No. 1 Group RAF

No. 1 Group of the Royal Air Force is one of the two operations groups in RAF Air Command. Today, the group is referred to as the Air Combat Group, as it controls the RAF's combat fast-jet aircraft and has airfields in the UK, as well as RAF Support Unit Goose Bay at CFB Goose Bay in Canada. The group headquarters is located alongside Headquarters Air Command at RAF High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The other operational group is No. 2 Group RAF.

No. 1 Group
No. 1 Group badge
Active	1918–1926 1927–1939 1940–present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Part of	RAF Air Command
Garrison/HQ	RAF High Wycombe
Motto(s)	"Swift to attack"[1]
Commanders
Air Officer Commanding	Air Vice-Marshal Mark Flewin
Insignia
Group badge	A panther's head, erased, sable. The badge was authorised in 1941 and the black panther's head reflected the fact that Panther was the group's callsign in the early part of the Second World War[2]

The current Air Officer Commanding No 1 Group is Air Vice-Marshal Mark Flewin, who took up the post in January 2023.^[3]

Subordinate units

The following stations and squadrons are under the command of No. 1 Group:^[4]

• RAF Coningsby
  • No. 3(Fighter) Squadron with Typhoon FGR4
  • No. XI(F) Squadron with Typhoon FGR4
  • No. 12 Squadron with Typhoon FGR4
  • No. 29 Squadron with Typhoon FGR4 Operational conversion unit (OCU)
  • Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
• RAF Leeming
  • Joint Forward Air Controller Training and Standards Unit
• RAF Lossiemouth
  • No. 1(F) Squadron with Typhoon FGR4
  • No. II(Army Co-operation) Squadron with Typhoon FGR4
  • No. 6 Squadron with Typhoon FGR4
  • No. IX(Bomber) Squadron with Typhoon Tranche 1/FGR4^[5]
  • No. 120 Squadron with Poseidon MRA1
  • No. 201 Squadron with Poseidon MRA1
  • No. 8 Squadron forming at Lossiemouth in 2025 with E-7A Wedgetail^[6][7]
  • No. 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron (Royal Auxiliary Air Force) – Moray Flight
• RAF Marham
  • No. 207 Squadron with F-35B Lightning (OCU)
  • No. 617 Squadron with F-35B Lightning
  • No. 809 Naval Air Squadron with F-35B Lightning (Fleet Air Arm unit but part of Combat Air Force under No. 1 Group, stood-up at RAF Marham in 2023)^[8][9][10]
• RAF Waddington
  • No. 13 Squadron with MQ-9A Reaper
  • No. 14 Squadron with Shadow R1
  • No. 31 Squadron (forming on Protector UAV from 2023/24)^[11]
  • No. 51 Squadron with RC-135W Airseeker
  • No. 54 Squadron ISTAR crews Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) on multiple types of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft
  • No. 1 Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing

History

First World War

No. 1 Group was originally formed on Saturday 1 April 1918 in No. 1 Area, which was renamed the South-Eastern Area on 8 May 1918, Southern Area on 20 September 1919 and Inland Area on 1 April 1920.

The Group was renumbered as No. 6 Group on 19 May 1924 at RAF Kenley, and was reformed on the same day at RAF Kidbrooke. Two years later on 12 April 1926 the Group disappeared from the order of battle by being renumbered as No. 21 Group.

The next year the Group was reformed on 25 August 1927 by the renaming of Air Defence Group. This designation lasted until 1936 when it became No. 6 Group again. As in 1924 the Group was reformed the same day, this time as a bomber formation.

By this time the Group had shrunk to ten squadrons, all equipped with Fairey Battle aircraft and located in pairs at RAF Abingdon, RAF Harwell, RAF Benson, RAF Boscombe Down and RAF Bicester.

Second World War

at the Headquarters of No. 71 Wing, Advanced Air Striking Force, Bétheniville.

On receipt of orders to move to France in 1939, Headquarters No. 1 Group became Headquarters Advanced Air Striking Force and the station headquarters and associated squadrons became Nos. 71, 72, 74, 75 and 76 Wings respectively.^[12] The Group re-emerged a few days later within Bomber Command on 12 September, but only lasted just over three months, being dropped on 22 December 1939.

It was reformed at Hucknall in Nottinghamshire on 22 June 1940.^[13] On 20 July the Group Headquarters moved to Bawtry Hall (RAF Bawtry) near Doncaster, where it was based for 44 years, until 1983. During the Second World War, the Group was primarily based at airfields in north Lincolnshire, like RAF Swinderby.^[14]

During 1940–45, the group included substantial numbers of Polish and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) personnel. By the beginning of March 1943, the aircraft operated by its squadrons were:

• Vickers Wellington: 166 & 199 Sqns RAF, and 300 Polish, 301 Polish & 305 Polish Sqns.^[15]
• Avro Lancaster: 12, 100, 101, 150 & 103 Sqns RAF, and 460 Sqn RAAF.

All of the Wellington squadrons subsequently converted to Lancasters. No. 1 Group was later augmented with other units, including 304 Polish Squadron.

During Bomber Command's Second World War campaign, No. 1 Group dropped a higher tonnage of bombs per aircraft than any other group, this was mainly due to Air Commodore Edward Rice who was determined to maximise bomb loads, though it was a policy which contributed in no small measure to No. 1 Group having higher than average losses.^[16] Rice would later be involved in the development of the Rose turret, sometimes known as the "Rose-Rice turret".

Battle of Normandy

Although No.1 (B) Group wasn't directly involved in the Battle of Normandy, they did participate in the bombing of the shore and area. During this period, the group was organised as:^[17][18]

• No. 1 (B) Group HQ, RAF Bawtry, West Yorkshire
• RAF Hemswell
  • Station HQ
  • No. 1 Lancaster Finishing School (training with Lancaster I/III)
  • Night Bomber Tactical School
  • 150 Squadron Lancaster I (C flight from 550 Squadron)
• RAF Ingham (satellite of RAF Hemswell)
  • Station HQ
  • No. 1481 (Bomber) Gunnery Flight RAF equipped with Wellington III and Miles Martinet
  • No. 1687 Bomber (Defence) Training Flight RAF equipped with Supermarine Spitfire & Hawker Hurricane
• RAF Sturgate (satellite of RAF Hemswell)
• No. 11 Base
  • RAF Lindholme Station HQ
  • No. 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF, RAF Lindholme equipped with Avro Lancaster I/III
  • No. 1662 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF, RAF Blyton equipped with Avro Lancaster I/III & Handley Page Halifax II/V
  • No. 1667 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF, RAF Sandtoft equipped with Handley Page Halifax V
  • No. 1 Group Servicing Section, RAF Lindholme
• No. 12 Base
  • RAF Binbrook Station HQ
  • No. 100 Squadron RAF, RAF Grimsby equipped with Avro Lancaster I/III
    • No. 9100 Servicing Echelon
  • No. 460 Squadron RAAF, RAF Binbrook equipped with Avro Lancaster I/III
    • No. 9460 Servicing Echelon
  • No. 625 Squadron RAF, RAF Kelstern, equipped with Avro Lancaster I/III
    • No. 9625 Servicing Echelon
  • No. 1 Ground Gunnery School, RAF Binbrook
• No. 13 Base
  • RAF Elsham Wolds Station HQ
  • No. 103 Squadron RAF, RAF Elsham Wolds equipped with Avro Lancaster I/III
    • No. 9103 Servicing Echelon
  • No. 166 Squadron RAF, RAF Kirmington equipped with Avro Lancaster I/III
    • No. 9166 Servicing Echelon
  • No. 550 Squadron RAF, RAF North Killingholme equipped with Avro Lancaster I/III
    • No. 9550 Servicing Echelon
  • No. 576 Squadron RAF, RAF Elsham Wolds equipped with Avro Lancaster I/III
    • No. 9576 Servicing Echelon
• No.14 Base
  • RAF Ludford Magna Station HQ
  • No. 12 Squadron RAF, RAF Wickenby equipped with Avro Lancaster I/III
    • No. 9012 Servicing Echelon
  • No. 101 Squadron RAF, RAF Ludford Magna equipped with Avro Lancaster I/III
    • No. 9101 Servicing Echelon
  • No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron, RAF Faldingworth with Avro Lancaster I/III
    • No. 9300 Servicing Echelon
  • No. 626 Squadron RAF, RAF Wickenby equipped with Avro Lancaster I/III
    • No. 9626 Servicing Echelon
• No. 15 Base operational between October 1944 and October 1945
  • RAF Scampton Station HQ
  • RAF Dunholme Lodge
  • RAF Fiskerton
  • RAF Hemswell

Cold War

By June 1948, 1 Group consisted of:^[19]

• 9 Sqn, RAF Binbrook, Avro Lincoln B.2
• 12 Sqn, RAF Binbrook, Lincoln B.2
• 101 Sqn, RAF Binbrook, Lincoln B.2
• 617 Sqn, RAF Binbrook, Lincoln B.2
• 83 Sqn, RAF Hemswell, Lincoln B.2
• 97 Sqn, RAF Hemswell, Lincoln B.2
• 100 Sqn, RAF Hemswell, Lincoln B.2
• 50 Sqn, RAF Waddington, Lincoln B.2
• 57 Sqn, RAF Waddington, Lincoln B.2
• 61 Sqn, RAF Waddington, Lincoln B.2
• 109 Sqn, RAF Coningsby, de Havilland Mosquito B.35
• 139 Sqn, RAF Coningsby, Mosquito B.35

During the Cold War, No. 1 Group also operated the Thor ballistic missile between 1958 and August 1963 ("Project Emily"), with ten squadrons each with three missiles being equipped with the weapon.^[20] 1 Group had two sets of five stations, centred respectively on Hemswell and RAF Driffield. When Bomber Command was subsumed into the new Strike Command on 1 April 1968, No. 1 Group took on the old role of the command, directing the bomber and strike aircraft of Strike Command.

On 17 November 1983, No. 38 Group RAF was subsumed within Headquarters No. 1 Group.^[21]

In around 1984, Headquarters No. 1 Group moved from RAF Bawtry in South Yorkshire to RAF Upavon in Wiltshire.^[21] No. 207 Squadron RAF, part of 1 Group flying Devons from RAF Northolt alongside No. 32 Squadron RAF, was disbanded on retirement of the remaining Devons on 30 June 1984.^[22]

After the end of the Cold War, RAF Germany was reduced in status to become No. 2 Group RAF. 2 Group was then disbanded by being absorbed into No. 1 Group on 1 April 1996. 2 Group was then reformed on 7 January 2000, splitting out of 1 Group. 1 Group transferred over the RAF's air transport, air-to-air refuelling and airborne early warning functions.

Post 2000

In January 2000 the RAF was restructured and the Group took on its present role. The Group is responsible for UK air defence operations through QRA North at RAF Lossiemouth and QRA South at RAF Coningsby. However, since the disestablishment of Combined Air Operations Centre 9 at RAF High Wycombe, actual control of the fighters is now carried out from a NATO Combined Air Operations Centre in Denmark, CAOC 1 at Finderup. However, High Wycombe retains an air defence direction capability, and the UK Representative there could take back control over QRA South if it was necessary to respond to a terrorist threat from the air.^[23] No. 1 Group also has responsibility for the UK's Carrier Strike capability, with the joint RN/RAF Lightning Force, eventually planned to consist of two squadrons from the RAF and two from the Fleet Air Arm, which will be based at RAF Marham when not operating from the UK's Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier.

Air Officer Commanding

Air Officers Commanding have included:^[24]

• 1 April 1918 unknown
• 16 February 1920 Brigadier-General John Becke
• 29 February 1920 Group Captain Hugh Dowding
• 27 February 1922 Group Captain Eugene Gerrard
• 1 January 1923 Air Commodore E L Gerrard
• 21 July 1924 Group Captain Robert Gordon
• 31 December 1924 Group Captain P L W Herbert
• 12 April 1926 – 25 August 1927 group disbanded
• 9 August 1927 Air Commodore E L Gerrard
• 11 November 1929 Air Commodore William Foster
• 2 January 1934 Air Commodore Jack Baldwin
• 12 August 1935 Air Commodore J C Quinnell
• 1 May 1936 Air Commodore Owen Tudor Boyd
• 7 January 1937 Air Commodore S W Smith
• 17 February 1938 Air Vice-Marshal Patrick Playfair
• 24 August 1939 – 12 September 1939 No. 1 Group Renamed Advanced Air Striking Force
• 3 September 1939 Air Vice-Marshal A C Wright
• 22 December 1939 – 22 June 1940 group disbanded
• 27 June 1940 Air Commodore John Breen
• 27 November 1940 Air Vice-Marshal Robert Oxland
• 24 February 1943 Air Vice-Marshal E A B Rice
• 12 February 1945 Air Vice-Marshal Robert Blucke
• 15 January 1947 Air Vice-Marshal Charles Guest
• 24 January 1949 Air Vice-Marshal George Mills
• 8 August 1950 Air Vice-Marshal Edmund Hudleston
• 5 April 1951 Air Vice-Marshal Dermot Boyle
• 27 April 1953 Air Vice-Marshal John Whitley
• 3 October 1956 Air Vice-Marshal Augustus Walker
• 14 June 1959 Air Vice-Marshal John Davis
• 1 December 1961 Air Vice-Marshal Patrick Dunn
• 1 May 1964 Air Vice-Marshal Deryck Stapleton
• 1 June 1966 Air Vice-Marshal M H Le Bas
• 23 December 1968 Air Vice-Marshal Ruthven Wade
• 8 February 1971 Air Vice-Marshal Peter Horsley
• 3 March 1973 Air Vice-Marshal David Evans
• 29 November 1975 Air Vice-Marshal P J Lagesen
• 5 July 1978 Air Vice-Marshal David Craig
• 11 April 1980 Air Vice-Marshal Michael Knight
• 18 December 1982 Air Vice-Marshal David Parry-Evans
• 17 September 1983 Air Commodore H S Carver
• 1 April 1984 Air Vice-Marshal Michael Simmons
• 19 February 1987 Air Vice-Marshal John Thomson
• 24 February 1989 Air Vice-Marshal Andrew Wilson
• 1989-1991 Air Vice-Marshal Sandy Wilson, also forward commander RAF Forces in Middle East
• 1991–1993 Air Vice-Marshal Richard Johns
• 1993–1994 Air Vice-Marshal Peter Squire
• 1994–1997 Air Vice-Marshal John Day
• 1997–1998 Air Vice-Marshal Jock Stirrup
• 1998–2000 Air Vice-Marshal J H Thompson
• 2000–2001 Air Vice-Marshal P V Harris
• 2001–2003 Air Vice-Marshal Glenn Torpy
• 2003–2005 Air Vice-Marshal Chris Moran
• 2005–2007 Air Vice-Marshal David Walker
• 2007–2009 Air Vice-Marshal Chris Harper
• 2009–2011 Air Vice-Marshal Greg Bagwell
• 2011–2014 Air Vice-Marshal Stuart Atha
• 2014–2016 Air Vice-Marshal Gary Waterfall
• 2016–2018 Air Vice Marshal Gerry Mayhew
• 2018–2020 Air Vice Marshal Harvey Smyth
• 2020–2021 Air Vice Marshal Allan Marshall^[24]
• 2021–2023 Air Vice Marshal Ian Duguid
• 2023–Present Air Vice Marshal Mark Flewin^[3]

See also

• List of Royal Air Force groups
• List of Army Air Corps aircraft units

References

Citations

1. Pine, L.G. (1983). A dictionary of mottoes (1 ed.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 227. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
2. Delve, Ken (2005). Bomber Command 1939–1945 : a reference to the men – aircraft & operational history. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Aviation. p. 147. ISBN 1-84415-183-2.
3. "No. 63967". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 February 2023. p. 2707.
4. "RAF Air Command". Armed Forces.
5. Newdick, Thomas (10 September 2020). "This Is The Royal Air Force's First Aggressor Eurofighter Typhoon". The Drive. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
6. "RAF Lossiemouth Base preparing for arrival of UK E-7 Wedgetail fleet". 10 October 2022.
7. Allison, George (16 March 2024). "E-7 Wedgetail to enter service next year". U.K. Defence Journal.
8. "The F-35 accident report – a reality check for UK Carrier Strike". Navy Lookout. 25 August 2023.
9. "Building up the Lightning Force – when will the UK get its F-35 jets? | Navy Lookout". 14 September 2022.
10. @NavyLookout (8 December 2023). "@NavyLookout F-35 with @809NAS 'phoenix from the flames' tail art on display at @RAF_Marham as the squadron recommissions today" (Tweet). Retrieved 8 December 2023 – via Twitter.
11. Jennings, Gareth (2 October 2023). "GA-ASI delivers first Protector UAV to UK". Janes. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
12. Bomber Command Archived 7 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine, accessed November 2008
13. "Groups1-9_P". www.rafweb.org. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
14. Airfields of Lincolnshire – Patrick Otter – p15).
15. Król, Wacław (1982). Polskie dywizjony lotnicze w Wielkiej Brytanii (in Polish). Warsaw: Wydawnictwo MON. pp. 86, 104, 191. ISBN 83-11-07695-2.
16. Airfield of Lincolnshire – Patrick Otter- p20/21.
17. "No. 1 Group, RAF, 06.06.1944". niehorster.org. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
18. "Bomber Command - Jun 1944". www.rafweb.org. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
19. Rawlings 1985, p. 187.
20. Martin Powell, "The Douglas Thor in Royal Air Force Service" Archived 20 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Rossendale Aviation Society – Article, accessed 2 June 2008
21. Horseman, Martin, ed. (January 1983). "RAF Groups HQ to Merge". Armed Forces. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 7. ISSN 0142-4696.
22. Burney, p411; Isby and Kamps, Armies of NATO's Central Front, 1985.
23. Andrew Brooks, UK AIR DEFENCE,Air Forces Monthly – October 2008
24. "Senior RAF Commanders" (PDF). Retrieved 16 August 2014.

Bibliography

• Rawlings, J. D. R. (1985). The History of the Royal Air Force. Feltham: Temple Press. ISBN 978-0-60-034990-7.

Further reading

• Jefford, C. G. (1994). RAF Squadrons; A Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.

External links

• No 1 Group at Royal Air Force Website
• Air of Authority – No 1 Group
• No 1 Group