No. 25 Group RAF is a former

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

. It was initially active between 1918 and 1919. It reformed during 1937, remaining active throughout the Second World War, disbanding again in 1948. It reformed a second time during 1951 and disbanded for a third time in 1968.

History

First World War

No. 25 (Operations) Group formed on 12 August 1918 at

Luce Bay Luce Bay is a large bay in Wigtownshire in southern Scotland. The bay is 20 miles wide at its mouth and is bounded by the Rhins of Galloway to the west and the Machars to the east. The Scares are rocky islets at the mouth of the bay. Bombing r ...

, within North Western Area. It had No. 258 Squadron RAF and No. 273 Squadron RAF under its operational control, along with the Airship Stations at Luce Bay and Larne. The group disbanded on 12 June 1919.

Second World War

It reformed, known as No. 25 (Armament) Group RAF, on 1 December 1937 at

RAF Eastchurch Royal Air Force Eastchurch or more simply RAF Eastchurch (formerly RNAS Eastchurch) is a former Royal Air Force station near Eastchurch village, on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, England. The history of aviation at Eastchurch stretches back to the fi ...

, within

RAF Training Command Training Command was the Royal Air Force's command responsible for flying and ground training from 1936 to 1940 and again from 1968 to 1977. Training Command was formed from RAF Inland Area on 1 May 1936 and absorbed into RAF Support Command on 13 ...

, by renaming the Armament Group. On 28 June 1939 the HQ relocated to

RAF Brize Norton Royal Air Force Brize Norton or RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the village of Brize Norton, and the towns of Carterton and Witney. The statio ...

. Six months later on 31 January 1940, it moved again, to

Buntingsdale Hall Buntingsdale Hall is a historic country house in the parish of Sutton upon Tern, to the southwest of Market Drayton in Shropshire, England. It became a Grade II* listed building on 14 February 1979. History Buntingsdale Hall was first built for ...

Market Drayton Market Drayton is a market town and electoral ward in the north of Shropshire, England, close to the Cheshire and Staffordshire borders. It is on the River Tern, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" (c. 1868) and earlier simply as "D ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

. On 27 May 1940, with the split of

, the group moved into

RAF Flying Training Command Flying Training Command was an organization of the Royal Air Force; it controlled flight training units. The command's headquarters were at Shinfield Park, Reading in Berkshire. History Flying Training Command was formed from the elements of ...

. It had responsibility for all the armament training schools including No. 1 Air Armament School RAF, at

RAF Manby Royal Air Force Manby or more simply RAF Manby is a former Royal Air Force station located in Lincolnshire, England The following units were here at some point: * No. 1 Air Armament School (1937–1944) absorbed by the Empire Air Armament School ...

, and the

Central Gunnery School RAF Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

, at

RAF Sutton Bridge Royal Air Force Sutton Bridge or more simply RAF Sutton Bridge is a former Royal Air Force station found next to the village of Sutton Bridge in the south-east of Lincolnshire. The airfield was to the south of the current A17, and east of the Ri ...

. On 7 July 1942, the Air Gunners Schools and the (Observers) Advanced Flying Units for

Northern England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...

, were moved into No. 29 Group RAF. The responsibility for the Air Gunners Schools and the (Observers) Advanced Flying Units in the Midlands and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, along with No. 1 Air Armament School RAF, the Central Gunnery School RAF and the Central Navigation School RAF remained within No. 25 Group. After the Second World War, on 26 April 1947, the group HQ moved to St Vincents Hall,

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...

, in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

, however, it eventually disbanded on 15 April 1948.

Cold War

On 20 March 1951 it reformed as No. 25 (Flying Training) Group RAF at RAF Manby. It was tasked with administering the Flying Refresher Schools and the Advanced Flying Schools, using Jet aircraft. On 28 January 1961 the Group HQ moved to RAF White Waltham. The group was operational for a further seven years, before eventually disbanding on 1 June 1968, and was absorbed into No. 22 Group RAF.

Structure

November 1939 * HQ at

*** No. 1 Air Armament School RAF **

RAF Pembrey Pembrey Sands Air Weapons Range is a Ministry of Defence air weapons range located near the village of Pembrey, Carmarthenshire, northwest of Burry Port and south of Carmarthen, Wales. Adjacent to the weapons range site was a Royal Air Force s ...

*** No. 2 Air Armament School RAF **

RAF Aldergrove Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station Aldergrove or more simply JHC FS Aldergrove is located south of Antrim, Northern Ireland and northwest of Belfast and adjoins Belfast International Airport. It is sometimes referred to simply as Alde ...

*** No. 3 Air Observers School RAF **

RAF West Freugh RAF West Freugh is a former Royal Air Force station located in Wigtownshire, south east of Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It has always been an armaments training school, either for handling or deployment of ordnance. The site is ...

*** No. 4 Air Observers School RAF **

RAF Jurby Royal Air Force Station Jurby or more simply RAF Jurby is a former Royal Air Force station built in the north west of the Isle of Man. It was opened in 1939 on of land acquired by the Air Ministry in 1937, under the control of No. 29 Group, ...

*** No. 5 Air Observers School RAF * ''continued...'' ** RAF Porthcawl *** No. 7 Air Observers School RAF ** RAF Evanton *** No. 8 Air Observers School RAF **

RAF Penrhos RAF Penrhos is a former Royal Air Force airfield located near Penrhos, Gwynedd and west of Porthmadog, Gwynedd, Wales, in the community of Llanbedrog. It was operational from 1 February 1937 to 21 October 1946 for armament training, air o ...

*** No. 9 Air Observers School RAF **

RAF Warmwell Royal Air Force Warmwell or more simply RAF Warmwell is a former Royal Air Force station near Warmwell in Dorset, England from 1937 to 1946, located about 5 miles east-southeast of Dorchester; 100 miles southwest of London. During the Second W ...

*** No. 10 Air Observers School RAF May 1941 * HQ at

RAF Dumfries Royal Air Force Dumfries or more simply RAF Dumfries was a former Royal Air Force station located near Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway Scotland. The airfield opened on 17 June 1940 and was sold in 1960 to a private firm. The disused airfiel ...

*** No. 10 Bombing and Gunnery School RAF ** RAF Evanton *** No. 8 Bombing and Gunnery School RAF **

RAF Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

*** Gunnery Research Unit RAF *** Det of Royal Aircraft Establishment **

*** No. 5 Bombing and Gunnery School RAF **

*** No. 1 Air Armament School RAF * ''continued...'' ** RAF Millom *** No. 2 Bombing and Gunnery School RAF **

*** No. 9 Bombing and Gunnery School RAF ** RAF Stormy Down *** No. 7 Bombing and Gunnery School RAF **

***

*** No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School RAF April 1942 * HQ at Buntingsdale Hall, Market Drayton ** RAF Barrow *** No. 10 Air Gunners School RAF ** RAF Bobbington *** No. 3 Air Observers School RAF **

RAF Chelveston Royal Air Force Chelveston, or more simply RAF Chelveston, is a former Royal Air Force station located on the south side of the B645 (former A45 road), east of Wellingborough, near the village of Chelveston in Northamptonshire, England. Duri ...

***

** RAF Dalcross *** No. 2 Air Gunners School RAF **

*** No. 10 Air Observers School RAF ** RAF Evanton *** No. 8 Air Gunnery School RAF **

*** Gunnery Research School RAF **

*** No. 5 Air Observers School RAF * ''continued...'' **

RAF Llandwrog Royal Air Force Llandwrog or, more simply, RAF Llandwrog is a former Royal Air Force station located at Llandwrog, southwest of Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales. The site opened in January 1941 as a RAF Bomber Command airfield for training gunners, ra ...

*** No. 9 Air Gunners School RAF **

*** No. 1 Air Armament School RAF ** RAF Millom *** No. 2 Air Observers School RAF **

*** No. 1 Air Gunners School RAF **

*** No. 9 Air Observers School RAF ** RAF Stormy Down *** No. 7 Air Gunners School RAF **

*** No. 4 Air Observers School RAF **

RAF Wigtown Royal Air Force Wigtown, or more simply RAF Wigtown, is a former Royal Air Force station within the Dumfries and Galloway region of southwest Scotland. It was built on the Machars peninsula near the village of Wigtown and lies east of Stranra ...

*** No. 1 Air Observers School RAF April 1943 * HQ at Buntingsdale Hall, Market Drayton ** RAF Bobbington ***

No. 3 (Observers) Advanced Flying Unit RAF ''No. 3'' () is a 1997 South Korean gangster comedy film starring Han Suk-kyu as the titular no. 3 man of a gang who's aspiring to rise up the ranks and become the leader of his own gang. It was writer-director Song Nung-han's feature director ...

** RAF Cranage *** Central Navigation School RAF **

*** Gunnery Research Unit RAF **

*** No. 1 Air Armament School RAF **

RAF Mona RAF Mona is a Royal Air Force station near Bodffordd on the island of Anglesey, Wales. It is primarily used as a relief landing ground for RAF Valley. RAF Mona is also the home of Mona Flying Club who operate some evenings and most weekends. ...

*** No. 3 Air Gunners School RAF * ''continued...'' **

*** No. 1 Air Gunners School RAF **

*** No. 9 (Observers) Advanced Flying Unit RAF ** RAF Staverton *** No. 6 Air Observers School RAF ** RAF Stormy Down *** No. 7 Air Gunners School RAF **

***

July 1944 * HQ at Buntingsdale Hall, Market Drayton ** RAF Barrow *** No. 10 Air Gunners School RAF ** RAF Blackpool *** School of Air Sea Rescue RAF **

RAF Cark Royal Air Force Cark or more simply RAF Cark is a former Royal Air Force station in the county of Cumbria (formerly Lancashire) which was operational between 1941 and 1945. It was built near the villages of Cark and Flookburgh on the Cartmel Pen ...

*** Staff Pilots Training Unit RAF **

RAF Catfoss Royal Air Force Catfoss or more simply RAF Catfoss is a former Royal Air Force station during the Second World War. It was located west of Hornsea, Yorkshire, England and north-east of Leconfield, Yorkshire, with the nearest village being Bra ...

***

** RAF Halfpenny Green ***

*** No. 1545 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF **

*** No. 1 Air Armament School RAF * ''continued...'' ** RAF Millom *** No. 2 (Observers) Advanced Flying Unit RAF **

***

No. 8 (Observers) Advanced Flying Unit RAF The numero sign or numero symbol, №, (also represented as Nº, No, No. or no.), is a Typography, typographic abbreviation of the word ''number''(''s'') indicating ordinal number, ordinal numeration, especially in names and titles. For exampl ...

***

*** No. 1 Air Gunners School RAF **

*** No. 9 (Observers) Advanced Flying Unit RAF ** RAF Staverton ***

No. 6 (Observers) Advanced Flying Unit RAF ''No. 6'' is a Japanese novel series written by Atsuko Asano and published by Kodansha in nine volumes between October 2003 and June 2011. A manga adaptation drawn by Hinoki Kino was serialized in Kodansha's ''Aria'' magazine from January 20 ...

** RAF Stormy Down *** No. 7 Air Gunners School RAF July 1945 * HQ at Buntingsdale Hall, Market Drayton ** RAF Barrow *** No. 10 Air Gunners School RAF **

*** Staff Pilots Training Unit RAF **

***

** RAF Halfpenny Green ***

* ''continued...'' **

*** Empire Air Armament School RAF **

*** No. 2 Air Crew Holding Unit RAF **

RAF Shawbury Royal Air Force Shawbury, otherwise known as RAF Shawbury, is a Royal Air Force station near the village of Shawbury in Shropshire in the West Midlands of England. History The First World War The station at Shawbury was first used for military ...

*** Empire Air Navigation School RAF April 1962 * HQ at

RAF White Waltham The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

'' **

Brough Aerodrome Brough Aerodrome was a private use aerodrome located at Brough, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is now disused with the last known flight out of the airfield occurring in 2011. The airfield closed in 2013. It is planned that the site ...

*** Hull University Air Squadron ** Cambridge City Airport ***

Cambridge University Air Squadron Cambridge University Air Squadron, abbreviated CUAS, formed in 1925, is the training unit of the Royal Air Force at the University of Cambridge and forms part of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. It is the oldest of 15 University Air Squadr ...

Aberdeen Airport Aberdeen International Airport ( gd, Port-adhair Eadar-nàiseanta Obar Dheathain) is an international airport, located in the Dyce suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. A total of just under 3.1&nbs ...

(Dyce) *** Aberdeen University Air Squadron **

*** No. 3/4 Civilian Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF **

RAF Hullavington RAF Hullavington was a Royal Air Force station located at Hullavington, near Chippenham, Wiltshire, England. The station opened in June 1937 and was predominantly used for various training purposes. It closed on 31 March 1992 when it was transfe ...

*** No. 2 Air Navigation School RAF ** RAF Leuchars *** St Andrews University Air Squadron **

Perth Airport Perth Airport is an international, domestic and general aviation airport serving Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. It is the fourth busiest airport in Australia measured by passenger movements and falls within the boundaries of ...

*** Glasgow University Air Squadron * ''continued...'' **

***

Birmingham University Air Squadron The University of Birmingham Air Squadron, commonly known as UBAS, is a squadron within the Royal Air Force established on 3 May 1941. It is based at RAF Cosford, Shropshire, and flies a fleet of six Grob Tutors. In 2009 the squadron upgrad ...

RAF South Cerney Royal Air Force South Cerney or more simply RAF South Cerney is a former Royal Air Force station located in South Cerney near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, England. It was built during the 1930s to conduct flying training. The airfield was tu ...

*** No. 1 Initial Training School RAF **

RAF Stradishall Royal Air Force Stradishall or more simply RAF Stradishall is a former Royal Air Force station located north east of Haverhill, Suffolk and south west of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. Part of the site remains in use as Stradishall Traini ...

*** No. 1 Air Navigation School RAF ** RAF Sydenham *** Queens University Air Squadron **

RAF Topcliffe Royal Air Force Topcliffe or RAF Topcliffe is a Royal Air Force station in North Yorkshire, England. It was established as a RAF Bomber Command station in 1940. The British Army took over a large part of the site in 1974 and the airfield beca ...

*** No. 1 Air Electronics School RAF **

Edinburgh Airport Edinburgh Airport is an airport located in the Ingliston area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2019, handling over 14.7 million passengers. It was also the sixth-busiest airport in the United Kingdom by ...

(Turnhouse) ***

Edinburgh University Air Squadron The East of Scotland Universities Air Squadron ( gd, Sguadron Adhair Oilthighean Taobh an Ear na h-Alba), commonly known as ESUAS, is a squadron within the Royal Air Force established in 2003 as an amalgamation of "East Lowlands Universities A ...

*** London University Air Squadron

Headquarters

No. 25 Group had various HQ during its three active periods: *

- between 1918 and 1919 *

- reformed in December 1937 *

- from June 1939 *

- from January 1940 * St Vincents Hall - from April 1947 until April 1948 *

- reformed in March 1951 *

- from January 1961 until June 1968

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * {{RAF unit types 025 Training units and formations of the Royal Air Force