by Stan Brathwaite, RAF FF Housing Specialist by Stan Brathwaite, RAF FF Housing Specialist
Matters Accommodation
by Stan Brathwaite, RAF FF Housing Specialist
With this being the RAF100 centenary year, I thought I would take the opportunity in this edition to celebrate some of the RAF’s oldest infrastructure and reiterate the current provision of Service Family Accommodation (SFA).
Past You wouldn’t believe just how difficult it is to uncover the pedigree/vintage of RAF Married Quarters so please correct me if you know better. I’m pleased to say that despite what you may think, the SFA you currently occupy does not predate the birth of the RAF on the 1st April1918. Received wisdom has RAF Digby as the oldest station, opened on 28 March 1918, and I suspect that RAF Upavon and Farnborough are also in the running. However, it appears that most of the buildings and accommodation on those aerodromes were of a temporary nature and mostly in the form of tents. The Upavon Officer’s Mess is a fine example of British military architecture. It was built in 1915, and prior to the RAF’s departure from Upavon, was the oldest RAF officers› mess in use. It is now designated as a Grade II* listed building. Another aerodrome built at Fambridge in 1908 provided two large aircraft hangars and a number of bungalows for resident pilots. Also available was a hotel, general stores, post office and clubhouse.
I have contacted the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, the RAF Museum at Hendon, the Airfield Research Group and have drawn a blank and so far
as I can ascertain the old RAF West Raynham, near Fakenham has the oldest SFAs and Barrack blocks in continuous use from about 1934 where most of the properties have been virtually unmodified.
Present
Housing Options – Now to the present, I thought that it would be a good opportunity to summarise the main accommodation options currently available to single and married personnel (families) in the RAF.
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