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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0880.PDF
36 FLIGHT, 3 July i953 SERVICE AVIATION . . . a third for anti-aircraft and a fourth for aircraft direction. "Honourable Mem bers," he continued, "may wonder why it has not been possible to produce an all- purpose vessel. The answer is that modern equipment is now so great that it will not go into one vessel of a reasonable size. No one ship, therefore, can carry all, but at the same time each type can do some of the work of the other types." An air direction ship is in effect a floating air-operations room. The Runnymede Memorial THE following appreciation of the Runny mede memorial to the airmen of the Commonwealth "who lost their lives and who have no known grave" comes from one (to quote his covering letter) whose flying days "ended 25 years ago and my nephew is among those whose names will be recorded within the memorial." "Out on the brow of the hill which over looks historic Runnymede, they are build ing a memorial to over twenty thousand airmen of the Commonwealth who have no known grave. A more appropriate site could hardly have been chosen, for they sprang from stock which has never taken kindly to the ways of tyrants, whether Norman or Teuton. "The memorial is simple and straight forward. Devoid of frills, it is starkly functional and, in many ways, mindful of an aerodrome building. It is an architectural understatement that would surely have met with the approval of the lovers of under statement it serves to commemorate. "Within its cloisters will be recorded the names of those whose last landings were never entered in the log-books. Here they will be inscribed, not on the paper which yellows and crumbles with the years, but on stone that endures and is the log-book of history. "And let us not brood unduly over the words, 'no known grave.' Those who fly are not given to worrying overmuch about such matters. For them the end may come in many ways and what happens afterwards is of comparatively small concern. "Their memorial looks out over the green fields and trees that is England. Above and around it is the sky which they fought to keep clean. It is possible, if you have the time and the memory, to stand there and still hear their Spits and Hurries, their Wimpies and Lanes, and all that great company of planes in which they, to use Stephen Spender's words, 'travelled a "Flight" photograph SUPERSONIC TONIC: Now that sufficient spares backing is available. Sabre squadrons of the Royal Air Force are forming fast. This Sabre FA was photographed in Germany, complete in camouflage and squadron markings. short while towards the sun and left the vivid air signed with their honour.' "For the greatest achievement of this memorial is its atmosphere. It belongs to the air . . . like those whose memory it enshrines.—F.E.C." Field Service Cap Obsolescent AS from August 1st the field service • cap will go out of existence in the R.A.F. generally, although there will be a link with tradition at the R.A.F. College, Cranwell, and the R.A.F. Technical College, Henlow, where flight and tech nical cadets will retain the privilege of wearing the warrant officer pattern of this form of head gear. It will, however, no longer be worn by R.A.F. Apprentices, Boy Entrants or members of the Air Training Corps or by airmen and airwomen of the Regular, Auxiliary or Reserve air forces. Berets are now worn instead of field service caps for day to day wear by officers and airmen. An improved type of peaked cap was recently introduced for airmen for cere monial and walking-out occasions. As from August 1st, also, a miniature type of warrant officer badge will be worn on berets by R.A.F. and W.R.A.F. warrant officers of the Regular, Auxiliary and Reserve forces in place of the eagle and crown cap badges now worn. Air Force List T^HE 1953 unrestricted edition of the Air A Force List, now on sale at H.M. Stationery Office, contains certain innova tions which add to its value as a work of reference. In addition to giving the heads of the main branches of the Air Ministry and Command Headquarters and the gradation lists for active officers of the R.A.F., the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and the R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve, the list now records the names of retired officers in a section to itself and under a separate index. Another innovation is the introduction of a symbol, a small square, which, placed after medals or decorations for gallantry shown against officers' names, denotes the award of a bar to such medals or decorations. The list also contains the names of British air attaches abroad, the staffs of the United Kingdom headquarters of Commonwealth air forces and the Royal Air Force elements in Europe. The list costs 18s. 6d. FAR EAST FURIES: (Left) A Hawker Sea Fury of No. 807 Squadron, F.A.A. (Lt-Cdr. T. L M. Brander, D.S.O.) making a rocket-ass/sted take-off from H.M.S. "Ocean" while the ship was moored in Sasebo harbour, Japan. The whole squadron, for the first time, was launched from the stationary carrier. (Right) One of No. 801 Squadron's Sea Furies, from H.M.S. "Glory," attacking enemy headquarters in Korea.
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