Please note that in light of the current and forecast weather we are postponing this event. We will announce a rescheduled date as soon as possible.

2018 marks the centenary of the Royal Air Force, the formation of which is not without its own fascinating history.

Since 1914, the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service had fought the air war, but by 1917 it was apparent that this new form of combat required a specialist service of its own.

On 2 March 2018, The National Archives, the National Museum of the Royal Navy, the RAF Museum, and the National Army Museum will present a one-day conference exploring this formation. With a keynote delivered by Professor Richard Overy (University of Exeter), the conference will look at why the Royal Air Force came into existence, and examine the challenges and opportunities of bringing together two distinct branches of the armed forces to create something entirely new.

To join the conversation on social media use #Wings100

Programme

09.15 – 9.40 Registration and refreshments

9.40 – 10.00 ‘The RFC in the Collections of the National Army Museum’ Dr Peter Johnston (National Army Museum)

10.00 – 10.40 'RFC + RNAS = RAF: Harmonising the Aircrew' Wing Commander Jeff Jefford (RAF Retd)

Between 1912 and 1918 the evolution of the air services sponsored by the army and navy had resulted in different attitudes towards the rank, status and executive authority of their respective aircrew personnel. These differences had to be rationalised and reconciled by the RAF.

10.40 - 11.00 Break and refreshments

11.00 - 12.00 Body and Soul – health and morale in Britain’s Air Arms:

‘Nec Aspera Terrent: Nerves, Flying and the First World War’ Dr Lynsey Shaw-Cobden (Air Historical Branch - RAF)

This paper will explore the military medical response to nervous disorders in the Royal Flying Corps. The war in the air exposed pilots to considerable nervous strain, but their unique experiences have been overlooked in favour of ‘trauma’ in infantrymen. Using the military medical collections of the RAF Museum and National Archives, this paper will show that flyers were believed to be medically different, and what set them apart from the men in the trenches was their unique employment.

'Saying it With Song: Music, Combat and Courage in the RFC/RAF, 1914-1918' Dr Emma Hanna (School of History, University of Kent)

This paper will examine the role of songs and singing in maintaining morale and squadron identity in the Royal Flying Corps/RAF on the Western Front during the First World War. Using song books, published memoirs and officers’ personal papers from the Royal Air Force Museum and Imperial War Museum, it will show that airmen's songs helped to dissipate fear and anxiety, to maintain morale and enhance esprit de corps.

12:00 – 12.45 Lunch

12.45 - 13:15 'Airmen At War - Headquarters Royal Flying Corps and the Creation of the Royal Air Force' Air Vice-Marshal (ret’d) Dr Peter Dye (Cross and Cockade International)

This paper will explore the role of Headquarters Royal Flying Corps in the creation of the Royal Air Force, the enabling developments and the influence of key individuals. In particular, it will address why, of all the nations engaged on the Western Front, it was the British that decided to form the first independent air service. In the process, I will look at the impact of personal relationships in determining policy and generating confidence in the air arm’s professional foundation and operational potential.

13.15 – 14.15 'Aces Falling' Peter Hart

14:15 - 14:45 Break and refreshments

14:45 - 15:45 Keynote – 'The Birth of the RAF' Professor Richard Overy (University of Exeter)

The RAF was created at the height of the struggles on the Western Front, an unusual example of an entirely new military service created in wartime. The

lecture will explore the reasons why, and the long struggle the RAF had to protect the infant service and to establish a clear material and doctrinal identity.

15:45 - 16:30 Open discussion and close chaired by Dr Peter Johnston (National Army Museum)