One of Jersey’s oldest ex-services associations is celebrating a centenary of supporting members and entertaining Islanders.
Formed at the end of October 1925, the Royal Air Forces Association Jersey Branch is marking its milestone anniversary with a gala dinner and a commemorative publication recalling key events and notable figures from its long history.
The association was founded in the aftermath of the First World War as a membership organisation for Islanders who had served in the fledgling British air forces between 1914 and 1918. After being forced to suspend activities during the Occupation, it reformed as a branch of the UK-headquartered Royal Air Forces Association – while rightly claiming the distinction of being the organisation’s oldest branch, thanks to its earlier lineage.
From the 1950s onwards, the local RAFA branch threw itself into organising a wide array of fundraising and commemorative events centred around Battle of Britain Week, marked each September. These efforts included the Island’s annual airshow, supported by strong connections between branch members and senior Royal Air Force officers. Funds raised through these activities provided vital support to ex-RAF personnel and the families of those lost in wartime – both locally and in the UK.
The branch also operated a landmark social venue familiar to many Islanders during this period. RAFA HQ in Bond Street was a welcoming and distinctive location, painted in striking air force blue and flying the association’s colours alongside the Jersey and British flags.
While much has changed since those times, the local RAFA branch remains committed to its founding principles: comradeship, commemoration, and support for others.
Reflecting on this during its centenary year, current chairman Flight Lieutenant Leighton Jenkins commented: “It’s an honour to have my hands on the controls as RAFA Jersey Branch reaches its 100th birthday. I and the present branch committee are following in the footsteps of so many illustrious members—their passion and commitment over the years helped propel the local association to become a leading light in the Jersey community and an award-winning fundraiser on the national stage. While we look to continue this effort into the future, this centenary year is also an opportunity to recall and celebrate the story of those who came before.”
Main picture: Founded in 1925, the RAFA Jersey Branch has been providing comradeship, commemoration and support for others for 100 years
