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The school was originally formed as 102 Gliding School during the early summer of 1943, at Hethersett Racecourse, six miles south of Norwich Flt Lt Norman Craig, a local businessman was transferred from No 231 (Norwich) ATC squadron as the Commanding Officer.
Prior to the start of cadet training at Hethersett all instructors attended a course run by the London Gliding Club at Dunstable during the early part of 1943.
The aircraft used by the school in the early days consisted of Dagling Primary gliders, supported by a prime mover Ford V8 converted Barrage Balloon winch and two small ‘pick-up’ type trucks as retrieve vehicles.
Operations continued throughout the remaining war years at Hethersett – then, in the summer of 1945 the school moved to Horsham St Faiths (now Norwich Airport).
Permanent accommodation was severely restricted at Horsham St Faiths due to the large number of RAF squadrons in residence and the school was allocated various buildings around the airfield. Gliders and winches were housed in a small corrugated iron hanger on the northern edge of the airfield, office accommodation was a nissen hut on the western perimeter and another nissen hut situated close to the Control Tower became the retrieve vehicle garage.
During 1945 the Dagling primary gliders were being replaced by the Kirby Cadet Mk I.
 The school received its first Sedbergh in January 1950 and was immediately brought into service to give cadets their basic training prior to completing their flight for an ‘A’ certificate in the Kirby Cadet Mk I.
 The school received its first Kirby Cadet Mk III in February 1953 and from then onwards students were trained on dual control gliders to a standard of which the final requirement was three solo circuits.
Because of the restrictions at Horsham St. Faiths, the Officer Commanding was tasked with finding an alternative airfield in Norfolk from which the school could operate. The search led to the all grass airfield at RAF Swanton Morley, which was the base for No 4 Air Signals School.
All ATC gliding ceased at RAF Horsham St. Faiths on 7th June 1953 and the school moved to RAF Swanton Morley during the weekend of 13/14th June 1953. Training recommenced at RAF Swanton Morley on Saturday 20th June 1953.
Reorganisation of the various RAF reserves in October 1955, resulted in the school being absorbed into No 61 Group and reclassified as No 611 Gliding School.
In August 1962 the gliding school was joined by No 1 Gliding Centre who had been forced to move from RAF Hawkinge due to its imminent closure. This resulted in an excess of gliding equipment at RAF Swanton Morley so it was decided that the Centre’s equipment should be used by the gliding school at weekends.
Instructor strength had by now increased to 20 and the school was giving Air Experience Gliding to approximately 200 ATC cadets each year as well as training approximately 40 cadets to the proficiency gliding standard.
During the next few years the staff of the school increased to a record 30 instructors who gave over 1500 Air Experience flights and trained between 80–95 cadets to proficiency standard. The school was awarded an Efficiency Certificate in 1964, 1965 and 1966 and was also invited to participate in the Battle of Britain Display at RAF Coltishall in 1966 and 1967.
The year 1977 saw the parting of the ways, after 14 years, between 611 Gliding School and No 1 Gliding Centre (Detached Flight), when the latter amalgamated with their northern counterparts at RAF Syerston. This left the gliding school as the only flying unit at RAF Swanton Morley and once again the unit reverted to operating its own vehicles and gliders.
Another memorable day in the history of the school was on Sunday 18th June 1978, when the last conventional gliders were flown prior to the school re-equipping with the Venture Mk 2 Self-Launch Glider. The first contingent of instructors took their place on No 6 Venture Conversion Course at the Air Cadets Gliding Centre at RAF Syerston on the 3rd July 1978. Included on this first course was Staff Cadet WO Jeremy Lightowler who, at the end of the conversion training, became the first ATC cadet in the country to become a Venture Gliding Instructor having passed out with a ‘C’ Category.
The remaining staff attended course No 7 during the following week. Before returning to RAF Swanton Morley, each instructor had completed between 7 and 10 hours flying on the Venture.
RAF Swanton Morley saw the first Venture Self-Launch Gliders (XZ560 and XZ561) arrive on Wednesday 12th July 1978, having been flown from RAF Syerston by Staff Instructors at ACCGS. A staff instructor, Flt Lt John Wynch, was seconded to the school during the weekend 15–16th July to check the operating and flying procedures prior to the school becoming operational.
The Venture was not, at first, cleared for solo flying by ATC cadets, therefore the school commenced operations on Saturday 12th August carrying out Air Experience flights only. This situation lasted for several months before the Venture was cleared in March 1979 for proficiency training up to solo standard.
In May 1979 the Venture was finally cleared for cadet solo flying and those cadets who had previously been trained up to this standard were brought back to complete their training and carry out their first solo flight.
The school was judged to have been the most improved gliding school in the country in 1982 and was awarded the MEL Trophy and in 1983 it was awarded the Slingsby Trophy for the top Venture School in the UK.
The school was now training between 90-100 cadets each year to the proficiency Gliding Standard (i.e Solo), and giving Air Experience flying to a further 900-1000 cadets. Cadets are drawn from all squadrons in Norfolk and Suffolk Wing with a few coming from the Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire wing. In addition annual courses, covering 30 days, are run for Combined Cadet Force Cadets from school units.
Operations with self-launch motor gliders continued until early 1987 when 611VGS was chosen as one of the schools to be the home of the new ‘Viking’. A new high performance, winch launched dual-control GRP glider, this glider was ideal for 611VGS as it’s home at RAF Swanton Morley boasted one of the largest all grass airfields in the country.
Conversions to the ‘Viking’ took place in March/April 1987, with ACCGS staff coming to RAF Swanton Morley to carry out the instructor conversion training.
Staff SCT training then continued and conversion of all other staff to Viking operations, this continued through until July 1987.
11th July 1987 saw the first weekend when AEG flying took place and BGT training commenced in Aug 1987.
In order to launch the ‘Viking’ the school was supplied with two ‘Eagle’ winches, each winch was fitted with two cables, this was eventually increased to four, as the ‘Eagle’ winch was unreliable and the additional two were used as cannibalisation spares.
The change back to conventional gliders meant that the number of staff could increase once again, from its reduced requirement of 15 staff when operating self-launched gliders up to a new level of 32 required to operate the Viking.
Following the introduction of the Viking it was found that the existing ‘Eagle’ winches were underpowered, having been introduced in the 1950’s, when all gliders were of wood and fabric construction. Therefore a search started to find a winch to meet the requirements of the Viking and other GRP gliders in use by the Air Cadet Corps.
Several winches were trialed at RAF Syerston and at some schools. This search was to last for 3 years until the introduction the 6 drum Van Gelder.
 The new Van Gelder winch was delivered to RAF Swanton Morley in June 1990 and operations commenced on 14th July 1990 with Flt Lt John Wynch from CGS providing the conversion training. The school quickly adapted to the new winch and within a few weeks the total launches per day increased to around the 100 mark. The Van Gelder, which was too heavy to stand on the grass, and the move of the Norfolk and Norwich Aero Club to the north hanger meant that the established runs had to be changed and in some cases moved to the other side of the airfield.
Operations at RAF Swanton Morley continued successfully offering AEG, IGT, BGT and AGT training at weekends and on three continuous courses each year until the government programme of ‘Options for Change’ was announced in 1995, this resulted in RAF Swanton Morley being selected for closure under this programme.
Once again the search was on for a new home for 611 VGS, various airfields in Norfolk were visited but all proved to be unsuitable, for various reasons. Eventually it was decided that 611VGS would move to STANTA Airfield Watton (formerly RAF Watton), now operated by the Army and part of the STANTA Training Area.
Unfortunately it was not possible for 611VGS to move to Watton straight away as there was no suitable accommodation for gliders or staff, so a new hanger complex had to be constructed.
It was therefore decided that 611VGS would temporarily move to RAF Marham until the building works at Watton were completed.
The last day of flying at RAF Swanton Morley was 26th August 1995, with the CFI having the last flight in ZE682.
The aircraft were transferred to RAF Marham by road and flying operations commenced, the aircraft were stored in the spare hanger alongside the RAFGSA gliders operated from RAF Marham by Fenlands Club, similarly 611VGS operated alongside Fenlands on the airfield. Not all the aircraft were transferred to RAF Marham, one aircraft was positioned at 614VGS at Wethersfield for those staff of 611VGS who lived in the south of the area and could get to Wethersfield easier that they could RAF Marham, in order that they could maintain currency.
 The new facility at Watton was completed in September 1996 and arrangements were made for the move to the new home.
The new hanger at Watton, accommodation for the staff cadets was in a wing of the old Officers Mess.
In early 2001, RAF Honington, who owned the old Officers Mess at Watton decided that the building was to close as the building had deteriorated to such an extent that the repair costs would be prohibitive, the Officers Mess wing at Watton also housed 864 (Watton) Squadron ATC.
611VGS and 864 Squadron ATC moved out of the building in April 2001, all the equipment was stored in 611 hanger awaiting the arrival of the new portacabin units, being provided by HQ Air Cadets. The necessary earthworks, foundations etc were put in and the accommodation arrived during August 2001, just in time for the August course, Electricity and security fencing were put in place at a later date.
During the time between moving out of the Officers Mess, in April 2001 and the arrival of the new accommodation 611VGS had no accommodation available for the Flight Staff Cadets. This created problems of its own in getting enough staff to Watton to be able to fulfil each weekends flying task.
However, finally 611VGS have a purpose built, fully enclosed complex offering accommodation on site for the Flight Staff Cadets and other cadets on GS and AGT courses.
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