FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1918
1918 - 0470.PDF
recently killed on service—enclosing the second, sets forth that having read in the pages of " FLIGHT " that recruits are wanted for the Women's Royal Air Force (an announcement we made in perfect good faith), she decided to join up to " do her bit." So she wrote to the nearest recruiting officer, setting forth her qualifications and asked to be enrolled as an officer. She had lived for a year close to the aero- drome to which her late husband was attached ; she had flown with him ; and had assisted him with his studies while he was qualifying for his technical examinations. Further, she had had five years' practical experience of motoring. Altogether, we should say this lady possesses somewhat exceptional qualifications for entry to the W.R.A.F., and, that being so, it might be thought that entry would have been the easiest thing in the world. But the recruiting authorities have ways of their own. The second letter is from the manager of the Labour Exchange to which application was made in the ordinary course (why should the Labour Ex- changes be the recruiting authority, by the way ?), and it is curt and to the point: "I have to inform you that you are not eligible for employment in the Immobile Branch of the Royal Air Force, as all The New Secretary of State. *?•'.'•• IT was announced on April 27th that the King has approved the appointment of Sir William Weir to be Secretary of State for the Royal Air Force, in succession to Lord Rother- niere. It was announced in the Court Circular on April 27th that Sir William Weir was sworn in a Member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council at Buckingham Palace. Previous to the Council the Lord Robert Cecil, M.P., was received in audience by the King, and on behalf of the Lord Rothermere surrendered the Seals of Secretary of State of the Royal Air Force and President of the Air Council. At the Council His Majesty handed the Seals of Secretary of State of the Royal Air Force and President of the Air Council to the Right Hon. Sir William Weir, who took the Oath of Office and kissed hands upon his appointment. The Right. Hon. Sir William Weir had an audience of the King after the Council. MAY 2, 1918. members must actually live in their own homes in the town." The italics are our own. Naturally, our correspondent is somewhat bewildered at this. As she points out, if she were accepted for service at any particular place it would be easy enough for her to live in that place and remove the apparently existing disability. Moreover, as she lives for the present at a place where there is no detachment of the W.R.A.F., it becomes a little difficult to see how she is going to achieve her ambition of succeeding her husband in the service of the country and to fall at the same time within the four corners of this utterly futile regulation. To our way of thinking this is one of the worst examples of the methods of red tape we have come across—and we are becoming used to hearing and reading stories of official futility. There is no need for us to labour the case. We have set it forth as it has reached us, and we venture to think it speaks for itself. Who at the Air Ministry is respon- sible for the regulation and the manner in which it appears to be interpreted we do not know, but we trust that when he has read these lines he will go somewhat deeper into the question than he seems to have done. Or is it the Ministry of National Service that is responsible ? The Naval Raid on Zeebrugge and Ostend. IN his statement in the House of Commons on April 24th, regarding the naval raid on Ostend and Zebrugge, Sir Eric Geddes stated that the difficulties of the undertaking were considerably increased by mist, rain and with corresponding low visibility and consequent absence of effective aerial observation. The following communique was issued by the Admiralty on April 24th :— " Following the naval operations on the enemy's coast yesterday morning, observations were made by aircraft and bomb attacks carried out. Observation was difficult owing to clouds, and on this account our machines descended as low as 50 ft. A clear break 20 yards wide was observed in the Zeebrugge Mole at its inner end. At Ostend a sunken object was seen lying between the piers, and blocking the greater part of the fairway. Numerous bombs were dropped on objectives on shore." British Official. THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE ON THE WESTERN FRONT IN FRANCE R.A.F. scouting squadron, who fly low to use their machine guns on the enemy masses. 468
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
