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Aviation History
1918
1918 - 0010.PDF
JANUARY 3, 1918. CONSTITUTION OF THE AIR COUNCIL. IT was announced in the London Gazette of December 21st that, acting under the powers conferred by section 8 of the Air Force Act, the King has made an Order in Council, setting forth the constitution of the Air Council. The Order also provides for the manner in which the various members of the Council shall be appointed and for the allocation among them of the business which will have to be dealt with. The text of the Order is as follows :— 1. As from such date as His Majesty may hereafter fix by Order in Council as the date on which the Air Council is to be established, the Air Council shall consist of the following members, that is to say :— One of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, who shall be President of the Air Council; The Chief of the Air Staff ; The Deputy Chief of the Air Staff ; The Master General of Personnel ; The Controller General of Equipment ; The Director General of Aircraft Production in the Ministry of Munitions ; The Administrator of Works and Buildings ; The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State ; Two additional Members. 2. Of the members of the Air Council (other than the President) the Chief of the Air Staff, the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, the Master General of Personnel, the Controller General of Equipment, and the Inspector General of the Air Force, shall be appointed by His Majesty ; the Director General of Aircraft Production shall be appointed by the Minister of Munitions, and the other members of the Air Council shall be appointed by the Secretary of State. 3. The Secretary of State is to be responsible to His Majesty and Parliament for all the business of the Air Council. All business, other than business which the Secretary of State specially reserves to himself, is to be transacted in the following principal divisions :— (a) The Chief of the Air Staff, the Master General of Per- sonnel, and the Controller General of Equipment to be re- sponsible to the Secretary of State for the administration of so much of the business relating to the organisation, disposition, personnel, equipment, armament and maintenance of the Air Force as may be assigned to them or each of them from time to time by the Secretary of State. (b) The Deputy Chief of the Air Staff to be responsible for the administration of so much of the business assigned to the Chief of the Air Staff as may be delegated to him by the Chief of the Air Staff. (c) The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to be responsible to the Secretary of State for the finance and contracts of the Air Force, for the acquisition and adminis- tration of lands required for the purposes of the Air Force, and for so much of the other business of the Air Council as may be assigned to him from time to time by the Secretary of State. d) The Administrator of Works and Buildings to be responsible to the Secretary of State for the provision and maintenance of the works and buildings required for the Air Force. (e) The Secretary of the Air Council to be charged with the interior economy of the Department and the preparation of all official communications of the Council, and with such other duties as the Secretary of State may from time to time assign to him. 4. Subject to the foregoing provisions as to the transaction of business in separate divisions, the powers and duties of the Air Council may be exercised and performed by any three of their number, and notwithstanding that any office the holder of which is a member of the Air Council is temporarily vacant. Aircraft Production. IT is officially announced that, following the appoint- ment of Sir William Weir as a member of the recently con- stituted Air Council, and as the Director-General of Aircraft Production in the Ministry of Munitions, the following appoint- ments in the Department of Aircraft Production have been made by the Minister of Munitions :— Assistant Director-General—Mr. Henry Fowler. C.B.E. Controller of Supply Department—Lieut.-Colonel W. Alex- ander, D.S.O. Controller of Technical Department—Lieut.-Colonel J. G. Weir. Lands for the Air Ministry. IT is announced that Sir Howard Frank has been ap- pointed Director-General of Lands for the Air Ministry. Sir Howard is also Director-General of Lands to the War Office and the Ministry of Munitions. The whole business of the taking over of lands, their acquisition and renting, manage- ment, and the compensation payable in respect thereto will thus be under one control for the three Departments—the War Office, the Ministry of Munitions, and the Air Ministry. New Quarters for the Air Council. IT was announced on Wednesday that the Government had commandeered the British Museum for office accommo- dation for the Air Council. The structural alterations are being completed as rapidly as possible, and part of the staff is already installed. A vigorous protest against the taking over of the buildings has been made by the Trustees. The French Air Board. WRITING on December 30th, the Paris correspondent of the Times says :— " The French Air Board silently came into being a fortnight ago, and since then it has been sitting daily, or rather nightly, reorganising the different services and speeding up the con- struction of machines. Henceforth it will meet thrice weekly. " The head of the new Air Board, or Higher Council of Aviation, is the Minister for Armaments, assisted by the Under-Secretary of State for Aeronautics, one representative of G.H.Q., and the heads of the various services concerned. A programme of the needs of various types of machines is drawn up by G.H.Q. and transmitted through the Under- secretary for Aeronautics to the Air Board, which considers it in relation to the available raw material, and whose decision is final and executed without delay." R.N.A.S. Observer Officers' Uniform. THE Secretary of the Admiralty announces that it has been decided that officers (other than officers of the Royal Navy, Royal Naval Reserve, Army, or Royal Marines), who are graded as observer officers in the Royal Naval Air Service, shall wear the uniform of their rank in the military branch of the Royal Navy, except that the anchor on buttons, cap- badge, epaulettes, and sword-belt will be replaced by a gilt badge, consisting of an " O " with wings, and shall wear in addition an " O " with wings on each sleeve above the dis- tinction lace, and on each shoulder strap. The distinction marks of rank on the sleeve and shoulder strap for observer officers will be as follows :— Observer captain holding the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.—As for a captain in the Royal Navy. Other observer captains.—As for a commander in the Royal Navy, with the addition of a star above the " O " with wings. Wing observer.—As for a commander in the Royal Navy. Squadron observer of eight years' seniority as observer lieutenant, flight observer, and squadron observer.—As for a lieutenant-commander in the Royal Navy. Squadron observer of less than eight years' seniority as observer lieutenant, flight observer, and squadron observer.— As for a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, with the addition of two stars above the " O " with wings. Flight observer.—As for a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, with the addition of a star above the " O " with wings. Observer lieutenant.—As for a lieutenant in the Royal Navy. Observer sub-lieutenant.—As for a sub lieutenant in the Royal Navy. Effect need not be given to the change promulgated in the opening paragraph until the articles of uniform require re- newal. Fire Brigade and Air Raids. IN a New Year's greeting to the London Fire Brigade, Lieutenant-Commander S. Sladen, R.N., the Chief Officer, says : "I cannot let the opportunity pass without expressing my high appreciation of their work during the past year, and the ready and cheerful manner in which they have responded to the extra calls made upon them, due to the air raids on London by enemy aircraft. " The nerve and resource of the members of the brigade have on occasions been severely taxed, and, in several in- stances, officers and men have been at work in the open and exposed to the utmost danger from the enemy bombs, but their courage, ability, and fearless devotion to duty have been at all times admirable. " In the coming year, when similar emergencies will prob- ably again arise, I look forward with confidenceto every officer and man maintaining their high reputation." 8
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