Records of Royal Air Force Staff Colleges

Division within AIR

1917-1939

Records of Royal Air Force Staff Colleges comprising papers of RAF Staff College (Andover), AIR 69

Public Record(s)

English

1 series

Subject to 30 year closure

Topics

Air Force

The proposal to form an Royal Air Force Staff College was first put forward in 1919 and the college was established at Andover in 1921 under Inland Command, later Training Command. The course of study was designed to train officers in staff duties and to provide them with a general education; much attention was also given to the lessons learned from the experience of aerial operations in the First World War. In addition to RAF officers, its students included officers from the Army, the Royal Navy and dominions air forces.

In May 1940 the college was temporarily closed down, but early in 1942 was reopened at Bulstrode Park, Gerrards Cross under Technical Training Command, which was now responsible for administrative training. In 1945 the college was removed to Bracknell, but a wing remained at Gerrards Cross mainly to provide training in staff duties for officers of allied and friendly Air Forces. In 1946 this unit was reconstituted as RAF Staff College (Bulstrode) and in 1948 moved to Andover, transferring to the control of Maintenance Command.

In 1950 administrative control of the staff college at Bracknell passed from Technical Training Command to Reserve (later Home) Command. When the latter command was disbanded in 1959 its responsibilities for Bracknell were taken over by Flying Training Command.

In the latter part of the Second World War there was also an RAF Staff College (Overseas) at Haifa, formed in 1944 from the RAF wing of the Middle East Staff College.

Although the commandants of the colleges operated administratively within their appropriate commands, they dealt directly with the Air Staff on matters of policy.