The Evening Star FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1941. NEW GOVERNOR-GENERAL.

Evening Star, Issue 23816, 21 February 1941, Page 6

The Evening Star FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1941. NEW GOVERNOR-GENERAL.

The appointment of Sir Cyril Ncwall, Marshal of the Royal Air Force, as Governor-General of New Zealand, lias been warmly applauded throughout the Dominion, and no doubt the people in each province are eagerly awaiting the time when the first tour of the new Vice-Hegal party will afford thorn an opportunity of meeting the man who played such a prominent part in organising the lighting unit that Rcichinarshal Gocring has come to respect and fear. The Governor-General designate was welcomed at Auckland this morning on his arrival from the Homeland via the United States, the arrangements being that he would leave later in the day by special train for Wellington. It should not take long for Sir Cyril to gain a complete grasp of his new duties, for, in addition to being a gallant warrior of the air, he is a man of keen perception, and will undoubtedly be imbued with the desire to perform the tasks of his office conscientiously and well. As the King’s representative in New Zealand he should prove both popular and a source of inspiration to our political and military leaders. During his command of the Koyal Air Force he carried a heavy burden. It says much for his ability that British airmen, numerically inferior to the enemy, should have been welded so quickly into a magnificent fighting unit. The long, trying months in Franco, the evacuation from Dunkirk, and the epic air lighting over the English Channel and the southern counties all bore the hall-mark of a success to which the former Air Chief Marshal contributed in generous measure. Originally educated for the Army, Sir Cyril saw service in India and in the Great War before joining the Royal Flying Corps in 191 G, this transfer marking the beginning of a brilliant career as a fighting airman. But his interest in aviation goes further back than the last war. It is said that he lost his heart to the new mode of progression when he was homo on leave from India in 1911 and •saw aeroplanes actually in the air. Ho was, indeed, one of the few military officers of thoso days who foresaw the possibilities of aviation in warfare, and be has taken a direct, personal interest in tile development of aircraft from a reconnaissance machine into something more deadly and aggressive. In 1917 he had command of a bombing squadron which successfully carried out reprisal raids over the Rhineland after Gorman Zeppc-lins and planes had wrought some destruction in London. Winning rapid promotion after the war, he became Air Chief Marshal in 1937, and played a prominent part in organising the balloon barrage and efficient blackout measures. The appointment of Sir Cyril Newall means that the Dominion, which has already been favoured by the presence in a vice-regal position of conspicuous figures representative of the two older fighting services, is now being paid a very great compliment in receiving one of the most distinguished aviators in the world as its GovernorGeneral.