Experimental/Admin Establishments

Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation

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Other Establishments - Experimental and Administrative

Aeroplane Experimental Establishment

Formed 16 Mar 1920 by renaming Aeroplane Experimental Station at Martlesham Heath. Renamed Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, 24 Mar 1924.

xx xxx xxxx Wg Cdr N J Gill

Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment

Aeoplane and Armament Experimental Establishment arms Formed 24 Mar 1924 by renaming Aeroplane Experimental Establishment. It moved to its current location at Boscombe Down, xx xxx 1940. A & A E E became part of the Defence and Evaluation Research Agency - xx xxx xxxx. The Commandants post was redesignated Air Commodore Test and Evaluation (Boscombe Down).

Motto: Probe Probare

24 Mar 1924 Wg Cdr N J Gill

25 Sep 1924 Wg Cdr H Blackburn

23 Nov 1928: Wg Cdr V O Rees

17 Sep 1933: Gp Capt A C Maund

18 Jan 1937: Gp Capt H G Smart

25 Nov 1938: Gp Capt B McEntegart

xx xxx 1940 A/Cdre R S Sorley

xx xxx 1942 A/Cdre R B Mansell

xx xxx 1943

xx Jul 1944 A/Cdre J N Boothman

xx xxx 1945 A/Cdre H P Fraser

xx xxx 1946 A/Cdre C B R Pelly

xx Jul 1948 A/Cdre H L Patch

xx xxx 1950 A/Cdre A W B McDonald

xx xxx 1953? A/Cdre A H Wheeler

xx xxx 1955 A/Cdre R A R Rae

xx xxx 1957 A/Cdre A E Clouston

xx xxx 1960 A/Cdre J F Roulston

xx xxx 1965 A/Cdre F R Bird

xx xxx 1968

xx xxx 1970 A/Cdre R L Topp

12 Aug 1972 A/Cdre G C Cairns

12 Oct 1974 A/Cdre A D Dick

6 Sep 1975 A/Cdre H A Merriman

26 Mar 1977 A/Cdre B Brownlow

22 Dec 1979 A/Cdre R J Spiers

10 Sep 1983 A/Cdre G C Williams

20 Dec 1985 A/Cdre P D L Gover

xx xxx 1988 A/Cdre D L Bywater

xx xxx 1990

xx xxx 1994 A/Cdre C J Cruickshanks?

23 Sep 1996 A/Cdre N R Wood

Marine Aircraft Experimental Unit

3 Aug 1925 Wg Cdr R B Maycock

Central Fighter Establishment

Formed at Tangmere on 25 Sep 1945 as a nucleus, it moved to Wittering, where it was formally opened on 1 Oct 1944 as part of No 12 Group. It absorbed the Fighter Leaders School on 27 Dec 1944 and returned to Tangmere on 15 Jan 1945. On 1 Oct 1945, it moved to West Raynham, where it absorbed the Fighter Weapons School in Oct 1957. It finally moved to Binbrook on 5 Oct 1962 and disbanded there on 1 Feb 1966.

25 Sep 1945 A/Cdre R L R Atcherley,

xx xxx 1945 ?

xx xxx 1948 A/Cdre D F W Atcherley.

xx xxx 1950: A/Cdre W J Crisham.

xx xxx 1953 A/Cdre G D Stephenson.

10 Dec 1954 A/Cdre J Grandy.

xx xxx 1957 A/Cdre E L Colbeck-Welch.

xx xxx 1958 A/Cdre H I Edwards.

xx xxx 1964 A/Cdre E W Tacon

| Aircraft and Marking |

Central Bomber Establishment

Formed at Marham in No 3 Group on 25 Sep 1945, it moved to Lindholme on 14 Apr 1949, where it disbanded on 21 Dec 1949.

xx xxx 1945 ?

xx xxx 1947 A/Cdre S O Bufton.

xx xxx 1947 A/Cdre W E Staton.

xx xxx 1949 A/Cdre D H F Barnett.

Central Photographic Establishment

Formed 15 Aug 1946 from No 106 (PR) Group. Disbanded 1 Mar 1950

xx xxx 1946 A/Cdre G E Nicholetts

Central Reconnaissance Establishment

Formed 12 Jan 1957 within No 3 Group. Disbanded 1 Oct 1970.

12 Jan 1957 A/Cdre D S Radford

1 Jan 1959 A/Cdre E G Jones

17 Nov 1967 A/Cdre K C M Giddings

3 Sep 1969 A/Cdre D J Furner

Central Signals Establishment

Formed 1 Sep 1946. Disbanded 1 Jul 1965.

1 Sep 1946 Gp Capt C V D Willis

xx xxx 1948 Gp Capt L Dalton-Morris

Central Trials and Tactics Organization

Formed xx xxx 1969? to centralise the trailing of operational modifications and the development of tactics for all RAF operational aircraft. Administered by Strike Command. Renamed Air Warfare Centre, 13 Jul 1994.

30 Nov 1969 A/Cdre C D A Browne

11 Nov 1972 A/Cdre A S R Strudwick

6 Feb 1976 A/Cdre G A Chesworth

14 Nov 1977 A/Cdre J M Pack

22 Dec 1979 A/Cdre J R Walker

19 Dec 1981 A/Cdre J E Nevill

29 Mar 1985 A/Cdre W B Maish

16 Jan 1987 A/Cdre R M Austin

xx Jun 1987 Vacant

7 Dec 1987 A/Cdre J E Houghton

13 Jul 1990 A/Cdre J G Lumsden

Air Warfare Centre

Air Warfare Centre badge Formed 1 July 1993 by amalgamating the CTTO, the Department of Air Warfare (DAW) of the RAF College Cranwell, the Electronic Warfare Operational Support Establishment (EWOSE) at Wyton and the Operational Research Branch of HQ STC. The RN and Army EW Operational Support Units, also at Wyton, took the opportunity to merge into the organisation on its coalescence at RAF Waddington on 4 September1995. The Air Intelligence (A2) section of HQ STC later joined. It has always had some responsibility for RN and Army fixed and rotary aircraft support including tactical development. The (tri-Service) Defence Electronic Warfare Centre (DEWC), the single successor to EWOSE, RNEWOSU and Army EWOSU, is hosted in the AWC and the staffs of that organisation are fully embedded within the AWC. The Commandant AWC also holds the title of Director DEWC**. Administered by Strike Command it is responsible for all trialling operational modifications and the development of tactics for all RAF operational aircraft. It was transferred to Air Command on 1 Apr 2007.

** Thanks to Wynne Davies for much of the description above.

Motto: Arma Iudicare Consilium Dare

13 Jul 1994 A/Cdre J G Lumsden

4 Jan 1996 A/Cdre R V Morris

6 Jul 1998 A/Cdre R J Horwood

24 Jul 2000 A/Cdre S W Peach

4 Jul 2003 A/Cdre C M Nickols

xx Sep 2005 A/Cdre T M Anderson

13 Apr 2007 A/Cdre J Stinton

xx Dec 2009 A/Cdre E J Stringer

8 Jul 2011 A/Cdre S C Evans

xx May 2013 A/Cdre B H Hedley

Joint Warfare Establishment

Formed 31 Mar 1963 by amalgamating School of Land/Air Warfare with Amphibious Warfare School. Disbanded 22 Jul 1976.

31 Mar 1963 AVM C T Weir

3 Jul 1964 ?

xx xxx xxxx: ?

15 Nov 1968 AVM P deL Le Cheminant

30 Nov 1970 Rear Admiral Guritz RN

xx xxx xxxx: ?

19 Nov 1974 AVM F S Hazlewood

Officers and Aircrew Selection Centre

Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre badge Formed 9 Apr 1962 at Biggin Hill. Moved to Cranwell, Sep 1992, since when the AOC has also been Director of Recruiting and Selection?.

Motto: Select

xx xxx 1962 A/Cdre R D Elliott

xx xxx 1965 A/Cdre H P Connolly

xx xxx 1967 A/Cdre T P Seymour

1 Jul 1970 A/Cdre J W Allan

1 Jun 1971 A/Cdre C C M Baker

xx xxx 1973 A/Cdre P A Latham

xx xxx 1974

7 May 1977 A/Cdre A G Steele

3 Jun 1978 A/Cdre G T Smeaton,

9 Jun 1979 A/Cdre D L F Thornton

29 Jan 1983 A/Cdre D Allison

18 Jun 1985 A/Cdre J A Bell

25 Aug 1989 A/Cdre G R Pitchfork

11 Oct 1991 A/Cdre P D L Gover

17 Aug 1992

14 Jul 2000 A/Cdre M L Feenan?

RAF Records Office

Formed xx xxx xxxx at act as the central posting unit. Renamed RAF Personnel Management Centre, xx xxx xxxx.

xx xxx xxxx: Wg Cdr H B Bonning

1 May 1920: Wg Cdr W F MacNeece/W MacN Foster

11 Jan 1921: Sqn Ldr A H S Steele-Perkins

1 Oct 1922: Sqn Ldr-Gp Capt J W Cordingley

17 Jul 1939: ?

1 Dec 1949 A/Cdre R Coats

24 Sep 1951 A/Cdre W E V Richards

2 Mar 1956 A/Cdre R W L Glenn

15 Jan 1958 A/Cdre A L Derry

1965 - 68 A/Cdre T J Hanlon

Personnel Management Centre/Agency

Personnel Management Agency badge Personnel Management Centre formed xx xxx xxxx by renaming the RAF Records Office. Re-named RAF Personnel Management Agency, xx xxx xxxx.

13 Sep 1971 AVM J T Lawrence

20 Oct 1973 AVM G J Kemp

6 Sep 1975 A/Cdre K Stevens

9 Jul 1977 ?

12 Sep 1981 A/Cdre K F Sanderson

13 Sep 1983 AVM J B Duxbury

7 Dec 1985 AVM R A Mason

13 Feb 1989 AVM R J Honey

31 Mar 1994 AVM R P O'Brien

28 Aug 1998 AVM I M Stewart

All Unit badges on this page are courtesy of Steve Clements, except those marked *

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