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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 1106.PDF
of the R.A.F. We have said that this grant is in no way in conflict with the decisions of misdirected economy to which we have referred elsewhere. With not the slightest desire to appear churlish, we must point out that the announcement of this encouragement programme at the present juncture may even have been calculated to assist in taking the raw edge off the other by enabling the Government to say to the critics of its " economical " policy : " See what we are doing for aviation." We do not like saying this, but the position seems to us to be so serious that it is essential that people should not have dust thrown in their eyes. The ^ *s sta*e(* on g°°d authority that Meteoro- arrangements are being made for the logical whole of the meteorological work of Department the Empire to be undertaken by the R.A.F. Hitherto the study of the weather has been the work of a number of different departments. At the outbreak of war the Meteorological Office was the only British Govern ment organisation devoted to matters and problems connected with the weather. It was under the direction of Dr.—now Sir Napier—Shaw, F.R.S., one of the ablest meteorologists of the time, and was generally admitted to be among the very best organisations of its kind in the world. He it is who is designated head of the new Department. The despatch of the Expeditionary Force to France in 1914 neces sitated the formation of a meteorological department to assist the high command, and this was accordingly formed, and proceeded overseas early in 1915. As the size of the armies grew this service was expanded, and became a section of the Royal Engineers, the commissioned ranks being drawn almost entirely from the professional staff of the Meteorological Office. It proved itself of the utmost value to the armies in France, Italy and Salonica. Again, in 1915, a certain number of the staff of the Meteoro logical Office were commissioned for service with the airship section of the R.N.A.S., and it was this service which ultimately formed the nucleus of the organisa tion which, after the fusion of the R.N.A.S. and the R.F.C. to form the Royal Air Force, became known as the R.A.F. Meteorological Service. AUGUST 21, 1919 A few of these officers remained with the Navy, and now constitute the Naval Meteorological Service, though by far the great majority were transferred, as already stated, to the R.A.F. The arrangement forecasted appears to mean that the R.E. service and that belonging to the Navy will now, or in the very near future, pass over to the control of the R.A.F. This seems to be a very wise arrange ment. The increasing importance of aviation and the extent to which it depends for success on accurate forecasting of the weather in any particular area lies behind the decision. The single department to be created will eventually form a branch of an international meteorological service, which will give the subject world-wide study and issue reports for the guidance of all. Plans are being made for the organisation of meteorological stations along the great Empire air routes, though how far these, plans are destined to fructify is a matter which depends very largely on the attitude of the Treasury. It is clear that it is work that will have to be done if aviation is to develop along its proper lines. It is of no avail to encourage the use of these routes if that use is to be made doubtful, or even impossible, by the want of reliable information as to the con ditions likely to be encountered on any given day. It is not too much to say that the whole future of civilian flying—or Service aviation, for that matter— depends almost as much on the organisation and proper working of a world-wide meteorological service as upon an adequate supply of machines and trained pilots. The one is the complement of the other. As to the movement for co-ordinating the whole of our meteorological services, it is to be welcomed on every account. Instead of having two or three departments, all engaged on the same 1 esearch work and issuing the same reports, covering a necessarily limited field because of inevitable over lapping, we shall have a single service, under a single head, working towards a single end. The new Department will come under the Con troller-General of Civil Aviation, with its head quarters, in all probability, at the Air Ministry, though it is understood that the expense of the service will be met by a special grant, and will not come within the Air Estimates. SI E B A COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT COMPETITION IN the House of Commons on August 14, Maj.-Gen. Seely, in reply to a question by Lieut.-Colonel Malone, made the important announcement that the Govern ment proposed to organise a competition for commercial aircraft and that the prizes would aggregate £64,000. Gen. Seely's statement was as follows:— " During the war the paramount necessity in air craft design was military efficiency, but for the successful development of aviation the first essential. is safety. The Government have accordingly decided to institute a competition with a view to obtaining a type giving greater safety. Any machine which succeeds in qualifying will represent a great advance a m A Medal for Darfur Operations AN Army Order announces that the King has been pleased to approve of the forces employed in the Darfur operations accepting and wearing the silver medal, with clasps, granted by the Sultan of Egypt. Those entitled to it include detach- in respect of safety and comfort over any machine at present in use. " The Treasury have agreed to the competition, and I am sure that, even at this juncture, the House will not grudge the funds for prizes. Prizes will be offered for three types of aircraft-—a smaller aero plane, a larger aeroplane, and a seaplane respectively. In addition to the advantage to civil aviation, the lessons learnt will be of the greatest value to the Royal Air Force. " The precise terms of the competition will be announced in a few days. If all the competitions are won, the amount required for prizes would be about £64,000." ments of the R.F.C. who were at Rahad between March 1 and December 31, 1916. The decorations, when ready for issue, will be forwarded to officers by the Secretary, War Office (A.G. 10), 27, Pilgrim Street, E.C.4, and to other ranks by the officer-in-charge of records concerned. 1108
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