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Aviation History
1918
1918 - 1240.PDF
t, November 7, 1918, Firtt Aero Weekly in the World. rounder and Bditor i STANLEY SPOONKR. AJmil derated I* the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and TraoiporC OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ROYAL AERO CLUB OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. No. S15. (No. 45, Vol. X.) NOVEMBER y, 1918. rWeekly, Price 64.L Poet Free, 7<L and Tht Airtrafl Engitutr. Mdittrial Office: 36, GREAT QUEEN STREET, KINGSWAY, W.C. 2. Telegrams: Truditur, W«itcent, London. Telephone: Gerr«id i8»8. Annual Subscription Rates, Post Free: United Kingdom .. tls. md. Abroad 33J. ad: These rates are subject to any alteration found necessary ander war conditions. CONTENTS. Editorial Comment: PAGE The Chevrons Injustice '.. .. .. .. .. .. ., ,1241 An International " Independent" Air FoKe .. .. .. .. 1242 Labour after the War .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1242 Peace-Time Flying .. .. .. .. .. ... .. " .. 1244 The Aintree Strike .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1244 Rabies and the R.A. F. .. • . .. .. 1245 Honours .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1246 The Royal Aero Club. Official Notices ras3 The Roll of Honour .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1254 The zoo h.p. Austro-Daimler Aero Engine .. .. .. .. .. 1255 Airisms from the Four Winds .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1260 Personals .. .. .. .. ., .. .. .. .. .. 1262 The Royal Air Force 1264 Aviation in Parliament .. .. .. .. .. .. ., .. 1267 Aircraft Work at the Front. Official Information .. .. .. .. 1268 SideWinds 1270 EDITORIAL COMMENT. " Newspapers are an essential part of our war organisation." (Sir Auckland Geddes, Minister of National Service.) 1E confess we remain unconvinced by the lame excuses put forward by Major Baird to account for the deprivation of officers and men of the R.A.F. of the chevrons awarded to them for services against the enemies of the King. Mr. Hogge asked him to explain to the House of Commons why the •personnel of the Force was not allowed to wear chevrons, and the only answer the Chevrons Under-Secretary was prepared with was Injustice to the effect that the Air Council had very carefully considered the question, and were of opinion that the conditions of service in the R.A.F. had been found to make it impossible to conform to the practice adopted by the Navy and Army without inflicting injustice! Mr. Joynson- Hicks followed up the matter by asking specifically if it were a fact that officers and men who have served in the Army in France and have earned the chevrons are now compelled to take them off ? In answer to this very direct query, Major Baird said :— " The men who were engaged in-the defence of Lon- don, and did night work, but did not go overseas, would not be entitled to wear the chevrons, but the men engaged in anti-submarine work would be en- titled to do so. If we adopt either the Navy or the Army principle inevitably great injustice would be done." If that is not begging the question we do not know what it is. It seems on the face of it that in order to avoid what the Air Council fears might be an injustice it inflicts another and far graver one. More than that, it deliberately perpetrates what is nothing more or less than what we have described when dealing with this question on a previous occasion, as a gross breach of faith. We are rather surprised that neither Mr. Hogge nor Mr. Joynson-Hicks approached the matter from this obvious standpoint. Let us repeat that the Memorandum for the constitution of the R.A.F. lays down most definitely and clearly that no officer or man shall suffer as a consequence of his transfer to the Force " in pay, pension, decorations or re- wards." One of the very first acts of the Air Council is to make the personnel of the Force suffer in one of these directions, by depriving a very large proportion of the officers and men of " rewards " for service in the field. To whom, we should like to know, will justice be done by the perpetration of this injustice to others ? Is it to the senior officers of the Force— the Directors of this Department and that—who have never been nearer to the Front than Whitehall and cannot put up a chevron if the regulations allowed such decorations to be worn ? We are quite aware that there are numbers of officers of the Force whose essential work keeps them in England. There are others who are quite pleased with quiet jobs in London .and would turn heaven and earth to get out of it if they thought they were to be detailed for a job in which there was any danger. They have no desire to go anywhere that would qualify them for chevrons, and we can quite understand that they would be entirely in agreement with the decision of the Air Council to take them away from those who have honourably earned them, whether against the Boche armies in the field or even at the apparently despised work of keeping down the activities of the Hun submarines. Is it " justice " to these that the Council desires, to do ? However, we are glad the matter has been raised and even more pleased that it is not to be allowed to drop. Mr. Joynson-Hicks,
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