A Regiment with Pikes
Oliver 1997, in Through Adversity (opens pdf of book) covers the early history of units providing ground defence to the RAF. Following the fall of France in 1940, the invasion of Great Britain by Nazi Germany became a reality. On the 27th May the Air Ministry formed the Directorate of Ground Defence with the purpose of defending every RAF airfield in the United Kingdom. One hundred men were assigned to each flying station as Ground Gunners (badge to left) to form an R.A.F Aerodrome Defence Corps.
Jack Farmer joined No. 3 RAF Ground Gunnery School part of the Winter Gardens, Blackpool Tower on the 6th August 1940,
“They gave me a slip of paper that stated,
1309181 AC2 Farmer ACH/GG CofE 2/- [10p*] per day". This translated into - Number, Rank, Trade (Aircrafthand Ground Gunner), Religion and rate of pay.”
Left, another ground gunner, John Frederick Roberts seen left with his Ground Gunner badge went to the newly completed Butlin’s Holiday Camp at Filey designed to hold 11,000 campers, but re-designated RAF Hunmanby Moor. He underwent 3-weeks training supervised by the Brigade of Guards and Royal Marines on a ground mounted 'Hispano Canon’. The Depot continued to use this site for training on the Bofors gun.
How dire the situation was in 1941 is revealed in a lecture by Air Vice-Marshall D. A. Pocock given in 1994 (opens a pdf),
"I recall being taken in 1941 to see the Station Armoury at Jurby in the Isle of Man, which was stacked not with rifles but pikes made out of gas piping. Pikes appeared at a number of other RAF Stations."
This followed after Winston Churchill wrote to the War Office in June 1941 ordering that
"every man must have a weapon of some kind, be it only a mace or pike."
Home Guard drilling with pikes left. In Lincolnshire, RAF commanders bought up 'agricultural cutlery' presumably such as pitchforks to repel any invasion.
The documents that led to the formation of the RAF Regiment at Belton Park established by Royal Warrant on 1st February 1942 are here. All existing ground defence squadrons were absorbed into the RAF Regiment and these Squadrons had 2000 added to their numbers. As an example, No 729 Squadron at RAF Waddington, Lincoln became 2729 Squadron.
The new Regiment recruited from existing Army and RAF personnel including "virile and brilliant young Army officers" under 40 years of age. The Regiment adopted as its motto ‘Per Ardua’, translated as ‘Through Adversity’. The insignia are crossed No.4 Lee Enfield rifles encircled by an astral crown (left).
Colonel Liardet was a military member of the London County Territorial Army and Air Force Association. By 1939 he was promoted to Major General. He commanded the 1st (London Division) in Kent. In May 1940 he became Director-General of Directorate-General Ground Defence in the Assistant Chief of Air Force (General). In January 1942 he became the first Commandant General of the RAF Regiment. Liardet seen to left inspecting the Regiment in London. This unedited video clip with no sound of the same inspection clearly shows the Regiment's uniform, also in colour below.
For the first 2 years personnel wore khaki battledress, less conspicuous than blue, and the Field Service Cap, but from 1943, an RAF blue beret. RAF pattern blue tunic was worn if on formal duty. The RAF shoulder flash of an eagle looking backwards was worn on each arm, just below the shoulder by all ranks underneath Warrant Officers. Both of the eagles face backward. The unofficial translation of the RAF motto, "We have eyes everywhere", refers to the fact the wearer's own eyes are facing forward in combination with the eyes of the eagles that are facing rearwards. The Air Ministry Order(s) which authorized the introduction of these badges in 1918 make it clear that they are to be worn only in this manner.
The Depot provided instruction for other ranks and an Officer Training Cadet Unit. Instructors had often served in WW1 and included Frederick Luke VC a temporary Sergeant. Training took place at various sites including what looks like Stoke Rochford Hall seen in the opening clip of this information film (video). Prince George the Duke of Kent, a personal friend of Lord Brownlow, was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiment in June 1942. But he died in an air crash that August, the first member of the British Royal Family to die in active military service for over 450 years. The Regiment provided the pall bearers for transfer of his remains to St George's Chapel, Windsor.
By November 1942 the Regiment were manning ack-ack guns on convoy ships to North Africa (video) as part of the Tunisian campaign (2744 Squadron). Once there the Regiment is seen firing Bren guns, mortars, 25-pounder field guns and manning armoured cars to capture and protect airfields for the RAF. Liardet is seen at the end of this clip. The Birmingham Mail reports the Regiment's first ground action as capturing the aerodrome at El Daba along with 200 prisoners. By 1943 the Regiment was training for beach assaults (video). Bofors units of the Regiment were used to shoot down the V1 'flying bomb'.
The Band of the Royal Air Force Regiment formed at Belton Park on 20 August 1942 from the old RAF Coastal Command Band although initially named the RAF Regiment Depot Band. Seen below when the RAF Regiment mounted guard at Buckingham Palace in 1943 Liardet and Trenchard appear towards the end (click image left to see and hear the band). The Regiment's band provided music at various Grantham parades and at Belton House for Lord Brownlow.
From August 1946 the Regiment moved in stages to their new depot at Catterick (video). However, the camp continued in use for RAF officer cadet training until September 1946. The final RAF Regiment contingent left Belton Park in December 1946. The Regiment's Officer Training Cadet Unit was at RAF Spitalgate in 1947 also known as RAF Grantham (see oral history 9 from Arthur Batten). As happened in WWI, the troops who left Grantham took with them local brides.
Within 4 years of its foundation, the RAF Regiment had spread from Grantham half the way round the world as attested by this invitation ticket from Penang, Malaysia.
*Equivalent to £97 in 2016 per week based on the labour value. The women working in the Grantham munitions factories earned 7s 6d per week equivalent to £52 per week.