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Royal Air Force

Volume 485: debated on Wednesday 7 March 1951

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Volunteer Reserve (Rank)

33.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if air-crew who voluntarily join the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve may retain their rank, as is the case when air-crew reserves are called up.

Men with former R.A.F. service who join the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve are given substantive rank equivalent to the rank held at the time of release. In some cases, however, officers are given lower substantive rank in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve than the temporary or war substantive ranks they held under exceptional war-time promotion rules.

Does this mean that the men who are being called up from the G Reserve are being treated better by getting the highest rank they had?

No, Sir. In most cases the people in the Volunteer Reserve have the same rank as they had when they left the Forces. In some cases, where they were given exceptional promotion for exceptional war-time reasons, they get a lower rank when called up.

The Under-Secretary has merely repeated his original answer and not answered my supplementary question. I asked him whether he will assimilate the conditions for volunteers to those which apply to the G reservists?

No, Sir. G reservists are specially selected men who are called up to fill special posts for only 15 days. They will hold the rank those posts carry for 15 days, but that has no relation whatever to the rank they would hold if they were called up on full mobilisation. The cases are quite different.

Auxiliary Squadrons

34.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether the squadrons of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force are still on a one flight basis.

In that case, how does the Under-Secretary justify the assertion of his right hon. and learned Friend on 7th February, when he said:

"It is not the case that the Auxiliary Air Force squadrons are at half strength."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 7th February, 1951; Vol. 483, c. 1715.]

The Royal Auxiliary squadrons, in pre-war days, had one training flight and one operational flight, and that is what they have now. This question was fully discussed in debate yesterday.

Might it not be more straightforward if these units were now renamed "flights" instead of "squadrons"?

Bombing, Heligoland

35.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what considerations have led him to abandon the bombing of Heligoland for target practice.

Heligoland, which had been made uninhabitable by war-time bombing and subsequent demolitions, was first used for bombing practice in 1946. It was the most convenient range available for full-scale practice by Bomber Command, and it was decided, because reconstruction could not in any case be started for some time, that the return of the Heligolanders to the island must be deferred.

It was realised, however, that such a situation could not continue indefinitely, and it has now been decided to accede to a request of the German Federal Government made on 12th January this year that the previous residents be allowed to return as soon as possible. Accordingly, the use of the island for bombing will be given up when alternative facilities have been secured, and in any case not later than March, 1952.

Would it not have been better if the decision to abandon Heligoland as a bombing range had been made some time ago, and the Government had not waited until it appeared that they abandoned it only under pressure of German public opinion?

I do not agree at all. The fact is that the German Federal Government are now co-operating in helping to find us alternative sites.

Is it not the case that the German Federal Government have already made proposals for alternative sites, and that this abandonment of Heligoland as a target will take place very much before 1952?

Is it not a fact that the Under-Secretary has been moved by the petition of the 2,000 Heligolanders which I forwarded to him with a view to letting them get back to their native island as soon as possible?

I am sure that we are all always moved by representations made by the hon. Gentleman.

Can the hon. Gentleman say to which people he refers as "the previous residents"? Are they the prewar 1939 residents or the squatters?

American Aircraft (Cost)

36.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what will be the cost in dollars of replacing with American air craft those manufactured in Britain and sold to foreign countries during the last four years.

None of the aircraft which we have asked the United States to supply for the R.A.F. under the Mutual Defence Assistance Programme is required to replace British types of aircraft which have been exported to foreign countries. The question of cost does not therefore arise.

Is it not a fact that, whatever the Under-Secretary may now say, we shall have to be given, lent or sold American fighter aircraft equivalent to the number the Government sold to foreign countries before we can really be considered to be increasing our Air Force, which will involve either America or ourselves in a totally unwarranted cost?

There is no relation whatever between the number of aircraft we hope to get from the United States and any number which have been sold to foreign countries. Nor, even if we did replace with later types some of the aircraft already in service, is there any connection between the fighter aircraft we may get from the United States and those we sold two or three years ago.

Does the hon. Gentleman mean to say that if those aircraft had remained in this country his Department would have had no use for them at all?

Auxiliaries (Training)

37.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if those men and women who have joined the Royal Auxiliary Air Force since the war and in so doing have accepted lower rank, will be called-up in any G, or other class service, in the rank held during their former Royal Air Force service.

Man and women who are members of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force will not be called up for Class G. They will carry out training in their Royal Auxiliary Air Force units in the ranks they hold in those units.

Since many auxiliaries will be losing financially during their three months' service, compared with what they receive in their civil employment, can the Minister see any way of removing the apparent unfairness mentioned in the Question? Is it not a fact that those who have volunteered since the war to serve in the Auxiliary Air Force will be losing compared with those who have been conscripted for service under the new arrangements?

Craftsmen, Little Rissington

38.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many civilian hourly rated mechanics are employed at No. 8 Maintenance Unit, Royal Air Force, Little Rissington, Gloucester; how many of these are registered dilutees; and how many were formerly so registered who are now qualified as crafts men.

The number of metal working craftsmen employed on the repair and modification of aircraft at No. 8 Maintenance Unit, Little Rissington, is 140, of whom 50 are registered dilutees. The number of craftsmen recognised as fully skilled who were formerly registered as dilutees is four.