# No. 22 Group RAF

No. 22 Group Royal Air Force (22 Gp) is one of six groups currently active in the Royal Air Force (RAF), falling under the responsibility of Deputy Commander-in-Chief (Personnel) in Air Command. Its previous title up until 2018 was No. 22 (Training) Group. The group is responsible for RAF training policy and controlling the Royal Air Force College and the RAF's training stations. As such, it is the direct successor to Training Group. 22 Group provides training to all three service branches of the British Armed Forces; namely the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy, and the British Army.

## History

Although No. 22 Group was due to be formed on 1 April 1918, the same day as the Royal Air Force was established, it was not activated until 1 July 1918; 106 years ago (1918-07-01), in the RAF's North Western Area. It was activated at RAF East Fortune, but moved its headquarters to the Station Hotel, Stirling. The next month, on 8 August 1918, it received the designation 'Operations', making its full title No. 22 (Operations) Group. It controlled No. 78 (Operations) Wing, and stations at Auldbar, Chathill (airship station), Dundee, East Fortune, Kirkwall / Orkney, Longside (airship station), Luce Bay, RAF Machrihanish, Peterhead, and Strathberg. With the post First World War Royal Air Force force reductions, No. 22 Group was disbanded on 30 May 1919; 105 years ago (1919-05-30).
The next creation of No. 22 Group came on 12 April 1926; 98 years ago (1926-04-12), when the group was re-formed from No. 7 Group within Inland Area. The group's designation was No. 22 (Army Co-operation) Group, and its headquarters was at South Farnborough. On 17 February 1936, No. 22 Group was transferred from the control of Inland Area to that of the Air Defence of Great Britain. Later that same year, on 1 May, the group was raised to command status. However, only just over two months later, on 14 July, the newly created command was reduced back to group status, becoming part of Fighter Command on the day of Fighter Command's creation. In 1938, the group comprised 26 Squadron at RAF Catterick; RAF Hawkinge with 2 Squadron; RAF Odiham and No. 50 (Army Cooperation) Wing, with 4, 13, and 53 Squadrons; RAF Old Sarum with the School of Army Co-operation and 16 and No. 59 Squadron RAFs; and group headquarters and No. 1 Anti-Aircraft Cooperation Unit at South Farnborough.
On 24 June 1940, No. 22 Group was once again raised to command status and later that year, on 1 December, the new command was expanded to become RAF Army Cooperation Command.
On 1 August 1943, the group was re-established as No. 22 (Technical Training) Group in Technical Training Command out of 20 and 72 Groups, with its HQ at Buntingsdale Hall, Market Drayton. It was responsible for all training in ground trades, from electronics to cooking. The group continued in its training function for nearly thirty years, until it was disbanded 31 January 1972.

### Training Group Defence Agency

Training Group (TG) was formed on 1 April 1994 from the AOC Training Units with Personnel and Training Command its controlling formation. Prior to 1 April 2006 Training Group held British Government agency status, operating as the Training Group Defence Agency (TGDA). Upon the loss of its agency status, the formation became known simply as Training Group. The Group had seven areas of responsibility:
* RAF College Cranwell and Directorate of Recruiting
* Directorate of Flying Training (DFT)
* Directorate of Joint Technical Training (DJTT)
* Air Cadets (ACO)
* Core HQ
* Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering (DCAE)
* Defence College of Communications and Information Systems (DCCIS)

### Current creation

The current creation of No. 22 Group was established on 30 October 2006, once again as No. 22 (Training) Group. This creation was a renaming of Training Group which ceased to exist as No 22 Group was re-established.

## Organisation and responsibilities

22 Group is responsible for:
* Youth engagement across the UK;
* Recruiting, selection and basic training;
* Defence technical training – communications & engineering;
* UK Military Flying Training System;
* RAF Force Development, adventurous training, survival and specialist training;
* RAF-wide training assurance;
* Accreditation and resettlement;
* All RAF sport.
The areas of responsibility are:
* Royal Air Force Air Cadets (RAFAC)
* RAF College Cranwell and Directorate of Recruiting & Individual Training
* The Directorate of Flying Training (DFT)
* The Directorate of Ground Training (DGT)
* The Defence College of Technical Training (DCTT) consisting of:
** The Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering (DSAE)
** The Defence College of Communications and Information Systems (DSCIS)
** The Defence College of Electro-Mechanical Engineering (DSEME) at MoD Lyneham
** The Defence School of Marine Engineering (DSMarE) at HMS Sultan, Gosport
* The Directorate of RAF Sport (DRS).

## 22 Group elements
### Bases

The following military bases are directly controlled by No. 22 Group:
* RAF Cranwell
* RAF Cosford
* RAF Halton
* RAF Shawbury
* MOD St Athan
* RAF St Mawgan
* RAF Valley
* RAF Woodvale

### Squadrons

The following aircraft squadrons are directly controlled by No. 22 Group:
* IV Squadron — operating the Hawk T2 at RAF Valley
* 16 Squadron — operating the Tutor T1 at RAF Wittering
* XXV(F) Squadron — operating the Hawk T2 at RAF Valley
* 45 Squadron — operating the Phenom T1 at RAF Cranwell
* 57 Squadron — operating the Prefect T1 at RAF Barkston Heath
* 60 Squadron — operating the Juno HT1 at RAF Shawbury
* 72 Squadron — operating the Texan T1 at RAF Valley
* 115 Squadron — operating the Tutor T1 at RAF Wittering

## Commanders

As of May 2023, No. 22 Group is led by Air Vice-Marshal Ian Townsend, who is Chief of Staff Training RAF and Air Officer Commanding No. 22 Group. Townsend is responsible to his superior commander, the Air Member for Personnel, who is also deputy commander-in-chief personnel in Air Command.

### 1918 to 1919

* 1 July 1918 Colonel, later Brigadier General, Edward Masterman

### 1926 to 1940

* 12 April 1926 Air Commodore Duncan Pitcher
* 9 April 1929 Air Commodore Norman MacEwen
* 14 September 1931 Air Commodore H LeM Brock
* 30 June 1936 Air Commodore, later Air Vice-Marshal Bertine Sutton
* 3 July 1939 Air Vice-Marshal Charles Blount
* 15 September 1939 Air Vice-Marshal Norman MacEwen
* 30 May 1940 Air Vice-Marshal Charles Blount
* 23 October 1940 Not Known
* 20 November 1940 Air Marshal Sir Arthur Barratt

### 1943 to 1972

* 1 August 1943 Air Vice-Marshal C E V Porter
* 1946 to 1948 Air Vice-Marshal Alick Stevens
* 19 January 1948 Air Vice-Marshal P E Maitland
* 15 June 1950 Air Vice-Marshal Brian Reynolds
* 25 August 1952 Air Vice-Marshal Walter Merton
* 1 December 1953 Air Vice-Marshal James Fuller-Good
* 15 January 1957 Air Vice-Marshal Roy Faville
* 12 September 1960 Air Vice-Marshal Bernard Chacksfield
* 12 November 1962 Air Vice-Marshal A A Case
* 15 January 1966 Air Vice-Marshal Bill Crawford-Crompton
* 1 July 1968 Air Vice-Marshal G R Magill
* 1 January 1970 Air Vice-Marshal E Plumtree

### 1992 to 2006

* 1992 Air Vice-Marshal Christopher C. C. Coville
* 1994 Air Vice Marshal John A G May
* 8 January 1997 Air Vice-Marshal A. J. Stables
* 17 November 1999 Air Vice-Marshal I. S. Corbitt
* 4 April 2002 Air Vice-Marshal Graham A. Miller
* 2003 Air Vice-Marshal David A. Walker
* 4 January 2005 Air Vice-Marshal John M. M. Ponsonby

### 2006 onwards

* 30 October 2006 Air Vice-Marshal John Ponsonby
* July 2007 Air Vice-Marshal Richard Garwood
* 17 April 2009 Air Vice-Marshal Barry North
* 23 February 2010 Air Vice-Marshal M C Green
* 2011 Air Vice-Marshal Michael Lloyd
* 18 July 2014 Air Vice-Marshal Andrew Turner
* July 2017 Air Vice-Marshall Warren James
* August 2020 Air Vice-Marshal Richard Maddison
* May 2023 Air Vice-Marshal Ian Townsend