Trades of the RAF during the Second World War

From the fields of France with the B.E.F. in 1940, to the jungles of Burma and the ruins of Berlin by way of the country houses of England, the desert sands of the Middle East, the dark freezing skies over Germany and the beaches of Normandy, RAF signals personnel helped provide the vital command, control and communication network required to ensure victory.

By the end of the War, its role included both air and ground radio communications, radio aids to navigation, radio as an airborne bombing or interception aid, airborne and ground radar used for both air traffic and fighter control, electronic intelligence and electronic warfare, as well as the teleprinter, telegraph and telephone services required for the R.A.F.

Much of the Signals Intelligence role involved gathering, decoding and interpretation and required close co-operation with both our allies and the Intelligence services.

The R.A.F. Regiment

German parachute and glider assault on R.A.F. airfields in Crete had a lasting effect in that it started developments that led to the creation of the R.A.F. Regiment.
The fall of Crete combined with the invasion of Norway and Greece, made it clear that the Army, with its resources already stretched, could not cope with the added burden of defending R.A.F. airfields and installations. Churchill advised that theatre airfields should be the stronghold of fighting air-ground men, and not protected by soldiers and it was decided to create a new corps to specialise in airfield defence.
On the 1st of February 1942, the Corps of the R.A.F. Regiment was officially formed by Royal Warrant from King George VI.

Initially, the R.A.F. Regiments’ task was essentially defensive but as the war progressed, the Regiment adopted a more aggressive role.

On the 15th of September 1943, R.A.F. Regiment squadrons were air transported to Cos and Southern Italy. Squadrons were also landed at Salerno and later became involved in the battle for Monte Cassino.
In the European theatre, the Regiment landed squadrons on Juno Beach in the early hours of D Day + 1. By the end of the war, the R.A.F. Regiment had seen service in North Africa, the Middle and Far East, the Mediterranean and Europe and had a fighting force of over 85,000 men.

The R.A.F. Police

The Royal Air Force Police was formed on the 1st April 1918, at the birth of the RAF and which at the end of World War II had 21,000 men and women serving within its ranks.

On the outbreak of World War II, a tactical R.A.F. Police squadron joined the British Expeditionary Force, which landed in France, while the R.A.F. Police establishment increased dramatically to 11,000 personnel. The `Provost Units' working outside R.A.F. establishments were responsible to the Provost Marshal, while the `Station Police' working with R.A.F. units were accountable to their Station Commanders.

The busiest R.A.F. Police District was London, where off duty service personnel congregated to enjoy brief periods away from their bases. The R.A.F. Police dealt on a daily basis, with disciplinary measures and serious offences involving service personnel.

The RAF Security School was established at R.A.F. Halton during 1940, where security officers and RAF Police NCOs were trained to counter the threat from sabotage and espionage, prior to being posted onto security sections and special security duties.

In 1942, Group Captain Stammers, the Provost Marshal for 11 years, retired and was succeeded by Air Commodore de Putron. His department at the Air Ministry had increased to accommodate 7 sections, each commanded by a wing commander.

PM1 was responsible for general R.A.F. security matters,
PM2 looked after personnel matters within the branch.
PM3 was responsible for special investigations.
PM4 looked after W.A.A.F. Police matters.
PM5 was responsible for passes and vetting enquiries.
PM6 looked after special operational and VIP security arrangements.
PM7 dealt with R.A.F. flying indiscipline.

In July 1944, R.A.F. Police personnel were organised at the Headquarters of the 2nd Tactical Air Force in Bracknell, for the invasion of Northern Europe and new R.A.F. Police units were established in North Africa and the Middle East.

On the 6th June 1944, the invasion into Europe began and R.A.F. Police units landed in Normandy on D-Day and provided support to the 2nd Tactical Air Force, the 1st Canadian and the 21st Army Groups, and were tasked with moving troops and equipment off the beaches and escorting them to pre-arranged points.

As the Mulberry Harbours were constructed, the R.A.F. Police and Military Police, supervised disembarking troops and their equipment and the provided security for stores, munitions and other key points ashore.

During August 1944, members of the W.A.A.F. Police were established in Egypt, Palestine and in Iraq. By the beginning of January 1945, the establishment of the W.A.A.F. Police had reached its peak with 56 officers and 298 airwomen.

By late 1945, the R.A.F. Police had an establishment of 500 commissioned officers and 20,000 non-commissioned officers, which had provided operational support in India, the Far East, the Middle East, Canada, Africa and throughout Europe. As 1945 came to a close, the R.A.F. Police became known for the first time as "Snowdrops" after being authorised to wear white webbing equipment and white tops to their service caps.