100,0000 RECRUITS IN TWO YEARS NEEDED BY R.A.F.

Grey River Argus, 4 October 1948, Page 5

100,0000 RECRUITS IN TWO YEARS NEEDED BY R.A.F.

To Meet International Situation

(Received 'October 3, 9.5 p.m. (N.Z.P.A.—Reuter Cable).

LONDON, October 2.

The picture, which had been drawn of the Royal Air Force’s needs, was not intended to be alarmist, but realistic, in the light of the present international situation, said the Secretary of State for Air, Sir Arthur Henderson, at the opening of a recruiting drive. Britain’s defence forces were not an instrument of aggression, but were an insurance against the dangers of war, and of threats to security. Sir Arthur Henderson said the target was one thousand regular recruits a week for the iiext two years —or one hundred thousand men in all. The target for the reserves was sixty thousand — thirty-five thousand for the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, and twenty-five thousand for the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. The regular strength of men and women had to be built up from 129,000 to 180,000 over the nex t two years. TWO PRONGED DRIVE

Sir Arthur Henderson declared that the campaign would include a two-pronged drive —one for the reserves, because without reserves, the R.A.F. could not expand in war to recover from the first shock of an attack; and one for regulars, because without the regulars, there might not be any R.A.F. to expand. He stated that the recent appeal for air crew recruits on improved terms, had produced an immediate response with applications for pilot and navigator courses, rising from 50 to 200 weekly. In addition 1,100 former members of air crews had applied to return to the R.A.F. within the last fortnight. Sir Arthur Henderson said the formation of a Meteorological Reserve was under consideration. "The international police force will come one day, but meanwhile it is our duty to take every step to preserve our position in the world. Every citizen must play his part in the defence of his country.”

Air Vice-Marshal Tedder stated that history showed that weakness invited aggression, while the military history in the last war proved that a weakness in the air, meant military, economic and political disaster. “We are emerging from the slough, but still we need recruits in numbers and quality.” Air Vice-Marshall Tedder believed that Britain led the world with fighter ’planes, but warned that the fighters could not yet catch rockets.