Technical Training Command was an organization within the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
which controlled units responsible for delivering aircraft maintenance training and other non-flying training, initially in
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
and then in
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...
.
History
Technical Training Command was formed from the elements of
Training Command which were responsible for delivering aircraft maintenance training and other non-flying training on 27 May 1940.
In 1945 the Command moved from
Shinfield Park,
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
in Berkshire, where it had been established, to
Brampton Grange in Cambridgeshire.
No. 26 Group RAF was reformed on 12 February 1940 within
RAF Training Command, and transferred to Technical Training Command on 27 May 1940. It was transferred to
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the Strategic bombing during World War II#Europe, strategic bombing of Germany in W ...
on 10 February 1942.
In its 13 May 1955 issue, ''Flight'' described the command as consisting of the RAF Technical College at
RAF Henlow and
RAF Debden
Royal Air Force Debden or more simply RAF Debden is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station located southeast of Saffron Walden and approximately north of the village of Debden, Uttlesford, Debden in north Es ...
, Nos
22,
24, and
27 Groups,
No. 1 School of Technical Training RAF at
Halton,
No. 1 Radio School RAF at
RAF Locking,
No. 2 School of Technical Training RAF at
Cosford "for boy entrants into the Services", the School of Administration, the WRAF Depot at
RAF Hawkinge, two cookery schools, the Schools of Physical Training, Training Organisation and Method, Education, Firefighting and Rescue,
Photography
Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...
, Chaplains' School, the RAF Regiment Light Anti-Aircraft Gunnery School at Watchet, radio schools at
Yatesbury and
Compton Bassett, the Police Depot at
RAF Netheravon, and the RAF Regiment Depot at
Catterick.
In mid-1965 the Command was made up of No. 22 Group, No. 24 Group, the Record Office, and
RAF Henlow.
It was eventually re-absorbed into the newly re-established Training Command on 1 June 1968.
[
]
Air Officers Commanding-in-Chief
Air Officers Commanding-in-Chief were:[
*27 May 1940 Air Marshal Sir William Welsh
*7 Jul 1941 Air Marshal Sir John Babington
*1 Jun 1943 Air Marshal Sir Arthur Barratt
*29 Oct 1945 Air Marshal Sir Ralph Sorley
*12 Jul 1948 Air Marshal Sir John Whitworth-Jones
*1 Jul 1952 Air Marshal Sir Victor Groom
*15 Sep 1955 Air Marshal Sir ]George Beamish
Air Marshal Sir George Robert Beamish, (29 April 1905 – 13 November 1967) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force from the Second World War to his retirement in the late 1950s. Prior to the Second World War, while Beamish was in the R ...
*10 Jan 1958 Air Marshal Sir Arthur McDonald
*29 Sep 1959 Air Marshal Sir Wallace Kyle
*12 Feb 1962 Air Marshal Sir Alfred Earle
*15 Jan 1964 Air Marshal Sir Donald Evans
*18 May 1966 Air Marshal Sir William Coles
See also
* List of Royal Air Force commands
References
External links
Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - RAF Home Commands formed between 1939 and 1957
, -
Training units and formations of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force commands
Air force technical training units and formations
Military units and formations in Huntingdonshire
Military units and formations established in 1940
Military units and formations of the Royal Air Force in World War II
Military units and formations disestablished in 1968
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