The Royal Air Force Club, or RAF Club in short-form, is a

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

located at 128

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Membership is open to men and women who hold, or have held, commissions in the

RAF 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 ...

, PMRAFNS,

Reserve Forces A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve f ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

and friendly foreign air forces. The Chairman is Air Marshal Dame Sue Gray CB, OBE, RAF.

History

The Royal Flying Corps Club, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force Club, opened at 13

Bruton Street Bruton Street is a street in London's Mayfair district. It runs from Berkeley Square in the south-west to New Bond Street in the north-east, where it continues as Conduit Street. Notable residents have included Field Marshal John Campbell, 2nd ...

in 1917. It became the Royal Air Force Club in 1918 shortly after the first Lord Cowdray donated funds to obtain a permanent building which would house the Club. The buildings, still in use today, were acquired by the middle of 1919 (the Piccadilly frontage was originally the Ladies Lyceum Club, while the rear half, facing Old Park Lane, was stables). Between 1919 and 1921 extensive reconstruction took place supervised by

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Maurice Webb and largely financed by Lord Cowdray. On 2 January 1922 the Club was fully opened to Members although it was not officially opened by the Duke of York until 24 February 1922. On 12 March 1922 the Club was visited by King George V and Queen Mary. This association with the Royal Family continues to this day, Queen Elizabeth II being the Club's Patron. As of 2017, a year's membership subscription costs half of one day's wages for serving (from £42.50), or former serving (retired) RAF officers (£155.00). For non-RAF personnel, affiliate membership starts at £170 plus joining fee. Non-RAF personnel who are eligible to apply for membership include those in the aerospace industry who are Fellows of the

Royal Aeronautical Society The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest aeronautical society in the world. Members, Fellows ...

(FRAeS).

References

Bibliography

Henry Probert Air Commodore Henry Austin Probert MBE (R.A.F.), M.A. (23 December 1926 – 25 December 2007) was a Royal Air Force officer and historian, who was the Royal Air Force's Director of Education from 1976 to 1978. Early life Henry Austin Probert w ...

& Michael Gilbert, ''128: The Story of the Royal Air Force Club'', Royal Air Force Club, 2004. * *

External links

RAF Club website
{{Coord, 51.5041, -0.1485, type:landmark_region:GB-WSM, display=title Gentlemen's clubs in London Royal Air Force 1918 establishments in the United Kingdom Grade II listed buildings in the City of Westminster Piccadilly Military gentlemen's clubs