Royal Air Force College Cranwell
Encyclopedia
The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force
training and education academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to be commissioned officers
. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and is responsible for all RAF recruiting along with officer and aircrew selection. Originally established as a naval aviation training centre during World War I, the College was established as the world's first air academy in 1919. During World War II, the College was closed and its facilities were used as a flying training school. Reopening after the War, the College absorbed the Royal Air Force Technical College in 1966. In recent years it has incorporated the Air Power Studies Division of King's College London
.
The Royal Air Force College is based at RAF Cranwell
near Sleaford
in Lincolnshire
, and is sometimes titled as the Royal Air Force College Cranwell.
Cranwell was first established in 1916 as the Navy air training centre and airships were operational there until the end of World War I
.
In December 1915, after the Royal Naval Air Service
had broken away from the Royal Flying Corps
, Commodore Godfrey Paine
was sent to Cranwell to start a naval flying training school in order that the navy would no longer need to make use of the Central Flying School
. The Royal Navy's Central Depot and Training Establishment opened on 1 April 1916 at Cranwell under Paine's leadership. In 1917 Paine was succeeded by Commodore Luce
and in 1918 following the foundation of the RAF in April, Brigadier-General Briggs took over and Cranwell became the headquarters of No. 12 Group
. After the cessation of hostilities in November 1918, the Chief of the Air Staff, Sir Hugh Trenchard
felt determined to maintain the Air Force as an independent service rather than let the Army and Royal Navy control air operations again. The establishment of an air academy, which would provide basic flying training, provide intellectual education and give a sense of purpose to the future leaders of the Service was therefore a priority. Trenchard chose Cranwell as the College's location because, as he told his biographer:
The Royal Air Force College was formed on 1 November 1919 as the RAF (Cadet) College under the authority of its first commandant Air Commodore
C A H Longcroft
. On 5 February 1920 the College was raised to command
status. It is the oldest military air academy in the world.
On 20 June 1929, an aeroplane piloted by Flight Cadet C J Giles crashed on landing at the College and burst into flames. A fellow flight cadet, William McKechnie
pulled Giles, who was incapable of moving himself, from the burning wreckage. McKechnie was awarded the Empire Gallantry Medal
for his actions.
In 1936 the College was reduced from command to group
status within Training Command
and the commandant ceased to hold the title of Air Officer Commanding RAF Cranwell.
Just before the outbreak of World War II
, the Air Ministry
closed the College as an initial officer training establishment. With the need to generate aircrew in large numbers, it was redesignated the RAF College Flying Training School and it did not return to its former function until 1947. It was also in 1947 the Equipment and Secretarial Branch cadets were admitted to the College alongside the traditional flight cadets.
In 1966 the Royal Air Force Technical College at RAF Henlow
, a similar cadet college for engineering officers, was merged with the College at Cranwell. The College functioned 1919-71 as a cadet college (like RMC Sandhurst) graduates receiving permanent RAF commissions after a residential course of two to three years. From 1971 officers were to be recruited only from universities, with short courses of cadet training and (later) flying instruction at Cranwell. These trainees now include women, and the Royal Air Force College Cranwell is today the RAF's only initial officer training establishment.
College Hall, training took place in old naval huts. In the 1920s Sir Samuel Hoare (later Lord Templewood) battled for a substantial College building. Architect
's plans were drawn up in 1929 for the present-day College. After some disagreement between Hoare and architect James West
, the building plans incorporated design aspects of Christopher Wren's Royal Hospital at Chelsea
. In September 1933 the building was completed; it was built of rustic and moulded brick
. Its frontage was 800 feet (243.8 m).
In front of the Hall, orange gravel
paths lead around a roughly circular grass area ("The Orange") toward the parade ground.
The building has been used for RAF officer training since HRH the Prince of Wales
(later Edward VIII
) officially opened it in October 1934. In 1987 the building was given Grade II listed status.
and the British Army's Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
. At present, most RAF officer cadet
s complete a 32-week course within the College's Officer and Aircrew Cadet Training Unit (OACTU), commanded since May 2008 by Group Captain Martin Killen, before they are commissioned. Within OACTU the officer cadets undertake transformational leadership tuition, academic air power studies (including ethics and strategic thinking), military skills, essential service knowledge, drill and physical training. OACTU also provides Special Entrant and Re-entrant (SERE) courses for medical and dental officers, chaplains, legal officers and nursing officers, and for officers rejoining the Service or transferring from the sister services. There are also a small number of short induction courses for Warrant Officer
s selected for commissioning, university cadets, bursar
s and Volunteer Reserve officers
. In addition, OACTU delivers a 2 week Reserve Officer Initial Training course for Full Time Reservists, Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), Mobile Meteorological Unit and Aviation Officers. Reflecting the growing importance of university-level education for its cadets, in April 2007 the College appointed air power scholar Dr. Joel Hayward
, head of its Air Power Studies academic department, as Dean of the Royal Air Force College.
. The Band takes part in major events such as The Changing of the Guard
at Buckingham Palace
and the Edinburgh Tattoo as well as a busy schedule of services and charity engagements.
(AOC) RAF Cranwell.
Cranwell has had many famous graduates. As there have been many notable RAF officers who were commissioned from Cranwell, a fair and representative list would be impractical. Therefore, only those who are notable in other ways are listed below:
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
training and education academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to be commissioned officers
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and is responsible for all RAF recruiting along with officer and aircrew selection. Originally established as a naval aviation training centre during World War I, the College was established as the world's first air academy in 1919. During World War II, the College was closed and its facilities were used as a flying training school. Reopening after the War, the College absorbed the Royal Air Force Technical College in 1966. In recent years it has incorporated the Air Power Studies Division of King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
.
The Royal Air Force College is based at RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. It is currently commanded by Group Captain Dave Waddington...
near Sleaford
Sleaford
Sleaford is a town in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is located thirteen miles northeast of Grantham, seventeen miles west of Boston, and nineteen miles south of Lincoln, and had a total resident population of around 14,500 in 6,167 households at the time...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, and is sometimes titled as the Royal Air Force College Cranwell.
History
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
In December 1915, after the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
had broken away from the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
, Commodore Godfrey Paine
Godfrey Paine
Rear Admiral Sir Godfrey Marshall Paine KCB MVO was a senior commander in the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Air Force in the early part of the 20th century...
was sent to Cranwell to start a naval flying training school in order that the navy would no longer need to make use of the Central Flying School
Central Flying School
The Central Flying School is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 it is the longest existing flying training school.-History:...
. The Royal Navy's Central Depot and Training Establishment opened on 1 April 1916 at Cranwell under Paine's leadership. In 1917 Paine was succeeded by Commodore Luce
John Luce (Royal Navy officer)
Rear Admiral John Luce CB was a senior officer in the Royal Navy during and after World War I.-Early and family life:...
and in 1918 following the foundation of the RAF in April, Brigadier-General Briggs took over and Cranwell became the headquarters of No. 12 Group
No. 12 Group RAF
No. 12 Group of the Royal Air Force was a command organization that exisited over two separate periods, namely the end of World War I when it had a training function and from just prior to World War II until the early 1960s when it was tasked with an air defence role.No. 12 Group was first formed...
. After the cessation of hostilities in November 1918, the Chief of the Air Staff, Sir Hugh Trenchard
Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard GCB OM GCVO DSO was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force...
felt determined to maintain the Air Force as an independent service rather than let the Army and Royal Navy control air operations again. The establishment of an air academy, which would provide basic flying training, provide intellectual education and give a sense of purpose to the future leaders of the Service was therefore a priority. Trenchard chose Cranwell as the College's location because, as he told his biographer:
"Marooned in the wilderness, cut off from pastimes they could not organise for themselves, the cadets would find life cheaper, healthier and more wholesome."In practice this meant that (unlike RMC Sandhurst cadets) Cranwell cadets could not reach the temptations of London in their free time. When first occupied, the site was largely empty fields: it is now ornamented by several avenues of mature trees, many commemoratively marked with plaques naming the distinguished guests who planted them 1920-1970.
The Royal Air Force College was formed on 1 November 1919 as the RAF (Cadet) College under the authority of its first commandant Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
C A H Longcroft
Charles Longcroft
Air Vice Marshal Sir Charles Alexander Holcombe Longcroft KCB, CMG, DSO, AFC was a pilot and squadron commander in the Royal Flying Corps who went on to become a senior commander in the Royal Air Force.-Early years:...
. On 5 February 1920 the College was raised to command
Command (military formation)
A command in military terminology is an organisational unit that the individual in Military command has responsibility for. A Commander will normally be specifically appointed into the role in order to provide a legal framework for the authority bestowed...
status. It is the oldest military air academy in the world.
On 20 June 1929, an aeroplane piloted by Flight Cadet C J Giles crashed on landing at the College and burst into flames. A fellow flight cadet, William McKechnie
William Neil McKechnie
Group Captain William Neil McKechnie was a pilot in the Royal Air Force who was awarded The George Cross in 1929 and was killed in action over Germany in 1944.-Early life:...
pulled Giles, who was incapable of moving himself, from the burning wreckage. McKechnie was awarded the Empire Gallantry Medal
Empire Gallantry Medal
The Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Gallantry, usually known as the Empire Gallantry Medal , was a British medal awarded for acts of the highest civilian gallantry . King George V introduced it on 29 December 1922...
for his actions.
In 1936 the College was reduced from command to group
Group (air force)
A group is a military aviation unit, a component of military organization and a military formation. Usage of the terms group and wing differ from one country to another, as well as different branches of a defence force, in some cases...
status within Training Command
RAF Training Command
Training Command was the RAF's command responsible for flying and ground training from 1936 to 1940 and again from 1968 to 1977.-History:Training Command was formed from Inland Area on 1 May 1936 and absorbed into RAF Support Command on 13 June 1977...
and the commandant ceased to hold the title of Air Officer Commanding RAF Cranwell.
Just before the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
closed the College as an initial officer training establishment. With the need to generate aircrew in large numbers, it was redesignated the RAF College Flying Training School and it did not return to its former function until 1947. It was also in 1947 the Equipment and Secretarial Branch cadets were admitted to the College alongside the traditional flight cadets.
In 1966 the Royal Air Force Technical College at RAF Henlow
RAF Henlow
RAF Henlow is a Royal Air Force station in Bedfordshire, England, equidistant from Bedford, Luton and Stevenage. It houses the RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine, the RAF Signals Museum and 616 Volunteer Gliding Squadron.- History :...
, a similar cadet college for engineering officers, was merged with the College at Cranwell. The College functioned 1919-71 as a cadet college (like RMC Sandhurst) graduates receiving permanent RAF commissions after a residential course of two to three years. From 1971 officers were to be recruited only from universities, with short courses of cadet training and (later) flying instruction at Cranwell. These trainees now include women, and the Royal Air Force College Cranwell is today the RAF's only initial officer training establishment.
College Hall
Prior to the construction of the neo-classicalNeoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
College Hall, training took place in old naval huts. In the 1920s Sir Samuel Hoare (later Lord Templewood) battled for a substantial College building. Architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
's plans were drawn up in 1929 for the present-day College. After some disagreement between Hoare and architect James West
James Grey West
Sir James Grey West OBE was a British architect. Born and trained in Cardiff, Wales, West joined the government Office of Works in 1904, eventually succeeding Sir Richard Allison as chief architect in 1934....
, the building plans incorporated design aspects of Christopher Wren's Royal Hospital at Chelsea
Royal Hospital Chelsea
The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement home and nursing home for British soldiers who are unfit for further duty due to injury or old age, located in the Chelsea region of central London, now the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is a true hospital in the original sense of the word,...
. In September 1933 the building was completed; it was built of rustic and moulded brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
. Its frontage was 800 feet (243.8 m).
In front of the Hall, orange gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
paths lead around a roughly circular grass area ("The Orange") toward the parade ground.
The building has been used for RAF officer training since HRH the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
(later Edward VIII
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
) officially opened it in October 1934. In 1987 the building was given Grade II listed status.
Current training and organisation
The College is the RAF equivalent of the Royal Navy's Britannia Royal Naval CollegeBritannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...
and the British Army's Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
. At present, most RAF officer cadet
Officer Cadet
Officer cadet is a rank held by military and merchant navy cadets during their training to become commissioned officers and merchant navy officers, respectively. The term officer trainee is used interchangeably in some countries...
s complete a 32-week course within the College's Officer and Aircrew Cadet Training Unit (OACTU), commanded since May 2008 by Group Captain Martin Killen, before they are commissioned. Within OACTU the officer cadets undertake transformational leadership tuition, academic air power studies (including ethics and strategic thinking), military skills, essential service knowledge, drill and physical training. OACTU also provides Special Entrant and Re-entrant (SERE) courses for medical and dental officers, chaplains, legal officers and nursing officers, and for officers rejoining the Service or transferring from the sister services. There are also a small number of short induction courses for Warrant Officer
Warrant Officer
A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
s selected for commissioning, university cadets, bursar
Bursar
A bursar is a senior professional financial administrator in a school or university.Billing of student tuition accounts are the responsibility of the Office of the Bursar. This involves sending bills and making payment plans with the ultimate goal of getting the student accounts paid off...
s and Volunteer Reserve officers
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve consists of a number of groupings of individual military reservists for the management and operation of the Royal Air Force's Air Training Corps and CCF Air Cadet formations, Volunteer Gliding Squadrons , Air Experience Flights, and also to form the...
. In addition, OACTU delivers a 2 week Reserve Officer Initial Training course for Full Time Reservists, Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), Mobile Meteorological Unit and Aviation Officers. Reflecting the growing importance of university-level education for its cadets, in April 2007 the College appointed air power scholar Dr. Joel Hayward
Joel Hayward
Joel S.A. Hayward , is a New Zealand-born "noted scholar of war and strategy" who has worked in the United Kingdom since 2004.He is best known for his published books and articles on military matters, including the use of air power, his 2003 biography of Horatio Lord Nelson, and his writing and...
, head of its Air Power Studies academic department, as Dean of the Royal Air Force College.
The Band of the Royal Air Force College
Based at RAF Cranwell, the Band of the Royal Air Force College is one of three established Bands in the RAF. Originally formed to support the Royal Air Force College, the band is now administered by RAF Music ServicesRAF Music Services
Royal Air Force Music Services is based at RAF Northolt and RAF Cranwell, and forms the central administration of one hundred and seventy musicians divided between the Central Band of the Royal Air Force, The Band of the Royal Air Force College, The Band of the Royal Air Force Regiment and...
. The Band takes part in major events such as The Changing of the Guard
Guard Mounting
Guard Mounting, or Changing the Guard , refers to a formal ceremony in which sentries providing ceremonial guard duties at important institutions are relieved by a new batch of sentries...
at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
and the Edinburgh Tattoo as well as a busy schedule of services and charity engagements.
Commandants
From 1920 to 1936 the College Commandant was double-hatted as the Air Officer CommandingAir Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding is a title given in the air forces of Commonwealth nations to an air officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, an air vice marshal might be the AOC 38 Group...
(AOC) RAF Cranwell.
- 1 November 1919 Air CommodoreAir CommodoreAir commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
C A H LongcroftCharles LongcroftAir Vice Marshal Sir Charles Alexander Holcombe Longcroft KCB, CMG, DSO, AFC was a pilot and squadron commander in the Royal Flying Corps who went on to become a senior commander in the Royal Air Force.-Early years:...
(5 February 1920 appointed AOC RAF Cranwell) - 15 August 1923 Air Commodore A E BortonAmyas BortonAir Vice-Marshal Amyas Eden Borton CB, CMG, DSO, AFC was a pilot and commander in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I and a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during the 1920s. He saw active service on the Western Front, in Palestine and in Iraq...
- 1 November 1926 Air Vice-MarshalAir Vice-MarshalAir vice-marshal 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 used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
F C HalahanFrederick HalahanAir Vice-Marshal Frederick Crosby Halahan CMG, CBE, DSO, MVO, RAF was a gunnery officer in the Royal Navy during the early years of the 20th century who became involved in early naval aviation efforts. He served in the Royal Air Force from its establishment in 1918 through the to 1930... - 16 December 1929 Air Vice-Marshal A M LongmoreArthur LongmoreAir Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Murray Longmore GCB, DSO was an early naval aviator, before reaching high rank in the Royal Air Force.-Biography:...
- 30 January 1933 Air Vice-Marshal W G S MitchellWilliam Mitchell (RAF officer)Air Chief Marshal Sir William Gore Sutherland Mitchell, KCB, CBE, DSO, MC, AFC was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force and the first RAF officer to hold the post of Black Rod.-RAF career:...
- 3 December 1934 Air Vice-Marshal H M Cave-Browne-CaveHenry Cave-Browne-CaveAir Vice Marshal Henry Meyrick Cave-Browne-Cave CB, DSO, DFC, RAF was an engineering officer in the Royal Naval Air Service during World War I and senior commander in the Royal Air Force during the 1930s....
- 21 December 1936 Air Vice-Marshal J E A BaldwinJack Baldwin (RAF officer)Air Marshal Sir John Eustice Arthur Baldwin, KBE, CB, DSO, DL, RAF was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.-Early life:...
- 15 August 1939 Air Commodore D Harries (the reference raises doubt about this appointment)
- Dates unknown Air Commodore R Halley (the reference raises significant doubt about this appointment)
- Month unknown 1945 Air Commodore W E G Bryant
- 12 October 1946 Air Commodore R L R AtcherleyRichard AtcherleyAir Marshal Sir Richard Llewellyn Roger Atcherley KBE, CB, AFC & Bar was a senior commander in the RAF who also served as chief of Air Staff for the Royal Pakistan Air Force.-Early life:...
- 1 January 1949 Air Commodore G R BeamishGeorge BeamishAir Marshal Sir George Robert Beamish, KCB, CBE, RAF was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force from the Second World War to his retirement in the late 1950s...
- 31 July 1950 Air Commodore L F Sinclair
- 25 August 1952 Air Commodore H Eeles
- 16 April 1956 Air Commodore T A B Parselle
- 26 August 1958 Air Commodore D F SpotswoodDenis SpotswoodMarshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Denis Frank Spotswood GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC, RAF was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force.-RAF career:...
- 16 April 1961 Air Commodore E D McK Nelson
- 21 August 1963 Air Commodore M D Lyne
- 28 December 1964 Air Commodore, later Air Vice-Marshal I D N Lawson
- 1 February 1967 Air Vice-Marshal T N StackNeville StackAir Chief Marshal Sir Neville Stack KCB CVO AFC was a senior Royal Air Force commander.-Early years:Stack was born on 19 October 1919 the son of aviation pioneer T.N. Stack. He joined the Royal Air Force in 1935 as a flight cadet at RAF College Cranwell. He gained a permanent commission on 29...
- 9 March 1970 Air Vice-Marshal F D Hughes
- 23 September 1972 Air Vice-Marshal R D Austen-Smith
- 9 July 1975 Air Vice-Marshal W E Colahan
- 28 January 1978 Air Vice-Marshal D Harcourt-Smith
- 9 January 1980 Air Vice-Marshal B Brownlow
- 31 January 1982 Air Vice-Marshal R C F Peirse
- 18 January 1985 Air Vice-Marshal E H Macey
- 17 July 1987 Air Vice-Marshal R H Wood
- 8 December 1989 Air Vice-Marshal R M Austin
- 21 February 1992 Air Vice-Marshal D CousinsDavid CousinsAir Chief Marshal Sir David Cousins KCB AFC BA RAF is a retired senior Royal Air Force commander.-RAF career:He joined the RAF in 1961 and spent three years at RAF College Cranwell. He then had a number of operational flying tours, initially flying Lightnings in the air defence role in the UK and...
- 7 October 1994 Air Vice-Marshal A J Stables
- 22 January 1997 Air Vice-Marshal J H Thompson
- 30 July 1998 Air Vice-Marshal T W Rimmer
- 21 July 2000 Air Vice-Marshal H G MacKay
- 27 June 2002 Air Vice-Marshal A J Smith
- Month unknown 2003 Air Commodore M C Barter
- 24 November 2005 Air Commodore R B Cunningham
- 4 April 2008 Air Commodore A D StevensonAshley StevensonAir Commodore Ashley David Stevenson OBE ADC RAF is a senior serving Royal Air Force Officer and is currently Commandant Royal Air Force College Cranwell.- Military career :...
- 3 June 2010 Air Commodore P N Oborn CBE
Graduates
- For more information, see the category: RAF College Cranwell graduates.
Cranwell has had many famous graduates. As there have been many notable RAF officers who were commissioned from Cranwell, a fair and representative list would be impractical. Therefore, only those who are notable in other ways are listed below:
Royalty
- Prince Bandar bin SultanBandar bin SultanBandar bin Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud is a prince of the Saudi royal family and was Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States from 1983 to 2005. He was appointed Secretary-General of the National Security Council by King Abdullah on 16 October 2005...
- Prince Muqran bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
- Prince Faisal bin Al HusseinPrince Faisal bin Al HusseinPrince Faisal of Jordan is the son of King Hussein and Princess Muna Al Hussein, and the younger brother of King Abdullah II.-Education:...
- Prince CharlesCharles, Prince of WalesPrince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
(underwent training as a jet pilot at Cranwell but did not complete the full course) - Prince William (gained his RAF wings on 11 April 2008 but did not complete officer training at Cranwell, rather with the Army at Sandhurst)
Other
- Frank WhittleFrank WhittleAir Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS was a British Royal Air Force engineer officer. He is credited with independently inventing the turbojet engine Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS (1 June 1907 – 9 August 1996) was a British Royal Air...
, father of jet propulsion - Air Chief Marshal The Earl of BandonPercy Bernard, 5th Earl of BandonAir Chief Marshal Percy Ronald Gardner Bernard, 5th Earl of Bandon, GBE, CB, CVO, DSO, RAF was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in the mid-20th century. He was a squadron, station and group commander during World War II and the fifth Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps after the War...
, who inherited his title while a cadet at Cranwell and whose portrait hangs in the dining room of College Hall - Arjan SinghArjan SinghMarshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh, DFC is the only officer of the Indian Air Force to be promoted to five-star rank, equal to a Field Marshal, to which he was promoted in 2002. He was born in the Punjab town of Lyallpur, British India, into a Aulakh family...
, Marshal of the Indian Air Force. - Rory UnderwoodRory UnderwoodRory Underwood MBE is a former English rugby union footballer who played wing for, most notably, Leicester Tigers and Bedford. He represented England and the British Lions and is a former Royal Air Force pilot....
, rugby union footballer - Douglas BaderDouglas BaderGroup Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, FRAeS, DL was a Royal Air Force fighter ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 20 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable and 11 enemy aircraft damaged.Bader joined the...
, flying ace. Captained RAFC Cranwell's rugby union team.