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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1589.PDF
FLIGHT, 4 December 1953 743 SERVICE AVIATION Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm News A.V-M. J. P. J. McCauley C.A.S. designate to the Royal Australian Air Force, A.V-M. J. P. J. McCauley, C.B., C.B.E., R.A.A.F., is at present in Britain visiting the various R.A.F. Com mands. Later he will spend several days with the Allied air forces in Europe and will return to Australia about the middle of this month. A.V-M. McCauley is due to succeed Air Marshal Sir Donald Hardman, K.C.B., O.B.E., D.F.C., R.A.F., in January next. Wyton Occasion PRIDE and regret were both expressed in the speeches at R.A.F. Wyton's guest night last Friday: pride in the performance of the R.A.F. Canberra team in the New Zealand race, regret at the passing out of service of the Lancaster, for the object that evening was to mark both these events. Among the guests were Bomber Com mand's C-in-C. (Air Marshal G. H. Mills, C.B., D.F.C.), and S.A.S.O. (A.V-M. A. McKee, C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., D.F.C., A.F.C.), A.O.C. No. 3 Group (A.V-M. E. C. Hudleston, C.B., C.B.E.), the Air Race Flight, and S/L. L. M. "Dick" Whittington, A.F.C., now repre senting the English Electric Company. Proposing the health of the guests, the CO, G/C. L. J. Stickley, O.B.E., D.F.C., said that from the work of the Air Race Flight—"a team in the best sense of the word"—the proficiency of Canberra units had been advanced at least six months. Replying, Air Marshal Mills com mented that the race flight had made the whole thing look very easy. Their success, he emphasized, was due to a truly com bined effort. Referring amid loud and prolonged cheers to the Lancaster, the C-in-C. recalled that Bomber Command could not have achieved its wartime suc cess without this machine. With it, air power, as visualized by Lord Trenchard and others, had actually been produced. The Lancaster was indeed a worthy pre decessor to the V-bombers. W/C. L. M. Hodges, D.S.O., D.F.C., leader of the flight and pilot of the P.R.7 Canberra, spoke next. Modestly begin ning "Everyone's heard quite enough about the air race," he went on to give an entertaining account of the crews' subsequent activities in New Zealand and during the return journey. After thank ing all who had helped towards the Can berra's success, W/C. Hodges presented leather-bound copies of the race pro gramme to the station commander, A.O.C. No. 3 Group and the C-in-C. on behalf of Mr. Hume Christie, president of the air- race council. In response to popular and deafening demand, brief speeches were then made by the pilot of the winning Canberra, F/L. R. L. E. Burton, A.F.C., and (reluctantly) by his navigator, F/L. D. H. Gannon, D.F.C., who suggested simply that every one should stop talking and get on with the serious business of the evening. The assembly then adjourned to do just that, GOODBYE: As the last beloved "Lane" gees out of Bomber Command service this week it is appropriate to publish this photograph, taken in 1942, of two of the very earliest Avro Lancasters to fly on operations. To many wartime pilots it will bring back a food of memories—pleasant and otherwise. (See Wyton Occasion.) leaving as sole occupants of the dining hall the mute, real stars of the evening, a model of a Lancaster and a model of a Canberra. Bomber Command's last Lancaster machine, PA 427, belonged to 82 Squad ron, which completed in 1952 a six-year photographic survey of Colonial territories in Africa, covering 1,216,000 square miles. This particular aircraft joined the squad ron in May last year, after being engaged on operational training and, later, photo graphic reconnaissance work, and has flown a total of 1,043 hours. As is well known, the Lancaster was developed from the twin-engined Man chester. It flew its first operation on the night of March 3rd, 1942. Altogether, 7,366 Lancasters were built, and at the peak of its strength Bomber Command possessed 42 squadrons of them. More than 156,000 wartime sorties were flown, and 608,612 tons of bombs dropped, by Lancasters. Laurence Minot Trophy TODAY, at R.A.F. Station Marham, Norfolk, Marshal of the R.A.F. Lord Tedder is due to present the Laurence Minot Bombing Trophy jo No. 115 Squadron, on whose behalf it will be received by the commanding officer, S/L. L. G. Holmes, D.F.C., A.F.C. Second this year was No. 7 Squadron. Lord Tedder is also presenting the Bomber Command Aircraft Servicing Efficiency Trophies to the C.T.O. Mar- ham, W/C. H. F. Cook, O.B.E. This is the second year in succession that Mar- ham, commanded by G/C. O. R. Donald son, C.B.E., D.S.O., D.F.C., has won the Efficiency Trophies, which were given by Rolls-Royce Ltd., and A. V. Roe and Co., Ltd. O.U.A.S. Dinner ON November 27th Oxford University Air Squadron gathered in the Head quarters in Manor Road, Oxford, for the Squadron's annual dinner. The full mem bership of 100 pilots and the still-young 20-man F.C.U. sat down to an excellent dinner in company with a number of distin guished guests from the Service and the University. Representatives from the U.S.A.F. bases at Brize Norton and Upper Heyford were also present. The occasion showed once again the strong link that exists in such squadrons between university and Service—a link which the R.A.F. regards as most im portant and which the universities them selves have come to approve. Sir Maurice Bowra, Vice-Chancellor of the University, proposing the toast of the Air Squadron, pointed out in his speech that not only did the Service gain a useful foothold in the seats of learning, but that the squadron also provided a most useful distraction from the serious curricular activities, for those whose enthusiasms demanded practical and stimulating expression. This link—of which the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir William Dickson, also spoke in replying for the guests—had been strengthened by the personality and leadership of the Commanding Officer, W/C. F. A. Willan, D.F.C. W/C. Willan is now relinquishing his command, to the regret of all the members, and is taking up an appointment in Coastal Command Headquarters. His successor, W/C. G. H. Nelson-Edwards, D.F.C., was present at the dinner, and will take over command on December 7th. In the course of the after-dinner speeches, allusion was made to certain "exchange visits" which had taken place during the squadron's annual camp, when the squadrons from Bristol, Southampton and St. Andrew's universities were also in camp close by. The Commanding Officer then referred to the initiative of the Squad ron's pilots, especially when flying solo, which, he said, tended mainly in a down ward direction and was matched only by the vigilance of the instructors. The C.A.S. told of his recent experience
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