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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1583.PDF
700 FLIGHT FROM ALL QUARTERS Two Notable AppointmentsC O-INCIDENTALLY with hisannouncement last week of the new arrangement by which the Minister ofDefence is to be given considerably greater authority in relation to the three ServiceMinisters and the Ministry of Supply, the Prime Minister also announced the crea-tion of the new post of Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. That an air-man—Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir William Dickson—has been selectedas first holder of the office has been generally recognized as a compliment andhonour to the R.A.F. Sir William's new responsibilities, whichhe will shoulder early in the new year, mean that he must give up his present post of Chief of the Air Staff, and the officer chosento succeed him is Air Marshal Sir Dermot Boyle. The dis- tinguished careers of both these officers are summarized below. Sir William Dickson, G.C.B., K.B.E., D.S.O., A.F.C., has beenChief of the Air Staff since January 1st, 1953. During the pre- vious three years he had been Air Member for Supply andOrganization, to which post he was appointed in March 1950. At the outbreak of the war he was in the Directorate of Plans, ofwhich he became Director in 1941. In the following year he was appointed A.O.C. 9 Group, Fighter Command, and towards theend of 1942 he became A.O.C. of 10 Group; afterwards he com- manded No. 83 Group, 2nd T.A.F., until early in 1944, when hewas given leadership of the Desert Air Force in Italy. He com- manded it throughout the period of the Allied advance whichculminated in the liberation of Rome and Florence. At the end of 1944 he was appointed Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Policy)and in June 1946 became Vice-Chief of the Air Staff, a post he held until he went to the Middle East Air Force as C-in-C. earlyin 1948. Born in September 1898 and educated at Haileybury, SirWilliam had served in the 1914-18 war, first with the R.N.A.S. and afterwards with the R.A.F. He was mentioned three timesin despatches and was awarded the D.S.O. in 1918 for his low- altitude bombing of an enemy airship station. After being permanently commissioned in the R.A.F. in 1919he was employed for some two years on Naval flying work and in 1921 was awarded the Dunning Cup for his experimental flyingfrom aircraft carriers; in the following year he received further recognition in the form of an Air Force Cross. Later he servedas a test pilot at the R.A.E. From 1923 to 1926 he was in the Directorate of Operations andIntelligence. Afterwards he served with No. 56 (Fighter) Squad- ron before graduating at the R.A.F. Staff College. From thenuntil the outbreak of war he successively served in India; in com- mand of No. 25 Sqn.; and on the staff of the R.A.F. Staff College. Air Marshal Sir Dermot Alexander Boyle, K.C.V.O., K.B.E., Sir William Dickson. Sir Dermot Boyle. C.B., A.F.C., has been the A.O.C-in-C. No. 1 Group, BomberCommand, from April 1951. Late in 1952 he led the Latin America goodwill tour by No. 12 Squadron's Canberras, flyingone of the aircraft as pilot throughout the distance of over 24,000 miles. He also flew a Canberra from Binbrook to Maltaand back in 6 hi 5 min flying time, at an average speed of 485 m.p.h. for the 2,914 miles. Before becoming A.O.C. No. 1 Group, Air Marshal Boyle wasat the Air Ministry from July 1948, first as Director-General of Personnel (1) for a year and afterwards as Director-General ofManning. During part of the war he had served in Bomber Command,joining its H.Q. in June 1940, on his return from H.Q., Advanced Air Striking Force in France. Later he commanded No. 83(Bomber) Sqn. until early in 1941, when he was appointed Assistant Secretary to the Committee of Imperial Defence. InJanuary 1942, he was given command of Stradishall, and later became S.A.S.O. of No. 6 Group, Abingdon. He was S.A.S.O.of No. 83 Group, 2nd Tactical Air Force from May 1943 to April 1945, and afterwards commanded No. 85 Group, 2ndT.A.F., for three months. He became A.O.C. No. 11 Group, Fighter Command, in July 1945 and, after taking the 1946 courseat the Imperial Defence College was Assistant Commandant of the R.A.F. Staff College for 18 months before going to theAir Ministry. Born in Ireland in 1904, Air Marshal Boyle was educated atSt. Columba's College, Co. Dublin, and the Royal Air Force College, Cranwell, from which he was commissioned in 1924.He was C.F.I, at Cranwell for two years prior to the war. World Tour for Comet 3 PLANS for a world demonstration tour by the Comet 3, testprototype for the Comet 4, are reported to have been an- nounced by Sir Miles Thomas, chairman of B.O.A.C., on Satur-day. Sir Miles, who had been attending the I.A.T.A. conference in New York and visiting American aircraft companies, said: "The FARNBOROUGH FAREWELL: On Novem- ber 1st Sir Arnold Hall began his new duties as technical director of the Hawker Siddeley Group. Before he left the R.A.E. he called his colleagues together for this photograph. L. to r., front row: Mr. H. T. Hill, Asst. Dir., Workshops; Dr. T. P. Hughes, Chief Supt., R.P.D., Westcott; Dr. F. E. Jones, Dep. Dir. (Engines); Sir Arnold Hall, Director; Mr. M. B Morgan, Dep. Dir. (Aircraft); Dr. P. B. Walker, Head of Struct. Dept.; Mr. J. Cushny, Asst. Dir., Tech. Facil. 2nd row: Mr. W. J. Charnley, Supt. Armt. and Inst. Exp. Unit; Mr. N. E. G. Hill, Head, Inst. Dept.; Dr. H. M. Wilson, Head, Armt. Dept.; Mr. W. H. Stephens, Head, Guided Weapon Cept.; Mr. H. C. B. Thomas, Head, Mech. Eng. Dept.; Mr. M. Hancock, Head, Elec. Eng. Dept.; Mr. R. W. Pye, Head G.W. Trials Dept.; Mr. R. D. Peggs, Principal, Tech. College. 3rd row: Dr. S. H. Hollingdale, Head, Maths. Services Dept.; Mr. N. J. L. Megson, Head, Chem. Dept.; Mr. C. N. Jaques, Head, Inst. and Photo. Dept.; Mr. L. H. G. Sterne, Chief Supt., N.A.E., Bedford; Dr. J. S. McPetrie, Head, Radio Dept.; G/C D. C. McKinley, CO. Exp. Flying; Mr. L. G. CarDenter, Head, Metallurgy Dept.
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