Since 1993 Stephen R Davies has been researching the complex history of the RAF Police since its formation on the 1^st April 1918. His first successful book, ‘Fiat Justitia – Royal Air Force Police’ was published in April 1997. Since then many former Provost Officers, RAF Police Warrant Officers and NCOs came forward with a story to tell him of their service around the world and as result, his research has continued and he is currently working towards recording the first 100 Years of the RAF Police 1918 - 2018. In November 2005 ‘RAF Police Dogs on Patrol’ was published and ‘RAF Police Operations in Europe’ was published in November 2006. ‘RAF Police – Cape Town to Kabul’ was published in November 2007 and ‘RAF Police – Bombay to Ascension Island’ and ‘Those Bloomin’ Snowdrops’ are being published towards the end of 2008.

Steve is also currently working on a book about the Great Escape from Stalag Luft III in 1944, the murder of 50 re-captured RAF prisoners by the Gestapo and the RAF SIB investigation which hunted down the killers and brought many to justice. He is hoping to publish that together with the sequel to ‘Those Bloomin’ Snowdrops’ towards the end of 2009. After that date more books on the subject of the RAF Police will be offered for publication.

Steve served in the RAF Police between 1975 and 2000 and retired as a Flight Sergeant qualified in Special Investigations, Counter-Intelligence, and Instructional techniques. He completed the British Home Office detective training course with the Lancashire Constabulary and drug related courses with the Avon & Somerset Constabulary, the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the Royal Navy.

The RAF Police Association is currently trying to expand and recruit new members; producing a further wealth of historical material on which to drawn from. Indeed, can the other Service Police organisations recount their first 100 years in such detail? The answer is ‘No’. The RAF Police however, are already on the way to doing just that. If you can contribute anything to this unique history then please send Steve your submission. It matters not whether you did National Service or a full blown career so please contact me, you may hold an important piece of this gigantic jigsaw that is indeed, the History of the Royal Air Force Police.

Recently the RAF Police have undergone a major realignment in the way it supports global RAF tactical operations and joint military manoeuvres. In 2005 the former RAF Provost & Security Services (P&SS), located at RAF Henlow Bedfordshire, was renamed as the Headquarters Provost Marshal (RAF). An officer of Air Commodore rank is appointed as Air Officer RAF Police while the appointment of Provost Marshal is held by a provost Group Captain. While the Air Commodore remains the figurehead of the branch, unlike the Provost Marshal, he has no remit to investigate or influence criminal or security matters.

Specialist Police Wing (SPW) now carries out the functions previously undertaken by P&SS, and comprises three squadrons; RAF Special Investigation Branch (SIB), Counter-Intelligence Squadron (CIS) and Security Services Squadron (SSS). SSS is based at RAF Henlow with HQPM (RAF), along with the command nucleus of the SIB and CIS, while SIB and CIS teams are established at three dispersed UK units; HMS Caledonia (Scotland), RAF Cranwell (Lincoln) and RAF Halton (Buckinghamshire) to provide specialist local support to RAF unit commanders. RAF Police are also employed overseas with joint police and security units in Gibraltar,

Cyprus

and the Falkland Islands. The RAF Police are also fully committed to ongoing operations in

Iraq

and

Afghanistan

. In addition to the Tactical Police Wing (TPW), five RAF Police squadrons within the

have been formed as part of the General Police Wing (GPW) to undertake general police duties, higher level security tasks and Air Transport Security operations on and off RAF units. As a consequence of the Armed Forces Act 2007, operational RAF Police are no longer subject to the control of station commanders, but instead answer to the Provost Marshal in respect of police and security matters, rather like the system employed by the Royal Military Police (RMP). RAF Police training is carried out at the Defence Police College at Southwick Park, Hampshire, an establishment shared with the Royal Naval Provost Branch and the RMP. Other specialist police and security training courses, such as the Home Office Detective training course, continue to be conducted at other service or civil police establishments around the

, while basic and specialist training courses for dog handlers are conducted at the Defence Animal Centre, Melton Mowbray.

My name is Stewart Gemmill. I've just launched a website last month ( www.greenockrevisited.com ) and already it's attracted over 560 hits. It is for the purposes of selling an ebook on the Greenock Blitz of 1941. I believe it will have worldwide appeal since I've sold hardcopies of the book to people in Arizona in the USA and Geelong in Australia. This is partly because during the war Greenock was the busiest port in the world. Between May 1942 and the end of 1944 alone, 1,319,089 G.I's had been delivered safely to the Clyde. Exiled governments also set up bases and billets in Greenock e.g. the French, the Poles and the Czechs.

The early days of the British occupation of Germany after World War II saw a rise in Black Market activities that often resulted in violence and even murder.

Sergeant Harry Penrose of the RAF Special Investigation Branch investigates a series of such murders with the tentative co-operation of the Hamburg Polizei. His investigation takes him into the seedy clip-joints and brothels of the notorious St Pauli area of Hamburg, but he is unable to bring the case to a successful conclusion.

Forty years later, after rising through the ranks of the Metropolitan Police with a 100% murder investigation success rate, and after a second career with a security company, Penrose returns to Hamburg with the intention of clearing the blot on his record.

He meets up again with two women who had been part of his earlier life and the now aged German investigator with whom he once worked.

Together they hope to set the record straight.

Author is our own John Law and it is available from

http://www.woodfieldpublishing.co.uk/

When the remains of a Lancaster bomber and its crew were found in a river in Hannover in 1977 an investigation began that was to take over 25 years to complete...

At the time, the author, Bryan Clark, was in charge of the SIB of the RAF Police in Germany and his initial investigations in the line of duty led him to the discovery that the squadron to which the missing aircraft had belonged - No 619, based at RAF Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire - had all but disappeared from history. It did not even have a squadron crest in the RAF Club [having lost so many airmen and Commanding Officers that nobody ever got around to designing one.]

It struck Bryan that the story of these valiant young airmen, who had perished so far from home in the service of their country, should not go unrecorded and he determined to discover everything he could about the seven crewmembers who had perished in this particular Lancaster - EE109 PG-F - and to record their story for posterity.

His researches led him to all sorts of unexpected discoveries, including the identity of the teenage German anti-aircraft gunner (now an elderly former professor) whose flak battery had shot the aircraft down. But as well as recording the story of the crew of EE109, Bryan also meticulously gathered statistics about every aircraft and every crewmember lost by 619 squadron and many other details about the squadron's activities throughout the war. These too were added to the narrative to make an impressive volume of 97,000 words telling the entire squadron history.

Thanks to Bryan's efforts No 619 is no longer a forgotten squadron and can at last take its place with honour alongside its many World War Two counterparts. - order through http://www.woodfieldpublishing.com/

On Saturday I received Steve Davies’s latest book, ‘RAF Police Operations in Europe 1918 – 2006’ for entry into the RAF Police Association Archives.

I have not been able to put the book down and have read all 264 pages over the weekend. Having served for 22 years I thought I knew a lot about the branch but I have learnt a lot from this publication.

It is a well crafted book, well researched, full of facts, and information on personalities we have either met or heard about. This is supported by number of anecdote submitted by former, and serving, members of the branch.

If any serving, or ex members of the RAFP, are not sure what to have as a surprise Christmas present this year then say you want this book from Woodfield Publishing at Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO21 5EL (www.woodfieldpublishing.com)

At the start of 2005 the RAF Police had been working with dogs for 60 years and during that time the relationship has been a very special one. Chances are, if you told anyone you were in the RAF Police they would invariably want to know all about your police dog, assuming that every member of the branch is issued with one on appointment; such is their notoriety.

In 1942, at the height of World War II, Lieutenant Colonel Baldwin formed the Ministry of Aircraft Production Guard Dog School (MAPGDS) at Woodfold near Gloucester, turning out professionally trained RAF dog handlers which in turn released hundreds of men for war duties who had previously been employed as guards. In 1944 the MAPGDS was absorbed by the RAF Police and re-titled as the RAF Police Dog Training School.

In 1949, the RAF Police Dog Demonstration Team appeared for the first time at the Royal Tournament in London and became an instant public success. In 1957 the first annual RAF Police Dog Championship Trials were held at Netheravon. In 1969 the Dog Demonstration Team covered 8,000 miles around the USA and Canada giving 65 public performances in 23 cities and became a favourite at every venue. The RAF began training dogs to detect illicit drugs in 1970 and later trained dogs to detect firearms and explosives. Soon after, HM Customs & Excise began using RAF Police drug detection dogs against smugglers. In 1991, in line with defence reviews, RAF Police dog training merged with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps at Melton Mowbray and the Defence Animal Centre was formed.

The life of a RAF Police dog handler may seem glamorous, but in reality the job demands a lot. The men and women who volunteer, do so because they love the challenge of working with dogs even though a considerable amount of their time is given up to the training and welfare of their charges. In 60 years, the RAF Police have earned a glowing reputation both at home and abroad for their high standard of training dog teams and for their highly professional use of dogs for patrol duties as well as in specialist roles. RAF Police dogs on loan to HM Customs & Excise have since 1971 recovered illicit drugs with a value of many millions of pounds and represent the smuggler's worst nightmare.

This is the first time that the story of RAF Police dogs has been told and will be of interest to anyone interested in military history; RAF history; police-work; the training of dogs for police and security operations, or anyone who is merely fond of dogs. The author served with the RAF Police for 25 years and was frequently responsible for the overall management of dog sections under his control.

I am now looking towards getting my next book 'RAF Police Operations in Europe' ready for publication next year. After that, I have 3 more books being prepared which will tell the story of RAF Police Operations in; Africa - Cyprus east through to Afghanistan - Pakistan east through to the Atlantic Islands. The master document 'Snowdrops - 100 Years of the RAF Police' (already over 1,000 A4 pages of text alone) will hopefully continue towards 2018, when I hope it will be accepted by the RAF Police as an historical account of their first rather impressive century in being.

Represents my History of No. 549 Fighter Squadron RAF in Northern Australia, The Squadron comprised RAF pilots ex-234 Squadron who had been shipped out from England in the “QUEEN MARY”, and RAAF ground crew and administrative staff posted from all points of the compass, and was one of three which comprised No.1 Fighter Wing (also known as the ‘Churchill Wing’) in the defence of Darwin and northern Australia. It had been formed in Lawnton, Q in late 1943, and, and was subsequently disbanded in Queensland at the end of the war in the Pacific.

Webmaster's review. I have read this book and it's an excellent read from cover to cover. Not just those who are snowdrops but anyone with an interest in the RAF from just before the war and for 25 years after. Please contact Frank and order it - I know you will enjoy it - Steve

A couple of weeks ago, Steve C put us in touch with a book written by an ex - RAF Chiefy - Frank Authers. During last weekend I took the opportunity to finish reading my copy and I enjoyed it immensely.
One of the things that I have found most enjoyable about this Royalwings group, is that its crew room covers a wider spectrum of RAF life than the squadron and aircraft servicing personnel crew rooms, that I experienced whilst I was getting my 12 years in. For a start the Padre never visited ours, whereas now he is 'resident' as also are our MT chaps, Fairies who had their own 'aloof' little hideaways to check out Sara(h), Blacksmiths banging on, or Clerks Sec and Admin (P1 & P2?), let alone a Clerk Accts. We certainly never had or even saw a Snowdrop - even in early Spring, and
Photogs were here and gone in the blink of a shutter. From this point of view, we were 'deprived.,' and our present scope has added greatly to the enjoyment, probably of most of us who actually needed and aircraft to work on to achieve a degree of job satisfaction. We now have the missing input, though I think we still lack a chef. Frank Authers contribution to the book scene benefits from him having seen and experienced life as a Squadron bod, as well as that of a Snowdrop, with pretty well all that a Policeman's lot encompassed. It is a great and humorous read, a story told without wasting words (Andy has noted), and also having been written pre - Iraq war time, contains precursory humorous
remarks concerning our immediate neighbours across The English Channel, that probably set the trend for at least some of those disparaging remarks made more recently by others. They are remarks made without rancour, at which the
reader would laugh out loud! Simplicity seems to have been the key operative word of Frank's writing - as simple as A,B,C..... as Doug Tidy would say. It is a very refreshing change too to read a book written no of an aircrew war, but of a ground crew war, and in support all of all that took place in the air. Frank, clearly enjoyed his 30 years of service and yet there is an underlining poignancy in the passage relating to his return to Civvy Street.
He took with him a very positive attitude and applied himself to making a business out of what had been for quite some years a 'major interest' in buying and selling cars. He appears also to have met with some success in that direction too...... hardly surprising for a man of wide experience in dealing with many different peoples in many different countries. His book is a great read, and I have copied a 'flyer' and attached it, so that everyone has the same chance to get a copy whilst there are still sufficient supplies available. It is a great read and a 'must' for anyone
who has served in the RAF.
Cheers,
Andy

I second that one hundred percent Andy. I too, have read Frank's book
and it is excellent. A great read. When I started it I pretty well
went right through without putting it down. I recommend it as a good
read for all of the Wingers.

The Royal Air Force Police formed on the 1st April 1918, at the birth of the RAF and has developed a colourful history along the way to becoming the large organisation of today. Over the years many books have been written about the RAF in general and its various flying squadrons. However, until now nothing had ever been published about the history of the Royal Air Force Police which at the end of World War II, had 21,000 men and women within its ranks.

Stephen Davies was a member of the Royal Air Force Police for 25 years. In 1975 he joined the Royal Air Force as a policeman and during his service completed tours of duty in the United Kingdom and numerous countries around the globe. He qualified as a specialist in Royal Air Force Police Special Investigation and Counter-Intelligence matters and successfully completed the Home Office Detective Training program and Drug Enforcement courses with the UK civil police and United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations. In 1991 he qualified as an instructor and lectured at the Airmans' Command School and the RAF Police School.

Chapter 1 - The Origins of the Provost - This chapter briefly relates the history of the Provost Marshal from the 13th century to the turn of this century when the RAF was formed. In 1629 King Charles I, issued his `Articles of War' which described the role of his Provost Marshal. During the Peninsular Wars, the Provost Marshal, serving under the Duke of Wellington, was granted extensive and somewhat harsh powers of punishing soldiers committing acts of indiscipline. In 1855, the Corps of Military Mounted Police was formed at Aldershot and the Corps of Military Foot Police were later formed to enforce military orders and regulations.

Chapter 2 - Formation of the RAF (1918 - 1939) - Using as a background, the uneasy political situation in Europe between the wars and the struggle to retain the RAF as a viable entity, this chapter describes the formation of the RAF Police, the early training school and the Special Investigation Branch. After years of being controlled by a series of `caretaker' directors, the first dedicated RAF Provost Marshal was appointed by the Air Ministry in 1931 to organise the development of the branch. In 1936, during the build-up to the second World War, a Nazi spy was arrested at Harwich and later convicted on the evidence supplied by the RAF Police SIB regarding his clandestine activities in and around RAF stations in Kent and East Anglia.

Chapter 3 - The War Years (1939 - 1945 - Using wartime events as the main theme, this chapter describes the rapid growth of the RAF Police and the introduction of their white caps and webbing equipment. During the early part of the war, thirteen geographical `District Headquarters' were formed within the UK and police dogs were introduced into service, when the branch took over control of the Ministry of Aircraft Production Guard Dog Training School. Prior to D Day, specially selected and trained RAF Police & Security Units were formed which later supported the Allied invasion and subsequent liberation of Europe. Finally, the events concerning the brutal murder, by the Gestapo, of 50 re-captured RAF officers, following their €˜Great Escape€™ from Stalag Luft III, is described along with the early events which lead to the major investigation carried out by the RAF Police SIB after the war into the circumstances.

Chapter 4 - The Post War Years (1945 - 1950) - Using post war colonial unrest as a background, this chapter describes how before the wartime demobilisation started, the establishment of the branch had reached a record 500 commissioned officers and 20,000 non-commissioned ranks. In the UK the District Headquarters were reduced from thirteen to six and for the first time, commissioned officers acting as Assistant Provost Marshals, were officially appointed into the Provost Branch. In Singapore the first native RAF Police Auxiliary Force was formed and in occupied Germany, following the successful RAF Police investigation, the Nazi defendants, accused of murdering the 50 RAF officers from Stalag Luft III, were convicted at their `war crimes' trial in Hamburg. In 1948, the RAF Police Dog Demonstration Team appeared for the first time at the Royal Tournament and instantly won over the hearts and minds of the public. As a result of the largest ever Allied humanitarian airlift and the formation of NATO, the Soviet Union lifted their blockade of West Berlin.

Chapter 5 - The Cold War (1950 - 1959) - This chapter describes the development of the `Cold War' and the troubles in Egypt, Kenya and Cyprus. As the RAF Police took over responsibility for security matters within the RAF, the regional policing aspect, under the control of the Provost Marshal, was re-titled as the RAF Provost & Security Service. In addition, RAF Police formations around the world were re-organised into the `District Headquarters' system. The RAF Police School moved to RAF Netheravon and was re-titled as the RAF Police Depot and the RAF Police Museum was established. Air Cdre de Putron retired after nine years as the Provost Marshal and Lt Col Baldwin retired as the Chief Training Officer (Dogs). In the UK, six RAF Police Volunteer Reserve Flights were formed and at the start of 1953, RAF Police re-enforcements were called upon to assist the civil authorities in dealing with wide spread chaos on the East coast following severe weather conditions and flooding. In France RAF Police NCOs were established to join the multi-national military police unit providing security at the NATO Headquarters. In Egypt, an RAF Police NCO was killed and his partner was seriously injured during a shoot out with terrorists and at RAF Manston, another RAF Police NCO and two other airmen were shot dead by an American serviceman who went berserk with a rifle. Finally, having taken over responsibility for protecting the RAF nuclear deterrent, RAF Police were established on Christmas Island prior to the British nuclear tests being conducted there.

Chapter 6 - The End of an Empire (1959 - 1968) - As the British Empire started to shrink, the RAF Police Depot moved from Netheravon to RAF Debden and the training syllabus was widened to take on board the newly established Counter-Intelligence, Nuclear Security and Travel Control Security tasks being undertaken world-wide. RAF Police were involved for the first time in recruiting duties while a large number of their colleagues were kept increasingly busy as the Movement for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) increased their protest activity. As National Service in the British Forces ended, the RAF Police `Village Constable' system of policing was introduced to make up for the shortfall in the overall establishment. The `Annual Working Dog Trials' were introduced for all UK Dog Sections and as the Berlin Wall was constructed, Checkpoint Charlie in the British sector of West Berlin was built and manned by both Military and RAF Police. In Cyprus, which had been granted independence, RAF Police were attached to the UN Peace Keeping Force and two British Sovereign Base Areas were formed and a new civilian police force was authorised to police them. However, because of initial manning problems, RAF Police NCOs were attached to the force to run it until sufficient recruits could be engaged and trained to carry out the task. In Aden, the RAF Police were stretched to full capacity as violent terrorist activity increased at an alarming rate and at RAF Changi, RAF Police NCOs acted as Customs and Immigration Officers on behalf of the Singapore Government.

Chapter 7 - Fifty Years and Beyond (1968 - 1985) - 1968 marked the Golden Anniversary for the RAF and it's police force and the formation of the RAF P&SS Support Squadron and the sentencing of Chief Technician Britten to nineteen years imprisonment for espionage. During this period, HRH The Princess Margaret carried out the first Royal Review of the RAF Police at RAF Debden and RAF Police dogs were trained in the detection of dangerous drugs. RAF Police assisted the RAF pilots through the London traffic to the starting point of the Daily Mail transatlantic race. The RAF Police Dog Demonstration Team toured Canada and America with the Parachute Regiment and as the troubles in Northern Ireland increased, RAF Police NCOs were detached onto the strength of Royal Military Police units, to assist them in policing the province. The RAF Police School moved again from Debden to RAF Newton and HQ P&SS(UK) was honoured with the award of a unit badge. The P&SS Support Squadron provided security protection for HRH The Prince Andrew during helicopter pilot training and the IRA planted a bomb at RAF Uxbridge. In 1982, the UK went to war with Argentina who had invaded the Falkland Islands and RAF Police in Cyprus helped to evacuate foreign refugees from Beruit. The CND set up their peace camp at RAF Greenham Common and RAF P&SS Germany was awarded the Wilkinson Sword of Peace. Computer security methods were introduced onto the training syllabus and the RAF Police assisted with the humanitarian relief in famine stricken Ethiopia.

Chapter 8 - Thawing of the Cold War (1985 - 1989) - During the four years which witnessed the thawing of the Cold War and the collapse of communism and the Warsaw Pact, the RAF Police launched an investigation into the fire which destroyed the Headquarters of RAF Support Command near Huntingdon. RAF Police re-enforcements were flown into Gibraltar and Cyprus as the US Air Force launched an attack on Libya and as a consequence of the Police & Criminal Evidence Act 1984, the Service Police Codes of Practice were introduced. The branch was fully vindicated following an independent enquiry into allegations that RAF Police investigators mistreated suspects in the `Cyprus Spy' investigation and to assist in combating the ever-growing problem of drug abuse in the RAF, Drug Intelligence Teams were established. Following the channel ferry `Herald of Free Enterprise' disaster, a number of RAF Police NCOs were attached to the investigation team to assist with the identification of victims. In the Falkland Islands the Joint Service Police & Security Unit was formed and on the European mainland, the IRA started one of their bloodiest campaigns against British servicemen and their families. Finally, one of the longest RAF Police close protection operations ended when HRH Prince Fiscal of Jordan completed his flying training with the RAF.

Chapter 9 - A Time for Change (1989 - 1997) - As the governments' defence cuts took effect, Iraq attacked Kuwait and in response the forces of the coalition launched `Operation Desert Storm' to liberate it. In Florida, RAF Police NCO's provided the security protection for two NATO satellites prior to their launch from the NASA Space Centre. With the formation of the Defence Animal Centre at Melton Mowbray under Army control, independent dog training by the RAF ceased and shortly after the much loved RAF Police Dog Demonstration Team was disbanded. As the civil war in former Yugoslavia developed, RAF Police NCOs were tasked with carrying out Air Transport Security duties at several airheads in the region. In the UK, the RAF P&SS regional headquarters were re-organised and increased from three geographical areas to five. As part of the cost cutting exercise, the three separate service security organisations were merged to form the MOD Security Directorate and the RAF Provost Marshal left London and re-located at RAF Rudloe Manor with the new title of Air Officer Security & Provost Marshal (RAF) & Chief of Air Force Police before moving on again soon after to the Headquarters of Strike Command. As the RAF Police completed the task of training military and Air Force Police NCO's from Zimbabwe, the news was released that the RAF Police and RAF Regiment would not be amalgamated and that the RAF Police would take over running the guardrooms on RAF stations once again. Finally, the RAF Police School moved once again back to RAF Halton where it originally formed in 1920.

As a result of the original publisher going into liquidation in early 2002, 'Fiat Justitia“ A History of the RAF Police is no longer available for sale in hard form. However, it is still available on CD for you to read directly from your PC or to print off your own hard copy.

and can be purchased by sending your order together with a sterling cheque or bankers draft made out to Stephen R Davies to:

The Hamburg Dossier

619 : History of a Forgotten Squadron

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