ROYAL AIR FORCE

Waikato Times, Volume 117, Issue 19514, 1 March 1935, Page 4

ROYAL AIR FORCE

J\IEW ZEALAND MEMBERS. DINNER IN LONDON. (From a Correspondent.) LONDON, Jan. 26. About thirty New Zealanders,at present serving’ with the 'Royal Air Force or belonging to the Reserve Of 'Air Force Olllccrs, and a few other guestsmet for a dinner at llie Florence 1 Restaurant on Saturday night. There, are roughly 'JO Dominion men serving with the Royal Air Force at the present. time. Twelve-of-Ilie,se are aircraft apprentices. Seventeen are willi units in India, Irak, Egypt, Sudan. Palestine, or Singapore. In addition, there are about twenty Reserve Officers I employed in various capacities in civil I aviation in this country. j The fact that at least thirty could J

be brought together in London for a social function has led lo the decision to make tills dinner an annua] one. and doubtless on future occasions there will be a still larger representation. The Men Disappointed. Squadron-Leader C. R. Carr, D.F.C., A.F.C., was Die senior officer present, and took the chair. The men wero greatly disappointed that Sir James Parr was not present as I ho chief guest. Flight-Lieutenant A. do T. Ncvill, of tho Royal New Zealand Air Force, who has boon engaged in arranging for equipment for New Zealand, and is now to spend a year at a staff ' course, sat beside Hie chairman. Squadron-Leader Carr, by Hie way. is now engaged in work with tho Royal Navy. This ollleor, it, will he remeni--1 bprod. broke his service with I he Air Force a few years after Hie end of the war. While in civilian life in 1921 tie .joined the ShaekiehMi Expedition in Hie Jil lit*, ship Oiiesl, the object being lliat he should make use of an aeroplane whirdi was carried on the ship. In nou'o recent, years, Squadron-Loader Rarr came inlo prominence when he and a companion fell.inlo llie Indian Ocean on Ihcir non-stop Might I" Karachi. A year later they broke the I record for a uuu-stup Might, though 1

they landed some miles short of their destination, Cape Town. The dinner was in the nature of a smoking concert, and ufler Hie toast of tlio King, a party of cabaret artists entertained the guests for a lialf-an-hour or more, a very terrifying apache dance being tiie prominent item. True to Type. Squadron-Leader Carr, in proposing the toast, “New Zealand, Our Relations, and Friends,” said he hoped the dinner would he an annual one. It would provide a opportunity of getting lo know' the Dominion men who were in I lie Air Force, it was not easy to 101 l who were the New Zealanders. "You could tell a Scotsman, or an Irishman, or even an Australian, when they spoke, bul New Zealanders seemed to remain irue to type." Flight-Lieutenant Neviil, who replied, said as a liaison ofllcer at the Air Ministry it was Ills job lo link up New Zealanders in llie Royal Air Force wilh (lie Royal New Zealand Air Force, lie had been so deeply engaged during the pasl live nionllis llial his liaison dulies had been negleelod. He was now going lo Andover, and he hoped Dial anyone desjjing in forma I ion about I ho New Zealand Air Force would cumiiiunicale wilh him. New Zealeadcrs iu 14* Air Fuf— tmro hud an I

excellent record and an excellent reputation, and their careers were followed with interest by people in the Dominion. Wing-Commander T. Wilkes forlowed their progress, and knew whether they had got promotion o” not. lie look a close personal interest--in them all.

Tho Royal New Zealand Air Force and civil aviation had practically been at a standstill for some years, but the further development of the Air Force there would mean llio granting of a number of permanent commissions, and - there would also he a call for men who had luken the short-service commissions in the Royal Air Force to take up short-service commissions in New Zealand. The three commercial aviation companies had not yet been running In any scheduled plan, but as soon as tho economic situation improved lliey could expect l'urlher dovolnpmenls in civil Hying. Those Present. New Zealand olllccrs present included: —Fliglit-t.ieiitennnl A. .McKee, Fiighl-Lii’Uteuanl J. F. Muir. FlightLieutenant 11. L. Piper (Reserve), Flyiiig-ijflleer (1. A. Washer (Reserve,', Flying-Dllli'iT ,\. T. Ui'eluird (Reserve) Flying-ufileiT li. .1. Cohen (Reserve), Flyiug-OMh'cr I. L. S. Mi'Nieull lie serve), Fiyiiig-UfMcer (J, L. U, Nixuu,

cFlying-Ofllcer H. L. Andrews, Flying--o Ulcer H. L. M. Glover, Flying-Ollleor i). W. Morrlsh, Flying-Ollleer U. V. Shannon. Flying-Officer G, 15. MacDonald, Flying-Ollleor W. E. Hooper, Flying-Officer M. F. Gaidar, FlyingOl'llccr D. L. Dustin, Flying-0 Ulcer It. Faville, Pctty-Olllcor J. P. Selby, Petty onicer R. G. R. Buckley, Potty-Officer G. G. Byur, Petty-Olllcer P. A. . MeWhannell, Potty-Officer J. S. McLean, Acting Potty-Officer P. A. Nedwell, Acting Potty-Officer W. 1. Collett, Acting Petly-OJllccr 11. L. Dawson, Acting- Petty-o Ulcer G. Kirkley.

Other onicers who were there as guests were Flight-Lieutenant G. D. Harvey, D.F.G., ' Flight-Lieutenant A. M. Watts-Read, Flying-Oniccr G. W. P. Grant, Flying-Ollleor Smith.