No. 21 Group RAF

No. 21 Group RAF (21 Gp) is a former Royal Air Force group that existed from April-July 1918; 1926-1934, a redesignation of No. 1 Group RAF; after which it was merged into Inland Area; and from 1938 to 1955.^[2]

No. 21 (Training) Group RAF No. 21 Group RAF
Royal Air Force Ensign
Active	1 April – 1 July 1918 12 April 1926 – 1 February 1934 1 December 1938 – 1 March 1955
Disbanded	1 March 1955
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Type	Royal Air Force group
Role	Military aviation training
Part of	RAF Training Command (December 1938 - May 1940) RAF Flying Training Command (May 1940 - March 1955)
Motto(s)	Latin: Ad Suam Quisque Operam ("To each his own work")[1]
Commanders
Notable commanders	Air Vice Marshal Hugh Vivian Champion de Crespigny CB, MC, DFC

History

First World War

No. 21 Group formed on 1 April 1918 at RAF Montrose within No 5 Area, the following month, on 8 May, it transferred into the North-Western Area. Shortly after, on 1 July, the group disbanded into No. 20 Group RAF.^[3]

Interwar period

On 12 April 1926, it reformed as No. 21 (Training) Group, within Inland Area. The group HQ was at RAF West Drayton and it had the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment and Nos 15 and 22 Squadrons at RAF Martlesham Heath under its command. The group also had control over RAF stores, repair depots, and schools, however, it disbanded on 1 February 1934. It reformed at RAF Cranwell, within RAF Training Command, again designated No. 21 (Training) Group, on 1 December 1938.^[3]

Second World War

The group was transferred to RAF Flying Training Command on 27 May 1940, responsible for the RAF College and the Service Flying Training Schools from the Midlands northwards. The group HQ relocated to RAF Spitalgate on 28 July 1944.^[3]

Cold War

The group's headquarters moved to the former No. 5 Group's HQ, St Vincents Hall, in Grantham, on 7 March 1946 and the following year, on 1 May 1947, the Group absorbed No. 91 Group RAF, from RAF Bomber Command, taking over HQ for No. 91 Group, Morton Hall, Swinderby in Lincolnshire. On 24 June 1953 the Group absorbed No. 54 Group RAF, which had been reformed 22 months earlier within RAF Flying Training Command to control the Initial Training Wings and Grading Schools. No. 21 Group disbanded on 1 March 1955.^[2]

Structure

Orders of battle for No. 21 (Training) Group, at a given point in time, throughout its operational existence:

November 1939^[4] HQ at RAF Cranwell

RAF Cranwell RAF College RAF Montrose No. 8 Flying Training School RAF RAF Grantham No. 12 Flying Training School RAF

RAF Kinloss No. 14 Flying Training School RAF RAF Lossiemouth No. 15 Flying Training School RAF RAF Yatesbury Radio Direction School

May 1941^[5] HQ at RAF Cranwell

RAF Cranage No. 2 School of Air Navigation RAF RAF Cranwell RAF College Flying Training School No. 2 Central Flying School RAF RAF Grantham No. 12 Service Flying Training School RAF

RAF Hucknall No. 1 (Polish) Service Flying Training School RAF RAF Montrose No. 8 Service Flying Training School RAF RAF Shawbury No. 11 Service Flying Training School RAF RAF Ternhill No. 5 Service Flying Training School RAF

April 1942^[6] HQ at RAF Cranwell

RAF Cranage No. 2 School of Air Navigation RAF RAF Cranwell RAF College Flying Training School RAF Grantham No. 12 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF RAF Hucknall No. 25 Elementary Flying Training School RAF RAF Leconfield No. 15 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF RAF Montrose No. 8 Service Flying Training School RAF No. 2 Flying Instructors School RAF

RAF Newton No. 16 Service Flying Training School RAF RAF Ossington No. 14 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF RAF Shawbury No. 11 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF RAF Ternhill No. 5 Service Flying Training School RAF RAF Watton No. 17 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF

April 1943^[7] HQ at RAF Cranwell

RAF Andover No. 15 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF RAF Cranwell RAF College Flying Training School RAF Dalcross No. 19 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF RAF Grantham No. 12 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF RAF Hucknall No. 25 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF RAF Montrose No. 2 Flying Instructors School RAF RAF Newton No. 1524 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF

RAF Ossington No. 14 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF RAF Peterborough No. 7 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF RAF Shawbury No. 11 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF RAF Sherburn-in-Elmet Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment RAF Ternhill No. 5 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF RAF Watton No. 17 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF

July 1944^[8] HQ at RAF Cranwell

RAF Banff No. 14 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF No. 1511 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF No. 1542 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF RAF Calveley No. 11 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF RAF Cranwell No. 17 Service Flying Training School RAF RAF Errol No. 9 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF RAF Hucknall No. 25 Elementary Flying Training School RAF RAF Montrose No. 2 Flying Instructors School RAF No. 1518 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF No. 1541 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF RAF Newton No. 16 Service Flying Training School RAF No. 1524 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF

RAF Shawbury Central Navigation School RAF No. 1534 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF RAF Sherburn-in-Elmet Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment RAF Spitalgate No. 12 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF No. 1544 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF No. 1536 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF RAF Ternhill No. 5 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF RAF Wheaton Aston No. 21 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF RAF Bridleway Gate No. 1511 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF

July 1945^[9] HQ at RAF Spitalgate

RAF Cranwell No. 19 Flying Training School RAF RAF Hucknall No. 25 Elementary Flying Training School RAF RAF Montrose No. 1541 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF RAF Newton No. 16 Service Flying Training School RAF

RAF Peterborough No. 7 Service Flying Training School RAF RAF Spitalgate No. 17 Service Flying Training School RAF RAF Ternhill No. 5 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF RAF Wheaton Aston No. 21 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF

April 1953^[10] HQ at Morton Hall, Swinderby

RAF Bishops Court No. 3 Air Navigation School RAF RAF Hullavington No. 1 Air Navigation School RAF RAF Shawbury Central Navigation and Control School RAF

RAF Swinderby No. 201 Advanced Flying School RAF RAF Thorney Island No. 2 Air Navigation School RAF RAF Lichfield No. 6 Air Navigation School RAF

Headquarters

No. 21 Group had various headquarters across its three active periods: ^[3]

• RAF Montrose - during 1918
• RAF West Drayton - reformed from April 1926 until 1934
• RAF Cranwell - reformed from December 1938
• RAF Spitalgate - from July 1944
• St Vincents Hall, Grantham - from March 1946
• Morton Hall, Swinderby - from May 1947

Air Officer Commanding

Note: The ranks shown are the ranks held at the time of holding the appointment of Air Officer Commanding, No. 21 Group Royal Air Force.^[3]

No. 21 Group commanding officers

Rank	name	from
	unknown	April 1918
Disbanded		July 1918
Group Captain	Andrew George Board	August 1926
	unknown	1927
Group Captain	A B Burdett	February 1928
Group Captain	Lionel Rees VC	December 1929
Group Captain	Charles Edmonds	August 1931
Group Captain	G P Grenfell	January 1932
Disbanded		February 1934
Air Vice-Marshal	Jack Baldwin	December 1938
Air Vice-Marshal	Bertine Sutton	July 1939
Air Commodore	Hugh Champion de Crespigny	August 1939
Air Vice-Marshal	Robert Willock	June 1940
Air Vice-Marshal	Hugh Champion de Crespigny	October 1943
Air Commodore	John Gosset Hawtrey[11]	July 1945
Air Commodore	Gordon Herbert Vasse	1946 - 47
Air Vice-Marshal	Francis Mellersh	1947 - 48
Air Vice-Marshal	Cecil Bouchier	1948 - 49
Air Vice-Marshal	G G Banting	March 1949
Air Vice-Marshal	John Denis Breakey	March 1951
Air Vice-Marshal	Andrew McKee	July 1951
Air Vice-Marshal	Gilbert Nicholetts	November 1953

See also

• List of Royal Air Force groups

References

Citations

1. "RAF Badges - Groups". Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
2. Air of Authority, Group nos 21 -29, accessed June 2020.
3. "Group No's 20 - 29". Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
4. Delve 1994, p. 51.
5. Delve 1994, p. 54.
6. Delve 1994, p. 59.
7. Delve 1994, p. 65.
8. Delve 1994, p. 73.
9. Delve 1994, p. 80.
10. Delve 1994, p. 85.
11. "J G Hawtrey_P".

Bibliography

• Delve, Ken (1994). The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.