Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 34:03-34:33

RNAS, RFC, and the origins of RAF ranks

The creation of the RAF explains why its rank system blends naval and army language rather than descending from cavalry terminology alone.

Live Q&AMilitary RanksRoyal Air ForceRoyal Flying CorpsRoyal Naval Air Service
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Question

Did the Royal Naval Air Service use cavalry ranks, explaining RAF titles such as air marshal?

Short answer

Not simply. RAF ranks blended the naval RNAS and army RFC traditions when the two air services were combined.

Notes

A viewer asks whether terms such as air marshal came from cavalry ranks used by the Royal Naval Air Service. The answer redirects the explanation to the 1918 combination of the naval RNAS and the army's Royal Flying Corps. The new Royal Air Force drew language from both services, producing naval-derived titles such as air commodore alongside army-style marshal ranks. Air admiral would also have abbreviated awkwardly to AA. The exchange gives a compact institutional explanation for a rank structure that otherwise looks eccentric.