Hill 16 February 1941 75 Wing Calibration Flight[6]
7 Radio Servicing Section Calibration Flight 16 October 1940 N/A Hornet Moth Filton 16 February 1941 76 Wing Calibration Flight[6]
8 Radio Servicing Section Calibration Flight 16 October 1940 N/A Hornet Moth
Blenheim		 Speke 16 February 1941 77 Wing Calibration Flight[6]

Signals units and formations

Wings

Name Formed Location Aircraft Disbanded at Disbanded Unit became
No. 1 Wing RAF
No. 5 Wing RAF
No. 69 Wing RAF
No. 70 Wing RAF
No. 71 Wing RAF
No. 72 Wing RAF
No. 73 Wing RAF
No. 74 Wing RAF
No. 75 Wing RAF
No. 76 Wing RAF
No. 77 Wing RAF
No. 78 Wing RAF
No. 81 Wing RAF
No. 83 Wing RAF
No. 84 Wing RAF

Squadrons

Name Formed Location Aircraft Disbanded at Disbanded Unit became
Signals Command Development Squadron N/A Watton Lincoln
Hastings		 Watton 1 January 1962 No. 151 Squadron RAF[8]
Signals Squadron 4 January 1942 Kabrit Wellington Kabrit 1 March 1942 No. 162 Squadron RAF[8]

Units

Name Formed Location Aircraft Disbanded at Disbanded Unit became
No. 1 Signals Unit RAF
No. 2 Signals Unit RAF
No. 6 Signals Unit RAF
No. 7 Signals Unit RAF
No. 9 Signals Unit RAF
No. 11 Signals Unit RAF
No. 12 Signals Unit RAF
No. 26 Signals Unit RAF
No. 33 Signals Unit RAF
No. 50 Signals Unit RAF
No. 54 Signals Unit RAF
No. 59 Signals Unit RAF
No. 71 Signals Unit RAF
No. 81 Signals Unit RAF
No. 90 Signals Unit RAF
No. 91 Signals Unit RAF
No. 101 Signals Unit RAF
No. 112 Signals Unit RAF
No. 117 Signals Unit RAF
No. 123 Signals Unit RAF
No. 144 Signals Unit RAF
No. 146 Signals Unit RAF
No. 235 Signals Unit RAF
No. 244 Signals Unit RAF
No. 264 Signals Unit RAF
No. 271 Signals Unit RAF
No. 276 Signals Unit RAF
No. 280 Signals Unit RAF
No. 303 Signals Unit RAF
No. 336 Signals Unit RAF
No. 367 Signals Unit RAF
No. 388 Signals Unit RAF
No. 399 Signals Unit RAF
No. 405 Signals Unit RAF
No. 409 Signals Unit RAF
No. 425 Signals Unit RAF
No. 432 Signals Unit RAF
No. 444 Signals Unit RAF
No. 469 Signals Unit RAF
No. 487 Signals Unit RAF
No. 500 Signals Unit RAF
No. 585 Signals Unit RAF
No. 591 Signals Unit RAF
No. 615 Signals Unit RAF
No. 646 Signals Unit RAF
No. 719 Signals Unit RAF
No. 721 Signals Unit RAF
No. 724 Signals Unit RAF
No. 751 Signals Unit RAF
No. 815 Signals Unit RAF
No. 840 Signals Unit RAF
No. 889 Signals Unit RAF
No. 926 Signals Unit RAF
No. 962 Signals Unit RAF
No. 966 Signals Unit RAF
No. 993 Signals Unit RAF
No. 1001 Signals Unit RAF
Signals Development Unit RAF 15 April 1943 Hinton-in-the-Hedges Whitley
Wellington		 Henlow 1 January 1950 Radio Engineering Unit RAF[8]
Signals Flying Unit RAF 20 July 1944 Honiley Oxford
Wellington		 Honliey 1 September 1946 Central Signals Establishment[8]

Schools

Name Formed Location Aircraft Disbanded at Disbanded Unit became
1 Signals School 26 August 1940 Cranwell Valentia
Wallace		 Cranwell 1 January 1943 1 Radio School[8]
2 Signals School 26 August 1940 Yatesbury Dragon Rapide
Dominie		 Yatesbury 1 January 1943 2 Radio School[8]
3 Signals School 26 August 1940 Compton Bassett N/A Compton Bassett 1 January 1943 3 Radio School[8]
3 Signals School (India) 19 August 1943 Hakimpet Blenheim Hakimpet 14 May 1944 Absorbed by 10 School of Air Force Technical Training, Hakimpet[8]
4 Signals School 27 August 1941 Madley Dominie
Proctor		 Madley 1 January 1943 4 Radio School[8]

References

  1. ^ United States Department of Defense, DOD Dictionary Archived 2008-12-23 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Fomin, N.N., Great Soviet Encyclopaedia (Russian: Большая Советская Энциклопедия), Moscow, 1978
  3. ^ Lake 1999, p. 47.
  4. ^ Air of Authority, Other Establishments - Experimental and Administrative, accessed May 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lake 1999, p. 160.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Lake 1999, p. 159.
  7. ^ Lake 1999, p. 64.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lake 1999, p. 186.
Bibliography
  • Lake, Alan (1999). Flying Units of the RAF. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
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