RAF instructors took to the skies over Oxfordshire to mark the 70th anniversary of the creation of a specialist British military parachute training school.

More than 190 past and present members of the Airborne Delivery Wing took part in a celebration day at RAF Weston-on-the-Green, near Bicester, before attending a dinner at RAF Brize Norton.

All British military personnel who need to know how to parachute attend the No 1 Parachute Training School at Brize Norton as part of their training.

The creation of what was initially known as the Central Landing Establishment at RAF Ringway – now Manchester Airport – in 1940 followed Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s decision to form a 5,000-strong force of paratroopers, which became today’s Parachute Regiment.

In 1946, No 1 Parachute Training School moved to RAF Upper Heyford, using RAF Weston-on-the-Green as a drop zone. In 1950, the school moved to RAF Abingdon and then in April 1976 to Brize Norton.

The commanding officer of the Airborne Delivery Wing, Wing Commander Glynn Allcock, 49, said the instructors played a vital role in the armed forces.

He said: “We were born 70 years ago for a particular purpose; to rapidly insert troops into areas where they couldn’t get by any other means of transport.

“It’s apt that 70 years later, here we are today doing exactly the same thing in Afghanistan, so we’re as relevant now as when we were first formed and we’re still doing exactly the same job.”

Wg Cmdr Allcock added: “For 70 years, we have been the sole trainers across all the services, training the Royal Marines, niche personnel like the submarine parachute assistance group and most recently we have been working hard to qualify the parachutists from 16 Air Assault Brigade who are just about to go to Afghanistan.

“It takes a particular type of mentality to be an instructor. After that first jump it’s in your blood.”

Retired Group Captain Peter Hearn, 78, was an original member of the RAF Parachute Display Team, known then as the Big Six, and was a guest at the celebrations.

He said: “When we started the Big Six, it was new, exciting and something that had not been done before, so that was the interesting part and the novelty of freefall parachuting. Today is a great tribute; it’s a coming together of all instructors.”

The current RAF Parachute Display Team, the Falcons, made of up instructors from RAF Brize Norton, performed an 11-man jump above Weston-on-the-Green during the celebrations.

One of the instructors, Sergeant Graham ‘Rosie’ Rose, 38, said: “Instructors have a physical training instructor background, because of the need to be very fit.

“The parachute weighs about 60lb and then extra equipment can weigh up to 120lb, so you’ve got to be physically strong to keep doing the descents.”