RAF Valley is situated on the north-western tip  Anglesey , North Wales.  It's undergone many changes in    recent years and has an exclusive role in training the future fast jet pilots and instructors for the RAF and Royal Navy. 

 Opened in Feb 1941 under 9 group, Fighter Command RAF Valley was formally known as RAF Rhosneigr but due to postal difficulties assumed its present name soon after.

In March 1941 No 312 sqn ( Czech ) arrived armed with a flight of Hurricanes.  615 sqn joined them in April.

The first success a He 111 H6 shot down by a Beaufighter of  No 68sqn . Other sqn's based at Valley during the war years were 242 and 302 (Polish) sqn's and 43 and 605 all using Hurricanes and 403 (Canadian) using Spitfires, in June 1941 456sqn Royal Australian Air Force formed at Valley using Defiant Night Fighters in October of the same year 275sqn was formed using Walrus and Lysanders for Search and Rescue work, also this month Belgium manned Spitfires formed 350sqn who now fly F16's at Beauvechain in Belgium

  In 1942 other sqn's to use the base were No's 131, 315 and 452 in Spitfires,  125 and 406 with Beaufighters along with 157sqn in Mosquito NF11.

1943 Valley's role changed to being a terminal point for American Aircraft transiting to this country as replacements for aircraft lost in action , the only operational sqn remaining being 125sqn in Beaufighters for Air Defense by 1945 2500 American and Canadian aircraft had passed through the station it was believed to have received up to 70 aircraft per day ( Plane spotter's delight) 

1949 saw the first Jet's appeared when No 20sqn transferred from Llanbedr in their Vampires 

1951 Valley became became one of the principal stations in Flying Training  Command when No 202 Advanced Flying School were formed, pilot's converting from piston powered aircraft to Vampires and Meteors 

1954 No 7 FTS was reformed with the additional task of training naval pilot's

1955 saw the arrival of No 22sqn Helicopter Detachment and also No 6 Joint Services Trials Unit formed at Valley to carry out trials on the Fireflash Guided Weapon they were replaced by No 1 Guided Weapons Development sqn in 1957 this became SCAAME Strike Command Air to Air Missile Establishment in 1974 but is now run by the Air Warfare Center 

1960 saw No 4 FTS reformed to replace No 7 FTS with the added tasks of training Coastal and Transport Command

1962 saw the Central Flying School Helicopter Detachment arrive at Valley to train Search and Rescue crews in Sea and Mountain Rescue Techniques this unit now known as The Search and Rescue unit SARTU  By now the aging Vampires and Meteors were being replaced by the Folland Gnat        where a team instructors formed a Display team called the Yellow Jacks who are better known today as the Red Arrows Display team. At this time Valley was the only Fast Jet Training Establishment in the Royal Air Force.

Jan 1967 saw the arrival of the first Hunters to supplement the Gnat these and the Gnat finally replaced by the Hawk by the end of 1976

This page to be updated soon