Home Commands 1920-1936

Items shown in Red are part of the Member's Area requiring registration, click on the link to register and become a member

Halton House, Halton, Wendover, Buckinghamshire; Halton Camp, Halton, Wendover, Buckinghamshire

Formed 1 Jan 1920 to control all units based at Halton. Reduced to Group status in Training Command, 1 Jul 1936. AOC was also Commandant, No 1 School of Technical Training (Apprentices).

Date	Air Officers Commanding	*Senior Officer i/c Administration*	*Officer Commanding Technical Training Section/Senior Equipment Staff Officer*	*Air Staff Officer*
8 Dec 1919	A/Cdre-AVM F R Scarlett
20 Dec 1919		Gp Capt A E Borton
1 May 1921		Wg Cdr A T Whitelock
28 Feb 1924	A/Cdre-AVM C L Lambe
15 Apr 1924		Wg Cdr W R Read
9 Jan 1925			Wg Cdr C D Breese
19 Jan 1925		Gp Capt W G S Mitchell
1 Feb 1928		Gp Capt J H A Landon
17 Feb 1925				Sqn Ldr G G A Williams
1 Apr 1928	A/Cdre I M Bonham-Carter
7 Mar 1931			Wg Cdr A Sheckleton
11 Mar 1931				Flt Lt N S Paynter
31 Aug 1931		Gp Capt L D D McKean
1 Oct 1931	A/Cdre-AVM N D K MacEwen
20 Mar 1934		Wg Cdr/Gp Capt G W Murlis-Green
17 Nov 1934				Flt Lt W L Bateman
27 Dec 1934	A/Cdre J T Babington
16 Dec 1935			Wg Cdr C B Cooke

Hillingdon House, Uxbridge, Middlesex; Bentley Priory, Stanmore, Middlesex (from 1 Jun 1926)

Date	AOC-in-C	*Chief Staff Officer* *Senior Air Staff Officer*	*Chief Equipment Officer* *Senior Equipment Staff Officer*	*Senior Personnel Staff Officer*
1 Apr 1920	AVM Sir John Salmond	Gp Capt P L W Herbert	Wg Cdr A Fletcher
21 Jul 1921			Gp Capt H P Smyth-Osbourne
27 Feb 1922		A/Cdre H C T Dowding
26 Apr 1922	AVM J F A Higgins
4 Aug 1922
13 Mar 1924	A/Cdre-AVM Sir Tom Webb-Bowen
1 Aug 1924
27 Aug 1924		A/Cdre B C H Drew
25 Oct 1925			Gp Capt E F Briggs
21 Feb 1926
1 Nov 1926	AVM C A H Longcroft
12 Dec 1927		A/Cdre J L Forbes
1 Oct 1928
15 Mar 1929		A/Cdre A M Longmore
6 Aug 1929
15 Oct 1929		A/Cdre W R Freeman
1 Nov 1929	AVM A E Borton
12 Nov 1929			Gp Capt M Spicer
22 Sep 1930		A/Cdre C E H Rathborne
15 Jan 1932		A/Cdre J B Bowen
11 Apr 1932				Wg Cdr C H Elliott-Smith
20 Nov 1932
1 Feb 1933	AVM A M Longmore		Gp Capt J H A Landon
15 Mar 1933		A/Cdre C D Breese
26 Mar 1934		A/Cdre L D D McKean
15 Jul 1934			Gp Capt N C Spratt
1 Oct 1934	A/Cdre H le M Brock (Temporary)
8 Jan 1935	AVM C S Burnett

Listings of units and personnel controlled by this Command available in the Member Areas

Baldonnell, Clondalkin, County Dublin; Island Bridge Barracks, Dublin. (from May 1922); Templepatrick, County Antrim. (from Sep 1922); Aldergrove. (from Oct 1922)

Formed by raising No 11 (Irish) Wing to Command status 17 February 1922. Disbanded, February 1923

Formed 1 Jan 1925 to control all home based bomber and fighter squadrons. (s) dropped 1 Jun 1926. Renamed Bomber Command, 14 Jul 1936.

Date	Air Officers Commanding-in-Chief	Chief/Senior Air Staff Officer	Officer i/c Administration (1) *Senior Equipment Staff Officer (2)*
1 Jan 1925	AVM Sir John Salmond
27 Apr 1925		Gp Capt W F MacNeece
6 Mar 1926			Gp Capt R C M Pink (1)
1 Apr 1926		A/Cdre F V Holt
26 May 1928	AVM F R Scarlett (Temporary)
7 Dec 1928		A/Cdre the Hon J D Boyle
1 Jan 1929	AM Sir Edward Ellington
13 May 1929			Gp Capt A ap Ellis (1)
17 Jul 1929			Gp Capt G P Grenfell (1)
29 Aug 1931		A/Cdre E L Gossage
5 Sep 1931	AM Sir Geoffrey Salmond
11 Jan 1932			Gp Capt F K Haskins (1)
1 Jan 1933			A/Cdre F K Haskins (1)
10 Jan 1933			Gp Capt A C Wright (1)/(2)
17 Jan 1933	AM Sir Robert Brooke-Popham
20 Nov 1934		A/Cdre A D Cunningham
1 Aug 1935	AM Sir John Steel

Formed 1 May 1924. Renamed HQ Special Reserve and Auxiliary Air Force, 14 May 1925.

Formed 14 May 1925 by renaming HQ Superintendent RAF Reserve to control the newly created Special Reserve and Auxiliary Air Forces Squadrons. Reduced to group status as Air Defence Group, 18 July 1927

Date	Air Officer Commanding	*Personnel Staff Officer*	*Air Staff Officer*	*Technical Staff Officer*
14 May 1925	A/Cdre C L N Newall	Sqn Ldr C H Hayward	Flt Lt J P Coleman
18 Aug 1925		Sqn Ldr H Dawes
1 Dec 1925	A/Cdre J G Hearson
10 Dec 1925				Flt Lt D W Clappen

Listings of units and personnel controlled by this Command available in the Member Areas

This was formed at Kenley on 20 May 1926 from No 6 Group group within Inland Area but was transferred to ADGB on 1 Jun 1926 and moved to Hillingdon House, Uxbridge, Middlesex on 7 July. It was raised to Command status on 1 January 1932. On 1 May 1936 it was renamed No 11 (Fighter) Group.

Date	Air Officer Commanding	Chief/Senior Air Staff Officer	Senior Personnel Staff Officer	Senior Equipment Staff Officer
20 May 1926	AVM H R M Brooke-Popham	The holder of this post was not specified in the Air Force List	The holder of this post was not specified in the Air Force List	The holder of this post was not specified in the Air Force List
1 Nov 1928	A/Cdre C R Samson (Temporary)
1 Jan 1929	AVM F R Scarlett
12 Oct 1929	A/Cdre J D Boyle (Temporary)
28 Dec 1929	AVM H C T Dowding
25 Jul 1930
1 Sep 1930	A/Cdre J D Boyle (Temporary)
1 Apr 1931	AVM F V Holt (killed in a flying accident, 24 Apr 1931)
24 Apr 1931	A/Cdre J E A Baldwin (Temporary)
4 May 1931	AVM F W Bowhill
On 1 January 1932 it was raised to Command status
1 Jan 1932	AVM F W Bowhill	A/Cdre J E A Baldwin		Wg Cdr J Sowrey
20 Jul 1932			Wg Cdr W D Budgen
18 Aug 1933				Gp Capt T E B Howe
5 Oct 1933			Wg Cdr H W G J Pendred
2 Jan 1934	AVM P B Joubert de la Ferte
16 Apr 1934		A/Cdre O T Boyd
5 Mar 1935		A/Cdre J H S Tyssen

Listings of units and personnel controlled by this Command available in the Member Areas

Formed on 12 April 1926 at RAF Andover as a group within Inland Area, it was transferred to ADGB on 1 June 1926 and was raised to Command status, xx xxx 1932. It was disbanded by being split into Western and Central Areas on 1 Oct 1933.

Date	Air Officer Commanding	Senior Air Staff Officer	Senior Personnel Staff Officer	Senior Equipment Staff Officer
12 Apr 1926	AVM J M Steel	Gp Capt J D Boyle	Sqn Ldr C W Mackey?	Wg Cdr M Spicer?
22 Nov 1926		Gp Capt U J D Bourke
6 Sep 1927				Wg Cdr H Gordon-Dean?
7 Jan 1929		Gp Capt J T Cull
3 Aug 1930			Sqn Ldr A S Ellerton
xx xxx 1930				?
6 Feb 1931	AVM C L N Newall
26 Sep 1931	AVM Sir Tom Webb-Bowen
8 Nov 1931		Gp Capt J S T Bradley
20 Dec 1931				Wg Cdr R D Oxland?
On 1 January 1932 it was raised to Command status
1 Nov 1932				Wg Cdr F W Stent
18 Sep 1933	A/Cdre P H L Playfair

Listings of units and personnel controlled by this Command available in the Member Areas

This was formed on 1 October 1933 at Andover when Wessex Bombing Area was split in two but it retained control of all units until 16 November 1933, when HQ Central Area moved to RAF Abingdon. It was disbanded by being renamed No 3 (Bomber) Group on 1 May 1936.

Date	Air Officer Commanding	Senior Air Staff Officer	Senior Personnel Staff Officer	Senior Equipment Staff Officer
1 Oct 1933	A/Cdre-AVM P H L Playfair	Gp Capt J S T Bradley	Sqn Ldr A S Ellerton	Wg Cdr F W Stent
1 Nov 1933		Gp Capt J C Quinnell
18 Dec 1933			Wg Cdr G B Dacre
1 Feb 1934				Wg Cdr H L Crichton
11 Feb 1935			Wg Cdr E G Hopcraft

This was formed on 1 October 1933 at Andover when Wessex Bombing Area was split in two but control of its units was retained by HQ Western Area until 16 November 1933, when HQ Central Area moved to RAF Abingdon. It was disbanded by being renamed No 1 (Bomber) Group on 1 May 1936.

Date	Air Officer Commanding	Senior Air Staff Officer	Senior Personnel Staff Officer	Senior Equipment Staff Officer
1 Oct 1933	AVM R P Mills	Gp Capt W J T Guilfoyle	?
10 Oct 1933				Sqn Ldr F P Adams
13 Jan 1934			Wg Cdr E D Johnson
19 Mar 1934	A/Cdre H R Nicholl
11 Sep 1934				Wg Cdr P H Cummings
1 Nov 1934			Wg Cdr J H Herring
24 Oct 1935	A/Cdre O T Boyd

Date	*Officer Commanding*
17 Feb 1922	Gp Capt I M Bonham Carter
1 Jun 1922	Wg Cdr A V Bettington
11 Oct 1922	Sqn Ldr J T Whittaker