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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 1694.PDF
446 FLIGHT OCTOBER JTH, 1948 Service Aviation Force officer needs leadership, leadershipof a high order, the leadership which is based on personal and individual in-tegrity and example, the leadership which inspires loyalty by imaginationand understanding. " I have also heard it said that theAir Force officer has nothing to do but fly—a horrid hang-over from the daysof active and intense operations during the late war. During times of greatoperational intensity it is, of course, true that aircrews had to be given maxi-mum opportunity to recuperate between sorties, and they were consequentlyrelieved of many of their normal duties by temporary ground staffofficers. This: was clearly* a war emer- gency measure and, even so, was by no Award The King has been graciously pleasedto approve the following award: — George Cross Flight Sergeant Stanley James Wood-bridge (deceased), R.A.F.V.R?, ifejsssg. Squadron.F LT. SGT." WOODBRIDGE was awireless operator in the crew of a Liberator which crashed in the jungle inBurma whilst operating against the Japanese on Jan. 31st, 1945. Togetherwith five other members of the crew he was captured by the Japanese, who tor-tured them in an endeavour to obtain information of use to the Japanese In-telligence Service. Eventually the four N.C.O.s were separated and conveyed bymotor transport to a forest, where they were put to death by beheading. Threeofficer's and three N.C.O.s of the Im- perial Japanese Army were subsequentlybrought to trial by a. Military Court, means always applied in units overseas. "It is remarkable how many miscon-ceptions there are about the nature of the Air Force job. I have had youngfellows ask me, ' What shall I be given to do when I stop flying in five or sixyears? ' I agree that there are some types of operational flying which call fora standard of physical fitness probably the perquisite of youth—say under 30—but flying and flying appointments are not a-monopoly of youth. Twice duringthe air exercise the Commander-in-Chief of Fighter Command fetched up at theairfield I was visiting flying his own single-seater fighter (nothing unusualabout this), just a normal practice. " Sometimes one hears it said thatwhat the Air Force lacks is the tradition of the older Services. Length of tradi-tion we do lack—that is inevitable, but I will give way to no one on the quality of our tradition. Events such as the Battle of Britain, the defence of Malta, the retreat to El Alamein have inevit- ably caught the eye of the public and the historian, but they are but expres- sions of what I regard as the most fundamental and deep-rooted tradition in the Royal Air Forte—the tradition that nothing is impossible—that, some- how, any new problem can be" solved, and if the old and traditional methods won't do new methods must be devised. Supply of Berlin was impossible—but—! " This is one of the reasons why I say the Royal Air Force needs young men with a call, men with vision and faith, vision to see bow the ever- changing problems of the future (scien- tific, technical, strategic, tactical) can be met gnjg solved, and iaith in Air Force apwer as the guardian of peace aniLJiJr\var, the architect of victorv." charged with the torture and murder ofthe four airmen; they were all found guilty. Three were hanged and thrsentenced to terms of rigorous im-prisonment. At the trial it was'revealed"*that the Japanese concentrated theirefforts on Fit. Sgt. Woodbridge in anendeavour to obtain technical informa-tion regaiding wire- 1 e s s equipment,secret codes, wave- lengths, etc. AJapanese technical Flight Sergeant officer was detailed S. i. Woodbridge,to make the interro- G.C. gation and the ser-vices of two interpreters were engaged; but, in spite of repeated torture, includ-ing kicking, beating with belts and with a sword, Fit. Sgt.Woodbridge stead- fastly refused toreveal any informa- tion whatever. Thefinal interrogation took place actuallyat the place of exe- cution, when it wasobvious to the un- fortunate prisonerthat he was to be put to death; even so,he maintained his courageous attitudeto the end, merely remarking that ifthe Japanese were going to kill himthey should do it quickly. After allefforts to make him speak, includingf u r t li c r torture, were found to befruitless, this gal- AID FROM THE UNION: The Senior Air Staff Officer of Transport Command, A.V.-M. R. L Rage, C.B.E., A.F.C., wel- comes one of the SO aircrew members of the South African Air Force who are to fly R.A.F. aircraft in the Berlin air-lift. tTS.C.CLwas beheaded on Februaryth» i<H5r/P\\. Sgt. Woodbridge be- haved thm^hout with supreme courage.Q lyalty to his country and pj^diegard for his ownfet"Sr evej^unto death, constitute one i ^Jfchi&test examples of valour in theRoyal Air Force. .A.F. Supplementary List I ^IIE Air Ministry announces the open- -*- ing of the R.A.F. Supplementary List to former airmen and airwomen who are willing and ready to return to the Service at the very outset of an emer- gency. This will be their only obh ga- tion. They should write or apply to any R.A.F. Station or Recruiting Centre, to Air Ministry (S.14 (a)), London, or at the Air Ministry Information Bureau, Kingsway, London. There is already a supplementary list for former R.A.F. and W.A.A.F. Officers. Appointment THE Air Ministry announces the ap-pointment of Air Vice-Marshal C. W. Weedor^ as Senior Air Stafi Officer toR.A.F. Technical Training Command, taking effect from Oct. 18th. A.V-M.Weedon has been A.O.C. No. 41 Group* Maintenance Command, since July, 1946. Auxiliary Appointments CQUADRON LEADER D. E. PROUD-»-5 LOVE has been appointed Com- manding Officer of No. 600 (City ofLondon) Squadron, R. Aux.A.F.; vice S/L. T. N. Hayes, D.F.C. The presentbase of No. 600 Squadron is at Biggin Hill, with Town H.Q. at FinsburyBarracks, City Road, E.C.i. Volunteers with R.A.F. experience prepared tomeet the Squadron's urgent need for ground crews should apply in writing toS/L. Proudlove at R.A.F., Biggin Hill. S/L. A. H. P. Noel is to commandNo. 3615 (County of Glamorgan) Air Defence Unit, R.Aux.A.F., based atR.A.F. Station, Cardiff. The Unit is affiliated to No. 614 (County of Glamor-gan) Auxiliary Squadron. Reunion NO. 143 Squadron Reunion will be heldon Saturday, December nth, 1948, at the Unicorn and Dukes Restaurant, 177, Jermyn Street, S.W.i. Details from J. A. Selka, 68A, Emm La«te. Meaton, Bradford, Yorks. A 18
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