FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0651.PDF
FLIGHT, 22 May 1953 645 SERVICE AVIATION . . . 783 branches of the Association, she pointed out, including 54 overseas, and some 200 of them had their own Head quarters. Welfare was one of the Associa tion's primary functions, and 2,000 ex- R.A.F. people—not necessarily members —had been assisted last year by members of the legal panel. The increasing interest in the Association shown by the R.A.F. authorities, she concluded, was indeed a heartening development. R.N.Z.A.F. Combined Mess THE new R.N.Z.A.F. Station Te Rapa, North Island, is to have a combined mess. One kitchen will serve officers, air men and airwomen. Officers and senior non-commissioned officers are to have separate dining rooms on one side of the kitchen and airmen and airwomen will mess together in a third dining room on the opposite side of the building. All dining rooms will be equipped with tables for four. No. 617 Squadron Anniversary LAST Saturday, the tenth anniversary of -'the breaching of the Mohne and Eder dams in western Germany, representatives of Bomber Command and No. 617 Squad ron, which made the attack, were guests of the headmaster, H. L. O. Flecker, C.B.E., M.A., at Christ's Hospital, Hor sham, at the school's Royal Air Force Day. Christ's Hospital has a close association with the Service through the R.A.F. Foundationers Trust, set up in 1952 with the £10,000 awarded to Dr. B. N. Wallis, C.B.E., F.R.S., in recognition of his inven tion of the weapon used by No. 617 Squad ron against the dams, and donated by him to the schools. A further £10,000 was given by the R.A.F. Benevolent Fund. The Trust provides studentships at Christ's Hospital for the education of children of air force officers and airmen. There are already eight boys and girls in the school who are supported by it. R.A.F. guests included Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh P. Lloyd, K.C.B., K.B.E., M.C., D.F.C., former A.O.C-in-C. Bomber Command, G/C. J. B. Tait, D.S.O., D.F.C., Officer Commanding No. 617 Squadron in 1944 and leader of the attack which sank the "Tirpitz"—he now commands R.A.F. Station Coningsby, Lines—and S/L. D. Roberts, D.F.C., A.F.C., the present commander of No. 617 Squadron. Dr. Wallis was also present. Sir Hugh Lloyd inspected a Guard of Honour, mounted by the Christ's Hospital C.C.F. Air Section, after which three Canberras of No. 617 Squadron flew over in formation. The guests then looked over the school and met the boys on the R.A.F. Foundation. The attack on the German dams— Operation "Chastise"—was made by 19 Lancasters, led by the late W/C. Guy Gibson. A new squadron, No. 617, com posed of picked crews, was formed for the "Flight" photograph FORMATION LEADERS of the R.A.F. Salute Fly-past over Buckingham Palace for Coronation Day: W/C. J. Wallace (Duxford), W/C. D. Crowley-Milling (Tangmere), W/C. D. C. Smallwood (Biggin Hill), W/C. J. D. Lindsey, R.C.A.F. (North Luffenham), A.V-M. the Earl of Bandon, who will control the formation, W/C. L. H. Bartlett (Wattisham), W/C. R. D. Yule (Horsham St. Faith), and W/C. P. P. C. Barthropp (Waterbeach). Details of the fly-past appeared on pages 619 and 620 last week. operation in March 1943. To perform its task, the special mine designed by Dr. Wallis had to be released from a height of precisely 60ft, at a speed of exactly 232 m.p.h. Lancasters were modified to carry the new weapon and equipped with various special instruments to assist the aircrews. An intensive training programme was begun, and rehearsals soon showed how difficult would be the task. In one trial, six out of 12 aircraft were damaged by the column of water raised when practice mines were dropped from too low an altitude. The first Lancaster took off from R.A.F. Station Scampton, shortly before 2130 hr on May 16th. W/C. Gibson's aircraft, the first to attack the Mohne Dam, released its mine at 28 minutes past midnight. Half an hour later, just after the fifth Lancaster had attacked, Gibson radioed back to Headquarters in England the code word "Nigger," indicating that the dam had been breached. The remaining aircraft then flew on to the Eder dam. The first mine made a small breach, and at 0152 hr, when the third aircraft had made a second break, Gibson signalled the word "Dinghy," indicating success with the second part of the operation. Other aircraft were detailed to attack the Sorpe dam, but only two reached the target. They caused damage but no major breach. Of the 19 Lancasters which took off for the raid, three returned without having attacked the target, for various reasons. Of the remainder, eight were shot down, some over the targets and others on the outward or homeward journeys. W/C. Gib son was awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallantry throughout the operation, and in particular for deliberately drawing the enemy anti-aircraft fire to his own aircraft while the rest of the force attacked the Mohne dam. Thirty-two decorations were awarded. Benevolent Fund Expenditure THE expenditure of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund on all forms of assistance rose during 1952 to £681,474, an increase of £41,008 on the figures for the previous year. The Controller of the Fund, A.V-M. Sir John Cordingley, stated that 25,659 individual cases were helped during the year, an increase of 1,516 cases. Speaking in London, Sir John said: "I must report that total expenditure during the year again exceeded ordinary income, including donations, subscriptions, Service contributions and bequests under wills, by £248,215. The gap between income and expenditure in 1952 was greater by £147,716 than in 1951, and the Council can only view with the greatest appre hension this continued drain upon the Fund's capital resources. Every effort must be made to increase income." Total assistance to individual cases amounted to £65 3,290; housing and educa tional assistance accounted for the re mainder of the overall relief expenditure. In England 20,282 cases received financial assistance of £562,969—an increase of more than £50,000. Scottish cases, of which there were 1,773, accounted for £27,230—an increase of nearly £4,000. In Wales 1,170 cases received £28,222; Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland together produced 1,807 cases, who shared £17,081—an increase of nearly £2,000. The children of more than 2,000 families were being educated at schools throughout Britain and at the Fund's own two residential schools with financial assistance from the Fund. "Flight" photograph WE OF SEVEN: The S/oster Meteors of the iiggin Hill Wing ranged >n the runway. They are >ne of the seven wings aking part in the R.A.F. a lute fly-past on June 2nd.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
