WINGS CEREMONY

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24369, 22 September 1944, Page 6

WINGS CEREMONY

AIR CREW TRAINING TO CEASE

IMPROVED CONTINENTAL SITUATION

Wings were presented to trainees, including nine former Army officers, at Wigram yesterday by Air Commodore A. de T. Nevill, C.8.E., Vice-Chief of the Air Staff. The honours-pupil was Lieutenant J. B; Stevenson. The high bombing trophy was won by Sergeant V. G. Nix, &nd the. low level bombing trophy by L.A.C. E. G. Ridley. “You know that we are how sending no further air crew either to Canada or to the United Kingdom,’’ said Air Commodore Nevill “The position is that there are surpluses of trained air crew personnel in the United Kingdom, and there are also surpluses of -trained and semi-trained air crew personnel in Canada. That position is unavoidable. “The explanation is really very simple—when I was in England 12 months ago the losses in air crew every night in the offensive against Germany were 3 per cent, or 4 per cent., which taken into account, based on the aircraft going over Germany, amounted to about 500 trained aitf crew every night. You can imagine that it is not possible to sustain a loss like that for long. The figures become phenomenal. The rate has fallen steadily. It has been impossible until the opening of the second front in June to say what our rate of loss in the air would be. Consequently the Allies would have been unable and unwise to curtail the Commonwealth air training plan.” Any decision of that nature a few months ago might have made all the difference between victory and defeat. To-day the position was different. The Luftwaffe was broken, and it was certain that we will retain superiority m the air over Europe. “Having done that, the rate of loss will remain very low, and we are now able to effect reductions in the air training plan,’ he added. “Some of the consequences of this reduction you know, but I do wish to emphasise that-it was for this reason only that a decision was made a. little, less or. just about two months ago that it was possible to consider any i eductions.” Referring, to the situation in the Pacific, Air Commodore Neville said:—“ The Japanese are, now on the strategic defensive, and are drawing in their defence lilies'in the hope of prolonging the war sufficiently to enable war weariness to’ develop in the democracies. The Japanese may have received a knock-back recently, but the position to-day is that they still have a fleet, and the bulk of her army is untouched, and there is a lot to be done before they are defeated.” The following received their wings: —L AC. A. C. Bailey, L.A.C. J. .F. Borrie, L.A.C. N. B. Bunny, L.A.C. P. H. Caldwell, Second-Lieutenant K. T. Cusack, L.A.C. T. Duggan, Warrant Officer D. B. Foote, L.A.C. J. P. Gallagher, L.A.C. K. H. M. Hampton, L.A.C. J. p. Hickson,, Second-Lieutenant L. G. Hopkins, Corporal J. B. Irwin, Warrant Officer A. James, D.F.M., L.A.C. I. J. S. Laidlaw, L.A.C. D. H. McDonald, Corporal R. A. McDonnell, Lieutenant A. A. Macpherson. L.A.C. P. B. May, L.A.C. J. E. Meredith, Second-Lieuten-ant J. J. Molloy, Sergeant T. B. Mooney, L.A.C. J. D. Moss. L.A.C, J. W. Newell, Sergeant V. G. Nix, L.A.C. F. B. L. Padget, Flying Officer G. W. Palmer, D.F.C., L.A.C. S. J. Porter, L.A.C. W. T. Rainbow, Warrant Officer M; J. Rennie, L.A.C. E. G. Ridley, L.A.C. R. C. Ritchie, Sergeant M. S. Robinson, L.A.C. R. G. Rowe, Sergeant ;H. A. Sexton, L.A.C. P. L. Shipman, Lieutenant S. H. Simmonds, Lieutenant J. B. Stevenson, Second-Lieutenant D. W. Stewart, Lieutenant A. J. Thornton, L.A.C. J. L. Turner, Lieutenant J. S. Upston, Flight Sergeant P. G. Winchcomb, L.A.C. L. L. Wright.