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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0404.PDF
404 FLIGHT, 25 March 1955 Three Canberras of No. 27 Squad- ron over the northern coast of Cyprus—where, with No. 27 Squad- ron, they have recently completed a month's detachment with M.E.A.F. A Firefly 5 from the Scottish Air Division R.N.V.R. passes over Pais- ley while on a reconnaissance dur- ing "Exercise 1984," which took place in the Mull of Galloway last week-end. The Northern and Midland Divisions also took part. SERVICE AVIATION . . . Duchess of Gloucester's Tour TARTING on Tuesday last, H.R.H. theDuchess of Gloucester, Air Chief Com- mandant of the W.R.A.F., was due to paya two-day visit to R.A.F. units in the West of England, including H.Q. No. 19 Group,R.A.F. Coastal Command, at Mount Bat- ten, Plymouth, the Coastal Commandstation at St. Eval, Cornwall, and the R.A.F. Medical Rehabilitation Centre atCollaton Cross, Devon. The Duchess was expected to arrive atSt. Eval at 1130 hr last Tuesday, in a Viking of the Queen's Flight, and be greetedby the A.O.C. No. 19 Group, A.V-M. G. W. Turtle, and the Director of theW.R.A.F., Air Commandant Dame Nancy Salmon. In the afternoon Her Royal High-ness expected to leave St. Eval in an S-51 helicopter attached to the Queen's Flightfor R.A.F. Mount Batten. R-A.F. AppointmentsT HE following appointments have beenannounced by the Air Ministry: A.V-M. A. F. Hutton, C.B., C.B.E., D.F.C., to beDirector-General of Engineering at the Air Ministry; A.V-M. J. G. Franks, C.B.,C.B.E., to be Senior Air Staff Officer, Tech- nical Training Command; A.V-M. R. G.Hart, C.B., C.B.E., M.C., to be A.O.C. No. 41 Group, Maintenance Command;A. Cdre. F. G. S. Mitchell, C.B.E., to be Air Officer in charge of Administration,Maintenance Command and A. Cdre. G. B. Beardsworth, C.B., to be A.O.C. No. 24Group, Technical Training Command. Both A. Cdre. Mitchell and A. Cdre.Beardsworth will assume the acting rank of air vice-marshal. A.V-M. Hutton entered the R.A.F. witha general duties commission in 1924 and —after squadron service mainly in India,where he gained his D.F.C. in 1936—trans- ferred to the Technical Branch in 1940,when it was established. To take up his new appointment A.V-M.Hutton relinquishes his present post of S.A.S.O. Technical Training Command,which position is now taken over by A.V-M. J. G. Franks. A.V-M. Franks passed out from Cran- well in 1926 and flew with No. 56 Squad-ron. The many important appointments held by him include those of Superintend-ent of Armament Tests at A. and A.E.E., Boscombe Down; Director of ArmamentResearch and Development (Air); Com- mandant of the Empire Air ArmamentSchool and A.O.C. and Commandant of R.A.F. Technical College, Henlow. A.V-M. Hart, an old Royal Flying Corpsman, flew with No. 15 Squadron on the Western Front in 1917 and won the Mili-tary Cross. As a member of Sir Robert Watson-Watt's team he played a leadingpart in the introduction and operational development of radar before and duringthe early part of the last war. He has been Director-General of Engineering for thepast four years. A.V-M. Mitchell was a member of thefirst entry to Cranwell in 1920 and on being commissioned served with No. 27 Squad-ron in India. He spent the first three years of the war as Air Force Experimental Offi-cer with the Chemical Defence Experi- mental Establishment and later went toM.A.P. as Assistant Director of Research and Development. Admiral Sir Denis W. Boyd presents the Boyd Trophy to Cdt. S. G. On, who ac- cepts it on behalf of the winners, the Naval Test Squadron of the Aeroplane and Armament Experi- mental Establish- ment at Boscombe Down. Both Sir Richard Fairey and Vice-Admiral Caspar John were present at the ceremony, which was held at Lee-on-Solent. A.V-M. Beardsworth is an engineeringspecialist, having during the past four years served as Director of Air Engineering andS.T.S.O. at H.Q. F.E.A.F. In the years between the wars he flew with No. 28Squadron, spent two years on torpedo development duties and commandedNo. 36 (Torpedo - Bomber) Squadron, then equipped with Vickers Vildebeesteaircraft. Naval Weapon Changes A REVIEW of the responsibilities for•**• weapons in use in the Navy has been made in the light of changing circumstancesand past experience. This has led to the adoption of the policy outlined below. The Gunnery Branch, who have for someyears been dealing with guided weapons as well as with naval gunnery, have now takenover airborne gunnery in all its forms, including rockets and bombs. They havealso been charged with responsibility for such atomic weapons as may be developedwithin their sphere. The Torpedo Anti- Submarine Branch have similarly becomeresponsible for all weapons which func- tion under water. As a result of these re-adjustments, theAir Armament School has been moved from R.N.A.S. St. Merryn to H.M.S. Ex-cellent, the gunnery school at Whale Island, Portsmouth, and the syllabus for the train-ing of specialist gunnery officers has been modified. A part of the course is nowspent at a Naval air station and includes flying experience during weapon exercisesas part of the training. Similarly the course for specialist torpedo anti-submarine offi-cers has been modified and includes flying experience during a course in air weaponsat a Naval air station. For close integration of air and weaponexperience, a certain number of Fleet Air Arm pilots and observers will specialize ingunnery and torpedo anti-submarine work, and attend the specialist courses.
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