Number of Personnel
Following the end of World War I, the RAF was greatly reduced in size and only rebuilt in significant number in the years immediately pre-ceding World War II. At its peak during World War II, there were over one million RAF servicemen. Following the demobilization after World War II, the RAF has steadily declined in numbers.
| Year | 1918 | 1951 | 1975 | 1985 | 1993 | 1997 | 2005/2006 | 2009 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | 316,170 | 148,900 | 95,000 | 93,400 | 80,900 | 56,900 | 48,700 | 43,800 | 40,090 |
| National Service | N/A | 88,900 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Regular Reserve | N/A | N/K | N/K | 29,800 | 46,100 | 45,400 | 35,000 | 35,160 | 5,120 |
| Volunteer Reserve | N/A | 18,100 | N/K | 1,200 | 1,800 | 1,400 | 1,400 | 1,480 | 1,360 |
Read more about this topic: History Of The Royal Air Force
Famous quotes containing the words number of, number and/or personnel:
“One may confidently assert that when thirty thousand men fight a pitched battle against an equal number of troops, there are about twenty thousand on each side with the pox.”
—Voltaire [François Marie Arouet] (1694–1778)
“Can it be, that the Greek grammarians invented their dual number for the particular benefit of twins?”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)
“This woman is headstrong, obstinate and dangerously self- opinionated.”
—Report by Personnel Officer at I.C.I., rejecting Mrs. Thatcher for a job in 1948.