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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 0039.PDF
JANUARY 2ND, 1941. "NOBODY'S BABY" Shabby Treatment of a Valuable Body of Men By A MEMBER OF THE OBSERVER CORPS " A BEING all eyes and ears, of uncertain /-% parentage, in some cases with arms (which **••*• he has no legal right to use) and very in- adequately covered." This may sound like some prehistoric monster, but is in fact a very fair description of a member of the Observer Corps. He has to be a creature " all eyes and ears," for on his sight and hearing depends to a large extent the structure of information concerning the ap- proach of enemy aircraft over this country. On this information are based the ability of Fighter Com- mand to launch its counter-attacks, and also the vast system whereby the civil population receives its warnings and subsequently (when Fighter Coaimand has carried out yet another mag- jfificent job of work) its "all clear" signal, rt is doubtful whether this all-important function of the Observer Corps is in any way appreciated by the community as a whole, but there can be no question that it is recognised by those in charge of R.A.F. operations, who would be the first to admit that any interruption in the service rendered by the Observer Corps would be a disaster of the first magnitude. Such being the case, and the Observer being obviously a person of very considerable importance in the whole scheme of defence, one would expect that the role which he plays would be clearly defined and adequately recog- nised, but this is very far from being the case. The original parents of this interesting child were the police, and, appar- ently for that reason, although the present work of the Observer Corps bears no relationship whatever to police. work. Observers are still issued with the blue-and-white armlet of Special Constables, with "Observer Corps " em- broidered in red letters to indicate that they have since been partially adopted by the R.A.F. The adoption, however, seems to bear no resemblance to the full legal adoption of an ordinary infant. Certainly the foster parent issues the pay warrant, and equally cer- tainly each Observer is described on the Certificate of Em- ployment issued to him as a member of the Royal Air Force Observer Corps. He is, however, forbidden to use Ijp&t designation himself. Disowned No pains are spared to impress upon him that he is in no way a part of the R.A.F. (except when the R.A.F. re- quires his services) but is purely a civilian. For example, if he is injured while on duty it has been made quite plain that his only compensation is to be found under the '' Per- sonal Injuries (Civilians) Scheme." Similarly, if his car is damaged when he is going to or from duty, or is at his post, he must wait for anvi hope of compensation until after the war. And yet, strangely enough, this civilian has in some cases been armed. Presumably the rifle with which he has been issued is intended to be used to protect his post in the event of invasion, yet should he so use it, and subsequently be taken prisoner, he is quite obviously liable, under inter- national law, to be shot out of hand as a jvanc-tireur. As for the question of covering, admittedly in a small number of cases blue dungarees, indistinguishable by any mark from those worn by the ordinary mechanic, have been tissued. Latterly a further arrangement has been made whereby four storm coats and two oilskins, as well as some gum boots, have been issued to each post. As the II An Observer at his plane table following the path of a raider. Theinformation is telephoned to Control Centre, and even a change of course and height is made known almost instantly. normal strength of a post is in the neighbourhood of twenty men, this means that those coming on duty on a night of rain or snow have to take over the garments used by their predecessors, and eventually pass them over to their suc- cessors in an even more unenviable condition than they found them. This, mark you, is in connection with a job which, at least in the operational areas, involves almost complete exposure to the elements. As for steel helmets, these are apparently a luxury beyond the dreams of avarice. Yet when the War Office has found it possible to equip well over a million Home Guards with denim suits during the summer, and have already equipped a fair proportion with serge suits for the winter, it can hardly have been beyond the powers of the Air Ministry to provide some adequate form of uniform clothing for the 30,000 or so members of the Observer Corps. It might have been thought, too, that thV; training of Observers for their very important work was a primary duty of the Air Ministry, yet no training schemes have been evolved, no Observer is tested for efficiency, and there is no special inducement to any individual to make hims jlf efficient. The high standard of general efficiency attained, in fact, is due solely to the enthusiasm of those in the Corps itself, a large number of whom were occupied in learning their job for many years before the war began. The above constitute perhaps the main criticisms which can be made of the treatment which this organisation has received, and is still receiving. There are a number of comparatively minor rmes. For example, every officer in the Observer Corps in receipt of pay less than /420 a year, which means the vast majority of such officers, is com- pelled, irrespective of private income, to register under the Unemployment Insurance Scheme and send in his cards duly filled in. Again, no clear ruling has been given to officers as to whether their appointment constitutes a Re- served Occupation, or whether they are liable, when their age limit is reached, to be taken from the extremely valu- able work which they are doing and put into the ranks of the Army. Each individual Observer must satisfy his local Income Tax Collector that the expenses which he has incurred in the course of his duties can properly be allowed as an In- come Tax relief, the presumably quite unconsidered assumption being that Observer Group Officers cannot be trusted to pass such expenditure as reasonable. Unimportant in itself, but perhaps typical of the official attitude to the Corps, is the fact that even Observer Group Officers, who have been recruited in the main from senior
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