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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 0125.PDF
JANUARY 2OTH, 1949 FLIGHT CONSCRIPTION AND THE RAF. A National Serviceman Relates His Experience and Offers Some Suggestions RECENT articles in Flight have focused national atten-tion on the numerous problems which to-day besetthe Royal Air Force, and several solutions have been proposed. The subject is one of such vital import- ance in the pattern of defence that all opinions, if backed by personal experience and knowledge, should merit con- sideration My own views, which are those of a conscript member of the R.A.F. for a mere two years, may appear on the surface to be of small importance; nevertheless, they are relevant and will not, I trust, be dismissed too lightly. Anyone who has questioned a National Serviceman on the sub- ject of his enforced occupation will have encountered, almost invari- ably, vehement expressions of dis- satisfaction ; constructive criticism comes more rarely, and I intend to weigh up as far as possible the pros and cons for conscription, with par- ticular reference to the R.A.F., from a "victim's" viewpoint. My two years' service began 12 months after the war ended—in August, 1946. Keen and eager, I arrived at a well-known dispersal centre in Lancashire, with many companions in varying degrees of keeness and eagerness. Eight days elapsed before we had obtained a uniform and identity card; eight days, almost, before there was any official sign that our arrival had been noted. We left for a recruit centre with a feeling of distrust of Air Force organizing ability. At the '' square-bashing school'' about 1,000 hours of spare- time A.T.C. attendance were laughed off with a brusque "forget all you ever learnt." The N.C.O.s were mostly "sweating on demob," and were as contemptuous of us as we were awed by them. They succeeded, however, in moulding our marching into a spectacle not too unpleasant to behold, and insisted that we be initiated most thoroughly in all branches of " bull." We were dispersed to various stations for trade training, and a number of us went to Wales for instruction as flight mechanics (engine). After six months, the necessary pro- ficiency had been obtained, and posting to the Middle East was announced. Fifteen minutes after receiving two inocu- lations, I learned that a conversion course to the more skilled trade of fitter II (engine) had necessitated cancella- tion of my overseas posting, as I had just acquired the 55 per cent rating which automatically preceded such a course. Despite protests that my mechanical aptitude was obvi- ously slight, and the fact that flight mechanics on regular engagements (who would be denied all prospects of promo- tion until they had attained the status of fitter) were being sent abroad, I was relentlessly despatched to a training school in Bedfordshire for a further six months' study of engines. Another posting to the Middle East followed. This time I received three inoculations and got as far as the transit camp, even acquiring two khaki-drill suits. After waiting for seven weeks, I had to return the tropical clothing. It had been decided that sending abroad airmen with a few months' service left was useless, and "home postings" were hurriedly organized. The airfield on which I spent my remaining seven months in the Service was the home of three squadrons of Meteors, and playing a part in the maintenance of modern fighters seemed to be an alluring prospect—a recruiting poster turned to reality. It was puzzling at first, and eventually 8 25 IN publishing a series of articles on theproblems of the present-day R.A.F. we have aimed at giving the views of all levels of theService. We began with two articles by Air Chief Marshal Sir Philip Joubert (December9th and 23rd, 1948). These were followed by a contribution from Air Commodore Howard-Williams (January 6th, 1949). Last week an Airman, Mr. F. A. S. Brown, gave his opinions,and the present article, written by a conscript, may be said to be a worm's-cye view. Thisparticular " worm " did not turn, but doubtless he often felt very much like doing so. The cross-section of opinions disclosed shouldbe of some service to the Air Ministry in pin- pointing targets for to-day, spots whereenergetic action appears to be needed. frustrating, to find that the much-publicized shortage of skilled tradesmen had not affected this particular unit to any noticeable degree. In the case of engine trades, cer- tainly, it was virtually impossible for the veritable swarm of N.C.O.s to find sufficient work to occupy more than about two-thirds of a man's day, even allowing for a liberal ration of that popular standby, hangar-sweeping. For a number of reasons, which I will later attempt to analyze, there was among the men a painful lack of enthusiasm, and no feeling that a useful job of work was being done. ->- When I was released from the Service in August last year, my elation was not tempered by a single regret. In passing, I must add that the demobilization mach- inery was of outstanding effi- ciency ; if conscription might be compared with the four-stroke cycle, the exhaust valve appeared to be the only component not in need of a thorough overhaul. Such were the prosaic circum- stances in which I formed my im- pressions of the post-war Air Force. To many my words will appear the precocious chirpings of an insignificant " erk," but I feel that, although my rank and achievements could have been no smaller, I was in a splendid position for observation. If a military force is to operate efficiently it must possess discipline. No rational person would ever deny this. In- terpretations of the word are so varied, however, that the measures adopted to instil discipline produce results as unlike as chalk and cheese, and will be unsatisfactory in any form other than self-discipline, which can only exist in a contented service. Discontent and depression have done more to mar the efficiency of the Air Force to-day than any of the shortages of men or equipment featured in official excuses. There have been many reasons for the disturbing drop in morale, and to define them in tang- ible form is far from simple. The first step in establishing a better spirit, among ground personnel at least, is to ensure that every man has a full share of work in his own particular occupation, and an allotment of responsibility proportionate to his rank, knowledge and intelligence. Automatic promotion through seniority is manifestly a foolish system and should be abolished. I could see no obvious reason why, as an engine fitter, I should have been in a position to sign away a pilot's life on a Form 700, but was at the same time prohibited from running the engines, as my sleeve was devoid of stripes. This despite the fact that my recent training gave me a more thorough knowledge of the workings of a gas turbine than that possessed by the majority of the N.C.O.s, or, for that matter, the pilots. Additional duties imposed upon the servicing tradesmen often carry them to the fire section, cookhouse, or other parts of the camp entirely disconnected from the technical side, but the spectacle of a horde of cooks or clerks in- dustriously sweeping a hangar has yet to be seen. I have no desire to urge the introduction of trade unions into the R.A.F., but illogical distribution of fatigues should be avoided, as men are obviously best employed in the job for which they have been trained. An airman who has spent half the night tramping round the camp roads on "fire piquet" generally shows little enthusiasm for clean-
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