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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1762.PDF
9 December 1955 Gen. Bailly, French Chief of Air Staff, in- spects the R.A.F. guard of honour at Northolt on arriving to visit the R.A.F. last week. SERVICE AVIATION Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm News Preparing for Missiles •"TECHNICAL officers and N.C.O.s are*• being attached to the principal British aircraft companies engaged in the produc-tion of guided missiles. R.A.F. personnel will therefore become familiar with thenew weapons from the earliest stages of production, and will be able to form anucleus of instructors for the operation and maintenance of the missiles when theyenter service. Senior Appointments TPHE Air Ministry has announced that•* A. Cdre. K. B. Cross is to command No. 3 (Bomber) Group with the acting rankof air vice-marshal, A. Cdre. H. R. Graham is to command No. 23 (Training) Groupwith the acting rank of air vice-marshal and A. Cdre. S. C. Widdows is to be Direc-tor of Operations (Air Defence). All appointments will take effect next January. A. Cdre. Cross has been Director ofOperations (Air Defence) since February this year and before that was Director ofWeapons and Director of Operations (1). During World War 2 he was a fighter pilotand squadron commander, survived the sinking of H.M.S. Glorious, was in Nor-way and North Africa and was A.O.C. Cyrenaica. While leading No. 46 Sqn. hebecame the first man to take a Hurricane off from a carrier and, after the evacuationof Narvik, led his squadron to land back on board at 0300 hr. The carrier was soonafterwards sunk and he was one of the few survivors. A. Cdre. Graham, who is now taking theImperial Defence College course, was previously Director of Navigation andControl. He was born in South Africa and joined the R.A.F. in 1931. At the out-break of war he was with Bomber Com- mand and later took command of No. 7Sqn., winning the D.S.O. and D.F.C. A. Cdre. Widdows is also taking the Im-perial Defence College course. He enlisted as an apprentice in 1926 and entered Cran-well in 1929. Soon after the outbreak of 885 war he was posted to the A. and A.E.E.,then commanded No. 29 Sqn., and later specialized in night operations work withfighter groups and stations. He commanded No. 51 O.T.U. and became S.A.S.O. No.85 Group. He recently commanded Eastern Sector, Fighter Command. Distinguished Service Award TTHE QUEEN has been graciously•*• pleased to approve the award of a bar to the Air Force Cross to S/L. S. G. Hewittin recognition of gallantry and devotion to duty. S/L. Hewitt, a squadron commanderin No. 231 O.C.U., Bomber Command, was piloting a Canberra B.2 on a demonstrationflight for a student crew. During the initial climb after take-off from Bassingbourne,a serious technical fault developed which made the aircraft virtually uncontrollable.By superb airmanship, he so manoeuvred the aircraft that all the occupants were ableto leave before he finally abandoned it. This officer's leadership in this dire emerg-ency, states the citation, and his display of coolness and exceptional courage in the faceof grave danger, were a fine example to all. S/L. Hewitt entered the R.A.F. in1941, trained in Canada, and, after serv- ing with No. 21 Sqn. and No. 13 O.T.U.,was released in 1946. He rejoined the R.A.F. and now holds a permanentcommission. Cold Weather Test Season THIS year's group of new aircraft beingtested at the Central Experiment and Proving Establishment in Canada for theR.A.F. includes the Hunter, Gannet, Swift, Beverley, Sea Hawk and Auster. Afterbeing prepared at Edmonton, the aircraft are taken up to Churchill, Manitoba, forthe full range of cold-weather tests. Malayan Air Operations TO LYING against the Communist ter-* rorists in Malaya, which was suspended on September 23rd after the announcementof the Federal Government's amnesty terms, has now been resumed. On Novem-ber 25th six Canberras of No. 12 Sqn. bombed a terrorist camp in Northern Peraksoon after daylight. The camp had been located by visual reconnaissance by Lord De L'lsle and Dudley, Secretary of State for Air, accompanied R.A.F. Regiment troops on a jungle patrol in Malaya during his recent tour of units there. Austers of No. 656 A.O.P. Sqn., which thenmarked the target for the bombers. The following day, four Lincolns of No. 1 Sqn.,R.A.A.F., bombed and strafed terrorist resting places on the Pengeranh Peninsulajust east of Singapore. On November 27th No. 12 Sqn. Canberras bombed a targetwest of the Cameron Highlands and shortly afterwards they attacked two targets inNegri Sembilan State. These targets also were known resting-places for terroristsoperating in the area. S. of S. in Ceylon CONTINUING his tour of R.A.F. units*-' in the Middle and Far East, Lord De L'lsle and Dudley has now also visitedfor Air, landed in Colombo on November 28th for a two-day tour of R.A.F. units inCeylon. He was the guest of the Prime Minister, Sir John Kotelawala. Lord DeL'lsle and Dudley has now also visited the R.A.F. in Aden and Cyprus. New A.O.C. JordanT O succeed G/C. J. H. Miles, whose tourof overseas duty has expired, G/C. G. Lowe has been appointed A.O.C. R.A.F.Forces in Jordan. No. 5 F.T.S. Badge ON November 30th No. 109 Provost-Vampire Course passed out at R.A.F. Oakington and wings were presented byAir Marshal C. E. Nicholetts, A.O.C.-in-C. Flying Training Command. On the sameoccasion the A.O.C.-in-C. presented the official badge to No. 5 F.T.S., which is nowbased there. G/C. R. J. Hawkins, the station commander, accepted the badge,which bears the Gaelic motto "Dysgu i ehedeg" ("Teaching to fly") commemorat-ing the formation of the school in 1921 at Sealand in North Wales. The Vampire 5sand T.I Is which took over from No. 206 A.F.S. Meteors in 1954 inaugurated thesecond part of the Provost-Vampire train- ing sequence. R.A.F. Yacht ClubT HE first annual dinner in the 22 yearsof the R.A.F. Yacht Club's existence was held at Hamble, Hants, recently. Itwas followed by a dance, and on the follow- ing afternoon the annual general meetingwas held in the club-house beside the Hamble river. G/C. R. A. S. Ford (Retd.)was re-elected commodore and G/C. T. H. Carr (Retd.), who had been rear commo-dore, was elected vice-commodore. F/L.
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