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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0702.PDF
#^,Mfr ^k yi* ( THE QUEEN'S AIR FORCES "Flight" photograph The pilots, ground crew and aircraft of No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron, R.Aux.A.F., of which unit Her Majesty the Queen is the Honorary Air Comrrodore. AUXILIARIES AND RESERVES AGAINST the background of political strife which now keeps *» the world torn asunder, it behoves all who can to be prepared to do their share in defending the British Commonwealth. In the various sections of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and the reserves to the Royal Air Force there are ample opportunities tor people of both sexes, and of any age up to 50 years, to show their evaluation of the worth of freedom. The Royal family itself sets an example. The Queen is Honorary Air Commodore of No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Fighter Squadron, R.Aux.A.F., No. 2603 (City of Edinburgh) L.A.A. Squadron, R.Aux.A.F. Regiment and No. 3603 (City of Edinburgh) Fighter Control Unit. The Queen Mother acts in a similar capacity to the City of London units and the Duke of Gloucester has bestowed his patronage to the County of Gloucester auxiliaries. Any who are inclined to feel they are too busy for such service may remember that Sir Winston Churchill himself manages to make sufficient time to fill very ably the post of Honorary Air Commodore to No. 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron, R.Aux.A.F. It has been a tradition of the R.A.F. to raise pan of its strength as auxiliaries and the five original squadrons were first formed in 1925. These were : No. 502 (Ulster), No. 600 (City of London), No. 601 (County of London), No. 602 (City of Glasgow) and No. 603 (City of Edinburgh). By the outbreak of war in 1939 the Auxiliary Air Force had grown to 20 aircraft squadrons and 47 balloon squadrons. It fell to the lot of the Edinburgh squadron to shoot down the first raider in the first raid on Britain. This was during the attack by German bombers against naval units in the Firth of Forth on October 16th, 1939. This raider fell in the sea but the same squadron shared with the Glasgow squadron the honour of shooting down the first raider on to British soil—a Heinkel 111. on October 28th, 1939. The foregoing are but highlights. There was not a single theatre of war in which the Auxiliary squadrons did not serve with distinction and it was in recognition of this fact that the late King George VI conferred the royal prefix to the title of the force. After the war the force was re-formed and expanded to meet a wider range of commitments. There are now 20 fighter squadrons and 27 fighter control and radar reporting units, all of which come under Fighter Command; 12 squadrons of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment; one air-transport squadron; and five air observation-post squadrons. All these units are affiliated to, and linked with, the counties or cities from which they take their names, and because of this geographical distribution it falls to the Territorial and Auxiliary Forces Associations to administer and discharge a wide range of responsibilities on their behalf. Policy is, of course, controlled by the Air Ministry, where the Director of Auxiliaries, Reserves and Air Cadets—at present A.V-M. W. M. Yool, C.B., C.B.E.— advises the Air Council. The fighter squadrons form an important component of Fighter Command and are based, so far as possible, on airfields reasonably accessible to the areas from which the personnel are recruited. This, however, becomes increasingly difficult, chiefly owing to the airfield requirements of modern jet aircraft. Because of the high standard of flying efficiency demanded, the future intake of fighter pilots for the R.Aux.A.F. will come mainly from National Service pilots and from Regulars passing on to the Reserve. The day of the civilian joining a squadron and being taught flying from the ab initio stage has, regrettably, gone. The single Auxiliary transport unit came into being in December 1950. Designated No. 622 Transport Squadron, R.Aux.A.F., it is recruited from civil aircrews—mainly of Air- work, Ltd.—and stationed at Blackbushe in Hampshire. The routine wartime duties of the squadron crews would differ but little from those of their normal occupations, but for specialized military operations, such as supply and paratroop dropping and glider towing, the unit has two Valettas on its strength. Recruitment of ground crews is on a different footing. Many men are wanted to make up deficiences, and it is hoped that young men who want to join the R.A.F. on call-up for National Service will contact their local Auxiliary unit before call-up, with a view to giving service in that unit on completion of their full-time obligations. The Air Ministry states that anyone prepared to give such an undertaking will have every chance of doing the greater part of his full-time service in that unit, should he wish to do so. No less important than the actual fighter squadrons are the fighter control and radar reporting units, which are, so to speak, the eyes of the fighters. Plotting and charting the approach of enemy aircraft and the direction of fighters to meet them is interesting and colourful work. Large numbers are wanted to bring these units up to strength, and it is here that the older men and women have their chance. Volunteers of either sex up to the age of 50 years are accepted for training. A way for younger women to serve in these units is for them to join the W.R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve (Fighter Control Section) for six months' full-time training as radar supervisors, radar operators or fighter plotters, with a view to subsequent service in the W.R.Aux.A.F., to which they will be voluntarily transferred. The R.Aux.A.F. Regiment is another way in which a healthy man, of the open-air type, can serve his country. The units are, for the most part, located alongside the fighter squadrons, and
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