Le prestigieux bâtiment, connu sous le nom de College Hall, a été achevé en septembre 1933 pour un coût de £321 000. Le bâtiment a été officiellement ouvert par son Altesse Royale le Prince de Galles, plus tard Edward VIII, en octobre 1934. Devant le Collège se trouve son terrain de parade et un grand cercle d'herbe connu sous le nom d'Orange, où les cérémonies de remise des diplômes ont encore lieu aujourd'hui.
3984 x 2656 px | 33,7 x 22,5 cm | 13,3 x 8,9 inches | 300dpi
Date de la prise de vue:
27 février 2022
Lieu:
RAF College, Byards Leap, Cranwell, Sleaford, NG34 8HB, England, UK
Informations supplémentaires:
Cette image peut avoir des imperfections car il s’agit d’une image historique ou de reportage.
Cranwell's association with aviation began during World War I. The Admiralty needed to establish a series of air stations around the south and east coasts to supplement the coastguard system and to alert our shore defences against sea and air invasion. In 1915, the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) sought to establish a single unit at which officers and ratings could be trained to fly aeroplanes, observer kite balloons and airships. By November 1915, the Admiralty had requisitioned some 2, 500 acres of farmland at Cranwell and in the following month, construction of a hutted camp and aircraft hangars began, as well as balloon sheds. The Royal Naval Air Service Central Training Establishment Cranwell was commissioned on 1 April 1916, under the command of Commodore Godfrey M. Paine. Cranwell later became known as HMS Daedalus. In addition to flying training and airship operations, a Boys' Training Wing was also established at Cranwell. Its task was to train Naval ratings as air mechanics and riggers. With the amalgamation of the RNAS and the Royal Flying Corps on 1 April 1918, ownership of Cranwell was placed in the hands of the newly established RAF. The former Naval base title was replaced by the designation Royal Air Force Station Cranwell. The Royal Air Force College opened on 5 February 1920 under the command of Air Commodore C.A.H. Longcroft. The Chief of the Air Staff's message to the first entry of cadets left them in no doubt of his expectations for the College: "We have to learn by experience how to organise and administer a great Service, both in peace and war, and you, who are present at the College in its first year, will, in future, be at the helm. Therefore, you will have to work your hardest, both as cadets at the College and subsequently as officers, in order to be capable of guiding this great Service through its early days and maintaining its traditions and efficiency in the years to come."
