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Aviation History
1922
1922 - 0720.PDF
*2I^ DECEMBER 7, 1922 THE ROYAL AIR FORCE STAFF COLLEGE " CONFERENCES rather than Cramming " is not the official motto of the Royal Air Force Staff College at Andover, but perhaps it expresses fairly well the spirit in which, under the guidance of its Commandant, Air-Commodore Brooke- Popham, the College is working during this, its first, year of existence. Opened on April 4, 1922, the R.A.F. Staff College marks, as Air-Marshal Sir Hugh Trenchard, Chief of the Air Staff, said in his opening address, " a signpost, and on the signpost are the words ' To Efficiency, Economy, and Foresight.' " The R.A.F. Staff College may be described as the cradle of the brains of the R.A.F., and to a very great extent the manner in which the R.A.F. of the future will develop depends upon the work done at Andover. The General Staff has recently been defined as " a system of co-ordinated functions, performed by persons working together, to a certain degree irrespective of rank, deriving their status from the fact that they are essential elements in the working of the whole." A Staff system is not peculiar to the Navy and Army ; it is the method by which authority conveys its intentions to, or renders them practicable by, the Executive. " The General Staff," as Clausewitz says, "is intended to convert the ideas of the Commander into orders, not only by conveying them to the troops, but far more by working out all necessary matters of detail, thus relieving the General from a great amount of trouble." By the courtesy of the Air Ministry and of the Commandant of the Staff College, Air-Commodore Brooke-Popham, we had the privilege, last week, of paying a visit to the Andover establishment, which is next door to the headquarters of No. 7 Group, Inland Area. Here we were permitted to gain an insight into the general principles upon which the Staff College is conducted, and were present, for some considerable time, at a conference between students, instructors, and one representative of the directing staff. The subject that was being discussed at this conference was the new Operations Manual, and it provided an excellent illustration of the very great advantage which the policy of " conferences rather than cramming " gives. In a case like this, the procedure is for the students to be divided into groups, usually three, who discuss among themselves a certain section of the Manual. Having thoroughly sifted the matter contained, and dis cussed every sentence, amendments or amplifications are suggested by each group, and during the conference which follows two representatives from each group meet in the library, where they place their views before instructors. Usually a member of the Directing Staff is present, but does not usually take part in the discussion. The section of the Manual under discussion is then gone through, sentence by sentence and paragraph by paragraph. Certain amend ments are accepted, subject always to the later approval of the Directing Staff, and the minutes of the conference entered in a special book. After the conference this book is handed to the Directing Staff, who enter in it their own views on each amendment, either disagreement or concurrence, and finally the book is to be sent to the Air Ministry, where the ultimate decision is made by the Chief of the Air Staff. It will be seen that the procedure is necessarily a slow one, but, on the other hand, the Air Ministry has, in this manner, the benefit of the accumulated experience of the officers, all of whom, students as well as instructors, have seen active service in various theatres of war. Thus there is real and immediate practical advantage in this system of conferences, in addition to their value in teaching the students to express themselves clearly and concisely. The Directing Staff of the R.A.F. College is composed as follows; Air-Commodore H. R. M. Brooke-Popham, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., A.F.C. (Commandant) ; Air-Commodore R. H. Clark Hall, C.M.G., D.S.O., L. of H.; Group Captain P. B. Joubert de la Ferte, C.M.G., D.S.O. ; Wing Commander W. R. Freeman, D.S.O., M.C., L. of H. ; Wing Commander C. H. K. Edmonds, D.S.O., O.B.E. ; Squadron-Leader B. E. Sutton, D.S.O., O.B.E., M.C., B.C. de G. ; Flight-Lieut. Adjutant C. B. Dick-Cleland. Of these officers four have previously served with the Army, and two with the Navy. Each year twenty students are admitted to the Staff College, and the course lasts for twelve months. During the present year the list of students is as follows : Wing Commanders: J. E. A. Baldwin, D.S.O., O.B.E.; R. E. C. Peirse, D.S.O., A.F.C. Squadron Leaders : B. F. Smythies, D.F.C., W. S. Douglas, M.C., D.F.C., C. W. Pulford, O.B.E., A.F.C., K. R. Park, M.C., D.F.C., W. A. McClaughry, D.S.O., M.C., D.F.C., C. F. A. Portal, D.S.O., M.C., L. L. MacLean, H. S. Powell, M.C., E. B. Beauman. Flight- R.A.F. STAFF COLLEGE, ANDOVER : Group of Directing Staff, Instructors and Students. Top row, left to right : Flight-Lieut. N. W. Wadham ; Flight-Lieut. J. B. Cole-Hamilton ; Flight-Lieut. W. B. Farrington, D.S.O. ; Flight-Lieut. G. M. Lawson, M.C. ; Flight-Lieut. H. S. Kerby, D.S.C., A.F.C. ; Squadron-Ldr. K. R. Park, M.C., D.F.C. ; Flight-Lieut. W. R. D. Acland, D.F.C., A.F.C. Middle row, left to right : Squadron-Ldr. H. S. Powell, M.C. ; Squadron-Ldr. C. W. H. Pulford, O.B.E., A.F.C. ; Squadron-Ldr. E. B. Beauman ; Squadron-Ldr. C. F. A. Portal, D.S.O., M.C. ; Squadron-Ldr. L. L. MacLean ; Flight-Lieut. R. M. Drummond, D.S.O., O.B.E., M.C. ; 0 Flight-Lieut. E. B. C. Betts, D.S.C., D.F.C. Bottom row, left to right : Flight-Lieut. C. B. Dick-Cleland (Adjutant) ; Wing-Commdr. R. E. C^ Peirse, D.S.O., A.F.C. ; Squadron-Ldr. B. E. Sutton. D.S.O., O.B.E., M.C. (Directing Staff) ; Wing-Commdr. C. H. K. Edmonds, D.S.O., O.B.E. (Directing Staff) ; Air-Commodore H. R. M. Brooke- Popham, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., A.F.C. (Commandant) ; Group-Capt. P. B. Joubert Az la Ferte, C.M.G., D.S.O. (Directing Staff) ; Wirig-Commdr.W. R. Freeman, D.S.O., M.C.( Directing Staff) ; Flight-Lieut. C. H. Hayward. 720
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