Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve Summer Camps
Another feature of those years was the annual migration of UK-based Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) Air Divisions to Hal Far for periods of intensive flying, taking advantage of the ideal weather and the willing co-operation of the ships of the Mediterranean fleet. The Divisions usually stayed for a fortnight during which they carried out a varied programme of training including live depth charges dropping, live armament practice and rocket firing on the uninhabited islet of Filfla, and hide and seek exercises with RN submarines in which aircraft sought out and shadowed the underwater 'raiders' and finally carried out mock attacks if they managed to find them. Several units used HMS Falcon (Hal-Far airfield) for these annual summer camps, which started in 1950, stopped in 1951, and continued from 1952 to 1956, after which the RNVR squadrons were disbanded on 10 March 1957 as part of the defence cuts.