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Aviation History
1931
1931 - 0568.PDF
FLIGHT, JUNE 12, 1931 Mount Batten (nee Catte-water) had a long grass widow existence in charge of a care andmaintenance party. In Febru- ary, 1929, the present CO.,Wing Commander Sydney Smith, took command there and formedNo. 204 Squadron with South- amptons. Sqdn.-Ldr. Lloyd,who had not previously been a boit pilot, took command of itin the following September. In- cidentally, from the associationsof his name, one would have felt sure that the Station CO.must have originally been in the Navy ; but he was not. Hebegan life as a gunner. The Iris squadron, No. 209, began toform on January 15. 1930. Wing Commander Burling onlytook command of it in May this year, coming from a course atthe Senior Officers' (Army) : School at Sheerness. The three Wing - Commander Sydney W. Smith, O.B.E., Commanding Station H.Q., Mount Barter*. (FLIGHT .. • —•—~.-, Photo.) Above, and to the right, are three pictures of " Southamptons" of No. 204 (Flying Boat) Squadrontaking off in Plymouth Sound. The breakwater can be seen ahead. (FLIGHT Photos.) decorations implied by the initials after his name tellof gallant and good work in the Navy and the Royal Air Force. But the Air Force List does not mentiona certain plain dark blue ribbon which he wears on his right breast. It may be added that he certainly canput an Iris down slowly and gently on the water. Crede experto. Training and Operations Officers go through a course in boat work at Calshotbefore they are appointed to a F.B. squadron. The year's training of a squadron is divided into twoparts. From October to April the training is indi- vidual. The new pilots have to get used to applyingthe knowledge which they acquired at the school. All the personnel have to be trained in their variousduties. There is practice in navigation, in handling a boaKwhen the wind blows across the tide, in gun-nery, and in all the multitudinous functions which must be carried out by the crew of a boat. By theend of April each boat is ready to play its part in combined work. From May to September is the period of squadrontraining. The squadron goes on cruises. The exercis- ing area for Mount Batten is, roughly, the Irish Sea. 530
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