First World War No. 12 Group was first formed on 1 April 1918 at
RAF Cranwell,
Lincolnshire, within
No. 3 Area. It succeeded the
Royal Navy's Central Depot and Training Establishment which had been training naval aviators at Cranwell since 1916. The first RAF General Officer Commanding was Brigadier-General
Harold Briggs who received the appointment on promotion from
Captain in the Royal Navy. On 8 May 1918 the group transferred to
Midland Area, and then to
Northern Area on 18 October 1919. On 1 November that year the Group ceased to exist when it became the
RAF (Cadet) College.
Second World War The group was reformed on 1 April 1937 in
Fighter Command at
RAF Uxbridge as
No. 12 (Fighter) Group. It was the group responsible for aerial defence of
the Midlands,
Norfolk,
Lincolnshire and
North Wales. Construction of a purpose built site at
RAF Watnall, a non-flying station in Nottinghamshire, was not completed until late 1940, after which operations were relocated from nearby
RAF Hucknall. During the
Second World War this group was the second most important group of Fighter Command, and as such, it received its share of attacks from the German
Luftwaffe throughout the war. The commander of 12 Group during the
Battle of Britain was
Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory, who was a rather ambitious man. Despite his length of service in the RAF, he was passed over for being named the
Air Officer Commanding of the more vital
11 Group in favour of Air Vice Marshal
Keith Park. Leigh-Mallory felt himself slighted over this and his relations with Park were poisoned thereafter. As well as regional defence, 12 Group were also supposed to provide fighter cover for 11 Group airfields during the
Battle of Britain, but several times, these fields were left undefended. When Park complained about it, Leigh-Mallory responded that in order to test his
Big Wing theory (espoused by
Squadron Leader Douglas Bader), more time was needed to get the necessary squadrons airborne. The Big Wings met with mixed success, enough for the
Air Ministry to use it as an excuse to remove Park and
Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding from their commands on the grounds that they had mismanaged the Battle of Britain. After Park was ousted, Leigh-Mallory took over 11 Group. 12 Group still continued its assignment of defending the Midlands and supporting both
10 Group and 11 Group.
Post war Group Headquarters moved to
RAF Newton on 20 December 1946 and the operations block at Watnall was closed on 12 December 1946. Group HQ then moved again on 14 August 1959 to
RAF Horsham St Faith. Order of Battle: April 1962 • RAF Horsham St. Faith (HQ) • No. 12 Group Communication Flight RAF -
Avro Anson & Meteor •
RAF Coltishall •
No. 23 Squadron RAF -
Gloster Javelin •
No. 74 Squadron RAF -
English Electric Lightning •
Air Fighting Development Squadron RAF - Lightning •
RAF Woolfox Lodge •
No. 62 Squadron RAF -
Bristol Bloodhound SAM •
RAF Warboys •
No. 257 Squadron RAF - Bloodhound SAM •
RAF Old Sarum •
School of Land/Air Warfare - Anson, Vampire &
de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk •
RAF Wattisham •
No. 41 Squadron RAF - Javelin •
No. 56 Squadron RAF - Lightning •
No. 111 Squadron RAF - Lightning •
RAF Watton •
No. 263 Squadron RAF - Bloodhound SAM •
RAF Marham •
No. 242 Squadron RAF - Bloodhound SAM •
RAF Rattlesden •
No. 266 Squadron RAF - Bloodhound SAM •
RAF West Raynham •
No. 85 Squadron RAF - Javelin •
Central Fighter Establishment -
Hawker Hunter & Javelin It was disbanded on 1 April 1963 and replaced by
No. 12 (East Anglian) Sector, it moved to
RAF Neatishead, Norfolk on 29 May 1963. On 1 April 1968, 12 Group passed into history when No. 12 Sector became Sector North within No. 11 Group RAF. ==Commanders==