# No. 21 Group RAF

No. 21 Group RAF (21 Gp) is a former Royal Air Force group that existed from April-July 1918; 1926-1934, a redesignation of No. 1 Group RAF; after which it was merged into Inland Area; and from 1938 to 1955.

## History

First World War
No. 21 Group formed on 1 April 1918 at RAF Montrose within No 5 Area, the following month, on 8 May, it transferred into the North-Western Area. Shortly after, on 1 July, the group disbanded into No. 20 Group RAF.
Interwar period
On 12 April 1926, it reformed as No. 21 (Training) Group, within Inland Area. The group HQ was at RAF West Drayton and it had the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment and Nos 15 and 22 Squadrons at RAF Martlesham Heath under its command. The group also had control over RAF stores, repair depots, and schools, however, it disbanded on 1 February 1934. It reformed at RAF Cranwell, within RAF Training Command, again designated No. 21 (Training) Group, on 1 December 1938.
Second World War
The group was transferred to RAF Flying Training Command on 27 May 1940, responsible for the RAF College and the Service Flying Training Schools from the Midlands northwards. The group HQ relocated to RAF Spitalgate on 28 July 1944.
Cold War
The group's headquarters moved to the former No. 5 Group's HQ, St Vincents Hall, in Grantham, on 7 March 1946 and the following year, on 1 May 1947, the Group absorbed No. 91 Group RAF, from RAF Bomber Command, taking over HQ for No. 91 Group, Morton Hall, Swinderby in Lincolnshire. On 24 June 1953 the Group absorbed No. 54 Group RAF, which had been reformed 22 months earlier within RAF Flying Training Command to control the Initial Training Wings and Grading Schools. No. 21 Group disbanded on 1 March 1955.

## Structure

Orders of battle for No. 21 (Training) Group, at a given point in time, throughout its operational existence:
November 1939 HQ at RAF Cranwell
May 1941 HQ at RAF Cranwell
April 1942 HQ at RAF Cranwell
April 1943 HQ at RAF Cranwell
July 1944 HQ at RAF Cranwell
July 1945 HQ at RAF Spitalgate
April 1953 HQ at Morton Hall, Swinderby

## Headquarters

No. 21 Group had various headquarters across its three active periods:
* RAF Montrose - during 1918
* RAF West Drayton - reformed from April 1926 until 1934
* RAF Cranwell - reformed from December 1938
* RAF Spitalgate - from July 1944
* St Vincents Hall, Grantham - from March 1946
* Morton Hall, Swinderby - from May 1947

## Air Officer Commanding

    Note: The ranks shown are the ranks held at the time of holding the appointment of Air Officer Commanding, No. 21 Group Royal Air Force.
No. 21 Group commanding officers :
| Rank | name | from |
| | unknown | April 1918 |
| Disbanded | | July 1918 |
| Group Captain | Andrew George Board | August 1926 |
| | unknown | 1927 |
| Group Captain | A B Burdett | February 1928 |
| Group Captain | Lionel Rees VC | December 1929 |
| Group Captain | Charles Edmonds | August 1931 |
| Group Captain | G P Grenfell | January 1932 |
| Disbanded | | February 1934 |
| Air Vice-Marshal | Jack Baldwin | December 1938 |
| Air Vice-Marshal | Bertine Sutton | July 1939 |
| Air Commodore | Hugh Champion de Crespigny | August 1939 |
| Air Vice-Marshal | Robert Willock | June 1940 |
| Air Vice-Marshal | Hugh Champion de Crespigny | October 1943 |
| Air Commodore | John Gosset Hawtrey | July 1945 |
| Air Commodore | Gordon Herbert Vasse | 1946 - 47 |
| Air Vice-Marshal | Francis Mellersh | 1947 - 48 |
| Air Vice-Marshal | Cecil Bouchier | 1948 - 49 |
| Air Vice-Marshal | G G Banting | March 1949 |
| Air Vice-Marshal | John Denis Breakey | March 1951 |
| Air Vice-Marshal | Andrew McKee | July 1951 |
| Air Vice-Marshal | Gilbert Nicholetts | November 1953 |