No. 9 Group RAF was a

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 ...

of the

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) and ...

History

The group was first formed on 1 April 1918 in No. 2 Area. The next month it was transferred to South-Western Area and then disbanded on 15 May 1919. Its next incarnation was as part of

RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Britai ...

. As 1940 wore on, the need for another Group headquarters to control fighter operations became more and more apparent. No. 9 Group was formed in September 1940 to cover north-west England and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. It was based at

RAF Barton Hall Royal Air Force Barton Hall or more simply RAF Barton Hall is a former Royal Air Force station situated between the villages of Barton and Broughton, near Preston, Lancashire, England. History Barton Hall, which replaced an old manor house, ...

and initially only controlled No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron at RAF Speke, On 1 January 1941 the group was only using the Hurricane I: * No. 96 Squadron RAF at

RAF Cranage Royal Air Force Cranage or more simply RAF Cranage is a former Royal Air Force station operated during the Second World War. It was located just to the North of Middlewich, Cheshire, England. History The site at Cranage was chosen for use as ...

No. 229 Squadron RAF No. 229 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force, and is an officially accredited Battle of Britain Squadron. It became No. 603 Squadron RAF in January 1945. History Formation and World War I No. 229 Squadron RAF was formed on 20 A ...

at RAF Speke *

No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 306 "Toruń" Polish Fighter Squadron ( pl, 306 Dywizjon Myśliwski "Toruński") was one of several Polish squadrons in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. It was formed as part of an agreement between the Polish Governmen ...

at RAF Tern Hill * No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron at

RAF Baginton Coventry Airport is located south-southeast of Coventry city centre, in the village of Baginton, Warwickshire, England. The airport is operated and licensed by Coventry Airport Limited. Its Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom), CAA Ordi ...

No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF No. 312 Squadron RAF was a Czechoslovak-manned fighter squadron of the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. History The squadron was formed at Duxford on 29 August 1940. It was crewed mostly by escaped Czechoslovak pilots, but its first c ...

at RAF Speke

No. 275 Squadron RAF No. 275 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force air-sea rescue squadron that served between 1941 and 1959. History No. 275 Squadron RAF was formed at RAF Valley on 15 October 1941 for air-sea rescue duties in the Irish sea and was 9 Group's Air ...

was formed at

RAF Valley Royal Air Force Valley or more simply RAF Valley ( cy, Llu Awyr Brenhinol Y Fali) is a Royal Air Force station on the island of Anglesey, Wales, and which is also used as Anglesey Airport. It provides both basic and advanced fast-jet training ...

on 15 October 1941Rawlings 1982, p. 250. as No. 9 Group's

Air Sea Rescue Air-sea rescue (ASR or A/SR, also known as sea-air rescue), and aeronautical and maritime search and rescue (AMSAR) by the ICAO and IMO, is the coordinated search and rescue (SAR) of the survivors of emergency water landings as well as people w ...

unit, to cover the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...

. 9 Group also supplied the staff that were trained by Robert Watson-Watt, the inventor of radar, to operate the Chain Home early warning system. The staff being RAF females (they were never WAAF members). On 1 May 1942 it consisted of: *

No. 131 Squadron RAF No. 131 (County of Kent) Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed to be a bomber unit in World War I and reformed as a fighter unit in World War II. History Formation and World War I No. 131 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed on 1 ...

RAF Llanbedr Llanbedr () is a village and community south of Harlech. Administratively, it lies in the Ardudwy area, formerly Meirionnydd, of the county of Gwynedd, Wales. History Ancient monuments at Llanbedr include Neolithic standing stones; the Sto ...

with Spitfire *

No. 232 Squadron RAF No. 232 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was active in both World War I and World War II in a variety of roles, having seen action as an anti-submarine patrol, fighter and transport squadron. History In World War I The squadron was formed on 20 A ...

RAF Atcham Royal Air Force Atcham or more simply RAF Atcham is a former Royal Air Force station located east of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, on the north eastern boundary of Attingham Park. Initially built for RAF Fighter Command, during the Secon ...

with Spitfire *

No. 255 Squadron RAF No. 255 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed as an anti-submarine unit in First World War and a night-fighter unit in Second World War. The First World War squadron was formed from former Royal Naval Air Service coastal flights an ...

RAF High Ercall Royal Air Force High Ercall or more simply RAF High Ercall is a former Royal Air Force sector station situated near the village of High Ercall, northeast of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. History Construction of the airfield began in 1938 ...

with Beaufighter *

No. 257 Squadron RAF No. 257 Squadron RAF was a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force active during the First World War, the Second World War and also the Cold War. It was finally disbanded in December 1963. History In World War I No. 257 Squadron was formed at D ...

RAF Honiley Royal Air Force Honiley or RAF Honiley is a former Royal Air Force station located in Wroxall, Warwickshire, southwest of Coventry, England. The station closed in March 1958, and after being used as a motor vehicle test track, it has been sub ...

with Hurricane & Spitfire *

No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 315 (City of Dęblin) Polish Fighter Squadron ( pl, 315 Dywizjon Myśliwski "Dębliński") was one of several Polish squadrons in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. It was formed as part of an agreement between the Pol ...

RAF Woodvale Royal Air Force Woodvale or RAF Woodvale is a Royal Air Force Station located next to the towns of Formby and Ainsdale in an area called Woodvale which is located to the south of Southport, Merseyside. Woodvale was constructed as an all-weathe ...

with Spitfire On 1 March 1943 it consisted of: *

No. 41 Squadron RAF No. 41 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is the RAF's Typhoon Test and Evaluation Squadron ("TES"), based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire. Its official title is "41 TES". The squadron was formed in 1916 during First World War as part of the Royal ...

with Spitfire * No. 96 Squadron RAF at

with Beaufighter * No. 195 Squadron RAF at

with Typhoon *

No. 219 Squadron RAF No. 219 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was founded in 1918 and disbanded in 1957 after four separate periods of service. During the First World War it served as a coastal defence unit, and through most of the Second World War and the 1950s it op ...

RAF Scorton Royal Air Force Scorton or more simply RAF Scorton is a former Royal Air Force Royal Air Force station, satellite station located next to the village of Scorton, North Yorkshire, Scorton in North Yorkshire, England. The base was opened in Octobe ...

with Beaufighter *

No. 256 Squadron RAF No. 256 Squadron RAF was a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force which operated during the First and Second World Wars. Initially equipped with Dh6 and Kangaroo aircraft, it operated Defiant Mk IIs, Beaufighters, and Mosquitoes in the Second W ...

with Beaufighter * No. 456 Squadron RAAF at

with Beaufighter & Mosquito No. 9 Group itself had a relative short lifespan. By 1944 it was predominantly a training formation. On 6 June 1944 it comprised: * two sector stations,

and

, * eight Operational Training Units: ** No. 13 Operational Training Unit at

RAF Bicester Bicester Aerodrome, formerly RAF Bicester, is an airfield on the outskirts of the English town of Bicester in Oxfordshire. Dating back to 1916, this military airfield is notable as the location of the first flight of the prototype Handley Page ...

and RAF Finmere with Mosquito & Boston ** No. 41 Operational Training Unit at

RAF Hawarden 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 ...

and

RAF Poulton Royal Air Force Poulton or more simply RAF Poulton (X4PL) is a former Royal Air Force Royal Air Force station, satellite station located near Poulton, Cheshire and was operational from 1 March 1943 until 1945. It was used as an Operational Traini ...

with Mustang & Hurricane ** No. 42 Operational Training Unit at RAF Ashbourne and RAF Darley Moor with Whitley, Oxford, Anson & Albemarle ** No. 51 Operational Training Unit at

RAF Cranfield Cran may refer to: * C-RAN, cellular network architecture *CRAN (R programming language) *Cran (unit), of uncleaned herring *Representative Council of France's Black Associations Surname *Chris Cran (born 1949), a Canadian painter *James Cran (bor ...

and

RAF Twinwood Farm Royal Air Force Twinwood Farm or more simply RAF Twinwood Farm is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located north of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. For the majority of World War II, the airfield was home to RAF night fighters. Royal ...

with Mosquito ** No. 53 Operational Training Unit RAF at

RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey Royal Air Force Kirton in Lindsey or more simply RAF Kirton in Lindsey is a former Royal Air Force station located north of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. It's an RAF habit (inherited from the RFC) to name its bases after the nearest railway ...

, RAF Hibaldstow and

RAF Caistor 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 ...

with Spitfire ** No. 54 Operational Training Unit at

RAF Charterhall Royal Air Force Charterhall or more simply RAF Charterhall is a former Royal Air Force station located in the Scottish Borders and the historic county of Berwickshire between the village of Greenlaw and Duns. It was originally a First World W ...

and RAF Winfield with Beaufighter ** No. 57 Operational Training Unit at RAF Eshott and

RAF Boulmer Royal Air Force Boulmer or RAF Boulmer is a Royal Air Force station near Alnwick in Northumberland, England, and is home to Aerospace Surveillance and Control System (ASACS) Force Command, Control and Reporting Centre (CRC) Boulmer. The Scho ...

with Spitfire ** No. 59 Operational Training Unit at

with Hurricane & Typhoon ** No. 60 Operational Training Unit at

with Mosquito ** No. 61 Operational Training Unit at RAF Rednal and RAF Montford Bridge with Spitfire ** No. 62 Operational Training Unit at

RAF Ouston Royal Air Force Ouston, or more simply RAF Ouston, is a former Royal Air Force station that was located near the village of Stamfordham and the village of Heddon-on-the-Wall on Hadrian's Wall near Newcastle upon Tyne. It was built as a Second ...

with Anson & Wellington * three Tactical Exercise Units: ** No. 1 Tactical Exercise Unit at RAF Kinnell with Hurricane & Spitfire ** No. 2 Tactical Exercise Unit at RAF Grangemouth and

RAF Balado Bridge Royal Air Force Balado Bridge or more simply RAF Balado Bridge is a former Royal Air Force station located west of Kinross, in central Scotland. It opened in 1942 as a satellite airfield to RAF Grangemouth, and closed in 1957. It has since serv ...

with Spitfire ** No. 3 Tactical Exercise Unit at

RAF Annan Royal Air Force Annan or more simply RAF Annan is a former Royal Air Force station located about north-east of the town of Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, which was operational during the Second World War. Station history Initially s ...

] with Typhoon & Spitfire * AI Conversion Unit * Fighter Leaders School RAF * No. 2 Aircraft Delivery Flight * No. 58 Repair and Salvage Unit * three other support/supply units * 9 Group Communications Flight flying

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...

s and

Airspeed Oxford The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford is a twin-engine monoplane aircraft developed and manufactured by Airspeed. It saw widespread use for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery roles throughout the Seco ...

s from Samlesbury Aerodrome. It was absorbed into

No. 12 Group RAF No. 12 Group of the Royal Air Force was a group, a military formation, that existed over two separate periods, namely the end of the First World War when it had a training function and from just prior to the Second World War until the early 1960s ...

on 15 September 1944.

Commanders

The following officers had command of No. 9 Group:

1918 to 1919

*1 April 1918

Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

H D Briggs

1940 to 1944

*16 September 1940

Air Vice-Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) 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 u ...

W A McClaughry *April 1942 Air Vice-Marshal L H Slatter *26 June 1942 Air Vice-Marshal W F Dickson *1942 Air Commodore C R Steele (Temporary appointment) *10 November 1942 Air Vice-Marshal J W Jones *2 July 1943 Air Vice-Marshal L N Hollinghurst *6 November 1943 Air Commodore C A Stevens (Temporary appointment) *7 December 1943 Air Vice-Marshal D F Stevenson

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * Smith, David J., ''Action Stations 3: Wales and the North-West''., Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd, 1981. .

External links

Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - Group No's 1 - 9
{{WW2AirDefenceUK

009 009 may refer to: * OO9, gauge model railways * O09, FAA identifier for Round Valley Airport * 0O9, FAA identifier for Ward Field, see List of airports in California * British secret agent 009, see 00 Agent * BA 009, see British Airways Flight 9 * ...

Military units and formations established in 1918 1918 establishments in the United Kingdom