On This Day, 1940: On 22 July 1940, an RAF Blenheim used airborne interception radar to shoot down a Dornier Do 17…
Read the entry →Formation Interwar Articles
In-depth articles, analysis and long reads from The RAF Chronicle.
RAF Operations Against Zeidi Tribes Begin in Aden Colony
Formation & Interwar
On 21 February 1928, RAF operations began against Zeidi tribes in Aden, illustrating the inter-war use of air power on the imperial frontier.
Read the article →The King’s Flight Is Formed for Royal Air Travel in 1936
On 21 July 1936, the RAF officially formed the King’s Flight, creating a dedicated air transport unit for…
RAF Creates Bomber, Fighter and Coastal Commands in 1936
On 14 July 1936, the RAF replaced Air Defence of Great Britain with Bomber, Fighter and Coastal Commands,…
Beauchamp-Proctor VC Killed in RAF Flying Accident in 1921
The death of Andrew Beauchamp-Proctor VC showed that flying remained dangerous even after the First World War had…
British Government Forms the Air Committee for Coordination
The creation of the Air Committee marked an early attempt to coordinate British military aviation as air power…
Eric Pentland Makes First RAF Emergency Parachute Escape
On 17 June 1926, Eric Pentland made the RAF's first emergency parachute escape, marking a key shift in…
How Technology Changed RAF Aircraft Design and Capability
A deep RAF Chronicle Long Read on how airframes, engines, fuel systems, avionics and crew protection reshaped RAF…
Imperial Gift Approved for Dominion and Indian Air Forces
On 29 May 1919, the War Cabinet approved the Imperial Gift, sending surplus RAF aircraft to dominions and…
Final Empire Air Day Draws Vast Crowds Across RAF Stations
On this day in 1939, the RAF staged its final Empire Air Day, drawing huge crowds to stations…
Air Power and Empire: How the RAF Policed Britain’s Frontiers
A long read on how the RAF used air control to police Britain’s imperial frontiers, and why economy,…
Pink’s War and RAF Air Control on the North-West Frontier
Pink’s War showed how the RAF used air power on the North-West Frontier in 1925, and why imperial…
RAF Evacuation Operations Conducted in Iraq
RAF transport aircraft flew evacuation missions in Iraq in 1924, showing the growing value of air mobility in…
End of Pink’s War as Mahsud Tribes Seek Peace in Waziristan
The 1925 peace approach by Mahsud tribesmen ended Pink’s War and underscored the RAF’s inter-war reliance on frontier…