AIR FORCE RANKING

Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 20, 18 October 1944, Page 6

AIR FORCE RANKING

Explanation By Minister The regulations governing the ranking of R.N.Z.A.F. personnel were reviewed by the Minister of Defence, Mr. Jones, in the House yesterday, when replying to an urgent question by Air. Broadfoot (Opposition, Waitomo), who had asked the Minister to explain why airmen returning to the Dominion after extensive service in battle zones were being demoted. Was it a fact, he asked, that these men were being reduced below the rank of airmen who had never left the Dominion and would the Minister see that this injustice was rectified? In the New Zealand Air Force there were apart from permanent officers only two types of rank —temporary and acting, said the Alinister. Acting rank was granted to an officer where he was holding a pest above his temporary rank. If the officer was given a lesser post he lost bis acting rank. The Minister gave as an example the case of an acting wing commander commanding a station being post-, ed to an operational squadron carrying imly squadron leader rank. The Alinister said the same principle was adopted in the Royal Air Force. In the case of aircrew non-commission-ed officers, unless an airman was remustered to a ground trade he did not lose his rank. In the case of tradesmen who were given a totlr of duty as tradesmen aircew. namely, flight engineers or tradesmen air-gunners, they were given the rank of sergeant while members of aircrew, but on going hack to their basic trade they reverted to their original rank plus any seniority they bad gained in their basic trade while members of aircrew.