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The Territorial Air Force 1925-1957 – Officer Class and Recruitment

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The Territorial Air Force 1925-1957 – Officer Class and Recruitment FRANCES LOUISE WILKINSON A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy January 2017 This work or any part thereof has not previously been presented in any form to the University or to any other body whether for the purposes of assessment, publication or for any other purpose (unless otherwise indicated). Save for any express acknowledgments, references and/or bibliographies cited in the work, I confirm that the intellectual content of the work is the result of my own efforts and of no other person. The right of Frances Louise Wilkinson to be identified as author of this work is asserted in accordance with ss.77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. At this date copyright is owned by the author. Signature……………………………………….. Date…………………………………………….. 1 Abstract Little has been written about the Territorial Air Force (TAF) as a voluntary military organisation and no sustained analysis of its recruitment and social composition undertaken. Made up of three different parts, the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF), the Special Reserve (SR) and the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR), these three separate and different groups have not featured significantly in existing literature. Current historiography of the AAF and SR is dominated by the experiences of 600 and 601 Squadrons based in London and presents a popular image of a gentleman's flying club, whilst that of the RAFVR presents an image of a much more egalitarian institution, intended to be a citizens’ air force. This thesis presents new and detailed research into the recruitment and social backgrounds of men serving in both the pre and post-war TAF. It seeks to provide an overview of the social composition of all AAF and SR squadrons and offers a case study of 608 (North Riding) Squadron based at Thornaby Aerodrome between 1930 and 1957. Using primary documents from the National Archives (TNA) and recently digitised press records, it explores the recruitment processes, social backgrounds and social relations of personnel in the TAF. Whilst focusing primarily on officers, it looks too at the experience of non-officer recruits. Its findings indicate that the structures and cultures of the AAF and SR squadrons were indeed similar to the well-publicised London squadrons, whilst those for the RAFVR were much more elite than was expected. Military voluntarism continued to play a key role in the defence of twentieth-century Britain, but the underlying tensions and weaknesses associated with a class-based voluntary culture meant that the TAF had to change in response to new pressures. The thesis charts how these changes began to manifest themselves in the post-war world. Class ceased to be the key determining factor in the recruitment of officers as the organisations faced new challenges. Within both the AAF and the RAFVR the pre-war impression of a gentlemen's flying club finally gave way to a more meritocratic culture in the post-war world. 2 Contents PAGE NUMBER Abstract 2 Acronyms 4 List of Illustrations 5 List of Tables 6-7 Introduction 8-13 Literature Review 13-35 Research Questions 35-42 Methodology 42-49 Chapter 1 – The Creation of the Reserve Forces 50-79 Chapter 2 – The Recruitment Process of the Territorial Air Force 1925-1939 80-105 Chapter 3 – The Social Composition of the Territorial Air Force Prior to 1939 106-168 Chapter 4 – The Reconstitution of the Territorial Air Force 1946-1957 169-228 Chapter 5 – The Social Composition of the Territorial Air Force after 1945 229-284 Conclusion 285-300 Bibliography 301-356 3 Acronyms Territorial Air Force TAF Auxiliary Air Force AAF Special Reserve SR Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve RAFVR Royal Auxiliary Air Force RAuxAF Royal Air Force RAF Royal Flying Corps RFC The National Archives TNA Territorial Army TA Royal Naval Air Service RNAS Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve RNVR University Air Squadron UAS Commanding Officer CO Non Commissioned Officer NCO Aircraftsman Second Class AC2 Operational Record Book ORB Air Member for Personnel Development AMP Royal Aero Club RAeC Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School ERFTS Territorial Force Association TFA North Atlantic Treaty Organisation NATO Navy Army Air Force Institute NAAFI Distinguished Flying Cross DFC Distinguished Flying Medal DFM List of Illustrations 4 Page Number 1. Manning Britain’s Radar Defences – Recruiting advertisement October 1951 178 2. Manning Britain’s Radar Defences – Recruiting advertisement January 1952 179 3. Join a Fighter Control Unit – Recruiting advertisement April 1950 180 4. Service with the RAF Volunteer Reserve – Recruiting advertisement July 1948 195 5. Spare Time – Recruiting advertisement August 1948 196 6. Air Minded – Recruiting advertisement January 1949 197 7. There’s a Place For You in the Part-Time RAF – Recruiting advertisement January 1950 198 8. Managing Directors are Proud to be Mechanics – Recruiting advertisement March 1950 199 9. You Don’t Have to Fly to Join – Recruiting advertisement May 1950 200 10.Spend Flying Weekends – Recruiting advertisement June 1950 201 11.Do a Grand Job in Your Spare Time – Recruiting advertisement December 1950 202 12.Help Keep Britain ‘On Top’ in the Air – Recruiting advertisement January 1951 203 13.There’s a Place For You in the Part-Time RAF – Recruiting advertisement January 1951 204 14.There’s a Place For You in the Part-Time RAF – Recruiting advertisement June 1952 205 15.There’s a Place For You in the Part-Time RAF – Recruiting advertisement September 1952 206 16.Berlin 1943 and Back 1953 – Recruiting advertisement March 1953 207 17.Letter to RAuxAF Squadron Members from Secretary of State for Air – 11th November 1957 225 18.Punch Cartoon – 30th January 1957 226 List of Tables 5 Page Number 1. Principles Governing the Special Reserve and The Auxiliary Air Force Squadrons 85 2. To Maintain or Merge the Special Reserve Squadrons 96-97 3. Auxiliary Air Force and Special Reserve Initial Data 110 4. 600 and 601 Squadron Combined Data by Category 120 5. Auxiliary Air Force and Special Reserve Southern Squadrons Showing Percentage of Men with Biographies 130 6. Auxiliary Air Force and Special Reserve Northern Squadrons showing Percentage of Men with Biographies 143 7. Combined Auxiliary Air Force and Special Reserve Data by Category 144 8. Comparison between English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh Auxiliary Air Force and Special Reserve Squadrons with Biographical Details 145 9. English Auxiliary Air Force and Special Reserve Squadrons with Biographical Details by Category 146 10.Scottish Auxiliary Air Force and Special Reserve Squadrons with Biographical Details by Category 147 11.Irish Auxiliary Air Force and Special Reserve Squadrons with Biographical Details by Category 148 12.Welsh Auxiliary Air Force and Special Reserve Squadrons with Biographical Details 148 13.608 (North Riding) Squadron Auxiliary Air Force Biographical Details by Category 150 14.Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Initial Data 160 15.Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Data by Category 163 16.Auxiliary Air Force and Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve actual numbers as a direct comparison by category 164 17.Reconstituted Auxiliary Air Force Squadrons Name, Classification and Location 174 18. Reconstituted Auxiliary Air Force Pilots in Training – Type of Aircraft against Percentage of Pilots 175 19.Name of Individual Auxiliary Air Force Squadron and New Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Squadron and New Air Defence Unit 177 20.Pre-War Auxiliary Air Force Officers who re-joined the Post-War Royal Auxiliary Air Force 235-236 21.600 and 601 Squadron Comparison Between Pre and Post-War Initial Data 240 22.600 and 601 Squadron Comparison Between Pre and Post-War Data by Category 240 23.Royal Auxiliary Air Force Initial Data 256 24.Royal Auxiliary Air Force Data by Category 257 25.Northern Squadrons Showing Percentage of Men with Biographies 259 6 26.Southern Squadrons Showing Percentage of Men with Biographies 259 27.Comparison Between English Scottish Irish and Welsh Royal Auxiliary Air Force Squadrons with Biographical Details 260 28.English Royal Auxiliary Air Force Squadrons with Biographical Details by Category 261 29.Scottish Royal Auxiliary Air Force Squadrons with Biographical Details by Category 261 30.Irish Royal Auxiliary Air Force Squadrons with Biographical Details by Category 262 31.Welsh Royal Auxiliary Air Force Squadrons with Biographical Details by Category 262 32.Royal Auxiliary Air Force Data for Men With No Squadron Number Given by Category 263 33.Pre-War versus Post-War Recruitment for Case Study Squadron 273 34.Pre-War Versus Post-War Recruitment for Case Study Squadron by Category 273 35.Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Initial Data 276 36.Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Data by Category 276 37.Pre-War Versus Post-War Recruiting of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force Year on Year 277 38.Pre-War Versus Post-War Recruiting of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Year on Year 279 39.Post-War Royal Auxiliary Air Force Recruitment Compared to the Post-War Recruitment for the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 280 40.Pre-War Auxiliary Air Force Recruiting Versus the Post-War Royal Auxiliary Air Force Recruiting by Squadron 281 41.Royal Auxiliary Air Force Data Versus Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Data by Category 282 Introduction 7 In the early 1920s the Royal Air Force (RAF) was in its infancy, created on April 1st 1918, whilst its predecessor, the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) had been created in 1912, prior to the First World War in 1914. Flying itself was new and exciting; people would still come out of their houses and gaze to the sky if an engine above was heard. Martin Francis in his book entitled The Flyer.
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