The No 1 Airborne Forces Holding Unit was was one of a series of units established during the Second World War to accommodate newly qualified military parachutists and soldiers who had not yet been assigned to active airborne forces units.

During the Second World War and immediate post war period there were several reserve, training and holding units for The Parachute Regiment and Army Air Corps including:

No 1 Airborne Forces Holding Unit

Army Air Corps Holding Battalion

The Parachute Regiment Reserve Battalion

The Parachute Regiment Training and Holding Battalion  

Towards the end of the war these units also performed a holding role for service personnel awaiting demobilisation.

In addition service personnel who had been injured, wounded, or suffered in Prisoner of War camps, and were unfit for immediate reassignment to active units were often placed with a holding or reserve battalion. From here personnel could train and recuperate in order to return to a service battalion, or await demobilisation.