# Royal Air Force is formed (1918)

URL: https://english-history.com/timeline/1918-royal-air-force-is-formed
Categories: main-event

The Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service were merged into an independent air force. Within the broader Early 20Th Century & World Wars period, mass democracy, the two world wars, Irish partition, economic crisis and the rise of Labour remade the political and social order. This event is placed at 1 April 1918 in the chronology so it can be read alongside the political, military, social and cultural changes around it. The RAF became the world's first independent national air force.

## Why it matters
The RAF became the world's first independent national air force.

Ruler at the time: [George V](https://english-history.com/rulers/george-v)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Royal Air Force is formed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Royal+Air+Force+is+formed&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Royal Air Force is formed](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Royal+Air+Force+is+formed)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of British history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_British_history)
- [The National Archives — twentieth-century resources](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/)