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Aviation History
1920
1920 - 1033.PDF
•n •"• '•" •• ... / •• SEPTEMBER 30, 1920 Squad Drill at the Uxbridge R.A.F. Depot SITUATED in pleasant surroundings just outside Uxbridge, Middlesex, and not as yet rigidly fenced off from the outer world, is the R.A.F. Depot, where, among many other activi- ties, the examination and training of airmen is now carried out. An idea of the size of this establishment may be formed when it is pointed out that at the present moment there are approximately 600 men being examined and undergoing training at the Uxbridge Depot. The examinations are of different characters, beginning with the medical examination, and passing through educational and trade examinations to the final one before the men are either posted to various units or, as is more frequently the case, to the Manston training centre for further technical training. While the R.A.F. is essentially a technical service, it is realised that there may be times when units may be called upon to defend their stations when serving abroad, and so at Uxbridge musketry and squad drill are among the subjects in^which proficiency must be attained before the men are considered ready for leaving. By the use of modern systems of training* the time required to reach the required standard is much shorter than formerly, the chief secret of the new system, we understand, being that the men are taught to repeat each command and therefore much more rapidly learn the movement or man- oeuvre following the command. That the new system is effec- tive will be realised when it is pointed out that some of the men are sufficiently trained after four weeks only, and the longest time required for the Soldiering " part of the training at Uxbridge is three months, while a fair average would probably be two months. During a recent visit our representative saw several squads at drill, and one which was composed of men who had been at the Depot eight weeks only did a slow march of which no old soldier need be ashamed. Apart from the squad drills the men are put through a course of physical exercise in the gymnasiums, not forgetting lessons in the noble art of self-defence, which is greatly enjoyed by the men. Although the technical train- ing of the men is not under- taken at Uxbridge, certain duties which they may later be called upon to perform are included, such as propeller- swinging. For this purpose a batch of fuselages, complete with their engines are housed in a shed with open front, with wire netting screens so as to prevent pieces of paper, etc., from being sucked into the THE HEADS ;OF,THE R.A.F. UXBRIDGE DEPOT : On the right] the CO. of the Depdt, Group-Capt. Hearson, C.B., D.S.O., and on the left Squadron- Leader Baldwin, D.S.O., O.B.E.1 M propellers. To the uninitiated this particular shed has somewhat the appearance of a poultry-house, until one is undeceived by the roar of a Gnome mono., a couple of B.Rs., and one or two Rolls-Royces and Siddeley- Pumas. The men differ considerably in the time taken to become proficient in the gentle art of " prop, swinging," some getting the knack almost at once, others never becoming more than indifferent at the game. Although the time is probably not far distant when this antiquated method of starting an engine will be abandoned altogether, the training is m'ost excellent, and 10 minutes of attempting to start a refractory engine is worth all the physical culture " systems " ever invented. Although the training at Uxbridge is thorough and efficient, the life of the airmen is by no means all work and no play. In addition to the boxing matches arranged at intervals, there are facilities for ball games of various sorts, in which the men join with great interest. The officers have purchased and are maintaining, out of their by no means excessive pay, quite a nice batch of beagles, toward whose keep the men are not asked to contribute, but which they are per- mitted to follow. For rainy evenings the Uxbridge Depot sports a cinema the equal of which might be difficult to find at any R.A.F. station, as may be judged from one of §ur photographs. It should also be mentioned that up to a short time ago Uxbridge was the only depot to have a pukkah band. The CO. of Uxbridge Depot is Group-Capt. Hearson, C.B., D.S.O., who was in the K.B. section at one time during the War, and who probably holds the record for parachute jumps, having made close on 300 descents. Later he made quite a name as CO. of one of the cadet training schools. He is ably assisted by Squadron- Leader Baldwin, D.S.O., O.B.E., and a staff of officers, each of whom is a specialist in his own line. From Uxbridge, those men who require training are sent to Manston, a large aerodrome lying between Margate and Ramsgate, one of the healthiest spots in England, where the school of technical training, as it is designated, has been laid out. At present there are well over 1,000 men under train- ing at Manston, and before long it is anticipated that the 1,500 mark will be reached. There are two sections, No. 1 and No. 2, but when the full number is reached there will be a third section, so that1 each 1035
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