Here's a question I'm finding increasingly difficult to find any sort of definitive answer to, on the internet at least.

Restricting the discussion to the period up to, and including, World War II, many airfield, particularly small ones, can be found being listed and generally referred to as as RAF such-and-such, however...

Once you start to dig into the individual histories, many of them fail to turn up any RAF background, or record of them even having had the RAF operating from their runways. For example, this could be the case for FAA (Fleet Air Arm) airfields and RNAS (Royal Naval Air Stations). In these cases, one can find detailed histories relating to those pasts, but as the internet is trawled, one can find many personal accounts or reminiscences which muddy the waters by referring to such stations as RAF.

I'm beginning to think that the reality is that while the operation may have been naval or army, many of the folk that were posted to such places, and the general public for that matter, simply assumes that because aircraft were flying from an airfield, then that aircraft was operated by the RAF, so was an RAF airfield, regardless of which service was actually operating it.

Anyone think the same might be true?

More importantly, anyone got any idea how to find out if an RAF airfield really is RAF, and not a mis-allocation, without making enquires to the RAF?

As usual, a coincidental happenstance provided a partial answer to the question posed her, found while digging up info about the non-existent RAF Dunino (it's really Dunino Airfield, then RNAS Dunino and HMS Jackdaw II since it was a naval airfield). This doesn't mean the RAF didn't operate from it, just that they didn't hold the purse strings.

As far as I can see, Navy types seem to tack the RAF prefix on when referring to the airfield, then give their own RNAS name, and any shore establishement, ie the HMS name.

RAF types tend to stick with the airfield name, and ony prefix with RAF it really was an accountable RAF station.

But that's just my take on what I've seen so far.

The following is writte by someone concentrating on the RAF aspect of station definition...

(Quoted text follows, not written by me)

Groups usually control a number of stations and/or Establishments. These stations will have other subordinate units based there. These units may be responsible to their controlling Group either directly or through the station commander, who holds the appointment of Officer Commanding.  Whilst many RAF unit locations are referred to as 'stations', they are only classed as station by the RAF if they are 'self-accounting and have a dedicated OC and station HQ.

Prior to the RAF expansion in the 1930's very few RAF locations were classed as stations, for instance in 1922 there is only one unit listed as a Station in the Air Force List, Hinaidi in Iraq.  By 1925 Hiniadi has been joined by six more Station HQs, namely Andover, Bircham Newton, Duxford, Kenley, Northolt and Spittlegate.  Other locations, whilst being known by the as RAF 'X' or RAF 'Y' were listed in the Air Force Lists by the name of the unit based there, e.g. No 1 Stores Depot was at RAF Kidbrooke but personnel posted to the unit were posted to No 1 SD not RAF Kidbrooke.

With the build up of the mid-late 1930's it became necessary to increase the numbers of units at locations and the establishment of separate Station Headquarters was increased. Another factor here was probably the realisation that squadrons/units would need to be more mobile and therefore the various RAF locations around the world needed dedicated organisational structures and staffs to administer them, regardless of the units stationed there. During WW2, the expansion of Bomber Command was such that there were insufficient senior officers with the relevant experience to command all the new stations and the BASE system was therefore adopted.  This grouped three or four stations together with a Base Commander, who was an Air Commodore.

Many locations referred to as RAF 'A' or RAF 'B' are often referred to as 'stations' but in actual fact they have never been self-accounting units with their own OC and station staff, these are correctly termed Satellite Stations.