BRITISH DEFENCE

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20505, 23 May 1938, Page 7

BRITISH DEFENCE

THE ROYAL AIR FORCE MABB FORMATION FLIQHTB 170 TOWNS TO BE VISITED (omclal Wireless) RUGBY, May 21 More than 400 aircraft will visit 170 cities and towns in Britain early next week, when 10 mass formation flights will be carried out by the Royal Air Force. These flights will be an advance demonstration of the part to be played by the Air Force on Empire Air Day. next Saturday, when 58 Air Force stations and many civil aerodromes will be “at home ” to the public. One of the mass parades will consist of 56 fighters, which will take a course around the outskirts of London. Others will consist of bombers, and two of these will include London In their course. There will be 60 bombers in a string and London will be' reached after a long flight over the west of England. A Big Procession The second string to visit London will comprise 42 twin-engined HandIcy Page Harrows and Heyfords. The biggest procession of all will be touring tlie Western Midlands in the meantime'. It will include four types of bombers and 80 aeroplanes, which will include Boulton and Paul Sidestrands, Hawker Hinds, Fairey Battles and Bristol Blenheims. Further north there will be visits by 12 Hawker Hinds and 18 Bristol Rlenheims flying as separate formations to Lincoln, Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool, Birkenhead, Chester, Crewe, Shrewsbury. Stoke-on-Trent, Worsop, Mansfield, Newark and Grantham. The' duty of showing the flag in the north-east will be undertaken by 45 Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys and Handley Page Harrows. AIR RAID PRECAUTIONS THE TRAINING OF VOLUNTEERS AN INCREASE IN INSTRUCTORS (omclal Wireless) (Received May 23, 1 p.m.) RUGBY, May 22 The Home Office has prepared a new scheme for increasing the number of instructors to train air raid precautions volunteers. The Institute of Civil Engineers has appointed a committee to compile technical information on air raid precautions for the use of its members.