Canadian Military History

Volume 2 Issue 1 Article 11

1993

The Historical Society

Henry Probert

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Recommended Citation Probert, Henry "The Royal Air Force Historical Society." Canadian Military History 2, 1 (1993)

This Feature is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Canadian Military History by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Probert: The Royal Air Force Historical Society

THE ROYAL AIR FORCE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Air Commodore Henry Probert

ne day in early 1986 a small group of inaugural lecture. He spoke on the Intelligence people met in the Air Historical Branch, War and the RAF, a subject for which he was 0among us several very senior retired RAF officers uniquely qualified, and some 200 members and some eminent air historians. A few weeks heard him with rapt attention. earlier we had all been present at the Royal United Services Institute to hear the historian The society is now over 500 strong. We John Terraine addressing us on the theme of include serving and retired members of the his recently published book about the Royal RAF (ranging from non-commissioned ranks to Air Force in the Second World War, The Right Marshals ofthe RAF). historians, aviation buffs, of the Line. anyone with an interest in RAF history; there is no other To some of us this occasion qualification. Moreover, our had seemed to offer the ideal membership is not confined to opportunity to further a cause the United Kingdom; almost very close to our hearts. Plenty 10% of our members live of organisations were dedicated abroad, including a number of to the preservation and study of Canadians-doubtless a the artifacts of the RAF and the reflection of the great work done records of its individual units, by the RCAF alongside the RAF but none existed with the prime during the Second World War. purpose of considering the Our programme normally policies of the Service, its contains three events each year. operations and its personalities. One of them is the Annual Now we believed we had the General Meeting followed by a catalyst. lecture delivered by a distinguished personality and We knew that the Society we hoped to form usually held at the RAF Club; last year, for would have to rely on voluntary effort and be example, Sir Frank Cooper reflected on his self-financing. So to get us started we each post-war experience as a senior civil servant in contributed £10, sufficient to print a supply of the , and this year John Terraine publicity leaflets; we chose a small working will address us on the RAF in the First World committee under the chairmanship of Air War, a special lecture intended to mark the Marshal Sir Freddie Sowrey; and we asked RAF's 75th Anniversary. MRAF Sir Dermot Boyle-still a great supporter of RAF causes-to sign a letter to the press. Our other events occupy a whole day; each The result was that we were able to hold our usually addresses a particular campaign or inaugural meeting at the Royal Aeronautical theme by bringing together historians and Society on 20 October 1986, with Professor people "who were there." A series of short talks R.V. Jones-himself already an enthusiastic is delivered and members of the audience then member of our new Society-delivering the ask questions and contribute their own

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Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 1993 1 Canadian Military History, Vol. 2 [1993], Iss. 1, Art. 11

recollections. For example, our first major Manyofourmembersare, of course, unable seminar considered the RAF contribution to to attend functions regularly if at all, and the Suez campaign, later ones have featured partly for their benefit we record all our lectures the Berlin Airlift, the development of the RAF's and talks, together with subsequent nuclear deterrent forces, and flying training. discussions. These are then published in our Next October we shall address the Indonesian "Proceedings," which appear twice a year and Confrontation. are issued to all members. "Proceedings" have a further purpose in that they enable what is Inevitably, World War II topics figure large said at our meeting to be preserved as part of in the programme. One-day meetings have the long-term historical record, and we hope been held on clandestine operations and that historians of the RAF and its associated photographic reconnaissance, and two years Air Forces will increasingly recognise them as ago a particularly successful one was conducted a significant source. attheRAFMuseumjointlywith the Americans: the subject, RAF /USAAF cooperation. Moreover in 1990, at the invitation of the Commandant, Note: Details ofthe RAF Historical Society a seminar to mark the 50th Anniversary of the are obtainable from the Membership Sec­ Battle of Britain was held at the RAF Staff retary, Commander Peter Montgomery, 28 College, Bracknell; addresses by several Shirley Drive, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 historians, German as well as British, were 9AY. The annual subscription is £15, followed by ample opportunity to capture in which includes the cost of the Society Pro­ informal discussion the recollections of many ceedings, published in a handsome hard­ who took part in the Battle, and the staff and cover edition. students oftoday's Air Force greatly appreciated the chance to listen to and exchange views with the airmen of an earlier generation. So Probert has written many arti­ successful was the day that the Staff College cles and delivered a number of papers on has continued to play hoSt to the Society once various aspects of RAF history. He is the a year; seminars on the Battle of the Atlantic author of several chapters of the unpub­ and the Mediterranean War have already been lished official narrative of the RAF in the held, the Strategic Bomber Offensive is being Falklands conflict and has written a series tackled this March, and the Normandy Invasion of biographies on the RAF' s Chiefs ofthe Air and the Far Eastern War will follow in 1994 Staff Called "High Commanders ofthe RAF." and 1995.

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