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Aviation History
1930
UNTITLED0 - 0002.PDF
FLIGHT, JANUARY 3, 1930 of bloodshed. Peace had to be maintained with the minimum of expense. Foreign raiders on the northern and southern borders had to be repelled without provoking, if it were possible to avoid it, anew war. At the same time, a commercial air route had to be laid out by the units of the Royal Air Force across a particularly difficult desert terrain. Such were some of the problems which confronted Sir John Salmond when he took over the command in Iraq. The weapon with which he had to work had been forged amid the tumult of war, and had not yet " found itself " in peace. To make a success of such a task called for a man not far removed from a genius. Sir John Salmond made a glowing success of this task. Next came the initiation and organisation of Air Defences of Great Britain. Again, the idea was completely novel. Again, there had never been before anything exactly like it in the history of the world. Sir Jphn's experience in Iraq doubtless provided some precedent in general principles, but nearlv all the circumstances were entirely different. Again, guiding principles had to be formulated, and the organisation had to be made to conform to them. Again, tact was required in dealing with authorities not subject to the Air Ministry—for air defence tias not yet been recognised as one subject, whole and indivisible. The guns and searchlights are still provided by the War Office. Fortunately there was no difficulty in working with General Ashmore, who commanded the ground defences. The Air Officer Commanding in Chief found his squadrons ready, or at least some of them. He had to organise them into a Fighting Area and a Bombing Area. He found some guns and searchlights available, though not nearly enough. They, too, needed to be fitted in with the general scheme of defence. Of a system of coast watchers he found nothing. From 1923 until a year ago Sir John Salmond laboured at founding and organising his new command. The progress made was tested by a series of air exercises in 1927 and 1928. Lessons were learnt from these exercises, but it was found that the scheme of defence was sound. Sir John had scored another success in an unprecedented task. As Chief of the Air Staff, Sir John Salmond enters upon yet another stage of his career. The work which lies before him is both different and yet similar to the labours which he has so successfully mastered since the war. This time he has not to make a start from the beginning. Perhaps it would be easier for a man of his ability if he found the slate clean. He is well versed in initiation. To be the second post-war C.A.S. is to undertake a task quite as responsible and probably not much less difficult than to found a new command. There are problems still to be settled, and they are not small problems. The present arrangements for the supply of air units to the army and the navy bear in every way the stamp of tem- porary expedients. It may be the wisest course to let temporary expedients continue for a while longer. But it cannot be a matter of no concern to the Air Council that the number of squadrons allotted to work with the army is totally inadequate to the needs of the army in war, and that the army shows no disposition to shoulder part of the expense. If the War Office fondly imagines that in time of war the army will be able to borrow air squadrons from Air Defences of Great Britain, this fond hope should be firmly dis- pelled. The allocation of more squadrons to work with the army means, under present arrangements, an increase in the air vote, which gives the public a false impression of the cost of air defence. It is likewise an injustice to the air vote that it should bear the cost of the school of army co-operation. On the other hand, the Air Ministry should undoubted- ly take over the searchlights and guns which are an integral part of air defence. This reform has often been advocated by FLIGHT, and our view has recently received a strong confirmation from no less an authority than General Ashmore himself. Another point which certainly deserves the attention of the new C.A.S. is the question of using more airmen pilots. As there is every probability that the supply of short-service and medium-service officers will in due time automatically cease, the substitution for them of airmen pilots is likely to become a sheer necessity. If a new move is inevit- able, then the sooner it is made the better. This is a development which would be extremely popular with the non-commissioned ranks. In short, there lies before Sir John Salmond plenty of scope for that power of initiative and of organisation of which he has given such signal proofs in his previous commands. No cut and dried work will be his lot. The Royal Air Force is young and is still growing. We are convinced that the right man has been found to lead it on from youth to maturity. NEW YEAR HONOURS Barons Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Hugh Montague Trenchard, Bt., G.C.B., D.S.O. Chief of the Air Staff since 1919 ; Colonel, Royal Scots Fusiliers. Sir Charles Cheers Wakefield, Bt., C.B.E., LL.D. For public and philanthropic services. Order of the British Empire Civil Division "•"••'.• D.B.E. The Hon. Mary, Lady Bailey. For services to aviation. O.B.E. Capt. Roger Norman Liptrot, A.F.R.Ae.S., M.I.Ae.E., Principal Technical Officer, Air Ministry. M.B.E- Henry Lester Butler Tarrant, Esq., Chief Clerk, Meteoro- logical Office, Air Ministry. Order of the Bath C.B. Military Division) Air Commodore Reginald Percy Mills, M.C., A.F.C., Royal Air Force. Royal Victorian Order M.V.O. (Fourth Class) Sqdn.-Ldr. David Sigismund Don, R.A.F. Awards to Airmen . Bar to the Air Force Cross Flight-Lieut. Edward Goodwin Hilton, D.F.C... A.F.C. . Air Force Cross Flight-Lieut. John McFarlane, M.C. Air Force Medal 87076 Flight-Sergt. Joseph Edgar Brown.
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