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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 0284.PDF
284 FLIGHT, 26 February 1960 Oldest Aeronautical Society THE STORY OF THE RAeS: PART 3 By FRANK H. SMITH THIS is the third and closing article in Mr Smith's survey of 94 yearsof the Royal Aeronautical Society as reflected in the pages of its Journal. Earlier instalments were in our issues of January IS and 29. THE first number of the Society's Journal to appear duringthe First World War (October 1914) opens with an appealfor subscriptions. Balance at the bank was about £140. The volumes for 1915 and 1916 are pathetically slim. The annualgeneral meeting for 1914 was postponed from March until May, when it was combined with the Wilbur Wright Lecture. In theJuly-September number was a notice that the office would be open only in the morning, because of the pre-occupation of thesecretary and members with war work; but January 1916 saw it open again during the whole day. That year, too, saw the annual general meeting and the WilburWright Lecture combined, and on this occasion it was a notable one—"The Life and Work of Wilbur Wright," by Griffith Brewer.Celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Society was post- poned until after the war. At the a.g.m. the council welcomed therecent formation of the new body representing the trade interests of the aeronautical industry—in short, the Society of British Air-craft Constructors. The Secretary's resignation was announced in the last number of the Journal for the year but an announce-ment was made of the appointment of an assistant secretary— a woman. Reference was made to another body called the Aero-nautical Institute of Great Britain and the multiplication of aeronautical bodies was—rightly—deplored. In 1916 the year's Journal numbered 165 pages; in 1917 it was460. W. Bernard Faraday, a barrister, had been selected from 350 applicants to be secretary. In the January number was printedthe gist of an agreement with the SBAC as to the spheres of the two bodies. Both provided members for a "Standing Committeeof Relations." In the Council's report for 1916-17 it was said that, though the Society could not afford it, a move to largerpremises was desirable. A lease of 7 Albemarle Street was obtained "on very favourable terms." Members stood the cost of thetransfer and the equipping of the new offices. An audience of 2,500 attended a lecture by Holt Thomas on May 30. The credit balance on December 31, 1916, was £704 9s 4d."The past five months, therefore, have been by far the most pros- perous in the Society's history" says the council's report. In theOctober-December (1917) Journal came the announcement of a new monthly Journal, 2s 6d per copy, 30s per annum. Abstracts,too, were forecast. On January 2, 1918, Dr A. P. Thurston delivered a lecture to 500 "young people." His subject was "TheAeroplane." By March 1918 the cataloguing of the library had been completed. The May 1918 number contained the announcement that HisMajesty had been graciously pleased to confer on the Society the dignity of beingknown henceforth as "The Royal AeronauticalSociety." This was an- nounced at "the WilburWright" on June 25. The council report for 1917-18announced negotiations in progress for the formationof branches. These were contemplated at SouthFarnborough, Hendon, Glasgow and Manchester.Manchester Branch held its inaugural meeting onNovember 12. Capt J. Laurence Pritchard, CBE, HonFRAeS, secretary from 7925 to 7957 In July 1919 it was announced that the Prince of Wales hadconsented to become patron of the Society. In the same month Faraday proffered his resignation from the secretaryship and inOctober General Ruck occupied the chair at a council meeting for the last time. When Frost ceased to be president in 1911,Ruck became chairman of council and the presidency remained in abeyance. In 1919 Lord Weir became president and Brig-GenBagnall Wild chairman of council. This arrangement persisted until 1927. Lt-Col Lockwood Marsh was appointed secretary onJanuary 1, 1920. The new monthly Journal went up 9d to 3s 6d. The first number of the Journal for 1920 bears the legend"Edited for the Council of the Royal Aeronautical Society by J. Laurence Pritchard, Associate Fellow. The March numberannounces the institution of examinations for Associate Fellow- ship. At the annual general meeting increased subscriptions wereput forward, ranging from six guineas to one. In July it was announced that the Duke of York had consentedto become a patron, so the Society thus had two royal patrons at once. The election of Trenchard and Hunsaker to HonoraryFellowship brought this list to seven, previous recipients being P. Y. Alexander, Baden-Powell, W. H. Dines, Sir David Hendersonand Sir Frederick Sykes. The Duke of York presided at the Wilbur Wright Lecture (by Hunsaker) that year. It is interestingto note that permission was granted for technical members to use the Air Ministry library on production of a letter from thesecretary. One wonders if that permission has ever been rescinded. £850 in subscriptions was overdue in August. The annual general meeting on March 31, 1921, heard thecheering news that the previous year's deficit of £1,780 had been reduced to one of £481 3s 4d. The balance sheet, however, stillshowed a debit of £1,542 19s lid. The Council report announced that a more detailed system of bookkeeping would enable a morerapid check to be kept on expenditure! The Society's staff now numbered four, including a junior clerk—Miss F. Barwood. In January 1922 the membership was down to below 1,000—879, but the income-and-expenditure account showed a credit of £136 17s lid. The editor of the Journal received an honorarium—which he returned as a donation to the Society. In July the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust made a substantial grant for thepurchase of 250 historical books, on aeronautical subjects, which Maggs Brothers were selling. January 1,1923, showed an increaseof seven in the membership. The full title of the Journal changed from The Aeronautical Journal to The Journal of the Royal Aero-nautical Society and its subscription list numbered 136. The deficit was back at £278. In 1923 the staff of the Society organized the International AirCongress, and it was felt that this "spread the gospel" of the Society's activities and existence. J. E. Hodgson, the well-knownauthority on old books, was appointed honorary librarian. Sub- scriptions to the Journal improved by 60 per cent. In an effortto economize it was decided to hold meetings in the library instead of at the Royal Society of Arts. By the end of 1924 the total membership was but 817. Arrange-ments were in progress with the Institution of Aeronautical Engineers for amalgamation. The circulation of the Journal wasup by 25 per cent and Pritchard was still editing it for love. Even so, expenditure still exceeded income. Two items of expendi-ture were obvious targets for economy: The Journal and adminis- tration. That the former was increasing in circulation ratherpointed to the latter as the measure to be adopted. Lockwood Marsh accordingly tendered his resignation, which was acceptedwith regret. He had served the Society for five years. In the May Journal (1925) we read that "Mr J. L. Pritchard has, at the requestof the Council, agreed to act as Honorary Secretary of the Society and took up his duties on May 1st." In the August number were printed suggestions for the "exten-
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