RAF Staff College, Andover
Encyclopedia
The RAF Staff College at RAF Andover
was the first Royal Air Force
staff college
to be established. Its role was the training of officers in the administrative, staff and policy apects of air force matters.
in April 1918 and the end of World War I
in November 1918, there was a determination to maintain the Air Force as an independent service rather than let the Army and Royal Navy control air operations again. Therefore the creation of an RAF Staff College to parallel the Army Staff College
and the Royal Naval Staff College was an important element in fully establishing the RAF.
On the 14 November 1921, Air Commodore
Robert Brooke-Popham
was tasked with setting up the RAF Staff College. On the 1 April the following year, the new RAF Staff College came into being with Brooke-Popham as its first commandant. The Staff College was based in Andover
and was subordinate to Inland Area.
The dog seen in the photograph on Robert Brooke-Popham's lap was Jane who was buried in the Staff College grounds. The gravestone still exists and was the only remaining memorial to the College in 2010.
From its foundation and through the 1920s and 30s, the Staff College provided training to select officers (usually promising flight lieutenants or squadron leaders) to prepare them for staff duties at the Air Ministry
or at Command
or Group
headquarters.
.
RAF Andover
Andover Airfield is a former Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force station. The ICAO code for the airfield is EGWA and the IATA code is ADV...
was the first Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
staff college
Staff college
Staff colleges train military officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of their profession. It is usual for such training to occur at several levels in a career...
to be established. Its role was the training of officers in the administrative, staff and policy apects of air force matters.
Foundation
Following the foundation of the RAFRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in April 1918 and the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in November 1918, there was a determination to maintain the Air Force as an independent service rather than let the Army and Royal Navy control air operations again. Therefore the creation of an RAF Staff College to parallel the Army Staff College
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
and the Royal Naval Staff College was an important element in fully establishing the RAF.
On the 14 November 1921, Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Robert Brooke-Popham
Robert Brooke-Popham
Air Chief Marshal Sir Henry Robert Moore Brooke-Popham, GCVO, KCB, CMG, DSO, AFC, was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force. During World War I he served in the Royal Flying Corps as wing commander and senior staff officer...
was tasked with setting up the RAF Staff College. On the 1 April the following year, the new RAF Staff College came into being with Brooke-Popham as its first commandant. The Staff College was based in Andover
Andover, Hampshire
Andover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
and was subordinate to Inland Area.
The dog seen in the photograph on Robert Brooke-Popham's lap was Jane who was buried in the Staff College grounds. The gravestone still exists and was the only remaining memorial to the College in 2010.
From its foundation and through the 1920s and 30s, the Staff College provided training to select officers (usually promising flight lieutenants or squadron leaders) to prepare them for staff duties at the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
or at Command
Command (military formation)
A command in military terminology is an organisational unit that the individual in Military command has responsibility for. A Commander will normally be specifically appointed into the role in order to provide a legal framework for the authority bestowed...
or Group
Group (air force)
A group is a military aviation unit, a component of military organization and a military formation. Usage of the terms group and wing differ from one country to another, as well as different branches of a defence force, in some cases...
headquarters.
Changes during and after World War II
Although the College was closed on 3 September 1939, the day the British declaration of war was made, it reopened the following November running shorter courses. However, the next year on 28 May 1940, the College closed again. The RAF reopened its staff college at Bulstrode Park in December 1941. The College at Bulstode Park was later reduced in size and only offered training to allied and foreign air force officers. When Bulstode Park closed in 1948, this smaller College returned to Andover and its role in training overseas officers was continued. It was not until 1970 that the Staff College at Andover finally closed when it was absorbed into the RAF Staff College at BracknellRAF Staff College, Bracknell
The RAF Staff College at Bracknell was a Royal Air Force staff college active for most of the second half of the 20th century. Its role was the training of staff officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of air force matters...
.
1922 to 1940
- 1 April 1922 Air Vice-MarshalAir Vice-MarshalAir vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
H R M Brooke-PophamRobert Brooke-PophamAir Chief Marshal Sir Henry Robert Moore Brooke-Popham, GCVO, KCB, CMG, DSO, AFC, was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force. During World War I he served in the Royal Flying Corps as wing commander and senior staff officer... - 28 March 1926 Air CommodoreAir CommodoreAir commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
E R Ludlow-HewittEdgar Ludlow-HewittAir Chief Marshal Sir Edgar Rainey Ludlow-Hewitt GCB, GBE, CMG, DSO, MC, DL was a senior Royal Air Force commander.-World War I:... - 7 September 1930 Air Commodore P B Joubert de la FertéPhilip Joubert de la FertéAir Chief Marshal Sir Philip Bennet Joubert de la Ferté KCB, CMG, DSO was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during the 1930s and the Second World War.-RAF career:...
- 12 December 1933 Air Vice-Marshal W R FreemanWilfrid FreemanAir Chief Marshal Sir Wilfrid Rhodes Freeman, 1st Baronet, GCB, DSO, MC, RAF was one of the most important influences on the rearmament of the Royal Air Force in the years up to and including the Second World War....
- 1 January 1936 Air MarshalAir MarshalAir marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Arthur BarrattArthur BarrattAir Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Sheridan Barratt KCB CMG MC was an officer in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I and a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during World War II.-RAF career:... - 1939 Unknown
1948 to 1970
- From 1941 to 1948 a single RAF staff college was located at Bulstrode Park which had its own commandant.
- 26 July 1948 Air Commodore L W CannonLeslie William CannonAir Vice Marshal Leslie William Cannon CB, CBE enlisted in the RAF in the second entry of aircraft apprentices in 1922, was commissioned as a pilot....
- 1949 Air Commodore J N T Stephenson
- 31 March 1952 Air Commodore W G CheshireWalter CheshireAir Chief Marshal Sir Walter Graemes Cheshire GBE KCB RAF was a senior Royal Air Force intelligence officer during World War II and a senior commander in the in the 1950s and early 1960s.-RAF career:...
- 25 April 1953 Air Commodore G P Chamberlain
- 1 May 1954 Air Commodore D W Lane
- 21 April 1958 Air Commodore E D McK Nelson
- 3 October 1960 Air Commodore N C Hyde
- 24 September 1962 Air Commodore C V D Willis
- 3 March 1965 Air Commodore W D HodgkinsonDerek HodgkinsonAir Chief Marshal Sir William Derek Hodgkinson, KCB, DFC, AFC , commonly known as Sir Derek Hodgkinson, was a bomber pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II, who was shot down and spent time in Stalag Luft III as "Big S", responsible for the security of the escape committee.-Early...
- 7 March 1966 Air Commodore P O V Green
- 7 October 1968 Air Commodore J A G Jackson
- 26 July 1948 Air Commodore L W Cannon