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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 0784.PDF
FLIGHT MAY 27TH, 1948 Service Aviation 1st last, 1,268 pilots, with 634 trainingin addition at University Air Squadrons. With 12,287 men and women who havevolunteered for spare-time duty in the Royal Observer Corps, the total numberwho have undertaken voluntary R.A.F. duties is now 15,562. S.A.S.O., Fighter Command '"PHOUGH no official announcement has-*- yet been made it is understood that A.V-M. E. J. Kingston-McCloughry, atpresent Air Officer Commanding No. 18 Group, Coastal Command and Senior AirForce Officer, Scotland, is moving to Stanmore at the end of this month asSenior Air Staff Officer to Fighter Command. His move south will be re-gretted in Scotland where he has been most popular and respected. Born at Adelaide, 1896, he wasa fighter "ace" with 27 "kills" to his credit in World War I, winning theD.F.C. and bar and D.S.O. in France in 1918. Between the wars he helped todevelop the first automatic bomb sight. Early in 1939 he joined the Directorate ofWar Organization at the Air Ministry and helped to organize the Air Striking Forcewhich moved to France in September of that year. In 1941 he was in SouthAfrica arranging the start of the Empire Air Training Scheme there, and after-wards became A.O.C. No. 44 (Ferry) Group—the British end of the Trans-atlantic Ferry. In that capacity he con- trolled the despatch from West Countryairfields of the great fleet of more than 1,000 aircraft for " Operation Torch "—the North African landings. In December, 1943, he joined the lateAir Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh- Mallory as head operational planner tothe Allied Expeditionary Air Force, organizing air cover and transport forthe invasion of Europe, and as liaison officer, he flew with Field Marshal Mont-gomery to France after the D-Day landings. He afterwards became R.A.F.representative on the Government of India's Defence Committee, re-organ-izing India's armed forces, and was late Senior Air Staff Officer at Air Head-quarters, India, until he returned to the United Kingdom to take up the 18 Groupappointment in January, 1947. The Air Vice-Marshal has writtenseveral books on air strategy and was one of the lecturers at "Operation Thunder-bolt " last year. Jointly with Admiral Dalrymple-Hamilton he commanded"Blue Force" in the naval-air "Exer- cise Dawn" just completed, being re-sponsible for co-ordinating the air forces taking part and for much of its planning Distinguishing Badges to Qo SEVERAL distinguishing badges in theR.A.F. will no longer be worn after June 1, following a review of thewhole position. Those abolished are the education officer's collar badge, bombdisposal and air/sea rescue service arm badges, and all badges showing countryof origin except the '' Poland '' shoulder badge for the R.A.F. Polish ResettlementCorps. The principle is to discard badges unless they are of specific value to theService. No further Pathfinder badges may be issued. " Half a Million Drops THE R.A.F. Parachute TrainingSchool at Upper Heyford, Oxford- shire, which trains all British airbornetroops, ha6 completed 500,000 jumps. Since the school was formed in 1940 im-provements in technique and equipment have transformed what was originallyregarded as a rather hazardous and frightening experience into somethingcommonplace. During the peak years for the training of parachutists (1943-45)the number of jumps at the school averaged about 110,006 a year. Up tothe end of 1945 there was one fatal accident in every 8,800 jumps. Since.1945 nearly 80,000 jumps have been made without one death. The injuryrate is one tenth of what it was in the early years of the school. Increased safety has been achieved byan exhaustive study of " exit technique " (how to leave the aircraft), "parachuteflying technique " (how to control drift and check oscillation of the canopy) andthe actual landing. Improved landing technique has been the biggest singlefactor in reducing accidents; improve- ments in technical matters have alsohelped to reduce the risks. High-speed photographs have enabled the openingof the canopy to be studied in detail. Other investigations have dealt with thedesign of the parachute bag, stowage of rigging lines, the porosity of canopies,and the effect of static electricity. So far as the parachute itself is concerned,one important factor governing safe descent is Stowage of the canopy lines.It is a tribute to the high standard main- tained by the school's packers, who in-clude a large number of W.A.A.F., that during the half million descents only oneof the fatal accidents could have been attributed to faulty packing. Instructors at the school are mainlyvolunteers from the R.A.F. Physical Fitness branch. Their training occupiesat least six months, and a vital part of their task is to imbue pupils with com-plete confidence. Training has now been brought to such n high standard of effi- ciency that provided no undue risks arttaken, large numbers of troops can be dropped into battle with negligiblecasualties due to parachuting injuries. The Commanding Officer of the schoolis G/C. T. W. G. Eady, who, since assuming command 2% years ago, hasmade seven jumps. Despite leg injuries received in a flying accident, he felt thatas commander, it was essential that he should have personal experience of para-chuting, and accordingly made his jumps over water to reduce the risk offurther injury. Reunions THE first Empire reunion of BomberCommand will be held at the Royal Albert Hall on March 12th, 1949.Sponsored by the Evening News, this reunion will be for all who served in theCommand, including W.A.A.F. Invita tions will also be extended to mem beof the American bomber forces who worked side by side with Bomber Com-mand, The joint Presidents are Viscount Rothermere, Air Marshal Sir RobertSaundby and A.V-M. D. C. T. Bennett. * * * The first Western Approaches reuniondinner will be held on November 9th, 1948, at the Connaught Rooms, GreatQueen Street, London, W.C.2; the fol- lowing are eligible to attend: all officerswho served with Western Approaches Command while in H.M. Armed Forces,the Merchant Navy, Women's Services, or in Allied Naval and Air Forces. Threeformer Commanders-in -Chief—Admiral Sir Martin Dunbar-Smith, V.C., K.C.B.,Admiral Sir Percy Noble, G.B.E., K.C.B., and Admiral Sir Max Horton,G.C.B., D.S.O.—will be present. Appli- cations for tickets, price £2 2s, shouldbe made immediately to the Secretary, Western Approaches Reunion Commit-tee, 3, Copthall Buildings, London, E.C.2, accompanied by brief details ofservice in the Command, and a stamped addressed envelope. No money need besent with original application as final allocation of seats will be by ballot. This year the Richmond branch of theR.A.F.A. is honouring the Comete Line Underground Escaping Organization ofFrance and Belgium with a reunion week-end in Richmond from June 4thto June 7th. In this connection, there will be a dinner-dance at the Bull Hotel,East Sheen, S.W.14, at 7 p.m. for 7.30 p.m., on June 4th, for which the R.A.FCentral Band has been engaged. Tickets, —17s 6d—from F/L. C. F. Muller,D.F.C., D.F.M., "Angel and Crown," Church Road, Richmond, Surrey. Crossedpostal orders or cheqtfes should be made out to Richmond branch, R.A.F.A. j SO WELL REMEMBERED —; The beachfront skyscftffiers of Durban are warmly remembered by thousands of British servicemen, Here they form a background to Harvards of the S.A.A.F. which, in company with a Dakota, lately flew from the Central Flying School at Nigel to Durban on the first post-war mass cross-Oountry fight.
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