RECRUITING DRIVE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 221, 19 September 1941, Page 6

RECRUITING DRIVE

YOUTHS FOR AIR FORCE CAMPAIGN IN WANGANUI BEGINNING ON MONDAY Recruiting of youths between 161 and 18 years of age lor the Air Training Corps will begin in Wanganui on Monday. The campaign opened in Auckland recently and met with considerable success, and it is hoped that sufficient applications will be received in this city for the formation of a town unit of the corps. Similar campaigns have been held in other North Island centres, and recruiting officers will be in Wanganui for a week. During the Wanganui campaign an appropriate display, including an assembled aircraft of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, will be held in the annexe of the D.I.C. Different, types of aircraft equipment and gear, illustrating various phases of the Air Force, will be on view. One of the hignlights of the display will be a large collection of training and operational photographs from Canada and the United Kingdom, in which some Wanganui men now serving overseas in tne Royal Air Force and the Royal New Zealand Air Force may be recognised.

The Air Training Corps is divided into two sections—college units and town units. Formation of the former units is carried out mainly by the various colleges, and the appeal in Wanganui next week will principally be for youths, not attached to any college, who are required for the town unit to be formed in the city. Pre-Entry Scheme. Il is explained that the Air Training Corps is the pre-entry training scheme foe giving appropriate elementary instruction to youtns who contemplate entry into either the Royal .New Zealand Air Force, or the Fleet Air Arm, or who are interested in preparing themselves tor civil aviation in the event of their services not being required for the forces.

The Minister of Defence, Hon. F. Jones, said recently that members of town units of the corps would receive uniforms with distinguishing buttons and badges. College units and those taking correspondence courses would

receive special badges. Where possible the lads would be given an opportunity to visit Air Force stations for practical aspects of the things they learned. Skilled instructors were being appointed, and arrangements had been made to provide instructional equipment—engines, airframes, radio apparatus, and so on. Correspondence courses for air crew and certain of the non-flying technical trades will be available for all eligible youths who are unable to join either of tire other two schemes.

Qualifications Needed. Membership ot the corps is open to approved applicants who are—(a) Not less than 161 years of age as at June 30 in the year ot enlistment, nor 18 years of age or more by that dale. In the case of college units, the minimum age is 15 years as at June 30 in the year ot enlistment. (b) Natural-born British subjects or the sons of parents both of whom arc (or, if deceased, were at the time of death) British subjects, (c) Of an educational standard not lower than that represented by the Standard VI proficiency certificate. (d> Free of any known physical defects likely to interfere with present or subsequent training, (e) Able to produce the written consent of parents or guardians to their becoming members of the Air Training Corps.

During the recruiting campaign for the Air Training Corps personnel for the Royal New Zealand Air Force will be enlisted in the air crew as technical sections. Full information will be given by the recruiting officer at the display. A campaign for Air Force recruits held in Wanganui earlier in the year was very successful, and it is hoped" that further applications will be forthcoming next week.