Civil Air Guard cap badge

The Civil Air Guard was established in 1938, it sought to use the facilities of civil flying clubs to train men and women, aged between 18 and 50, who would offer their services to the RAF in an emergency.

Volunteers joining the Civil Air Guard were not provided with financial incentives to join, the primary draw was the opportunity for reduced-cost flying training. The Civil Air Guard received an enthusiastic response, with 36,000 applications received by the end of the year, when it was decided to accept no further applicants unless they had prior flying experience.