When Did Warfare Take To The Skies In Britain?

Wars had always been conducted on land and sea for centuries but it was not until the 19th century that the development of aerial warfare was begun in earnest.

The early developments however were experiments using balloons and as early as 1804 the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich, London became involved.  At the close of the 19th century these balloon methods were used in wars in both Africa and China.

It was soon after the first machine flight in 1903 that airships and aeroplanes were considered.  After the horrendous land casualties in World War 1 the Royal Air Force was formed on April 1st 1918.

The RAF was organised into squadrons under different commands, Fighter Command, Bomber Command and Training Command.  Each had its own personnel, airborne such as pilots, navigators, gunners and signallers and the ground staff who maintained and repaired the aeroplanes. Today however there are just two, Strike Command and Personnel/Training Command.