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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0789.PDF
787 The scene on the Western Lawns at Eastbourne as the delegates paraded. In the foreground: the k.A.F. Central Band, and "Lewis," the goat. DUKE of EDINBURGH PRESIDES at R.A.F.A. CONFERENCE THIS year's conference of the Royal AirForces Association, marking the silver jubilee of the organization, was honouredby the presence of Marshal of the Royal Air Force the Duke of Edinburgh, theAssociation's president, who took the chair during the major part of the proceedings.Held at Eastbourne last week-end, the conference was attended by delegatesrepresenting 700 branches at home and abroad; other R.A.F.A. members andtheir friends and relatives brought the total number of visitors to some 2,000. The Duke arrived from BuckinghamPalace in a Naval Whirlwind helicopter at noon on Saturday, landing on the seafront's Western Lawns. As soon as the afternoon session opened, in the bigconcert-hall of the Winter Garden, he took over the chair, on a platform crowdedwith R.A.F.A. Council officials, several of them R.A.F. officers of high rank. Amongthese were Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Tedder (an honorary vice-president), Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Bowhill (vice-president), and Air MarshalSir Robert Saundby (chairman of National Council); serving officers present in anofficial capacity included Air Chief Marshal Sir Francis J. Fogarty, Air Member forPersonnel. In his presidential address, the Dukespoke of the bond that existed between people who had shared the same sort ofexperiences; it was the business of the R.A.F.A. to make use of that bond ofmutual confidence to look after the interests of the less fortunate, the unluckyand the unhappy. Although the Associa- tion could do a very great deal in suchways it could also do a lot for the Royal Air Force itself, for many people formedtheir judgement on a Service from what they saw of its ex-members. "It is very important," continued theDuke, "that the public at large should feel, through you, that confidence in the RoyalAir Force which is rightly deserved. Every one of you here has had a hand inshaping the Air Force of today and I hope you are properly proud of it. I have recently been able to see quite a lot ofthe Royal Air Force, the people who serve in it and some of its problems, and I wantyou all to know that I was very pleased with everything I saw. The Service is invery good heart, fully conscious of its res- ponsibilities, and thoroughly determinedto meet them to the best of its abilities." The Duke concluded by mentioningsome aspects of the R.A.F.A.'s work— pensions, legal advice, employment andfinancial assistance, help for the disabled, and so on: "The value of this work overthe years cannot be calculated. It is your work; you should feel proud at what hasbeen achieved and encouraged to continue and expand it in the future." Subjects covered by the conference in-cluded organization, pensions, welfare, rules and regulations, and Battle of BritainWeek and Wings Day, and under each of these headings numerous resolutions—there were 99 on the agenda—were moved, debated and voted upon. And here itmay be remarked that the Duke of Edinburgh was anything but a "figure-head" chairman; he enforced the rules of procedure firmly, yet with an air of in-formality—and many a keen flash of wit— that was particularly appropriate to agathering of this kind. He took the chair again on the Sundaymorning—now using as a gavel a silver- mounted shillelagh which had beenpresented to him by Dublin R.A.F.A. branch at the dance the previous evening.The social side of the conference, incidentally, was as crowded as thebusiness agenda; it even included a mid- night matinee of The Dam Busters film. Sunday's discussions were preceded bya memorial Service on the Lawns, con- ducted by Canon A. S. Giles, Chaplain-in-Chief of the R.A.F.; the Duke read the lesson, and later took the salute at a march-past. Four Meteors of No. 500 (County of Kent) Squadron, from West Mailing,flew over in salute as the Duke arrived. The scene, in brilliant morning sunshineunder a cloudless sky, was a memorable one, with the hundreds of blue-and-gold The Duke of Edinburgh gives his presidential address to the R.A.F.A. in the Winter Garden. On the table are trophies awarded for achievements by the branches. standards of the branches seen against thebackground of Beachy Head and the imposing white-painted buildings of thesea-front, many of them flying R.A.F.A. flags. The Central Band of the R.A.F.,under W/C. A. E. Sims, provided the music, and the parade of R.A.F.A.members (R.A.F., W.R.A.F., and A.T.C. detachments also participated) was com-manded by Mr. G. R. Boak (general secretary) with the same remarkable effi-ciency that he displayed in putting the organization of the conference into effect. At the Sunday afternoon session of theconference financial matters were dis- cussed, and A. Cdre. J. Swire Griffiths(hon. treasurer) pointed out that, if the R.A.F.A. was to be maintained in itspresent form, increased membership was essential (to which Flight may add thatthe subscription is a modest one, with a good deal offered in return). Successful in every way, the conferencewas, unhappily, shadowed by a tragic and as yet unexplained occurrence: on Satur-day morning an R.A.F. Sunderland, which was to have been moored off the beachduring the week-end, sank almost imme- diately on alighting close inshore. In spiteof quick rescue work by R.A.F. tenders and other craft, the captain and threecrew-members lost their lives; of ten others, three were seriously injured. Later,at the conference, the Duke of Edinburgh despatched on behalf of the delegates amessage of sympathy to the next-of-kin, and special arrangements were put in hand,through the R.A.F. Benevolent Fund, to offer any financial assistance they mightrequire. Memorial to Bomber CrewsA MEMORIAL to the officers and air-men of Nos. 2, 3, 8 and 100 Groups, Bomber Command, who lost their livesduring the war will be unveiled in Ely Cathedral on November 6th. The memorial will be a stained-glasswindow with four lights or panels installed in the north side of the nave. The left-hand light will show the figure of a member of aircrew in flying clothing abovethe badge of No. 2 Group. The left-centre light shows the Archangel Michael abovethe badge of No. 3 Group. The right- centre light portrays St. George and theDragon above the badge of No. 8 Group. The design also includes the Lion of St.Mark, the Patron Saint of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The right-hand lightshows the figure of an airman above the badge of No. 100 Group. At the bottomof each light are scenes showing Welling- ton bombers during different phrases ofan operational bombing sortie. In the tracery at the top of the windoware displayed the badges of the Royal Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force andBomber Command, together with the
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