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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0348.PDF
346 FLIGHT, 13 March 1953 SERVICE AVIATION... Europe, including R.A.F. units of the 2nd A.T.A.F. R.A.F. Fighter Command will seek to intercept the' bombers as they return from their Continental missions, and to deal with day and night intruders which may attack bomber bases in the United Kingdom. "Jungle King" is the first large-scale R.A.F. exercise for the primary benefit of Bomber Command since Exercise "Bull dog" was held in 1949. R.N.V.R. on Cruise ON March 6th, 200 Naval Reserve officers and ratings, 35 of whom were from R.N.V.R. air squadrons, left Britain in H.M.S. Perseus for the United States, where the carrier will take on board equip ment provided under the military aid programme. The ship is expected to be away for 27 days, during which period the reserves will undergo sea training. On the way home a call will be made at Bermuda. Air H.Q., Singapore WITH the agreement of the Governor of Singapore, the title of Headquarters No. 230 Group, Seletar, under the com mand of A. Cdre. W. M. L. MacDonald, has been altered to Air Headquarters, Singapore. The A.O.C. Singapore will also assume responsibility for certain flying units based on Singapore Island. Head quarters No. 230 Group was formed on March 1st, 1952, to supervise the adminis trative control of R.A.F. Stations Seletar and Changi, plus a number of associated units on Singapore laland, and was estab lished to relieve the A.O.C. Malaya, of certain administrative commitments, not directly connected with his main responsi bility, for the direction of the air operations in Malaya. Farewell to No. 8 R.F.C. Woodley WITH over three hundred members and their guests present and with "every thing on the house," last Friday's farewell party of the club attached to No. 8 Reserve Flying Centre at Woodley was all that such a party should be. During the evening the A.O.C. No. 62 Group Combined Reserve Centre, A. Cdre. R. Coates, arrived and was received by the Centre's "headmaster," W/C. H. A. Crommelin, A.F.C.—the man who had done so much to make this Reserve Centre one of the friendliest and most efficient in the Group. Squadron Reunion Extraordinary AT Claridges, on Wednesday of last >• week, No. 56 Squadron held its reunion. The present C.A.S., Air Chief Marshal Sir William F. Dickson, attended —he was once a flight commander in the unit—as well as Marshals of the Royal Air Force Lord Trenchard and Lord Tedder. "Flight" photograph EXPERIMENTAL MISCELLANY: In this view of the seldom-photographed apron at Roscombe Down are two Canberra B.2s, two Vikings, two Yorks, a Shackleton M.R.2, an Anson and a Firefly. It was taken, with official permission, during the cadet visit described on page 326. The first after-dinner speaker was W/C. Gerald Maxwell, who served with No. 56 at its birth at London Colney during the 1914-18 war, and was third only to Capt. Ball and Major McCudden in his total of enemy aircraft destroyed. In the 1939-45 war he flew Hurricanes and was station commander at Ford. A son of his also served in No. 56. He recalled for the assembled members the early days of the squadron, recounting details of the old S.E.5, of which No. 56 had the only 12 in existence when they went into France. In July, 1917, he said, they received a con gratulatory memorandum from Lord Trenchard on having destroyed 200 enemy aircraft in six months. Lord Trenchard, replying, referred to No. 56 as a wonderful squadron, the spirit of which was the condensed spirit of the whole Royal Air Force. Speaking of the earlier days, he recalled that in the first world war there were no navigation aids: and he presumed that was why so many pilots of No. 56 lost themselves and landed —near Paris. A.V-M. the Earl of Bandon, A.O.C. No. 11 Group, under which No. 56 Squadron now operates, was very compli mentary about the unit's recent achieve ments. In the last twelve months, he said, they had created a Fighter Command record by putting in 6,207 flying hours, without an accident of any description. S/L. R. Spooner, the present command ing officer, spoke of his consciousness of the squadron's deep roots and how its achieve ments were used as yardsticks by which the other units were judged. Turning with a smile to Sir William Dickson, he said, "In No. 56 even flight commanders become Chiefs of the Air Staff." G/C. Hugh Dundas, war-time CO. of No. 56, then surprised the company by telling them that the C.A.S. was a great- great-great-grandson of Lord Nelson, and pointed out that the fighters and bombers of the present day were as important as were Nelson's ships in their time. To this Sir William replied by emphasising that the R.A.F. was fighting for money for things it believed to be right. The future, he said, was so difficult to predict, and we simply must go for quality. N.S. Commissions in R.A.F. T HE Air Ministry has announced new arrangements for the assessment of National Servicemen for commissioned service. Those selected as having suitable quali ties will be posted to a special recruits' training wing, where they are to be carefully assessed before appearing before a selection board. In addition, recruits not initially selected as suitable for commissioned ser vice are to be carefully watched, to make sure that there is no misplacement of men better employed as officers. Commissions are available for N.S. men in the R.A.F. Regiment (Rifle, Light Anti aircraft and Armoured car squadrons) and in the Fighter Control, Technical, Equip ment, Secretarial, Education, Catering and Physical Fitness branches of the R.A.F. Limited opportunities still exist for N.S. men to train as pilots. Reunions ANOTHER reunion of R.A.F. and W.A.A.F. officers who served at H.Q. Flying Training Command, Shinfield Park, Reading, Berkshire, during the war will be held in London on Friday, April 24th. It is expected that Air Marshal Sir Philip Babington will be present. Particu lars from S/L. A. C. Howell, 19, Bramley Road, Cheam, Surrey. Phone, Ewell 2413. No. 3 Glider Training School Associa tion is holding its seventh reunion, R.A.F. and W.R.A.F., at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 28th, at The Victoria, 56, Bucking ham Palace Road, London, S.W.i. Tickets (12s 6d) from Joan Sherman, 121, Ashfield Road, Southgate, N.14 (Enterprise 3978). NO. 56 REUNITES: (Left) Three early members: W/C. G. Maxwell, Major E. Gilchrist and Capt. D. Grinnell-Milne. (Right) Between two /ires: S/L R. J. Spooner between Marshals of the R.A.F. Lord Trenchard and Lord Tedder. (See "Squadron Reunion Extraordinary," on this page.)
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