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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0158.PDF
160 FLIGHT, 1 February 1957 SERVICE AVIATION Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm News Bells of St. Clement'sO N Thursday last week the recast bellsof St. Clement Danes, which is to be the church of the R.A.F., were dedicatedand named. The dedication service was conducted by the Chaplain-in-Chief of theR.A.F., Canon A. S. Giles; and Air Chief Marshal Sir Dermot Boyle, Chief of the AirStaff, named the great tenor bell "Boom" in memory of Lord Trenchard. Inside eachbell is a Latin inscription and that in "Boom" translates as "Once from theheavens came ruin, today in the heavens there is a peal of joy." The other ten bells were named byrepresentatives of the Civil Service, and by contributors to and participants in therestoration work. The scaffolding and the old sanctus bell were decorated withoranges and lemons and greenery provided by Miss Dinah Wilson, for 70 years aflower girl opposite St. Clement Danes, which is traditionally the flower girls'church. Fruit was distributed by Canon Giles and Sir Dermot Boyle to 20 childrenfrom St. Clement Danes School. The bells are now being mounted in thebelfry, and being one more in number than before the church was destroyed duringWorld War 2, they can now correctly sound the traditional "Oranges andLemons" tune—and also the first bars of the R.A.F. march. At the end of last week'sceremony, Mr. A. A. Hughes, chief caster of the Whitechapel bell foundry, playedthe nursery rhyme tune on the bells as they stood upended where they had been named. Christmas Island Canberras TEN R.A.F. Canberras are undergoingflying tests in South Australia in preparation for the British hydrogen-bombtrials due to be held later this year at Christmas Island in the central Pacific.They have been fitted with special instru- ments and apparatus for recording detailsof blast effect. Six of the aircraft are to be sent to the forward area, near ChristmasIsland, and four are being kept in reserve. Air Chief Marshal Sir Dermot Boyle, Chief of St. Clement Danes, the church of the R.A.F. He All-through Jet Training "CLEVEN pilots of No. 113 Course at-"-/ R.A.F. Swinderby have now passed out after training entirely in jet aircraft.Speaking at their passing-out parade last week, A.V-M. H. R. Graham, A.O.C. No.23 Group, Flying Training Command, congratulated them on having "done extra-ordinarily well." He said he hoped that before he finished his term as A.O.C., themajority of student pilots would be trained entirely on jets. It was a simpler systemand put students in the right frame of mind at the outset. It also reduced thetraining period. Air Commodore Postings IT is announced that G/C. J. D. Melvin•*• is to be Director of Organization at Air Ministry after completing the 1956 courseat the Imperial Defence College. G/C. E. L. Colbeck-Welch is to become Com-mandant of the Central Fighter Establish- ment at West Raynham. Both will havethe acting rank of air commodore. A. Cdre. W. P. Sutciiffe, who has recentlybeen on intelligence duties with S.H.A.P.ET, has been appointed Director of Opera-tional Training at Air Ministry. G/C. J. N. Tomes has been appointed for dutywith the Defence Research Policy Commit- Poise, personality and impeccable business suiting distinguish pilots of No. 898 Sqn., F.A.A., as they receive a final briefing from their CO., Lt-Cdr. D. B. Morison, before setting off from Brawdy to take up residence in "Ark Royal." I f *'-s£^v^'v %'••-• • ^ - the Air Staff, naming the great tenor bell of called it "Boom" in memory of Lord Trenchard. tee, receiving the acting rank of aircommodore. G/C. P. D. Holder has been appointedA.O.C. Singapore with the acting rank of air commodore. G/C. B. J. R. Roberts,who also receives the acting rank of air commodore, has been appointed Senior AirLiaison Officer and Air Adviser to the High Commissioner in Canada and will takecharge of the United Kingdom Service Liaison Staff (Air) at Ottawa next March. Kenley's New Bar A T a party in the Officers' Mess at R.A.F.**• Kenley last week, a new and larger bar was opened. The central feature of itsdecor, which commemorates the station's part in the Battle of Britain, is a paintingof a Spitfire in action by David Shepherd. This has been bought by mess membersand was presented during the party by A.V-M. J. M. Cohu, A.O.C. No. 61 Group,whose headquarters are at Kenley. Other new decorations include many sketchesmade during the battle and the badges of squadrons based at Kenley. Among theguests were Air Marshal Sir Richard Atcherley, who commanded Kenley in1940, and Group Captains Johnson, Bader, Dundas and Kent. Sylt Helicopters TOURING last year the crews of the Heli-*-* copter Air/Sea Rescue Flight on the island of Sylt, Germany, made no less than758 sorties. The last operation of 1956 was the lowering of six men during a freeze-upto two stranded R.A.F. rescue launches, so that these could be returned to harbour assoon as the ice cracked. Other sorties covered the rescue of R.A.F. and Allied air-men from land and sea, casualty evacua- tions from ice-bound islands, going out toships in distress, saving swimmers and reporting live mines off Sylt's holidaybeaches. The Flight was formed in 1954. Reunion T'HE sixth annual reunion dinner of No.x 609 (West Riding) Squadron is due to be held at the Guildford Hotel, Leeds,on February 9. Eight wartime Belgian pilots are expected to attend the dinner.Details from Frank Ziegler, Esq., D.F.C., New Place, Haslemere, Surrey.
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