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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0414.PDF
422 FLIGHT, 30 March 1961 SERVICE AVIATION Air Force, Naval and Army Flying News Queen's ADCO NE of the most famous Battle ofBritain pilots, Gp Capt A. C. Deere, DSO, DFC, has been appointedan aide-de-camp to the Queen. A New Zealander, Gp Capt Deere joined the RAFin 1937. He flew Spitfires with No 54 Sqn and in August 1941 took command ofNo 602 (City of Glasgow) Sqn, also equipped with Spitfires. Later he com-manded No 403 Sqn, RCAF, at North Weald and subsequently the Biggin HillWing. He destroyed 21 enemy aircraft. At present Deputy Director of Personnel(Air) (2) at Air Ministry, he described his wartime experiences in an autobiography,Nine Lives, published in 1959. UAS FutureT WO senior officers gave their views onthe value and the future of university air squadrons at UAS dinners held inYorkshire recently. At Leeds the Air Member for Personnel, Air MarshalSir Arthur McDonald, said that the squadrons' future was being debated andcertain people had been given the task of economizing. Until recently the positionhad been that the majority of UAS members had not gone forward into the Service.The value of the squadrons had therefore been limited. " It is a fact that at thepresent time we are quite seriously short of officers," said Sir Arthur, "and this issomething that is worrying us quite a lot." Air Cdre J. M. N. Pike, AOC Gibraltar (centre), with AVM K. V. Garside, Coastal Command SASO (second from right), in the control tower at RAF North Front during the latter's recent visit to Gibraltar. At left is Mr 8. Humphrey- Davits, an assistant Under-Secretary of State for Air; right, Sqn Ldr W. S. Akeroyd, SATCO He said he felt that the 1957 White Paperwas responsible for the falling-off in air- crew recruitment. The impression thatWhite Paper had given had been wrong. What was certain was that the number ofaircrew required in the next five years would be about 40 per cent greater than what hadbeen required in the last five years. At Hull the AOC-in-C Bomber Com-mand, Air Chief Marshal Sir Kenneth Cross, said that he had always believed thatthe intangible values of a university air squadron were quite priceless. "However,"he added, "I have been making a few enquiries. The Treasury point of view isquite simple. Over the past ten years it has been costing about £1,300,000 annually torun the squadrons, and out of 78,000 members only 436 have taken permanentcommissions in the RAF. But everyone in the Air Ministry—in uniform at least—isvery conscious of the value of the squadrons and I am certain my optimism will bejustified in the light of future events." Commanders Confer AT Air Ministry last week (March 23and 24) the Chief of the Air Staff,Air Chief Marshal Sir Thomas Pike, held the second of his annual conferences ofhome and overseas commanders-in-chief. The object of the conference was to discussbroad strategic problems affecting the RAF now and in the next decade, and toconsider operational, organizational and A Twin Pioneer and two Prestwick Pioneers of the Royal Malayan Air Force, on whose behalf the Government of the Federation of Malaya has placed an order with Scottish Aviation for ten Twin Pioneer Series 3 aircraft. The four existing Twin Pioneers of the RMAF are to be returned for conversion to full Series 3 standard. See also brief "All Quarters" news-item Sqn Ldr R. Ramirez, CO of No 208 Sqn, based at Nairobi, Kenya, holding a warrior's shield with which he was presented by Masai tribal chief Simeon Ole Pasha (right), who holds a plaque of the No 208 Sqn badge and is wearing a sash in squadron colours personnel problems affecting commands.The CAS intends to hold these conferences in the spring of each year and a similarmeeting, for home commanders only, in the autumn. IN BRIEF Princess Margaret is to visit RAF Finningley,near Doncaster, Yorks, on Tuesday, June 6. The RAFA annual conference is being heldat Douglas, Isle of Man, on June 3 and 4. The boxer mascot of No 6 Sqn at RAFAkrotiri in Cyprus, "Fit Lt" Rusty, died recently "after 15 years' distinguished service"and was accorded full military honours. Main RAF feature at this year's RoyalTournament (May 31-June 17, Earls Court, London) will be Operation Mayday, asimulated ASR/mountain rescue operation. The annual dinner of the PathfinderAssociation and Club is being held on Monday, May 8, at the Dorchester Hotel, London.Details are available from the Secretary, 118 Mount Street, Wl. The sixteenth annual reunion of the Head-quarters Bomber Command Association of Officers is being held at HQ Bomber Com-mand, RAF High Wycombe, Bucks, on Saturday, May 27. Any members who havenot received details of this reunion can obtain them by applying to the honorary secretaryof the Association at the above address. The RAF Benevolent Fund has received adonation of £50 from the RAF Officer Pilots' Tie Club. Membership of the club,which was founded in 1937, is restricted to past and present officer pilots of the RAF, RAuxAFand Dominion Air Forces who have flown at least 500hr as pilot or have taken part inactive service flying operations. Lancaster S for Sugar, which stands by themain gates of RAF Scampton, Lines, has been "armed" with a Grand Slam and Tallboybomb. Both these types of weapon were used by No 617 Sqn on operations fromScampton. The aircraft served there with No 83 Sqn for three years from 1942 and carriedout a record total of 137 raids.
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