FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1948
1948 - 0318.PDF
272 F L1G HT MARCH 4TH, 1948 Service Aviation located by a Sundeiland from Calshotwhich homed on a Lancaster from St. Eval to continue the shadowing beforethe exercise was broken off. Blood Donors, DURING the past 12 months nearly2,000 R.A.F. recruits passing through the centre at West Kirby,Cheshire, have given blood to the National Blood Transfusion Service. V.R. and Auxiliary Help for A.T.C TO help in the instruction of A.T.C.units, arrangements have been made for members of the R.A.F.V.R. andR.Aux.A.F. to volunteer as instructors up to a maximum of 44 hours a year.AttendaTices will count for training and travelling expenses allowances, and to-wards the annual bounties. R.A.F. Food THE Secretary of State for Air, Mr.Arthur Henderson, visited R.A.F. Station, Halton, on February 20th andspoke of the way in which the Service could help itself to make good some ofthe cuts that had been made in rations. Mr. Henderson had this to say to thecooks of all units: '' The new ration scale gives everyone in the Royal Air Forcethe same calories as they had before, but it is up to you cooks to turn thesecalories into attractive dishes. Your watchword has got to be ' ingenuity.'This switch over from dollar food items represents a challenge to your skill ascooks, and I am sure the whole Service will be closely watching to see bow yourespond." Speaking to the officers and airmen,Mr. Henderson said that they could miti- gate the cuts if each Unit garden pro-duced a greater quantity of food. " Here, at this magnificent station," he said,"you have a Unit garden of which any station might be proud. Last year itcontributed to the £125,000 worth of food produced by the R.A.F. which, inspite of tlu- reduction in the size of the Force, showed an increase 01 £30,000over the figure for 1946." Reunions *T*HERE will be a 644 Squadron Dance-•- on April 10th at the "Goat and Compasses," 341, Euston Rd., London.Details can be obtained from the Hon. Sec, B. R. Tough, 9, The Crescent,Egham, Surrey. The second annual reunion of No. 514 Squadron will be held at the Horseshoe Hotel, Tottenham Court R<1., W.i on April 17th at 6.30 p.m. 10s 6d each, from R. A. B Southey Rd., Worthing, Sussex. * . , * * The number of the Servicing Echelonmentioned in the notice concerning the 157 Squadron reunion, published in thesepages last week, should have read 6157, not 3081. Mt.A.F. Victory Over Navy IN the season's first inter-Service Rugbyfootball match which took place at Twickenham on February 21st, theweather had a considerable influence on the game. However, the R.A.F. de-served their 16 points to 11 victory, and the score is quite representative of thegame. Bitterly cold wind and snow flurries made hands stiff and blue andkept all but a few hundred spectators away. Within a few minutes of the kick-offthe R.A.F. went ahead with a penalty scored by Smailes, their full back. TheNavy forwards then got busy and in addition to getting the best of the loosescrums they harassed Hay, the R.A.F. scrum half whose service to Plumb suf-fered for a time. From the set scrums the R.A.F. seemed to get a little moreof the ball, and but for the close mark- ing of both pairs of centres scores might well have been higher. There werescarcely any forward rushes by either team throughout the game, the tendencybeing to feed the outsides even when de- fending inside their own twenty-five. Quite early in the game Douglas, thelarge, hard-running R.A.F. wing who proved difficult to pull down, and isprobably faster than he looks, made one particularly good run, and pressing hardthe R.A.F. used the ground gained to increase their lead to seven pointsthrough an excellent drop goal by Crerar. Just previously, a good Navy run hadnarrowly missed scoring, but a penalty given under the R.A.F. posts gave theNavy their first three points. Murphy O'Connor with an unorthodox kickingtechnique just succeeded in swerving the ball over the bar. The Navy now struck their best formof the afternoon, and a very good move- THE R.A.F. TEAM : L to R. (Back Row), Mr. A. W. C. Austin, Referee, FL. W. £. Thompson, F/L J. Steele, LAjC A H. Burcombe, F L. £. C. K. Douglas, FO. A. M. Whittington FO R. Watson, A!C. R. G. Crerar. (Middle Row) P.O. L. B. Cannell, F/L A. A. Smailes S;L C. H. Beamish, F L. R. G. H. Weighill, FL. E. L. Horsfall, S/L F. W. Higeinson. (On Ground) F 0. S. Plumb, F, 1. W. T H. Hay ment following an interception by Ben-nett, the international, resulted in an un- converted try by Lewin.The score remained at 7 to 6 points to the R.A.F. until shortly after half-timewhen, with the Navy getting most of the ball and the R.A.F. forwards and halvesplaying a scrappy game, Smailes failed to reach a Navy kick ahead and, hesi-tating for a vital moment, was too late to follow the leg bounce and McLennantouched down near the posts. This was the try Murphy O'Connor converted, andthe Navy went into the lead with 11 points to 7. On the play at that timethe Navy appeared to have the game in hand. However, the ball soon came outto Douglas, the R.A.F. wing, from a scrum near the centre of the field. Heran to the right, but finding his way blocked, threw out a very long passacross the field to Cannellon the left, and he, with an excellent burst of speed,rounded the Navy defence and secured near the corner flag. Smailes, whose placekicking was excellent, made a glorious conversion to give the R.A.F. a 12 to 11point lead. This was the turning point for thwhole R.A.F. side who now attack* vigorously. Plumb and Crerar hot'making some fast elusive runs. Quite soon a long, low drop kick by Crerarskimmed over the bar to put the R.A.F score up to 16 points to the Navy's 11.A number of mistakes were made during the game, and although tiif-tackhng was good in the centre on both sides the R.A.F. gained ground onseveral occasions from kicks ahead be- cause the Navy outsides were slow toturn in defence. The R.A.F., whose wingers, including Weighill the captain,did some particularly useful spoiling work on the Navy halves, might havetaken better advantage of the Navy ten- dency to knock the ball back from theline out. Of the 22 matches played since 1920the Navy have won 16 and the Royal Air Force lour, two being drawn. OnMarch 6th the Royal Navy meet th< Army, and on April 3rd the Army plavthe R.A.F. Both matches take place at Twickenham and the kick-off is to beat 3 p.m. M. A. S.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
