Royal Air Force station

A Royal Air Force station is a permanent Royal Air Force operations location. Most RAF stations are aerodromes, or airfields, being the home to one or more flying squadrons. Other RAF stations are training units, administrative units, headquarters (HQ), or carry out ground-based operational tasks. Although many RAF units are often called stations, they can only be properly classified as an RAF station if they are self-accounting with their own station commander and headquarters. Units without a station commander or headquarters staff will ordinarily be a satellite of an RAF station proper.

History

In the early years of the RAF, very few of its bases were classified as stations. Some bases which were locally known as RAF location name were officially listed under the unit's title. For example, No. 1 Stores Depot was at RAF Kidbrooke which was described as No. 1 Stores Depot in the official lists.

In the years before World War II the RAF went through a period of rapid expansion. One means of achieving this expansion was to group several units together at one location, which then required a separate headquarters staff. This resulted in a considerable growth in the number of stations.