Stunning Color Photos of the Royal Air Force from the 1950s and 1960s

Following the demobilization of the wartime forces in 1945, the RAF’s total strength decreased to about 150,000. In 1951, a deterioration in the international outlook led to a fresh expansion. Its strength peaked at 257,000 by 1956, but by the early 1960s, it had again retreated to about 150,000 (including 6,000 women), primarily based in the U.K. or Europe as part of NATO forces. AFTER THE WAR, the RAF regiment continued to serve as a regular army of the armed forces, responsible for securing airfields and providing forward air control personnel to the British Army and Royal Marines. After becoming a regular service in 1949, the RAF merged with the WRAF in April 1994.

Currently, the RAF operates a fleet of various types of aircraft described as being on the leading edge of technology. These primarily consist of fixed-wing aircraft that can perform the following roles: fighters and strike aircraft, airborne early warning and control aircraft, intelligence, surveillance, targeting acquisition, reconnaissance aircraft, and signals intelligence aircraft.

Below is a fantastic photos collection from Etienne du Plessis that shows the Royal Air Force during the 1950s and ’60s.

#1 The first Bristol Britannia C.1 in RAF service, XL636 ‘Argo’ of No. 99 Squadron, RAF Transport Command, during a flight from its base of RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire, 1959

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#2 Blackburn Beverley (XL149) of No. 30 Squadron RAF in flight over the Kenyan bush, 1961

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#3 A Gloster Javelin FAW.9R (XH890) of No. 23 Squadron banking away from the camera. This aircraft is flying from No. 23 Squadron’s base at RAF Coltishall, Norfolk, 1963

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#4 A group of eight de Havilland Sea Hornets of the Fleet Air Arm line up on the flight deck of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Implacable (R86) during a sea exercise in July 1950

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#5 Fleet air Arm Hawker Sea Furies, Iwakuni, Japan, 1951

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#6 Boeing B-29A, Washington, 1953

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#7 The Mk.24 was the final variant of the Spitfire and this particular aircraft, built in 1947 (registration VN485), saw RAF service in Hong Kong with 80 Sqdn, 1953

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#8 To celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s coronation on June 2, 1953 the RAF laid on the biggest display of Military air

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#9 De Havilland Chipmunk, 1954

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#10 Fleet Air Arm, Westland Wyvern, Douglas Skyraider and Hawker Sea hawk aircraft on the deck of HMS Eagle, 1955

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#11 The crew of an Avro Vulcan B.1 bomber pose in front of their aircraft, 1956

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#12 An RAF medical officer climbs aboard Westland Whirlwind HAR.2 XJ728 of ‘A’ Flight, No. 22 Squadron based at RAF St Mawgan, 1957

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#13 Avro Vulcan B.1 XA896 at RAF Waddington, August 21, 1957

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#14 Avro Vulcan B.1 XA906 of No. 83 Squadron is seen under-tow by a Douglas Sentinal Tugmaster heavy towing unit at RAF Waddington, October 1957

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#15 Blackburn Beverley C.1 XB284 of No 47 Squadron based at RAF Abingdon, 1957

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#16 De Havilland DH.115 Vampire at RAF Swinderby, 1957

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#17 These five Royal Navy Seahawk FB 3s of 783 NAS team at Farnborough were the first aerobatic team to produce smoke during a display on September 5, 1957

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#18 An instructor shows Aircraft Apprentices of No.1 School of Technical Training at RAF Halton.

Buckinghamshire how to load a gun pack of four Aden 30mm cannon into an instructional airframe of a Hawker Hunter, 1958

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#19 English Electric Canberra B.6s, WH948, WH958 and WT201, of No. 12 Squadron based at RAF Binbrook.

Lincolnshire, are seen in flight, September 1958, the squadron’s fox head emblem visible on the aircraft's tails

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#20 Handley Page Hastings C.1 TG587 of No 511 Squadron taxies across a dusty airfield at Amman, Jordan, July 1958

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#21 Handley Page Victor B.1 XA936 of No. 10 Squadron seen during a flight from its base at RAF Cottesmore, September 1958

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#22 De Havilland DH114 Heron CC.4 XM296, of the Queen”s Flight at RAF Masirah, Oman, 1959

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#23 Flying Instructor Flight Lieutenant J Davis with his student, Flight Cadet TC Porteous of No. 76 Entry, in a De Havilland Vampire T11 at the RAF College Cranwell, Lincolnshire, 1959

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#24 Parachutists of the RAF Parachute Brigade boarding a Blackburn Beverly via the rear loading ramp. Possibly during Exercise Red Banner, October 1959

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#25 Squadron Leader Ulf Burberry’s crew run towards a Handley Page Victor of No. 15 (XV) Squadron during a demonstration scramble at RAF Cottesmore, June 1959

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#26 The first Bristol Britannia C.1 in RAF service, XL636 ‘Argo’ of No. 99 Squadron is seen during a flight from its base at RAF Lyneham, soon after its delivery to the RAF on June 4, 1959

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#27 Two senior aircraftmen check an F.52 camera before placing it in a Vickers Valiant B(PR).1 aircraft of No. 543 Photo Reconnaissance Squadron RAF’s base at Wyton, Cambridgeshire, 1959

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#28 Vampire T.11s of the RAF College’s Flying Wing, June 23, 1959

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#29 A Hawker Siddeley P.1127 ‘Kestrel’ after landing vertically on the test pad at Dunsfold, 1960

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#30 Six English Electric Canberra PR.9s and their crews, from No. 58 Squadron part of the Strategic Reconnaisance Force seen at RAF Wyton near St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, September 1960

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#31 Five Hunter F.6s which formed part of the display team of No. 92 Squadron – The Blue Diamonds’ – are seen in tight line abreast formation rehearsing for the 1961 season

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#32 A Beverley heavy transport aircraft operated by the Royal Air force Transport Command stuck in the sand on the airstrip at RAF Sharjah in the UAE, 1962

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#33 Buccaneer S.1 at the 1962 Farnborough Airshow; the anti-flash white color scheme is for the nuclear strike role, 1962

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#34 Freight being off loaded from a Beverley heavy transport aircraft operated by the Royal Air force Transport Command at RAF Sharjah in the UAE, 1962

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#35 De Havilland Comet C.2 XK715 ‘Columba’ of No 216 Squadron RAF flying from RAF Lyneham is turned around at RAF Gan, on Adu Atoll in the Maldives, 1962

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#36 English Electric Lightning F.2 of No 19 Squadron stationed at RAF Leconfield, South Yorkshire, 1963

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#37 No. 56 (F) Squadron English Electric Lightning F.3 having Firestreak missiles loaded on it at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, 1963

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#38 The RAF’s sole English Electric Lightning equipped display team

The Firebirds of 56 Squadron from RAF Wattisham - which was led by Squadron Leader Dave Seward, are seen practicing their signature ‘Diamond Nine’ formation roll, 1963

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#39 A Handley Page Victor K.1 aircraft (XA918) prepares to refuel two aircraft flying close to its wings, 1964

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#40 Avro Shackleton MR.3 XF707 of No. 206 Squadron flying over the north coast of Cornwall near its home station of RAF St Mawgan, 1964

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#41 Five Foland Gnat T.1s, the Yellowjacks aerobatic dislay team from No. 4 Flying Training School.

RAF Valley practise an inverted loop in 'T' formation over Holyhead, north Wales, during the team's only season, 1964

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#42 Sergeant Michael ‘Jacko’ Jackson, air engineer of Avro Shackleton MR.3 XF707 of No. 206 Squadron, 1964

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#43 The Queen leaving a HS Andover at RAF Thorney Island West Sussex, 1964

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#44 English Electric Lightning F6 fighters of No. 11 Squadron prepare for take-off at RAF Leuchars in Fife, 1965

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#45 Vickers Valiant, 1965

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#46 30 Squadron Blackburn Beverley landed at an oasis somewhere in the Ar Rub al Khali, 1966

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#47 Four Gloster Javelin FAW.9Rs of No. 64 Squadron seen during an air-defence patrol over Malaysia, May 1967

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#48 A Hawker Siddeley Andover C.1 (XS606) of No 52 Squadron flying from the Squadron’s station at RAF Seletar, Singapore, 1968

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