FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1946
1946 - 0880.PDF
454 FLIGHT MAY 2ND, DEMOBILIZED : After a fine wartime record as a bomber, the Halifax is now proving a useful interim transport. The civilversion, known as the Halton, is shortly going into service with B.O.A.C. SERVICE AVIATION Royal Air Force and Naval Air Arm News and Announcements Pacific Fleet AppointmentT HE KING has been pleased to ap-prove the following appointment : Vice-Admiral Sir Denis \V. Boyd,K.C.B., C.B.E., D.S.C., to be Comman- der-in-Chief British Pacific Fleet, insuccession to Admiral Sir Bruce A. Fraser, G.C.B., K.B.E., to date earlyJune, 1946. Singapore Service ON April 22nd a York of TransportCommand inaugurated a daily ser- vice to Singapore, flying from Lyneham,Wiltshire, providing speedier carriage of Service mail and passengers to the FarEast. The new service, which is the longest yet scheduled, is expected totake three days and four hours for the journey. Flight times are: Cairo 14! hours,Karachi 30 hours, Calcutta 51 hours, and Rangoon 69 hours, including haltsfor refuelling and changing crews. The Singapore route has been made possibleby extensions to Changi airfield at Singapore. • . Awards Royal Air ForceT HE KING has been graciously pleased to approve the following awards: — George Cross.Fit. Lt. Hector Bertram GRAY, A.F.M., Royal Air Force (deceased).Whilst a prisoner of war in Japanese hands, Fit. Lt. Gray was one of a smallgroup of officers and men engaged in organizing a general escape. TheJapanese discovered the plan, and on July ist, 1943, Fit. Lt. Gray and twonon-commissioned officers were arrested. Two Army officers were arrested later. C Badge of No. 233G.R. Squadron, R.A.F.—" Fortis etFidelis" (Strong and Faithful). Badge of No. 608North Riding (F) Squadron, A.A.F.—"Omnibus Ungu- lis" (With AllTalons). He was interrogated on several occa-sions, starved, tortured and finally brought before a Japanese Court Martialwhere he was sentenced to death. He was subsequently shot.As the first officer to be arrested, Fit. Lt. Gray bore the brunt of the tortureinflicted by the Japanese. In spite of •this, and the fact that he was sufferingfrom illness when arrested and never recovered his health during the fivemonths of his imprisonment, he stead- fastly refused to implicate any others. His magnificent fortitude and. coufageous spirit in the face of torture re- mained unbroken to the last. Fit. Lt. Gray was born in 1911 atGillingham, Kent. He enlisted in the R.A.F. as an apprentice at Cranwell inJanuary, 1927, became a sergeant pilot in 1936, and was commissioned in April,1940. He was awarded the A.F.M. in 1939- O.B.E. (Mil.) Fit. Lt. E. S. A. Ss DEBS, R.A.F.V.K., No. 152(Jamaica) Sqn. M.B.E. (Mil.) Fit. Lt G. H. LONNBERG, R.A.F.V.H., No. 15O.T.U. Fit. Lt. B. BROWN it. VF.V.R.Lt. F. C. LORENTZ S.A.AF., No. 4 Sqn. W/0 E. G. S. MONK. R.A.F., No. 21 (P) A.F.U.V/fO. D. J. CRIMP, R.A.F., No. 1 Glider Train. £ School. No. 23 Group.W/O. D. B THROWER, R.A F.V.R., No. 405 Sen.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
