No. 22 Group RAF

No. 22 Group is one of only three groups currently active in the Royal Air Force, falling under the responsibility of Deputy Commander-in-Chief (Personnel) in Air Command. Its current full title is No. 22 (Training) Group and it is responsible for RAF training policy and controlling the Royal Air Force College and the RAF's training stations. As such, it is the direct successor to Training Group.

History
Although No. 22 Group was due to be formed on 1 April 1918, the same day as the RAF was established, it was not activated until 1 July 1918 in the RAF's North-Western Area. It was activated at East Fortune but moved its headquarters to the Station Hotel, Stirling. The next month, on 8 August 1918, it received the designation 'Operations', or possibly 'Marine Operational', making its full title No. 22 (Operations) Group or possibly No. 22 (Marine Operational) Group. It controlled No. 78 Wing RAF, and stations at Auldbar, Chathill (airship station), Dundee, East Fortune, Kirkwall/Orkney, Longside (airship station), Luce Bay, RAF Machrihanish, Peterhead & Strathberg. With the post First World War RAF force reductions, No. 22 Group was disbanded on 30 May 1919.

The next creation of No 22 Group came on 12 April 1926 when the Group was re-formed from No 7 Group within Inland Area. The Group's designation was No. 22 (Army Co-operation) Group and its headquarters was at South Farnborough. On 17 February 1936, No 22 Group was transferred from the control of Inland Area to that of the Air Defence of Great Britain. Later that same year, on 1 May, the group was raised to command status. However, only just over two months later, on 14 July, the newly created command was reduced back to group status, becoming part of Fighter Command on the day of Fighter Command's creation. On 24 June 1940 No 22 Group was once again raised to command status and later that year, on 1 December, the new command was expanded to become Army Co-operation Command.

On 1 August 1943 the Group was re-established as No. 22 (Training) Group in Technical Training Command, responsible for all training in ground trades, from electronics to cooking. The Group continued in its training function for nearly 30 years until it was disbanded 31 January 1972.

The current creation of No. 22 Group was established on 30 October 2006, once again as No. 22 (Training) Group. This creation was a renaming of Training Group which ceased to exist as No 22 Group was re-established.

Current function
The Group has eight areas of responsibility:
 * RAF College Cranwell and Directorate of Recruiting
 * Directorate of Flying Training (DFT)
 * Directorate of Joint Technical Training (DJTT)
 * Air Cadets (ACO)
 * Core HQ
 * Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering (DCAE)
 * Defence College of Communications and Information Systems (DCCIS)
 * Defence College of Electro-Mechanical Engineering (DCEME)

Commanders
Currently, No 22 (Training) Group is led by Air Vice-Marshal Mark Green CBE who is Chief of Staff Training and Air Officer Commanding No. 22 (Training) Group. AVM Green is responsible to his superior commander, the Air Member for Personnel, who is also Deputy Commander-in-Chief Personnel in Air Command.

1918 to 1919

 * 1 July 1918 Colonel, later Brigadier General, E A D Masterman

1926 to 1940

 * 12 April 1926 Air Commodore D le G Pitcher
 * 9 April 1929 Air Commodore N D K MacEwen
 * 14 September 1931 Air Commodore H LeM Brock
 * 30 June 1936 Air Commodore, later Air Vice-Marshal B E Sutton
 * 3 July 1939 Air Vice-Marshal C H B Blount
 * 15 September 1939 Air Vice-Marshal N D K MacEwen
 * 30 May 1940 Air Vice-Marshal C H B Blount
 * 23 October 1940 Not Known
 * 20 November 1940 Air Marshal Sir Arthur Barratt

1943 to 1972

 * 1 August 1943 Air Vice-Marshal C E V Porter
 * 1946 to 1948 Air Vice-Marshal A C Stevens
 * 19 January 1948 Air Vice-Marshal P E Maitland
 * 15 June 1950 Air Vice-Marshal B V Reynolds
 * 25 August 1952 Air Vice-Marshal W H Merton
 * 1 December 1953 Air Vice-Marshal J L F Fuller-Good
 * 15 January 1957 Air Vice-Marshal R Faville
 * 12 September 1960 Air Vice-Marshal B A Chacksfield
 * 12 November 1962 Air Vice-Marshal A A Case
 * 15 January 1966 Air Vice-Marshal W V Crawford-Crompton
 * 1 July 1968 Air Vice-Marshal G R Magill
 * 1 January 1970 Air Vice-Marshal E Plumtree

2006 onwards

 * 30 October 2006 Air Vice-Marshal J M M Ponsonby
 * July 2007 Air Vice-Marshal R F Garwood CBE DFC
 * 17 April 2009 Air Vice-Marshal B M North OBE
 * 23 February 2010 Air Vice-Marshal M C Green CBE