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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 0912.PDF
420 PLIGHT, 2 April 1954 SERVICE AVIATION... G/C. J. A. N. Louden at Uxbridge; W/C. D. C. Sandeman, D.F.C., at No. 33 M.U.; W/C. G. P. Harger, O.B.E., D.F.C., at Spitalgate and S/L. H. L. Pugh at No. 8 M.U. For staff duties G/C. R. E. Burns, D.F.C., has gone to the British Joint Staff Mission in Washington and W/C. T. P. Seymour to Air H.Q. Eastern Atlantic; G/C. R. S. Ryan, C.B.E., is now Air Attache in Stockholm. Air Staff appointments include those of G/C. R. I. K. Edwards, D.F.C., A.F.C., to Air H.Q. Aden; G/C. J. N. Baxter to No. 21 Group; G/C. J. B. Tait, D.S.O., D.F.C., to H.Q. M.E.A.F.; G/C. L. E. Giles to H.Q. Bomber Command; G/C. C. C. Morton, C.B.E., to No. 90 Group; and W/C. W. A. L. Davies, D.F.C., A.F.C., to No. 25 Group. Each with the acting rank of wing commander, S/L. H. H. Wood-Glover, M.B.E., has gone to H.Q. No. 2 Group and S/L. H. E. Hunt, M.B.E., to H.Q. AAFCE. In the Air Ministry G/C. F. W. Judge and W/C. F. H. Kelly, M.B.E., are now in the department of the Air Member for Supply and Organization and W/Cs. W. N. Kenyon, D. C. Smythe and S. P. Coulson, D.S.O., D.F.C., are all in the department of the Chief of the Air Staff. Appointments made to the Ministry of Supply include those of G/C. H. E. Dicken, O.B.E., and W/Cs. I. Roberts, A. E. Hewes and J. B. Russell, D.S.O. For administrative duties, G/C. E. J. P. Davy has gone to Air H.Q. Malta (as Sen. Officer Admin.); G/C. H. W. Mer- magen, C.B.E., A.F.C., to H.Q. Flying Training Command; G/C. R. F. Fleming to Halton; W/C. E. H. Lynch-Blosse, O.B.E., to H.Q. F.E.A.F.; W/C. H. J. Hobbs to Benson; W/C. K. C. Roberts, A.F.C., to Hendon; W/C. A. M. K. Phillips to Worksop; W/C. J. K. Silver to H.Q. Flying Training Command; W/C. G. D. Sise, D.S.O., D.F.C., to Waterbeach; W/C. J. W. Allan, D.S.O., D.F.C., to H.Q. Fighter Command and S/L. G. W. Price to No. 4 School of Technical Training (with acting rank of wing commander). Technical appointments include those of G/C. D. S. Kite to H.Q. Bomber Com mand; W/C. R. D. Hill to H.Q. Coastal Command; W/C. C. V. Stammers, O.B.E., to H.Q. 2nd T.A.F.; W/C. A. B. Kendall, O.B.E., to Topcliffe; W/C. L. P. Gibson to No. 107 M.U.; W/C. A. J. Handley to No. 2 School of Technical Training and W/C. H. F. Davis to South Cerney. W/C. M. D. Lyne, A.F.C., is now on the directing staff of the R.A.F. Flying College at Manby, while W/C. R. E. Craven is at St. Eval and W/C. D. H. Thomas, D.S.O., D.F.M., at Lindholme, both for flying duties. Reunions THE annual dinner of the Glasgow Uni versity Air Squadron will take place on Friday, April 23rd, in die Rhul Restaur ant, 123 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. Tickets, 25s, from the Adjutant, G.U.A.S., 11 Bute Gardens, Glasgow, W.2. The 32nd all-ranks reunion of No. 269 Squadron and R.N. Seaplane Bases Port Said and Alexandria will be held at Stewart's Restaurant, Old Bond Street, London, W.l, on May 1st at 6 p.m. Tickets (15s) from W. C. Shilling, Sel- grove, Kewferry Drive, Northwood, Middx. THE R.C.A.F. IS THIRTY THE Royal Canadian Air Force cele brated its 30th birthday yesterday and the occasion was marked in Britain by a dinner at the R.A.F. Club. The true beginnings of the R.C.A.F. go back as far as September 16th, 1914, when the formation of the Canadian Aviation Corps was authorized with an establish ment of two officers and an expenditure of not more man 5,000 dollars to purchase a Burgess-Dunne biplane. A little earlier that year, Col. Hughes, then Minister of Militia and Defence, cabled Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War, asking if the "services of aviators" were required. The War Office replied that six expert aviators could be taken at once—"and perhaps more later." Recruiting for the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service started in the spring of 1915, and it is interesting to note that aircrew were expected to secure their pilots' certificates at their own expense before being commissioned. Many famous Canadians served with the British air forces; men such as Capt. W. A. Bishop, the first Canadian air V.C., won while serving with No. 60 Squadron, R.F.C., he had 72 air victories to his credit; 2nd Lt. A. A. McLeod, while serv ing with No. 2 Squadron R.F.C., was also awarded the Victoria Cross, and so was Major W. G. Barker, whose total victories numbered 50. By the time the armistice came 22,000 Canadians had served in the R.F.C., R.N.A.S., and R.A.F. Of these 1,563 gave their lives and 800 were decorated. In August 1918 a Canadian Air Force detachment was formed at Halton to train mechanics for two proposed all-Canadian squadrons in the R.A.F., and in November of the same year Nos. 81 and 123 Squad rons R.A.F. at Upper Heyford became Nos. 1 and 2 Squadrons C.A.F. and formed No. 1 Canadian Wing, C.A.F. These units were, however, disbanded in 1920 and the C.A.F. re-authorized only as a non-permanent, non-professional force. Former officers and airmen were invited to serve for not more than five weeks every other year! For the next four years there were various attempts at re-organization, but on April 1st, 1934, the R.C.A.F. finally came into being with an establishment strength of 68 officers and 307 airmen. When war broke out once more in 1939 the total strength of the R.C.A.F., both permanent and auxiliary, was 410 officers and 3,651 airmen. Of its 270 aircraft 19 were Hurri canes, 22 Wapitis, 20 Oxfords, 13 Atlases, 12 Northrop Deltas, 11 Sharks, 10 Battles, 8 Stranraers, 5 Siskins, 4 Norsemen and 4 Vancouvers. Peak expansion came in 1943 when there were 78 squadrons—35 overseas, 37 at home and 6 in course of transfer. No. 1 Squadron, R.C.A.F., later renum bered No. 401 Squadron to avoid confusion with HONOURABLE RETIRE MENT: As we reported a fortnight ago, the R.C.A.F. has recently pensioned off its last four Avro Ansons, seen here in formation. Three will be scrapped, but the fourth will join a Lysander, Hurri cane, Mosquito, Tiger Moth and Battle in the R.C.A.F. historic-aircraft hangar at Chater, Manitoba. A.V-M. C.R. Slemon, who is the present C.A.S. of the R.C.A.F. the R.A.F., was based at Northolt for the Battle of Britain and in 53 days fighting before being withdrawn for a rest, it was credited with destroying 30 enemy air craft and damaging 43 others. But the Canadian squadrons were not all fighter units, they served in every Command and theatre. Short of writing a book it would be impossible to give even the briefest account of the distinction with which the Canadians served. Names which come to mind are F/L. Hornell and P/O. Myn- arski who both won the V.C., and A. Cdre. Ross, F/O. Gray and L.A/C.s Gravell and Spooner, who were all awarded the George Cross. Of the 133 aircrew man ning the 19 Lancasters of No. 617 Squad ron, R.A.F., that breached the Mohne and Eder dams, 29 were members of the R.C.A.F. and the R.C.A.F. also con tributed 74 aircraft to the force of 597 which made the attack on the German research and development station at Peenemunde on the Baltic coast. It was this raid which delayed for a critical period the production of the V-l flying bomb. In both wars, in addition to providing operational units, the Canadians operated flying training schemes. That of the 1939-45 war was known as the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Between April 1940, when training began, and March 1945, when it terminated, 131,553 aircrew were trained at approxi mately 360 schools. Today, under NATO, the Royal Cana dian Air Force is operating in Europe four wings of Canadair-built Sabres, compris ing 12 squadrons.
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