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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1798.PDF
The new carrier H.M.S. "Ark Royal" moving out of Grand Harbour, Valetta, bound for Toulon and a goodwill visit. SERVICE AVIATION Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm News R.A.F. Christinas Plans f more, many R.A.F. stations are^-' holding childrens' Christmas parties, and the ubiquitous Father Christmas willuse various unorthodox means for attend- ing these functions. Amongst his convey-ances will be jet aircraft, helicopters, bomb trolleys made up to look like sleighs, firetenders and, in one instance, an ejector seat. Both R.A.F. and other children are to beentertained with such treats as pantomimes, plays, films, puppets, conjurors and magi-cians. Many units are including orphan, sick and spastic children in their plans. Oldpeople will also be catered for. At R.A.F. Hartlebury, Kidderminster,1,040 children will be entertained at eight parties between December 18th andJanuary 7th, and 85 youngsters taken to a pantomime in Dudley. The sevenchildren of the staff of a signals unit near Coldingham, Berwick, will have a party atwhich Father Christmas will arrive by sleigh. Three hundred and ten children ofcivilian employees and 190 parents will be taken from No. 4 M.U., West Ruislip, toOlympia on January 21st and afterwards will be given high tea and gifts. Tomorrowwill be the big day for children at No. 19 M.U. St. Athan, and the O.C., W/C. W. R.Wills-Sandford, will be Father Christmas, arriving in an Oxford. No. 32 M.U. atthe same base will also hold a party, as will No. 16 M.U. at Stafford. Hullavingtonand Driffield will entertain crippled chil- dren and orphans in the neighbourhoodand the small mess of R.A.F. Longbenton, near Newcastle, will entertain six orphans.At Binbrook, Father Christmas will arrive by sleigh and descend via the chim-ney. At Honiley, W/C. Barthropp will, as Father Christmas, arrive by Vampire andre-embark in a sleigh drawn by children to attend their party tomorrow, in con-trast to Thornaby and Middleton St. George, where arrival will be by heli-copter. At Sutton-on-Hull the School of Fire Fighting will appropriately conveyFather Christmas in a fire tender, while at Colerne he is appearing through curtainsin an ejector seat. Bringing cheer for the sick will be a number of choirs andgroups of carol singers who will tour the wards of three R.A.F. hospitals at Ely,Wroughton, and Cosford. From Watnall officers will call on old-age pensioners inthe village with gifts, and Linton-on-Ouse expects to be able to give a donation ofover £50 (raised by a record request pro- gramme on the station's internal broad-casting system) to Fairfield Sanatorium for Tuberculosis, York. R.A.F. on Active Service A PROCLAMATION by Field MarshalSir John Harding, the Governor of Cyprus, places R.A.F. units in the islandon active service for three months. On November 26th, Sir John Harding haddeclared a state of emergency and two days later the 10,000 troops on the islandhad been placed on active service. The first batch of wounded, evacuatedfrom Cyprus by Hastings of the casualty evacuation service and brought to Englandlast week, included two R.A.F. men. The Pathfinder Ball THE annual Pathfinder Ball, an R.A.F.reunion that is surely unsurpassed for its popularity, took place at the DorchesterHotel on December 3rd. Among the 600 present were Sir James and Lady Barnes,A.V-M. D. C. T. Bennett (founder/com- mander the Pathfinder Force), Mrs. Ben-nett, and Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Bowhill and Lady Bowhill. Between dinnerand dancing, in accordance .with tradition, the choristers of St. Paul's and St. Mark'ssang three Christmas carols and later there followed, by contrast, a lively andspectacular floor show. Jet Provost Progress AT the beginning of November, NATOAir Training Advisory Group sent a team to Hullavington to evaluate theJet Provosts which are now being used for an experimental- pilot-training course. The Meteor F.R.9s of No. 208 Sqn., whose standard presentation was recorded last week, fly in formation over the Canal Zone. The colour arrangement on the noses is dis- tinctive and not common in present squadrons.
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