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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0851.PDF
Flight, August 23, 1917. First Aero Weekly in the World. Founder and Editor : STANLEY SPOONER. A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport. OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ROYAL AERO CLUB OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. No. 452. (No. 34, Vol. IX.) AUGUST 23, 1917. rweekly. Price 3d.L POM Free, 4d. Editoriai Office: 44, ST. MARTIN'S LANE, LONDON, W.C. 2. Telegrams : Trnditur, Westrand, London. Telephone : Gerrard 1828. Annual Subscription Rates, Post Free. United Kingdom .. 15J. id. Abroad.. .. .• 20s. od. CONTENTS. Editorial Comment: • PAGE Round Pegs in Square Holes.. .. .. .. .. .. .. 851 "One Air Service ; One Uniform; One Badge" .. ... .. 852 How the System Works .. .. -. .. 85s An Object Lesson for the Pacifists 854 The 1916 Type Halberstadt Biplane (with scale drawings) .. .. 855 Honours.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 838 The Roll of Honour 859 The Royal Aero Club. Official Notices .. .. 860 Answers to Correspondents .. .. «. .. ., .. .. •• 860 Six United States Army Wing Sections. By Captains E. S. Gorrell and H. S. Martin, U.S.A 861 Aviation in Parliament 5 Airisms from the Four Winds .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 866 Aircraft Engineering Notes.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 867 The British Air Services 868 Aircraft Work at the Front. Official Information .. 870 Personals .. .. .. .., •• .. .. .. .. . • 872 A Lament for the Box Kite. By Clarence Winchester .. .. .. 873 The Whitehead Aircraft Sports Meeting .. .. .. .. .. 874 Legal Intelligence .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 876 The Cowper-Coles Aircraft Company .. .. .. .. .. .. 877 Side-Winds .. .. 878 Imports and Exports, 1916-IQ17 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 878 EDITORIAL COMMENT. CONTEMPORARY calls attention to the way in which the Army authori- ties attempt to fit square pegs into round holes, and instances the following cases :— A bishop's son, himself an Oxford M.A., has been engaged in the Empire-saving occupation of picking grubs off cabbages. This was his only job. And the Education Committee are crying out for teachers ! To carry a can of milk once a day from a farm a mile from camp is the occupation of an ex-engineer. Round Pegs A munition worker, called up as A category, in then classified C2, served out bread in a Square pantry at meal times. •;-" Holes. By cleaning an officer's boots and belt and making his bed in the morning (half an hour's workjSs how a journalist helps to win. And the Army says it needs clerks ! A partner in a shipping "business spent his time usefully filling and lighting oil lamps in the huts at night. And yet the war continues ! We quite agree that there are many abuses of the kind, which are on the face of things utterly absurd ; but, knowing something of how and why these things happen, we really are not inclined to put all the blame on the shoulders of the military authorities. We know of a case, to which our special attention was directed, of a man, a highly skilled mathematician and conversant with the calculation of stresses and bending moments, whose services should have been of inestimable value in aeroplane construction, and who joined the R.N.A.S. He was duly posted to the Crystal Palace, and after his preliminary training was finished he was sent off to a station to be taught the process of making hydrogen. Naturally, he gathered the impression that the best use was not being made of his special qualifications, and in the course of conversation it was put to him whether he had taken the trouble to acquaint his Commanding Officer with those qualifications. His answer was that he had not, as he -supposed his Commanding Officer had been informed of these! What had apparently happened was that he had been treated as one of the ordinary type of enlistments, with no particular qualifications, and had been detailed for a job to which he would never have been sent if only he had taken the trouble to set forth that he possessed certain special knowledge which would make him useful in a particular direction. We hold no brief for the military authorities, who sometimes do the most extraordinary things ; but we do put it that it is impossible for them, with all the best intentions in the world, to fit the round peg into its proper hole unless the peg itself will take the trouble to set out its own dimensions. Generally speaking, the officer commanding a unit or a station is only too desirous of doing all he can to make the best use of the material at his disposal, but it is perfectly obvious that he cannot succeed unless he knows what sort of material lies ready to his hand. It is quite impossible that he can know the attain- ments and capabilities of each man who comes under his command unless he is informed at first hand, and unless he is so informed it is inevitable that such examples as those quoted by our con- temporary must occur. We are quite alive to the fact that it is not every Commanding Officer who will take the trouble to learn all about the officers and men under his command, but that type is, we think, in the minority, and, generally speaking, the naval and military officers in charge of drafting depdts are just as anxious as anybody to see that every man is fitted into the place that will suit his capabilities and attainments best, and thus help along the business of the war. - \ - -
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