M&S Watford is marking the RAF’s centenary year by recalling remarkable stories of incredible community spirit in Watford during the Second World War and inviting local RAF cadets into the store as part of a £500,000 nationwide fundraising drive.

M&S Watford became a central pillar of the community, supporting injured servicemen during the Second World War.

Colleagues regularly held raffles to raise funds for the Red Cross, with prizes including coveted food and cinema tickets.

To celebrate its long, shared history with the RAF, M&S is pledging £500,000 worth of fundraising in support of the RAF100 Appeal.

Money raised by the cadets and customers will go towards inspiring the next generation of engineers, scientists and technology specialists through scholarships, training and university bursaries for air cadets and school pupils from underprivileged backgrounds.

The fundraising will also support the RAF’s four major charities – RAFA, the RAF Benevolent Fund, the RAF Charitable Trust and the RAF Museum.

M&S’s connection with the RAF dates back to 1938 when Simon Marks, chairman, and son of the founder, was instrumental in setting up what became the RAF Air Cadets.

By the end of the Second World War, almost 100,000 cadets had joined the RAF – a pipeline of talent made possible by M&S and the RAF.

During the Second World War, more than 320 M&S employees served in the RAF - 18 of whom received awards.

M&S has also designed a limited edition men’s leather flying jacket, ‘The Marksman’, which has been on sale, with all profits going to the RAF100 Appeal.

The jacket is named in recognition of the M&S colleagues who raised £5,000 in 1941 to fund a new Spitfire for the RAF war effort, which they named ‘The Marksman’.

Dan Milana

Manager of M&S Watford