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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0804.PDF
798 FLIGHT, 19 June 1955 SERVICE AVIATION . . . Birthday Fly-past Curtailed B AD weather severely interfered with the Canberra fly-past over London in honour of the Queen's official birthday on June nth. The original intention was that 36 Canberras from Binbrook, Hemswell and Scampton should participate, and should fly from Lincolnshire via Col chester, Folkestone and Dungeness to Bexhill, where the final straight leg over Biggin Hill and across the Mall would commence. Widespread rain and low cloud forced the abandonment of this plan. Only the Binbrook Canberras—numbering 24—were to fly, and their route was an emergency western one by way of Oxford and Beachy Head. Following the take-off, eight air craft lost contact and were diverted; the remaining 16 found slightly better visibility over Oxfordshire, but conditions worsened again at the South Coast. Within 25 seconds of the scheduled time the formation—four flights each of four machines—passed over the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace. Poor visibility and bumpy air were obviously being en countered. On the return, the weather at Binbrook caused the formation, led by G/C. N. C. Hyde, C.B.E., to be diverted to bases at Valley, St. Eval and Lyneham. Policy Appointment UNTIL recently Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations) at H.Q. Allied Air Forces Central Europe, and previously to that A.O.C. No. 11 Group, Fighter Command, A.V-M. T. G. Pike, C.B., C.B.E., D.F.C., has now been appointed Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Policy). A.V-M. Pike will be remembered by many for his skill at night interceptions while commanding No. 219 Squadron in 1941. It was for this work that he won the D.F.C. and Bar. While serving in the Middle East and N. Africa he took command of No. I ' Mobile Operation Room Unit and later gave up this post on being appointed Senior Air Staff Officer to the Desert Air Force. CANBERRA COURIERS: The men who flew the Coronation telerecordings across the Atlantic on June 2nd. (Left to right) S/L. W. N. Kenyon, S/L H. J. Shield, D.F.C., F/L F. Garside, F/L N. E. Metcalfe, FjL. S. P. Gulyas, R.C.A.F., FjL. R. F. Miller, and FfOs. J. W. Crompton and R. G. Reeve, who constituted the reserve crew. Tickets for Odiham ADMITTANCE to Odiham for the • R.A.F. Coronation Review is by ticket only. These will shortly be on sale at all the usual agencies, price is 6d each. Some 25,000 will be available but, because of the absence of rising ground in the public enclosure, only 8,000 to 10,000 of this number of holders will be able to witness the ground events. All, of course, will see the fly-past. Windscreen labels are necessary for those coming by road. These cost 2s 6d for cars and 5s for coaches. Publication of the official programme has been entrusted to the R.A.F. Benevolent Fund. The Fund has spent no less than £166,308 in helping 6,152 cases during the first three months of this year. R.Aux.A.F. Appointment T HE Air Ministry has announced the appointment of S/L. N. G. Townsend, D.F.C. to command No. 502 (Ulster) Squadron, R.Aux.A.F., which is based at R.A.F. Station Aldergrove, Co. Antrim. S/L. Townsend is a regular officer who, from October 1951 until his present appoint ment, was Adjutant of No. 612 (County of Aberdeen) Squadron, R.AuxA.F. During the war he completed two tours of opera tions and, in 1946, received the Air Efficiency Award. ALLIED VISITOR : Marshal Juin, C-in-C. NATO Forces in Central Europe, inspects the R.A.F. Guard of Honour at Wahn Airfield, Germany, during his recent visit to the British Forces in that area. Malayan Operations THE improvement in conditions in Malaya last month was reflected in the small demand for offensive air support. For the first time since the emergency began there was a period of over 14 days on which no offensive sorties were flown. Most of the offensive effort for May was made in support of Operation Commodore, the big air and ground effort during the latter half of the month in an attempt to eliminate the Johore State committee of the Malay Races' Liberation Army—thought to be in the target area, near Kluang. The exact rendezvous was not known, but two sites were considered as probable. Over 60 sorties were undertaken during the first 24 hours and a feature of the attack was the dropping of 4,000-lb "cookies" by the Lincolns of No. 1 Squadron, R.A.A.F. For the same operation a Valetta dropped 20 paratroops in the Kluang area. Helicopters of No. 194 Squadron R.A.F. and No. 848 Squadron R.N. together lifted 39 casualties from jungle clearings and, in addition, No. 848 alone carried 2,000 troops and 5,000 lb of freight, including a mortar with 200 bombs. The "loud hailer" Valetta operated throughout the month. R.C.A.F. Europe Appointment THE appointment has been made of G/C. R. S. Turnbull, D.F.C., A.F.C., D.F.M., R.C.A.F., to command the Canadian No. 4 Fighter Wing at Baden- Sollingen in Germany. He is at present station commander of R.C.A.F. Station Saskatoon and will take up his new post in July. The squadrons coming under his com mand will be No. 414 from Bagotville, No. 422 from Uplands and No. 444 from St. Hubert. G/C. E. H. Evans will take over G/C. TurnbuU's post at Saskatoon. R.A.F. versus Pakistan A CRICKET match will be played on June 20th, 22nd and 23rd at the Haw ker sports ground, Richmond Road, King ston-on-Thames, between the R.A.F. and Pakistan. The proceeds will go to the R.A.F. Benevolent Fund, and the band of the R.A.F. will play during the tea inter vals. The R.A.F. XI will include F. S. Trueman (England and Yorkshire), S/L. Shirreff (Cambridge and Hampshire), S/L. Wilson (Kent), the Rev. Paton (Cambridge and Notts), F/O. Fenner (Kent), and A/C. Thompson (Warwickshire). The Pakistan XI will include six men who have already played for their country, and the team will, in fact, be the nucleus of the 1954 touring side. Among their players will be Fazal Mahmood, a very fast bowler.
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