AIR TRAINING CORPS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 October 1943, Page 2

AIR TRAINING CORPS

GREAT EDUCATIONAL VALUE STRESSED SCOPE IN PEACE & WAR. COMMANDANT ADDRESSES PUBLIC MEETING. Pointing to the urgency of maintaining the strength of the expanded Royal New Zealand Air Force, Wing Commander' G. A. Nicholls, Commandant of the Air Training Corps, speaking at a public meeting last night, held to foster a recruiting campaign for the corps, emphasised the great value of the educational training received in the Air Training Corps. The Mayor, Mr T. Jordan, presided. Referring to the formation of the Air Training Corps in Masterton two years ago, Mr Jordan said the thanks of the public were due to Messrs F. M. Cunningham and E. K. Eastwood, and after Mr Eastwood had joined the Air Force, to Mr S. V. Playsted for their work with the unit. Mr Jordan said the meeting had been called with a view to increasing the membership of the local unit. The Air Training Corps, he said, was a very valuable youth movement. It was not an Air Force corps. The Aair Training Corps provided education, physical training, relaxation and a fund of knowledge of the air force, valuable in time of peace or war. When the war was at an end, there would be something doing in aviation and these young men would be able to find some place in an expanded air service throughout the British Empire. AN URGENT PROBLEM. Wing Commander Nicholls said he hoped that the public would gain a wider appreciation of the urgency of the problem facing the Royal New Zealand Air For.ce today in maintaining the supply of manpower. He was pleased to hear that the Mayor had formed a citizens’ committee. Recently, the Minister of Defence had announced that the Royal New Zealand Air Force had taken a new role in recent months. It was providing a large number of squadrons to carry out an offensive war in the Pacific. For the first few years of the war, its job was essentially a training one and thousands of men had taken their place in various branches of the Air Force and were serving with distinction in almost every theatre of the war. They had to keep up the strength of the expanded Air Force. Manpower presented a great problem because of the technical nature of Air Force training. The Air Force wanted young men of 18 years and upwards. To provide those men they needed a background of training such as that provided by the Air Training Corps. The need of a public appreciation of that training and of the needs of the Air Force was the reason for calling public meetings to solicit support. The Air Training Corps was being called upon to provide the recruits required by the Air Force. The corps had been in existence in New Zealand just over two years and had provided over 2,000 cadets who had enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Due to the training received in the Air Training Corps they had been able to reduce the training wastage. Recruits who had come from the Air Training Corps had been able to reach higher 'standards in training. The Air Training Corps in the past two years had made a valuable contribution to Air Force commitments. In future they had to get as big a percentage of the young men as possible who would be able to take their place in the Air Force. There might be several more years of war and the lad of 16 years of today might be required for service. The best thing for that lad was to see that he was prepared for the job before him. 1 VOLUNTARY MOVEMENT. The Air Training Corps, said Wing Commander Nicholls, was voluntary and there was no obligation for cadets to join the Air Force. It enabled cadets to see what air training meant and what it involved. By the time he was 18. a cadet could make up his mind whether he wanted to join the Air Force or not and in what branch he would best serve. If the public appreciated the training facilities that were available, there would be a greater urge for young men to join the Air Training Corps and later the Air Force. The standard of efficiency reached in a few short months of training was surprising and could not be attained in peace time without the expenditure by the individual of hundreds of pounds. Linked with the training course were physical training, drill and discipline which developed the manhood of the young men. These lads, once they got an appreciation of the job- ahead of them, loved every minute of it. The training received in the Air Training Corps was building up the manhood in a greater way than any other branch of the forces. In New Zealand at present they were getting a bit far away from the war and it was easy for a certain amount of apathy to exist. The one way to end the war to work as hard as possible and 'to put the best effort forward when it was needed. The civilian Air Training Corps committee could help by assisting the recruiting effort and taking an interest in the work of the units. If the public generally realised the valuable work the cadets were doing they would get greater support from the public. The public should see some of the parades of the Air Training Corps and take an interest in their work. Sports bodies could assist the sports activities, all of which would help to build up the spirit that was desired. VISIT OF MOBILE UNIT. The most successful means of interesting young men and enabling the public to see what the training amounted to was by Air Force exhibitions, said Wing Commander Nicholls. A mobile instructional unit had been built up to visit various centres. This display included a power-operated gun turret, a Harvard hydraulic retractable undercarriage, aircraft motors, a good many sections of parts of various air components and a display board of the exercises carried out at the training schools. A close examination would help all to realise the jobs to be carried out and would be an encouragement to young men to join the corps. The unit would visit Masterton next Monday and a special appeal was made to the Wairarapa to build up the strength of the local unit and to keep i the cadets interested. He could not stress too strongly the urgency of the recruiting, appeal. The whole of Air Force training was based on long- 1 term planning and the plan on which I it started at the beginning of the war

had been built up during the past 25 years. They could thank those responsible for that planning that they were able to put the Air Training Corps into operation in New Zealand within a few weeks of the outbreak of war. The greatest help that could be given to young men who were air minded was to encourage them to start training as early as possible.