In the present-day RAF, air commodores typically hold senior appointments within
groups, acting directly in support of the
air officer commanding. However, during the inter-war period, and in the case of the contemporary
No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group, the air officer commanding held or holds air commodore rank. In the
Air Training Corps, an appointed air commodore holds ultimate authority over the cadet organisation as the
Commandant Air Cadets.
Origins On 1 April 1918, the newly created RAF adopted its officer rank titles from the
British Army, with officers at what is now air commodore holding the rank of
brigadier-general. In response to the proposal that the RAF should use its own rank titles, it was suggested that the RAF might use the
Royal Navy's officer ranks, with the word "air" inserted before the naval rank title. Although the
Admiralty objected to this simple modification of their rank titles, it was agreed that the RAF might base many of its officer rank titles on Navy officer ranks with differing pre-modifying terms. It was also suggested that
air-officer ranks could be based on the term "ardian", which was derived from a combination of the
Gaelic words for "chief" (
ard) and "bird" (
eun), with the term "fourth ardian" or "flight ardian" being used for the equivalent to brigadier-general and commodore. However, the rank title based on the Navy rank was preferred and air commodore was adopted in August 1919.
RAF insignia, command flag and star plate The rank insignia is a light-blue band on a broad black band worn on both the lower sleeves of the tunic or on the shoulders of the flying suit or the casual uniform. On the
mess uniform, air commodores wear a broad gold ring on both lower sleeves. The command flag of an air commodore has one narrow red band running through the centre and is rectangular with a cut-away section giving it two tails. It is the only RAF command flag of this shape and it is similar in shape to that of a Royal Navy commodore's
broad pennant. The vehicle star plate for an air commodore depicts a single white star (air commodore is equivalent to a one-star rank) on an air force blue background. RAF air commodores are classed as
air officers and as such have two rows of
gold oak leaves on the peak of their service dress hats. File:File-UK-Air-OF6-mess-insignia.svg|An RAF air commodore's sleeve mess insignia File:RAF-Air Cdre-OF-6.png |An RAF air commodore's sleeve on No. 1 service dress uniform Image:UK-Air-OF6-Flag.svg |An air commodore's command flag
Honorary air commodores, air commodores-in-chief and air commandants The
reigning monarch may appoint honorary air commodores for RAF flying squadrons and stations. For example,
Prince William is
RAF Valley's honorary air commodore and
Winston Churchill was
615 Squadron's honorary air commodore. As the title suggests, this is an honorary position bestowed by the reigning monarch and it does not grant the recipient command of a unit or formation. It is designed to strengthen the bond between the military unit and the individual and promote the role of the air force among the public. Serving officers may be granted an equivalent appointment to the honorary rank. In such cases the individual is made an honorary air commandant and they retain their regular rank. Larger air force organisations or formations may be honoured by having an
air commodore-in-chief appointed in their name. These RAF appointments are rare and to date (2020) have been given to just five senior members of the royal family, of whom three were reigning or
future monarchs of the United Kingdom. Air commodore-in-chief is not a rank and such an appointment does not convey the rank of air commodore upon the recipient. == Gallery ==