PERSONNEL from helicopter base RAF Benson will continue to commemorate the centenary of the air force today.

The RAF was formed on April 1, 1918, in recognition of the changing role of air power in modern warfare.

As part of festivities at the weekend an RAF100 Baton relay was launched in London to visit RAF bases around the country including RAF Benson and RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.

The baton relay is due to arrive at RAF Benson today and at RAF Brize Norton near Carterton on Thursday.

Flight Lieutenant Rob Neal, a Chinook pilot, will today run with the RAF100 Baton into RAF Benson.

The base near Wallingford has spent 100 days leading up to the anniversary featuring 100 faces from the RAF’s first 100 years on its social media page.

Station Commander Gp Capt Hamish Cormack has backed the project and held a cake with ‘100’ in candles to mark its conclusion.

He said earlier: “ This has been my guaranteed source of daily morale for 100 days and I will miss it.”

The baton relay is expected to visit 100 sites around the country over 100 days.

The baton will be carried by RAF personnel, cadets and veterans. RAF Benson opened in 1939, two years after the opening of RAF Brize Norton in 1937.

For more on centenary events visit raf.mod.uk/raf100