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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 0343.PDF
5 February 1954 167 SERVICE AVIATION Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm News No. 6 Squadron Celebrates DUAL celebrations held in Amman and London last Sunday marked the 40th anniversary of the formation of No. 6 Squadron, under Major J. W. H. Becke on January 31st, 1914. In Amman, where No. 6 is now based, the unit was presented with its Queen's Standard by the C-in-C. Middle East Air Force, Air Marshal C. B. R. Pelly. In London the celebra tions took the form of a reunion dinner, under the chairmanship of W/C. D. Crowley-Milling, held at the Belfry Club. Of the 40 years of its existence, No. 6 Squadron has spent no fewer than 35 abroad, mostly in the Middle East. The guest of honour in London was Air Chief Marshal Sir William F. Dick son, the Chief of the Air Staff, and eight previous commanding officers were present, including Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Barratt, CO. in 1916-17. W/C. Crowley-Milling, proposing the toast of No. 6 Squadron, read a number of congratulatory messages, including one from the Prime Minister. Looking round the number of high-ranking officers present, he observed that No. 6 Squadron had always been known as "the nursery of the Air Staff." He then gave the toast— "No. 6 Squadron, one of the oldest units in the youngest service." S/L. P. A. Kennedy, who replied, gave a brief resume of the squadron's history, stressing particularly the period from El Alamein onwards when the unit did such remarkable work on their Hurricane 2Ds with 40 mm cannon. This brought them the name of "Flying Tin-openers" (a winged tin-opener was suspended over the top table at the Belfry Club). He said the squadron has achieved a quite unbeatable record of service in the Middle East and remarked that it is soon to have its Vampires replaced by Venoms. Lord Dowding and Sir Arthur Barratt both gave accounts of what service was FOR ROYAL VISITORS: The special R.A.A.F. Dakota for the use of the Queen during her stay in Australia. The crew are: S/L. J. G. Cornish (captain), Nursing Sister G. Bury (hostess), S/L C. W. Brackenridge (navigator), FjL T. C. McGrath (signaller) and PjO. J. R. Newson (co-pilot). like in No. 6 in what Sir Arthur termed the "pre-deluge" period. Lord Dowding gave the assembled company a very clear picture of life in the Royal Flying Corps in France in 1914 and Sir Arthur dis cussed at some length the military virtues —or otherwise—of the B.E.2C and the R.E.8. He refused, however, to make any comment on a certain landing made in a tree by one Capt. A. S. Barratt. Sir William Dickson, speaking for the R.A.F., was at his very best. He praised No. 6 Squadron for its continued main tenance of an offensive spirit and recalled how in the last war No. 83 Group learned its work from the Desert Air Force, which in its turn had got it from No. 6 Squadron. Referring to those today who had a "Maginot Line" outlook, he said that No. 6 Squadron's strategy of "taking the war into the other chap's country" was the right one. He made it known that he was shortly going to the Middle East and would call on the squadron at Amman. Sir William also referred in a very appreciative manner to Flight's his tory of No. 6 Squadron. (Sketches of the unit's aircraft from this history were used to decorate the menu card.) At the tables anecdotes were being told on all sides, many of them bsing brought to mind as guests looked through the squadron albums which, with some of the silver, had been brought to Britain for COMMANDERS AND A GUEST: A group of commanding officers of No. 6 Squadron with the Chief of the Air Staff. (See "No. 6 Squadron Celebrates".) Front row: A. Cdre. H. M. Massey, Air Chief Marshall Sir William F. Dickson, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Barratt and A. Cdre. A. G. Adnams. Back row: S/L P. A. Kennedy, S/L R. H. Langdon Davies, A. Cdre. C. R. Cox, A. Cdre. W. E. G. Mann and W/C. D. Crowley-Milling. "Flight" photograph the occasion. The best we overheard was of a pilot who landed by the side of a scarecrow to ask the way! No. 6 Squadron has a number of war honours, some earned in the Middle East between the wars. These M.E. honours are not allowed to go on the Standard; those selected are: Western Front, 1914- 18; Neuve Chapelle; Ypres, 1915; Somme, 1916; Amiens, Hindenburg Line; Egypt and Libya, 1940-43; El Alamein; Italy, 1944-45. J. Y. R.A.F. Cresta Wins /"\N the Cresta Run last Saturday the *"' R.A.F. won the race for four-rider teams with an aggregate time of 429.4 sec, the Army's time was 433.1 sec and the Navy's 440.6 sec. F/L. C. M. C. Mitchell, with a near- record time of 45.8 sec easily held the Inter-Services Skeleton Championship, which he won last year, and was awarded the Lord Trenchard Challenge Cup. The course was 856 yards long, with a drop of 332 feet. Handley Page Recognition Trophy T^HE winners in the Handley Page * Trophy aircraft recognition competi tion, held in the Science Museum on January 30th (see Flight, January 29th) were the Metropolitan Area R.O.C. team, with 134 points out of 150; runners-up were the R.A.F. St. Eval "B" team, Coastal Command, with 126 points. Highest individual scorer was F/O. L. Naile, of R.A.F. Linton-on-Ouse, who gained 48 points out of 50. A photograph of the trophy appears overleaf. Jet Accident Rate TZ"EEN appreciation of the true facts •**- about the accident rate in the Royal Air Force was shown in the House of Commons last week when, in reply to a question by Col. Sir Leonard Ropner (Con., Barkston Ash), it was stated by Mr. George Ward, Under-Secretary for Air, that in the United Kingdom in 1953 there were 91 fatal accidents to R.A.F. jet air craft in which 112 personnel lost their lives. These figures were slightly lower than the comparable figures for 1952, although the number of hours flown dur ing the year was about one-third greater. Sir Leonard wondered whether training should not be extended on slower and "easier" aircraft over a longer period before young pilots were allowed to fly jet types. Mr. Ward did not think that was the
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