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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 0931.PDF
APRIL 8, 1937- FLIGHT. 349 dismembered a generator, which now lay mute and use less on the deck ; it was suffering outrageous blows from a fourteen-pound hammer, and the sailor hit with relish. A fitter sat in the crumpled cockpit; a fierce lust animated his face, and unholy noises came from within. Now pieces were taken to the side and flung overboard with exhilara tion. The ship turned into wind, and ripped fabric flapped maddeningly. The W.O. at my side disengaged himself, and with zest tore it from its holding. A respectable air man devastated a rudder with a hacksaw, and finally flung the whole outfit over the side, as one might an unwanted kitten. "All right," said the W.O. "That will do. Go and get your dinners." Obediently the men trooped away, once again meekly CONSIDERING that the Air Force Rugby XV had to take the field at Twickenham last Saturday (April 3) without F/O. Pratt, P/O. Malcolmson (both internationals), F/O. G. A. Walker, and with no Beamish at all, while the Army fielded a XV with seven internationals, it is hardly surprising that the Army won a decisive victory. Their score was complicated. They got four placed goals off tries, one penalty goal, one goal from a mark, and one try. The Air Force scored three tries and have reason to feel highly pleased with themselves for doing so much. All through the first half of the game it w'ould be hard to overpraise the R.A.F. forwards. They got the ball in nearly every scrum and shoved the Army pack right back without any mistake. This gave the Air Force outsides plenty of chances, but, even more important, it starved the dangerous Army runners. From a very early stage it became clear that the Air Force three-quarter line was inferior in speed to their opponents, and also lacked penetrating power. At the same time it was obvious that the airmen's tackling would need to be deadly if the Army three-quarters were to be kept out. Plenty of energy was shown by the R.A.F. men in this tackling business; often they got their men round the neck, and often by the ankle; rarely did one see the deadly tackle round the waist which puts a stop to all nonsense. Let us once again quote the triolet in which H. B. Tristram, the great Oxford and England full back of the middle eighties, told full backs : — " If only you'll go With a rush for his middle, You'll tackle him low. If only you'll go, Never mind if you're slow; For the runner you'll diddle If only you'll go With a rush for his middle." All outsides may well take this to heart. To return to the forwards. Not only did they scrummage well all the first half, but they were fast and dashing in the open, and put in some glorious dribbling rushes. The second try, touched down by Sergt. Fox, was entirely the result of one of these irresistible rushes. If in the second half the Army forwards wore them down and got the ball out more often than not, at least the Air Force forwards come out of the match with high honours. A/C. Holland and Sergt. THE MANX AS already foreshadowed, there have been several modifi cations in the Isle of Man Air Race arrangements for this year, and the whole affair is being carried out on really big lines with ample prize money. The most important departure has been the introduction of the Tynwald Race, for machines with engines not exceeding 60 h.p., which will be flown on the same day and over the same course as the Manx Air Derby, i.e., Monday, May 31. For this race the winner will receive £50, and the runner-up £10 ; in order to encourage the entries of these small machines there will be an arrival prize of £10 for the pilot who reaches Ronaldsway at a moment nearest to the sealed time between 4 and 4.30 p.m. on the previous Saturday. In addition to the very worthwhile prize money for the three races, amounting to some £500 and donated by Mr. J. M. submissive to authority. In an hour's time they would be meekly attending their duties, meekly carrying out the safeguarding inspections, meekly following the regulations; entirely oblivious that the brutal instincts for destruction had been served, and their systems were the better for it. One can imagine them, possibly years afterwards, looking back with relish to the time when they did what they really wanted to do to an aero plane. The very best servants preserve the instinct of rebellion against mastership, and if this outlet is given vent they are the better for it. . . . One can only explain the vigour of Service football in this way. Thank you, " Lootenant." I am sorry you had a duck ing, but you've done a power of good to six members of H.M. Aircraft Carrier Spurious. Gascoigne did great work in the loose. The R.A.F. half backs were both good and bad. P/O. Spencer's passes from the scrum were so erratic that P/O. Moseby could rarely start an aggressive movement from them, and the whole attack was therefore stifled at birth. But both the halves ran well and it was Moseby who made possible P/O. Halford's try, which opened the scoring. Sergt. E. I. Parsons played a thoroughly sound game at full back, and the Air Force hardly suffered from the absence of F/O. Pratt. It would be depressing rather than instructive to tell the story of the game in detail. After twenty-four minutes' play the Air Force got a try. Then the Army scored two full goals, but just before half time the Air Force forwards got a second try, and the teams crossed over with the Army leading by two place kicks. The place kicking of Lce./Sergt. Owen of the Welch Regiment was one of the brightest features of the game. His kicks scored 14 points. In the second half the Army backs got plenty of the ball and their score began to mount as if Don Bradman were at the wicket. Lieut. Reynolds, recently capped as fly-half for England, and Lieut. Leyland were chiefly responsible, and their running was altogether too much for the Air Force defence. They went through pretty well as they liked. Variety was lent to the proceedings by Sergt. Owen kicking a penalty goal and then a goal-from a mark. But it does great credit to the Air Force that when things looked very black a quarter of an hour before the end, P/O. Rogers made a .really good run which resulted in a try by Gascoigne. Cpl. Shep- pard's good kick hit an upright. Well, well, let's hope for better luck next year. F. A. DE V. R. Teams : — Armv.—Cadet S. I. Howard Jones; Lt. E. R. M. Bowerman, Lt. H. P. Glass, Lt. R. Leyland, Lt. J. H. Marriott; Lt. F. J. Reynolds, Lt. G. J. Dean (Capt.); Lt. W. M. Mylis, L. /Sgt. C. R. Owen, Sgt. A. T. Boast, Lt. H. J. Sayers, Lt. C. L. Melville, Lt. J. H. H. Whitty, Lt. G. Taylor, Lt. J. H. Bowman. Royal Air Farce.—Sgt. E. I. Parsons (Dishforth); P/O. P J. Halford (Odtham), P/O. A. V. Rogers (Upper Heyford), Fit. Lt. K. B. B. Cross (Capt.) (l)uxford), F/O. J. M. Thompson (North Weald); P/O. W. G. Mosebv (Abingdon), P/O. R. H. Spencer (Upper Heyford); P/O. H. O. Jones (Lee), Sgt. L. Fox (Felixstowe), F/O. R. H. Waterhouse (Lee), Corp. C. W. Sheppard (Grantham), P/O. J. A. Roncoroni (Upper Hevford), Sgt. \V. F. Gascoigne (Upper Heyford), F/O. P. S. Hutchinson (Uxbridge), A/C.i J. Holland (Hendon). I AIR RACES Cubbon, Germ Lubricants have offered a trophy for the raca s from London, and the June Effort Committee are also giving g a cup to the winner of the Manx Air Derby. e The course for the long-distance race will be the same as s that used last year—Han worth, Speke, St. Bee's Head, a Maughold Head and Ronaldsway—while that for the Manx r and Tynwald Races will be three laps of the Island starting [1 from Ronaldsway. During the period of the big race the e Channel will be patrolled by a Naval vessel and by the Douglas e and Ramsey lifeboats. For the moment it is not quite definite t that the stop in the long race will be made at Speke, but this e is extremely probable. All three races will, of course, be run on a handicap basis, with Messrs. Rowarth and Dancy officiat- e ing. Once again Capt. R. H. Stocken, of 3, St. James's L Square, London. S.W.i, is the organising manager. SERVICES RUGBY TOURNAMENT Army, 29 Points : Air Force, 9 Points
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