GRANT LED PROJECT
42F (King’s Lynn) Squadron Air Training Corps, a successful youth organisation based in King’s Lynn, Norfolk since 1939, was awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant to work on a two year project commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force in 2018.
Led by cadets, and assisted by volunteer staff, this project focussed on the airfields of Norfolk and how they relate to the Royal Air Force, with history being recorded and displayed.
The young cadets researched the types of aircraft and activities that happened over the last 100 years in the Norfolk area. Gaining skills in research, technology and presentation, the project involved young people from the schools in the Norfolk villages with visits, displays and information boards. This information was displayed in each of the local communities along with fibreglass model aircraft that the cadets were involved in making and schools and squadrons had decorated over the project time. With the help of Openreach, these aircraft and information boards were attached to poles in the area of each airfield.
Working alongside the Heritage Centre at RAF Marham, maps of these airfields and the information along with the model aircraft were designed as an educational trail - both as a vehicle trail and as a one day Cycling sportive for 2018 therefore getting the information out to as wide a body of people as possible.
The project aims were reached which were to to encourage young people to find out more, and for everyone to learn more about the airfields. With visits to the Heritage Centre at the heart of the project and by involving young people throughout we hope all age groups have gained from the project
BACKGROUND TO THE PROJECT
THE SQUADRON
42F (King’s Lynn) Squadron Air Training Corps, a successful youth organisation based in King’s Lynn, Norfolk since 1939, has been awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant of £29,100 to work on a two year project commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force in 2018.
Led by cadets, and assisted by volunteer staff, this exciting project will focus on the airfields of Norfolk and how they relate to the Royal Air Force, with history being recorded and displayed.
The project will enable the young cadets to research and discover the types of aircraft and activities that have happened over the last 100 years in the Norfolk area. Gaining skills in research, technology and presentation, the cadets will inform other young people from the schools in the Norfolk villages with visits, displays and information boards. This information will be displayed in the local communities along with fibreglass model aircraft that the cadets will be involved in making.
Working alongside the Heritage Centre at RAF Marham, maps of these airfields and the information along with the model aircraft that will be displayed, will be designed as an educational trail - both as a vehicle trail and as a Cycling sportive – therefore getting the information out to as wide a body of people as possible.
Cadets learn about the history of our Royal Air Force as part of their training, but many desire to know more about how this affected the local area. As little is taught about this at school, this project aims to encourage young people to find out more, and display this knowledge in a way that will appeal to everyone. With the wealth of wartime /RAF used airfields in this area there are still veterans or families of veterans living locally, whose wealth of information should be made available for all, in particular the next generation. After visiting the Heritage Centre, cadets started to explore how we can make these airfields a place to visit for the 100th anniversary. By making the trail accessible in many ways including via social media and technology we will encourage young people to become involved and ensure the airfields are recorded, celebrated and visited.
The RAF Air Cadets is made up of two areas:
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Air Training Corps - The ATC is the RAF's cadet force, divided into six regions, 34 wings and more than 900 squadrons within communities around the UK
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Combined Cadet Force (RAF) - The CCF (RAF) is our section of the CCF which is made up of cadets from all three services, coming together in approximately 200 independent and state schools across the country
Our aims are to:
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Promote and encourage a practical interest in aviation and the Royal Air Force among young people
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Provide training which will be useful in the Services and civilian life
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Encourage the spirit of adventure and develop qualities of leadership and good citizenship
RAF100
Celebrating 100 years of the Royal Air Force. The RAF is proud of its rich history and achievements. From battle winning performances high above the skies of Britain in the nations hour of need to more recent actvities that include,
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Tackling terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan
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Securing and protecting the skies above the UK
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Disaster relief around the world
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Supporting the Civil authorities in times of National emergency
In all we do, the RAF continues to make a vital contribution to the security and prosperity of the nation. Always at the cutting edge of innovation and technology, the RAF is equipped to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow
But it is not just about aircraft and high-tech equipment. The RAF has always relied on the skill, expertise and, above all, the innovation, of those within the Service and all who play a wider supporting role.
With your help, we will commemorate all who have gone before and at the same time inspire current and future generations
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Raise the profile of the RAF across the whole of our nation, enhance our reputation and promote a better understanding of what we do.
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Showcase our people, our depth of talent, and our diversity.
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Celebrate our history but also demonstrate why we remain, and will continue to remain, vital to the security and prosperity of the UK.
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Support fund-raising for RAF-related charities
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The World’s first independent Air Force was born in battle, created for a single purpose – to defend the skies over Britain.
From the biplanes of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service to the fast jets of today’s Royal Air Force, the bond of man and machine in service in the skies has not changed
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As technology moves on we look to the future, but the mission remains the same – defence of the UK and her Allies.
ROYAL AIR FORCE
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's aerial warfare force. Formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world. Following victory over the Central Powers in 1918 the RAF emerged as, at the time, the largest air force in the world. Since its formation, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history, in particular, playing a large part in the Second World War where it fought its most famous campaign, the Battle of Britain
The RAF's mission is to support the objectives of the British Ministry of Defence (MoD), which are to "provide the capabilities needed: to ensure the security and defence of the United Kingdom and overseas territories, including against terrorism; to support the Government’s foreign policy objectives particularly in promoting international peace and security". The RAF describe its mission statement as "..TO PROVIDE An agile, adaptable and capable Air Force that, person for person, is second to none, and that makes a decisive air power contribution in support of the UK Defence Mission"The mission statement is supported by the RAF's definition of air power, which guides its strategy. Air power is defined as "the ability to project power from the air and space to influence the behaviour of people or the course of events".
Today the Royal Air Force maintains an operational fleet of various types of aircraft, described by the RAF as being "leading-edge" in terms of technology
The RAF Ensign is flown from the flagstaff on every RAF station during daylight hours. The design was approved by King George V in 1921, after much opposition from the Admiralty, who have the right to approve or veto any flag flown ashore or on board ship.
British aircraft in the early stages of the First World War carried the Union Flag as an identifying feature; however, this was easily confused with Germany's Iron Cross motif. In October 1914, therefore, the French system of three concentric rings was adopted, with the colours reversed to a red disc surrounded by a white ring and an outer blue ring. The relative sizes of the rings have changed over the years and during World War II an outer yellow ring was added to the fuselage roundel. Aircraft serving in the Far East during World War II had the red disc removed to prevent confusion with Japanese aircraft. Since the 1970s, camouflaged aircraft carry low-visibility roundels, either red and blue on dark camouflage, or washed-out pink and light blue on light colours. Most uncamouflaged training and transport aircraft retain the traditional red-white-blue roundel.
The Latin motto of the RAF, "Per Ardua ad Astra", is usually translated as "Through Adversity to the Stars", but the RAF's official translation is "Through Struggle to the Stars". The choice of motto is attributed to a junior officer named J S Yule, in response to a request from a commander of the RFC, Colonel Sykes, for suggestions. The RAF inherited the motto from the RFC
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