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Aviation History
1959
1959 - 0507.PDF
248 FLIGHT, 20 February 1959 SERVICE AVIATION Royal Air Forces and Naval Flying News Changes of Command C?EVERAL important new appointments,^ each one consequent upon the other, were announced by Air Ministry last week.Air Chief Marshal Sir George H. Mills, who has been AAFCE Commander sinceJanuary 1956, is to be Chairman of the British Joint Services Mission in Wash-ington and U.K. Representative on the Standing Group of the Military Com-mittee of NATO. In this new post he succeeds Admiral Sir Michael Denny, whois relinquishing his appointment next July. Sir George's present position is beingtaken over from next May by Air Chief Marshal Sir Harry Broadhurst, who hasbeen A.O.C-in-C. Bomber Command since January 1956 and will be succeeded inthat position by A. V-M. K. B. B. Cross, with the acting rank of air marshal. A.V-M. Cross, who at 47 will be theyoungest A.O.C-in-C. Bomber Command since Marshal of the R.A.F. Lord Portalwas appointed at 46, has been A.O.C. No. 3 Group since January 1956 and will be suc-ceeded there by A.V-M. M. H. Dwyer, who has recently been on a liaison visitto the U.S. (see photograph, this page, last week) since taking the 1958 I.D.C. course. Air Staff Post VX7ITH the appointment of A.V-M." J. G. W. Weston to the senior direct- ing staff of the Imperial Defence Collegefrom the beginning of next month, he has been succeeded as A.C.A.S. (Signals)from February 1 by A. Cdre. G. C. Eveleigh, with the acting rank of air vice-marshal. A.V-M. Weston had held the Air Staff signals post from 1956; his suc-cessor attended last year's I.D.C. course after a period of secondment as R.N.Z.A.F.assistant chief of air staff. .. - Aircrew RecruitmentE NTRIES of aircrew to the R.A.F.,both on direct and short-service com- missions, are still appreciably below re-quirements. This rather glum statistic was recorded in the White Paper on defenceplan progress which the Government pub- lished last week (see also pages 237 and240). The report went on to suggest that the shortage of recruits might partly bedue to "the impression that, with the advent of the rocket, aircraft will havelittle part to play." This it stoutly denied, saying categorically that "there will con-tinue to be many important operational tasks which only manaed aircraft canperform." R.A.F. Postings APPOINTMENTS recently announcedby the Air Ministry include the following:— Air Ministry Squadron Leader D. J. Bolter,for duty in the Department of the C.A.S., with acting rank of wing commander, February 9.Bomber Command Wing Commander J. M. Urquhart to R.A.F. Feltwell as Senior MedicalOfficer, January 19; Squadron Leader S. W. K. Hart to H.Q. for Provost duties, with actingrank of wing commander, February 2. Flying Training Command Wing Com-manders S. M. Bieber to H.Q. No. 23 Group, as Senior Medical Officer, January 30; andG. H. Dhenin to the R.A.F. Staff College, Bracknell, for studies, January 12.Technical Training Command Wing Com- manders J. W. McCombie to H.Q. as GroupCaptain Training (A), with acting rank of group captain, February 9; L. L. Flowerdewto H.Q. for technical staff duties, February 9; J. E. S. Salter to No. 1 School of TechnicalTraining, Halton, for accounts duties, Feb- ruary 9; and Squadron Leader G. Strange toR.A.F. Hereford, to command the Boy Entrants Wing, with acting rank of wing commander,January 17. Home Command Wing CommanderF. H. D. Hutter to R.A.F. Hospital, Halton, as Surgical Specialist, January 1.R.A.F. Germany (2nd T.A.F.) Wing Com- mander J. C. Bevan to H.Q., for technicalstaff duties, February 9. Middle East Air Force Wing CommanderR. E. B. Pinchard to H.Q., for administrative staff duties, February 9.British Forces Aden Peninsula Wing Com- manders J. R. Gardner to H.Q. for staff duties,February 5; and M. O. Richardson to R.A.F. Hospital Aden, to command, January 15. Fairey Fireflies of the R.A.F. Sailing Association, which has been presented with twelve of these craft by the Nuffield Trust, on the Welsh Harp at Hendon (London) last week when W.R.A.F. members were given instruction in rigging and sailing Well-deserved SuccessD ESPITE the narrow margin of theirvictory (by 12 pt to 9), the R.A.F. were generally much superior to the RoyalNavy in the Inter-Services game at Twickenham last Saturday. Their for-wards were better organized, particularly in the set scrummages; their halves hadmore imagination and mobility; their backs were speedy in attack and moved upeffectively in defence. Indeed the R.A.F. line was never crossed, the Navy's scoresall coming from penalty goals; and had the R.A.F. not been over generous with offsideand scrum infringements, and the Navy not been equipped with such an efficientplace-kicker as Lt. H. J. Mainwaring (who scored all its penalty goals), the matchmight have been much more one-sided. As it was, the R.A.F. let their opponents getahead after five minutes, then equalized matters with a penalty goal by F/L.G. J. A. Head, who was a tower of strength in the pack. Then came a delightful tryby Welsh international Cpl. M. J. Price, only to be offset by a penalty which theR.A.F. conceded just on half-time. After the interval, too, the Air Force continuedto keep its supporters' hearts in their mouths. For when P/O. B. B. Wright haddropped a beautiful goal and Cpl. Price gone over for another try, the Navy cameup again to within three points with their third penalty goal. On balance, however,the R.A.F. well deserved their narrow victory. IN BRIEF __ S Air Marshal Sir Raymond Hart, who wasController of Engineering and Equipment until his recent retirement from the R.A.F.,has been appointed director of the Radio Industry Council and is to take up his newduties on March 1. ***** H.M.S. Centaur is expected to lead RoyalNavy ships visiting Lisbon on May 28, the day before the British Trade Fair opens there.A Royal Air Force band will take part in out- side entertainments during the exhibition,which runs from May 29 to June 14. RETROSPECT : From "Flight" of February 20, 1909 Flying Grounds at Fambridge: It is encour-aging, to say the least of it, to be able to place before our readers this week some earlyparticulars of a scheme that has been put on foot by one of our own countrymen with theexpress object of fostering the progress of flight in England . . . The land which Mr. Pemberton Billing hassecured is over 3,000 acres in extent, and lies between the Thames and the Crouch in thevicinity of South Fambridge, Essex. Flying rights up to the coast have been purchased,and there is thus available a straight course (a mile wide) of 25 miles at low tide. . . . Theonly stipulation which Mr. Billing desires to make with those who share the use of hisproperty, is that they shall give evidence of a patriotic side to their work. And this theyare to do by associating themselves with his general scheme, viz., that of founding thenucleus for an aerial fleet, which it is pro- posed to call the "Imperial Flying Squadron".It will be observed that Mr. Billing's proposals are of a very ambitious and praiseworthynature; and that they are essentially intendec to imbue the sporting side with a militantnational aspect of a definite kind. As such, we hope that this "Colony of British Aerocraft'(as Mr. Billing proposes to call it) may mee: with immediate success.
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