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RAF Reserves fall into two basic categories, Reserve following active service and Volunteer Reserves.
Reserve following active service
When joining the RAF on a short service commission, it is normal for the person's service to consist of a period of active service followed by a fixed period of mandatory reserve. The spilt between these two elements has varied over time depending on a number of factors including finances and the increasing complexity of the service and equipment operated.
The Reserve of Air Force Officers was given the prefix 'Royal' on 1 April 1997.
Volunteer reserves
The earliest forms of volunteer reserve in the RAF were the Special Reserve and Auxiliary Air Force. The Special Reserve was absorbed into the Auxiliary Air Force in 1936 and the AuxAF was given the 'Royal' prefix in 1947.
Auxiliary Air Force/Royal Auxiliary Air Force Units
However, as the threat of war grew larger in the 1930's, it was clear that the existing reserve forces would be unable to cope with the numbers of personnel need so the RAF Volunteer Reserve was formed. After the war, the RAFVR continued and students flying in the UAS's were added to its numbers.
When the Air Defence Cadet Corps was taken over by the Air Ministry and renamed the Air Training Corps in 1941, a new class of the RAFVR was formed to man run this organisation, the RAF Volunteer Reserve (Training Branch).
This page was last updated on 11/06/07 using FrontPage XP©
