Records and Personnel Supply

Unusually complete records of cadets and airmen enlisted were kept from the very commencement of work in Canada. Where documents were sent to officer in charge Records and the War Office, duplicates were always kept. For this reason no change in organization or administration was necessary when in September, 1917, the General Officer Commanding was appointed officer in charge Records for Canada.

The continuous growth of the Air Force in Canada has meant a corresponding growth in records. From time to time demands outgrew systems, and it became necessary to remodel, so as to conform to Imperial administration and yet dovetail with existing regulations and conditions in Canada.

R.A.F. Can.—Monthly Strength of Officers, W.O.’s N.C.O.’s & Men, Cadet Pilots, Cadet Observers

All posting of mechanics and of cadets throughout their training has been carried out by this unit. The records of the training of mechanics, and their progressive history from station to station, have been maintained by the individual card system. A complete history of each cadet from the time he first made application until the time he proceeded overseas, through every stage of training and every movement, has been kept in minute detail.

New departments required organization to deal with pensions and other subjects on which there was very little information available; while the work of handling other sections, such as, discharges, was continually on the increase.

In many cases the forms called for by K. R. were not available, new forms being printed locally, also those used by the Medical Services, which, although provided by the Canadian Militia, were often not applicable to Imperial requirements.

It is found, however, on demobilization, that the records are in excellent shape, and that the information at the disposal of this office is complete.

Space does not permit of the printing of the hundreds of individual names making up the personnel of those committees in various towns to which the Corps is so greatly indebted, but to each and all, the General Officer Commanding tenders in the name of the Royal Air Force, his most sincere and hearty thanks for work, without which such progress as may be credited to the brigade could not have been achieved.

89TH SQUADRON—CAMP MOHAWK.

RIGHTING A MACHINE.

[THE CADET WING.]

The Cadet Wing, like its younger and larger brother the School of Aeronautics, found shelter at its birth in buildings most kindly loaned by the University of Toronto. This was at the beginning of March, 1917.

Prior to this, all R.F.C. cadets recruited had been equipped, accommodated and generally looked after at Victoria College by the Canadian Officers Training Corps, of the University of Toronto. This unit, together with the School of Infantry of the District, continued for some weeks to ration the cadets, but during hours of parade they came under the Cadet Wing for instruction.

Already there were in existence the Recruits Depot, Stores Depot and “X” Squadron at Long Branch. Up to now there had been no tuition prior to flying, except such as could be given by the much overworked but extremely efficient 2nd Lt. in command at Long Branch.

The strength of the Cadet Wing was, to commence with, some 50 cadets, taken care of in ground instruction by 2 officers, 3 non-commissioned officer instructors and some two or three clerks. Lectures covered artillery observation, organization of troops, military law and such technicalities as rigging, engines, etc. It will, therefore, be seen that the two officers in charge were required to call upon the sum total of their knowledge and experience to discharge their official duties. The wing was fed direct by the recruiting office, since cadets did not at first pass through Recruits Depot.

Gunnery instruction was added shortly, though the wing was woefully deficient in suitable material. Simultaneously courses were organized, and a regular programme set on foot. Through the courtesy of the O.C. School of Musketry Military District No. 2, arrangements were made by which all cadets took a course in machine gunnery at Hart House, including range practice. A Curtiss machine was secured (a peculiarly massive aeroplane, discarded as impractical by the Curtiss Company), and though no mechanical power would have lifted it into the air, its bones served to illustrate the anatomy of the structure of which it was a prototype. There was also one Curtiss and one motor car engine. It will be noted that by now the wing had assumed the threefold function of a Cadet Wing proper, a School of Aeronautics and an Armament School.

As can be understood, the course was not of any set length. The passage of a cadet through the organization depended upon his capacity to learn, and the requirements of the flying units. The first graduates proceeded to Long Branch where, equipped with such tuition as time had afforded, they began flying at once. By the end of April, drafts were sent to Borden, where further ground instruction was now being given.

Further expansion came in May, and with it additional help from the University authorities. The splendid buildings of Burwash Hall were secured from Victoria College, and the commodious East Residence rented from the University of Toronto. It is difficult to say what would have been the progress of this work of the Corps, were it not for the constant consideration received from the President, Governors and Superintendent of the University.

OFFICERS AND STRENGTH, 43RD WING, LEASIDE.

RECEIVING WIRELESS.
ARTILLERY OBSERVATION.

With expansion, arrived also the need for some subdivision of duties. The Cadet Wing was too polyglot. It provided as much as humanly possible of everything, but not enough of anything. Came therefore the first demarcation between the Cadet Wing and the School of Military Aeronautics,—i.e. the junior and senior sections, though for official purposes of administration they were still unified. New instructional equipment arrived, and during May the strength of cadets rose to nearly 150.

Before passing on to later history, it is desired to give sincere and official recognition to the splendid work done at this early stage in spite of meagre facilities and an absurdly small staff. The difficulties encountered were many and serious. The wing was still in the throes of active service organization, but all eyes were turned to the output of cadets as the crux of the situation, and the means by which officers and men alike were to justify the programme then being worked out. The output has never failed, but at no period did it involve greater personal strain and effort than in these first two or three months of this unit’s existence.

On June the 11th, a staff of nine officers and thirty-eight men arrived from England to form officially the School of Aeronautics, and took over general instruction at the Cadet Wing prior to the final subdivision of the latter. This occurred on July 14th when the wing moved out to summer quarters at Long Branch which was then given up by “Y” Squadron as an aerodrome. Work continued with constantly increasing numbers, till the winter of 1917, when, on the departure of the 42nd and 43rd Wings for Texas, the unit divided itself between Borden and Mohawk for some six months. Here instruction continued without interruption till April 4th, 1918, on which date the two sections re-amalgamated at Long Branch, with a strength that now reached a staff of 200 officers and men and 900 cadets.

The formation of the Armament School in the early summer permitted the wing to cease elementary gunnery instruction and devote more time to drill, discipline and wireless, but it should be remembered that the Armament School was the logical expansion of work previously carried out at the Cadet Wing and School of Aeronautics.

In the summer of 1918, the wing was on the lines of an infantry battalion, with four squadrons and a headquarters company. Drill, physical training, wireless, topography and air force law were in the curriculum, but the essential and psychological duty of this unit was to impress on the new recruit those fundamental precepts of military discipline, honour and self respect on which his future career alone could be successfully based.

As to relaxation there was begun on July 18th an excellent monthly magazine, “The Cadet Wing Review,” which is second to none of similar publications. Local talent also conducted a theatre which was a veritable centre of attraction.

Through this summer, the average strength was 200 staff, and 1,100 cadets. To house them for the winter, large barracks had just been completed at the close of hostilities. The output of cadets of the unit will be noted by the graph on [page 161].

R.A.F. Can.—Output of Cadet Wing and Armament School
Grand Totals. Cadet Wing 6695
Armament School 1225

[SCHOOL OF AERONAUTICS.]

By May 1917, it had become quite apparent that ground training of cadets demanded an expansion of treatment which could not be afforded by the then existing Cadet Wing, however, valiantly the latter unit might strive, and on the 15th a chief instructor, for the purpose of starting a School of Military Aeronautics, was ordered to proceed to Canada, taking with him eight other officers and thirty-eight men of various ranks as a nucleus of an instructional staff.

This advance party worked in conjunction with the Cadet Wing until July 1st, on which date No. 4 School of Military Aeronautics was recorded as a separate and official organization.

The anticipated expansion immediately took place, aided very greatly by the assistance, not only of the President of the University of Toronto, but also of the professors of that institution who gave up room after room, often at great inconvenience to themselves. About this time, also, a large shipment of aeroplanes and engines for instructional purposes was forwarded from England. It was unfortunately lost on the way out, the immediate effect being that for the first few months all practical instruction was confined to the Curtiss engine and JN4 aeroplane.

The length of the course given during this period was three weeks, but at the end of the month it was increased to four, and comprised six flights, covering engines, rigging, wireless, artillery observation, machine guns, and instruments and bombs.

STAFF OF SCHOOL OF AERONAUTICS.

“AERIAL” OF VICINITY OF UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO.
(Note the Cadet Camp lying north of main University Building.)

The importance of the work done at this unit was now most firmly established. The length of the course was increased in September to six weeks, and it was arranged that three courses went through the school at a time, each composed of 150 cadets with two weeks intervening. By now the strength of the unit had increased to 19 officers, 119 non-commissioned officers and men, 149 United States army and naval cadets and 261 Imperial cadets. Occupation of the buildings so kindly furnished by the University authorities covered Burwash Hall, East and South residences, School of Practical Science, Medical Building, portion of Convocation Hall, Thermodynamics Building and dining halls in University and Victoria College.

In September, instruction was further expanded by the formation of a school at the factory of the Canadian Aeroplanes Limited, where members of flying units received introduction to the theory and principle of aeroplane construction. There were three courses, each lasting eighteen days, and each being divided into ten squads, members of which remained together throughout their entire period of instruction. Examinations were set and corrected by an examining party at the School under direct supervision of the Commandant, when sixty-five per cent. of marks was necessary before a cadet passed through and was posted to a flying unit.

In the month of December, 1917, the strength of cadets greatly increased and it became necessary to draw again on the goodwill of the University authorities and occupy Wycliffe College. Simultaneously a pool was formed in a remodeled hotel, Haydon House, some four miles from the School, where were housed such cadets as the flying units were unable to take owing to the reduced amount of flying during the winter months. By the end of the year cadets on the strength amounted to 721.

Training material now began to arrive more regularly from England, and, as a result, the instruction given was considerably diversified.

In March, 1918, a seventh flight was formed for the study of aerial navigation, in which much more complete instruction was given in map reading and course plotting. Machine gun instruction was transferred to the Armament School at Hamilton, and the time thus secured given to further study of aerial navigation.

The practical education of the mechanics taught at the School was ensured by the construction at Leaside of engine running sheds, in which engines of various types were set up and their operations drilled into all pupils under conditions which simulated those on active service as nearly as possible. Considerable improvement in the engine knowledge of cadets was immediately noticeable.

On April 1st, cadets in training at the School, now called No. 4 School of Aeronautics, had reached 1,277, while the staff was composed of 26 officers and 230 non-commissioned officers and men, with the inevitable result that another residence was taken over from the University, with housing capacity for 185.

Again a flight was added to the course, this time for observers, and by July all cadets thus passing through the unit received instruction in aerial navigation, instruments, reconnaissance, organization of the Army and R.A.F., and general military knowledge, photography, engines, rigging and wireless.

In September, the process of engine instruction was still further advanced by discarding the fixed stands to which Curtiss engines had been rigidly attached, and substituting in their stead sections of aeroplane fuselages so balanced as to be capable of vertical adjustment, thus simulating the action of machines when in the air. To these were attached Clerget engines, which it was now proposed to use in conjunction with the Avro machines contemplated for flying instruction. This departure from the reciprocating to the rotary type made it necessary to organize special classes of tuition for non-commissioned officers and men from various flying units. In this course, the assistance given by the School Board of Toronto by the use of a portion of the Lippincott Technical School proved greatly to the advantage of the brigade.

R.A.F. Can.—School of Aeronautics Output of Pupils
Grand Total 6171

PARADE ON UNIVERSITY CAMPUS.
CADET CAMP, UNIVERSITY LAWN.
(Note “Aerial” of this Camp on [page 164].)

The only further change made in the system of instruction at the School of Aeronautics, was the introduction of the block system in October, 1918, under which forty hours were allotted to engines, twenty-seven to aerial navigation, twenty to wireless, twenty-six to rigging and thirty to artillery observation. The observers’ flight was carried on independently of the above, and the ninety hours’ instruction given to the latter on technical subjects covered all requirements.

In concluding this very brief sketch of an extremely important section of the brigade, it is desired to specially acknowledge the services of not only the instructing officers but also of the non-commissioned officers and men on the staff. It fell to the duty of many sergeants and corporals to demonstrate the principles and theories of highly technical appliances, and to demonstrate them moreover in many cases to men who were much their seniors and who had had the advantage of a modern and expensive education. It was, however, uniformly observed that the non-commissioned officers who occupied this highly responsible and difficult position, discharged their duty not only with a dignity beyond all praise, but also with an exemplary clearness based on an intimate knowledge of the subject. They were confronted very often with questions which would have confused many who laid definite claim to higher attainments, but it has not yet been found that any one of them was lacking either in the technical qualification or the power of self expression which was necessary for the satisfactory discharge of their duties. The marked improvement in the all-round ability of cadets arriving at the various flying wings after the School of Aeronautics had had time to finally find itself, is due to the excellent work done by officers and non-commissioned officers alike at this unit.

[ARMAMENT SCHOOL.]

It is a far cry from the one-time pilot who, between the vagaries of his machine, took pot shots at his opponent with a revolver or sporting rifle, to his successor of to-day armed with a machine gun that discharges bullets at the rate of 600 per minute through a four-bladed propeller revolving at the rate of 1,200 times a minute. It was, therefore, the object of instruction at the Armament School to so train the would-be pilot that he might have a thoroughly grounded knowledge of the weapons he was destined to use. The need of special tuition there given was further accentuated by the increasing pressure on the instructors at the School of Aeronautics.

In March, 1918, the O.C. proposed to the War Office that this School be set on foot immediately, and matters had been so far advanced by May that necessary construction was well under way. Here again the R.A.F., Canada, was fortunate in being the recipient of much consideration from Canadian organizations. On learning that accommodation was required for the purposes of the School, the Canadian Westinghouse Company Limited, one of the most important industrial concerns in Canada, most generously offered the use of a large factory in Hamilton free of charge, together with adjacent grounds, and shortly afterwards the brigade was further helped by permission to use the area of a 9-hole golf course immediately adjoining. This very considerate proposal was made by the Hamilton Golf Club, and was gratefully accepted.

These preliminaries successfully arranged, the matter began to move rapidly.

OFFICERS AND STAFF, ARMAMENT SCHOOL, HAMILTON.

RIGGING FLIGHT, SCHOOL OF AERONAUTICS.
AEROPLANE DESIGN, SCHOOL OF AERONAUTICS.

In May three officers and two non-commissioned officers left England to form the nucleus of the instructional staff, bringing with them such material as could be provided at the moment. The Aviation Department of the Imperial Munitions Board assumed responsibility for the physical portion of the work in hand, under the supervision of the Royal Engineers section of the brigade. This provision included ranges, armouries, workshops, instructional and lecture buildings, a hospital, and the general adaptation of the interior of the factory buildings to the purposes required.

All this advanced so swiftly that by June 19th, the factory building was equipped, and the Armament School, which up to this time had formed a portion of the Cadet Wing at Long Branch, moved to its new quarters on June 20th.

The course of instruction called for a much further excursion into applied mechanics than any portion of the tuition formerly given. As it progressed, it soon became evident that the embryonic pilot was keen for intimate knowledge of the guns on the efficiency of which his future victories depended, and his general course was so modulated as to give him the opportunity to master the last detail. The question of a method of sighting which would allow a deflected aim to be laid on a moving machine received mathematical attention, as was also the synchronizing of a gun with the revolving blades of the propeller. On this and other points, information was continually being received and communicated through the School to other units of the brigade.

Drafts of cadets, arriving on Wednesday afternoons, were immediately handed over to the quartermaster’s department, where arrangements for their domestic comfort were made for the four or five weeks they were to remain. The following morning instruction began, first with one gun, its description, action, care and possible troubles in the air, accompanied by range work and constant handling. The question of aiming was gradually introduced and ran progressively throughout the course, until the pupil felt that he could, without effort, fire the gun in the air, making allowances for his own speed and direction, his enemy’s speed, direction and range, and instantaneously adapt his fire to meet the ever-varying and never-ending manoeuvres of his own and his enemy’s machine.

Both guns and sights having been mastered, the cadet was introduced to the subject of gearing his gun to fire through his propeller at varying rates of revolutions. The principle upon which this gearing depended, though one of great difficulty in instruction, was nevertheless the subject which, of all others, provoked the greatest interest amongst the pupils.

Arrangements were completed to enable the pilot actually to carry out the process of synchronizing his gears and propeller under conditions which perfectly simulated his position in a machine. He was thus enabled to watch the principle at work.

Instruction being completed in two guns, ammunition, aerial bomb sights and synchronizing gears, another section of the School undertook the pupils’ training in bombs, bomb dropping and bomb sights.

The increasing importance of this subject was appropriately balanced by the very wide range of sights and bomb-dropping apparatus demonstrated by specially experienced instructors, whereby the pupil was made cognizant of all the operations of loading bombs on machines, fusing them, attaching the necessary releasing gear, and so loading his machine that he could at will drop any type of bomb suited to any target which might suddenly present itself, from a group of infantry which needed scattering, to the ammunition dump to be exploded.

LIBRARY, ARMAMENT SCHOOL, HAMILTON.
CADET BARRACKS, ARMAMENT SCHOOL, HAMILTON.

ENGINE FLIGHT.
CLERGET ENGINE ON ROCKING NACELLE.

TILTING.
CADET SPORTS.

ENGINE TEST, CAMP BORDEN.
ENGINE REPAIR, CAMP BORDEN.

The peculiar path taken by a bomb in falling from a machine with a forward momentum imparted by the speed of the machine, needed very special mathematical calculation to enable the pilot to release it at a considerable distance from his objective, and to this end a variety of bomb sights were explained and practised with from dummy machines with unfused bombs over mechanically moving scenery.

The flying camps, to which cadets were posted on the completion of their course in elementary gunnery, carried on further practices in coöperation with this school, and instructors were sent to these wings from time to time to coöperate, and to insure that no gaps or overlaps occurred in the cadet’s training. By this means the pilot who left this country for overseas was assured that he had covered every section of the field of armament, and that no situation was likely to occur during his flying career with which he could not deal.

In addition to the training of embryo pilots, courses of instruction were conducted for observers, during which, for a period of three weeks, they were made competent to handle the gun which they would be required to use overseas. By the use of guns with camera attachment, recording a photograph on a graduated screen instead of firing a shot, the resultant photograph revealed to the observer the effect of his shoot, and his graduation was not considered complete until he was able to produce a collection of photographs which evidenced an automatic and deadly aim.

During the period in which this School operated, an average of more than 400 cadets per month was instructed, and the record which each carried overseas showed a complete and thorough course of ground training performed entirely under Canadian tuition.

[AERIAL GUNNERY.]

For the first few months, the Corps had an all sufficiency of work in organizing depots, selecting aerodromes, arranging for recruiting, and numberless other activities on all of which largely depended whatever future success might be achieved. There was no aerial gunnery for the reason that there were no instructors. What had been done on the ground was elementary, and reasonably so, due to the lack of material. Matters moved forward when the first instructors arrived in Canada on April 25th, 1917, and, having formed a class of picked mechanics (the instructors of the future), enabled the School of Aerial Gunnery to be organized at Camp Borden on May 1st.

The School had just two guns and 18 pupils—the historic “eighteen” who formed the first shipment of real pilots. The latter had no aerial work—the overseas call was too imperative—but each fired 40 rounds at a ground target.

Meantime the School of Aeronautics was busy, and the effect became noticeable. Camp Borden, relieved of much elementary training, did higher and aerial work, and got for itself ranges, fixed targets and silhouettes. The course lengthened to three weeks with 100 rounds fired in the air from a Lewis gun—no aerial Vickers being available. In July came more guns and equipment from England, the second course began with 62 cadets and the state of affairs definitely improved. Camera guns turned up, and became instantly popular. Work commenced on fitting a timing gear so that the gun might shoot through the propeller. The chief disadvantage was the shortage of serviceable machines available.

ARMOURED LAUNCH FOR GUNNERY PRACTICE.

SYNCHRONIZED VICKERS’ GUN.
SYNCHRONIZING GEAR.

In August began the third course with sixty-six cadets and an organization fairly complete, being forty officers and ten N.C.O. instructors. Now, too a JN4 machine was converted to a JN4A with the pilot in front and a Scarff mounting behind for the observer, as in the Bristol fighter. A decided acquisition this, and a quantity were ordered. Surprise deflection shooting was introduced. It was a busy and interesting period.

The fourth course in September had 124 cadets. The tuition given was of proved value. Lectures came in by the fighting instructor, and naturally increased the pupils’ confidence. The latter were now firing 750 rounds from the ground and 150 from the air, and the squadron worked at high pressure to give each pupil three hours’ aerial gunnery flying—a matter of difficulty owing to the scarcity of machines with synchronized guns. It was probably due to this that cadets were getting too much Lewis gun observers’ work. The fault was rectified, though the mountings were not entirely satisfactory.

The fifth course began in October with a total of 238 pupils, who proceeded with the unit to Texas and enjoyed excellent facilities which had been foreseen and provided. The number of available machines increased, and were divided into C.C. gear (synchronized gear) camera gun and turret machine flights. Actual aerial instruction was given twenty-four hours after arrival at this far Southern field.

The history of Royal Flying Corps gunnery in Texas is a progressive document, too lengthy to give in detail. Here the unit had its first target practice over water—Lake Worth proving ideal for the purpose, and instruction was greatly aided owing to a better observation of fire and a clearer angle of approach. In December the pupils turned out numbered 264, an average flying time of practically five hours—a marked improvement.

In January the aerial work of the School was further increased. Range work (25 yards) was taken over by the wings. All synchronized guns were moved from the side of the cowling to the top, thus creating active service conditions. No. 2 squadron came into being with twelve machines, giving 30 in toto, the work being done by flights. Two machines were converted to Canadian Gothas, with the gun firing through the bottom of the fuselage. The output of pupils increased to 310, with average flying time of 5½ hours.

February saw the use of a good armour-plated disappearing and running target, and cadets also fired from a cage that travelled along a cableway between two towers, but the speed was too low to be of value. The February output was 313 pupils. The instructing personnel had now increased to 60 officers (50 flying), 1 warrant officer, 60 N.C.O.’s and 250 men.

March, a busy month, with 336 pupils and flying time average of 6½ hours, was a record in output and time flown.

April saw the School on its own aerodrome at Beamsville, Ontario, where facilities were ahead of anything heretofore existing. Came as well a third squadron. The output was 243 pupils, all R.F.C. with 7 hours and 40 minutes flying, the record time to date.

In the following month the syllabus was amended, this being the result of a visit to England by the officer in charge of Canadian training. All straight target shooting was abolished, and deflection sights were introduced so as to allow for a speed of 100 m.p.h. of an enemy machine. Small model aeroplanes were built and set up beside the targets. At these the pupil aimed, the deflection of the gun sights bringing his shots on to the target where their accuracy was of course registered. No less than 17 various practices were laid down. The improvement in ground work soon became noticeable.

RANGE CONSTRUCTED BY AVIATION DEPARTMENT AT BEAMSVILLE.

SHOOTING THROUGH PROPELLER.
BESIDE THE FUSELAGE.
VARIOUS GUN MOUNTINGS.
GROUND PRACTICE.

In May, also, the Armament School opened at Hamilton, and relieved the School of Aerial Gunnery of giving elementary instruction after pupils had already learned to fly.

During June a fourth squadron was added to train observers exclusively, enabling the School to adopt the ideal principle of giving all pilot cadets synchronized gear and camera gun training, and all observer cadets instruction in Lewis and turret camera guns, the sequence being as follows:—

1. 1 hour dual camera gun—12 pictures of silhouette taken by diving on it from behind.

2. 1 hour dual, with pictures of a target machine in the air, allowing for speed of 100 m.p.h. and necessary deflection.

3. Dual, on C.C. gear (instructor in back seat) diving at angle of 60° to 45° at silhouettes in Lake Ontario, 200 rounds or one hour.

4. Dual, 1 hour or at least 60 rounds with gun stoppages. This determines the pupil’s proficiency in clearing jambs.

5. Dual, enfiling with C.C. gear, 200 rounds diving from 1,000 to 100 feet at dummy trench in Lake Ontario.

During all firing over the water, observations are taken from a watch tower, and a complete report of all results is compiled.

There follows then another 4 hours’ dual, after which the pupil goes solo and repeats all he has previously done under the watchful eye of his instructor.

Arriving at the final instructional squadron, there ensues an ultimate 4 hours’ dual work before the nearly graduated pilot is asked to do one spiral, two vertical banks, three loops, four Immelmann turns, five half-rolls and six complete rolls. During all this time he is equipped with a camera gun, and expected to manoeuvre into a position favorable for attacking another machine, simultaneously avoiding being photographed himself by an opponent.

This brought about marked proficiency, and it was proved quite clearly that pilots had been going overseas with too much straight shooting and not enough practice during stunting. The new system, however, brought tuition up to conditions actually existing at the front at the time. Several experienced pilots became available, and their lectures were most valuable. The output of cadets was (June) 182, but the average flying had gone up to 11 hours.

In July the School became that of Aerial Fighting—a more descriptive title, since tactics were so prominent in its course. The contrast with June of 1917 was somewhat remarkable, there being now 92 officers and 700 other ranks. During this month rocking nacelles and Scarff mountings were introduced for all ground work, and all pilot instructors were arranged to be examined monthly. This led to the discovery that refresher courses were necessary in cases, these being forthwith commenced. The month’s output was 262, with flying time with guns of 11 hours.

In August, the observers’ course was well under way, being a modification of that arranged for pilots. There was naturally no C.C. shooting, but instruction covered every practical method of firing at possible targets from the observer’s seat. This month there were graduated 246 pupils with a slightly reduced flying time of 9½ hours.

WING OFFICE, ETC.—BEAMSVILLE.
RANGES—BEAMSVILLE.

CABLE WAY FOR GUNNERY PRACTICE, TEXAS.
(SINCE OUT OF DATE.)

R.A.F. Can.—Output of Pilots—School of Aerial Gunnery

By September pupils were passing all tests under the same instructor in any one squadron. This, coupled with the use of speaking tubes, was of considerable help. Further guns, gears and equipment had come in from England, and the situation was now vastly different from that which pertained to earlier months when the School was forced to manufacture much of its own equipment. Instruction was going well, and the output reached 270, with a flying time of more than 9 hours.

The officer personnel expanded in October to 110, this being of great assistance. Pilots were limited to three hours per day in the air, and, in consequence, machines had not been reaching a maximum flying time. The effect of good instruction at the Armament School was now most noticeable, as pupils were coming through with increased technical knowledge of gunnery and guns. The first Canadian-built Avro machine was flown during this month, with a most satisfactory performance. The output touched 281 and flying time 10 hours.

Such in brief is the record. The value may best be judged by the service rendered by those who passed from the harmless silhouettes floating on the smooth surface of Lake Ontario to engage the deadlier machines that haunted the high altitudes over the Western front.

[CAMERA GUNNERY.]

Before carrying out aerial practice with machine guns, embryo pilots and observers are required to attain a certain standard in camera gun work, both on the ground and in the air. The camera used is designed to resemble, both in operation and in appearance, the Lewis machine gun, the difference being that upon the trigger being released the camera gun registers a photograph upon a film. Reloading is by pulling back the cocking handle, which brings another film into place.

Practices being concluded, the cadet takes his own film to the nearest photographic sub-station, where it is developed in about ten minutes, and, still wet, is then submitted to the instructor, who forthwith criticizes the work of his pupil in the presence of the latter.

The camera gun is best suited for enabling the pupil (pilot or observer) to ascertain his proficiency in the use of deflection sights, and his ability to place the enemy machine in correct position in the ring, according to his line of flight. Errors in aiming are checked by the photograph being taken through a glass screen, this being marked with circles, each valued at seven and a half feet taken from 200 yards’ distance, which is the distance advised for commencing a combat. On examining the film, after development, the instructor can explain the error in deflection or elevation by the position of the machine in relation to the rings.

In the illustrations, these being from camera gun films, will be noted the enemy machine as seen by the gunner through the ring sight at the moment of firing. In the first case the aim is low and to the right. In the second print the pupil has fired low and in front. The encircled dot shows the point at which the gunner should have aimed when the pilot of the target machine was flying directly toward the inner ring at 100 miles per hour.

On taking to the air with the camera gun, the observer is piloted by an instructor, and is initiated not only in the photographing of other machines, but also in manoeuvres which have for their object the avoidance of being photographed by the opposing camera gun. Finally, the pupil engages in aerial combat with another machine piloted by a “hostile” instructor, and each machine attempts to “shoot down” the other. In this contest the pilot or observer who obtains the most accurate pictures is counted the victor. Every principle of aerial fighting as taught both in lectures and in the air, is practised, and upon its completion the results, as inflexibly registered by the camera gun, are subject to the keenest criticism.

CAMERA GUNNERY.

82ND SQUADRON.

[WIRELESS.]

It was, of course, recognized from the very first that thorough acquaintance not only with every means of communication from the air to the ground, but also ability to read every signal necessarily transmitted from the ground to the air, was one of the most important requirements in the training of a pilot.

The ranging of guns (particularly heavies), the finding of targets and their destruction have all been successfully accomplished by coöperation between the pilot and the communicating battery. Numberless devices have been experimentally tried such as coloured lights, signalling by lamps, etc., etc.; but none proved a means of communication which was not only reliable but which also afforded no invitation to attack by the enemy. As the outcome, the wireless system from the aeroplane to the ground, and ground strips, or panneau, from the ground to the aeroplane were adopted and uniformly used. As far as concerns the training work of the Canadian wing of the Royal Flying Corps, the methods used were naturally those already established in England.

On arrival at the Recruits’ Depot, the cadet received his first initiation, together with a small amount of instruction in the code used. Moving hence to the Cadet Wing at Long Branch, wireless formed a definite part of the routine of the day’s work. The cadet was required to successfully send and receive six words per minute, and for purposes of instruction telephones were connected to the buzzer circuits. In the tuition of sending, Morse recorders operated by means of a silenced key were installed, and picture targets, constructed with miniature lamps shining haphazardly through small holes, were operated from a switchboard. These represented shell bursts which the cadet was required instantly to locate and report.

With six weeks’ of wireless at the Cadet Wing, the pupil proceeded to the School of Aeronautics for further instruction, and heard lectures on picture target work and artillery coöperation from experienced observers. Requirements now demanded eight words per minute. After examination, his next step was to the elementary training wing at either Deseronto or Borden, where he not only carried on ground work, but also put into actual practice in the air the instruction already received.

Moving on to North Toronto he reached the stage of final tuition in this section of his course. At varying distances from this station, puff targets were provided to simulate shell bursts, and the embryo pilot conducted himself as though on active service by locating the shoot and reporting it with necessary adjustments to the battery receiving station. Such was the value attached to this phase of training, that eighty per cent. of the observations sent down were required to be correct before the pupil was considered passed. The tests included reading ground messages, bomb dropping, etc., the latter being checked by a camera obscura hut which was used as the target. In this process it was necessary that the cadet adjust his bomb sights both for the speed and altitude of his machine. This being done, his wireless key was depressed and the actual position of his machine recorded in the camera obscura hut at the moment of signalling, which moment, it was understood, was the instant at which the bomb would have been dropped were the machine in actual service. The result recorded infallibly the amount of judgment which had been used. Some idea of the extent of this School may be gathered from the fact that a tour around the batteries involved a 60 mile trip. Bomb-dropping, though having no connection with artillery observation, was here practised as a matter of convenience.

POPHAM PANNEAU.
POPHAM PANNEAU.

“A PUFF.”
GROUND STRIPS.

If it be asked why the pilot does not receive as well as send wireless messages while in the air, it may be stated that up to the present the difficulties of receiving on a trailing aerial have been such that what might be termed a graphic ground method has proved preferable. Large ground strips are, on active service, an invitation for bombardment by the enemy and are being aided by the Popham Panneau, a method of signalling consisting of the rapid forming up of small, symmetrical, rectangular figures, by arrangements of white bands capable of rapid variation. In general they are the combination of the letter “T” with short, symmetrical additions.

The Aldis lamp, also used, is an improvement on the heliograph, and reflects the rays of an electric globe instead of sunlight, but it will be understood that recent advances in wireless telephoning have revolutionized the above methods.

A word is in place with regard to the Artillery Coöperation School at Leaside through which all pilots of necessity must pass. The equipment is the result of very brilliant work by an R.A.F. officer. The maps themselves represent two sections of the Western front, and are reproduced with vivid accuracy from aerial photographs. Each is 40 feet × 20 feet, and contains some eighty targets so arranged as to allow switching from one gun pit to another, thus following the actual work of destruction by imaginary batteries. Zone calls are arranged for all targets, these representing every possible point for bombardment, such as hostile battery positions, trench points, railroads, cross roads and fortified positions in enemy towns. British and German trenches are shown on a scale of approximately five inches to one hundred yards.

The total number of electric globes used to simulate bursts is 1,360, and the two balconies where the observing pilots sit are so equipped that every operation which must be carried out in doing wireless tests must be completed before signals can be received by the operator seated below at the imaginary battery. Space does not permit of a detailed description of the intricate, electrical work required to complete this admirable installation. It suffices to say that those best qualified to judge deem it a very considerable achievement.

Rotary targets are also used, as by turning them practically the same condition is created as that which confronts the pilot when turning his machine in the air. These, too, represent a reproduction of well-known sections of the Western front.

A special map was devised for contact patrol work, presenting three distinct lines of trenches together with an equal number of groups of headquarters, as well as machine gun pits, tanks, etc., while wireless sending was coupled up with Aldis lamp work—the latter requiring to be read at four words per minute.

At the conclusion of instruction of every course it was demanded that every cadet both receive and send at a speed of eight words per minute before being allowed to proceed with aerial tests.

WIRELESS IN THE FIELD.

MOSAIC OF CAMP BORDEN R.A.F. AND PART OF C.E.F. AREA.

1. CANVAS MATS AND MACHINES. 6. SAND PATCH.11. BARRACK BLOCKS.
2. HANGARS. 7. WOODED GROUND.12. BORDEN STATION.
3. LANDING SQUARES. 8. OFFICERS’ QUARTERS.13. PATH.
4. MACHINE GUN SHELTER. 9. RAILWAY.14. GOLF COURSE.
5. CADET CAMP.10. EARTH ROAD.15. QUARTERMASTER STORES.

[Examine this photo with a glass.]

[PHOTOGRAPHY.]

The Air Force is the eye of the army, and the camera the recording eye of the airman. It is therefore, of prime importance that aerial photography in all its phases be mastered by the would-be pilot. Failure cannot be risked. Too much is involved in sending machines on long photographic reconnaissance. Their results should indicate everything from a narrow path through enemy wire to a camouflaged German aerodrome.

In order to secure the best type of instruction, the R.A.F. has availed itself of the services of officers of experience on all points. Training begins at the School of Aeronautics. Here ground tuition is given, including everything from camera mechanism to colour filters and panchromatic plates, from map making to mosaics, the relative size of objects and the value of shadows in estimating heights.

Leaving the School, the cadet takes to the air to be tested by photographing given points, his ground instruction still proceeding. In the case of the observer, the course is the same, and all such work forms part of a general mapping scheme which aimed at the compiling of a complete reproduction of the areas around the several aerodromes.

Bad weather, usually considered a bugbear, is not allowed to interfere. By the use of a wide shutter slit and the very best lenses, tests are made in all weathers, and active service conditions thus paralleled. That photographic instruction has been faithfully given and intelligently received, may be seen from the excellent reproductions of aerial work presented in this volume.

From the foregoing it might be assumed that the art is simply acquired, but such is not in any way the case. To use his lens with complete facility, the pupil must correctly establish his height, his relative position with the objects to be photographed, and, generally speaking, be sufficiently at home in the air to do his flying instinctively and devote his chief attention to the camera.

ATTACHING CAMERA TO FUSELAGE.
BUILDING UP A MOSAIC.

RECEIVING.
ARTILLERY OBSERVATION HUT.

PHOTOGRAPHY.
AERIAL NAVIGATION.

AERIAL AMBULANCE.

[ARMOUR HEIGHTS SYSTEM.]

Training development in England had now reached a point at which elements already recognized but not hitherto fully appreciated were proved to be invaluable. Their use was aimed primarily at the attaining of instinctive flying by the pupil. The means by which this was achieved, the consequent effect on the instructor, and the reduced fatalities during instruction are sufficiently notable to call for mention.

The product has been the active-service pilot as distinguished from the peace pilot—two vastly different individuals.

The actions and reactions of this system are in general psychological. They begin with the assumption that since fear is almost invariably of the unknown, once the latter is eliminated fear should be non-existent. The approach is, therefore, by way of wiping out ignorance concerning the air and the machine in which the pupil and instructor ascend, and illustrating, while in flight, the simplicity of those laws which are fundamental to all good pilots and machines.

This, while seemingly simple enough, involves an ultimate strain on the instructor. His pupils are, it is true, limited to six, but into each of these he is expected to pour the sum of his knowledge and skill. He is personally responsible for their crashes. At first blush apparently unjust, this resolves itself into an absolutely fair deduction from the principles of the system. A crash by a pupil—engine failure and aeroplane failure being too infrequent to alter the premise—is considered as due to an imperfection of training. At some stage in the course some indispensable point must have been slighted or overlooked. Hence the pupil’s inability to meet the emergency.

Character—that subtle union of temperament and disposition, the increasing air sense, the delicacy of control, the spontaneous response, the nameless faculty by which the pupil becomes, as it were, welded to the machine which in turn replies to the subconscious movement of hand and foot—the study of all these are found in the Armour Heights system, which itself is based on an admirable method originated at Gosport, in England. The pupil is expected to do the flying, and even in an emergency the instructor does not assume control until it is demonstrated that the pupil is literally out of his depth.

And always by telephone or tube sounds back from the front seat the guiding voice, encouraging, reproving, suggesting and probing the mental process of the pupil at the moment. Take, for instance, the spin, that plunge easy to commence and equally easy to terminate. The machine slows, stalls, dips and dives earthward. At the second spin comes steadily in the word of experience—“stick a little forward—not too much—right rudder—hold her there—that’s right—easy isn’t it?—feel all right?—let’s do it again—put her in yourself this time.” With such an “entente cordiale” as this, it is clear why the words “danger” and “nerves” are barred from the instructor’s vocabulary, and the terms “safe” and “dangerous” give place to “right” and “wrong.” The pupil has obtained the sense of relationship between himself and his machine.

It is admitted that the art, of instruction is difficult from the lecture platform, but how much more arduous when weaving circles at 5,000 feet, with an invisible tyro in control. Confidence is born quickly in these high altitudes, but since the system looks to the instructor, rather than to the pupil, the strain on the former is commensurate with the added advantages extended to the latter.

“A CENTAUR OF THE AIR.”

88TH SQUADRON—CAMP BORDEN.

Herewith a few excerpts from an admirable syllabus issued by the Air Ministry in this connection. They are curt, valuable and saturated with experience:—

“Put the pupil in the pilot’s seat from the very beginning.

“Control your pupils in the air entirely by word of mouth through the speaking tube.

“When a pupil makes a mistake in the air let him first exhaust his own ideas of how to put things right if height permits.

“Make it a point of honour to allow pupils full control, except, of course, in cases of emergency.

“Your greatest duty is to inspire your pupils with confidence in themselves, in their machines and in you.

“If the weather is too bad for instruction, you should fly yourself for the sake of the spirit it produces.

“Every time a pupil does something in the air he has never done before he increases his confidence.

“Instructors are responsible for the crashes of their own pupils, and the saving of a crash compensates for any amount of additional dual control.

“Have all your machines rigged properly, and fly them frequently yourself to see that none get into a bad condition.

“The time available during training is ample for a pupil to be made a real pilot, provided he makes up his mind never to waste time in the air and is taught, not left, to teach himself.”

The progress of instruction is roughly indicated below, this sequence of manoeuvres having been developed in Canada to suit local conditions and the general type of pupil available:—

Demonstrate effect of the controls.
Flying straight, level and climbing.
Turns.
Misuse of controls in turns.
Difference in control with the engine off.
Glide.
Stalling.
Slow flying.
Gliding turns.
Taking-off into wind.
Landing into wind.
Approach.
Spinning, etc.

The pupil now goes solo.

Steeper turns, with and without engine.
Climbing turns.
Flatter glide.
Side-slipping.
Taking-off and landing across wind.
Landing on a mark.
Forced landings.
Higher manoeuvring.

From the moment of introduction of the Armour Heights system, a modification of the training of instructors became necessary. The psychological phase of the new method demanded recognition, and steps were taken forthwith to analyze and increase the personnel of aerial tuition at all units. The School of Special Flying resolved itself into a station of five products, as indicated by the graph given herewith. The value of each class to the Royal Air Force, Can., has been inestimable.

The crashes resulting in fatalities showed, under the new Armour Heights system, a notable decrease as evidenced by the chart on [page 218]. To realize the full significance of this chart, it is necessary to remember that the pilot who is an “Armour Heights graduate” has performed in the air every manoeuvre of which his machine is capable. He has solved all aerial problems. Whatever protective agencies human skill and experience could formulate were put into operation, and the record in respect of fatalities is so low as to be a tribute to the ceaseless care exercised.

“PEGASUS.”
ACROBATICS.

R.A.F. Can.—Crash Comparison Showing Effect of Introduction of the Armour Heights System

And if it should be asked why those phases of the system which may be termed its humanities are of so recent development, the answer lies in the fact that what is termed “air sense” called for an investigation of personal phenomena in respect of which science had not a single landmark. Men watched the bird curving its wings to invisible gales, and hazarded numberless theories. Early machines were tricky compared to their successors. They lacked present efficiency, reliability and simplicity. The sum total of the powers of the pilot were busy meeting mechanical difficulties, and there was little opportunity for excursions into the psychology of the new art. The honour of service is equal, but the pilots sent overseas by the R.A.F., Can., in 1918, have in comparison with the pilots of 1914 a vastly superior technical and mental training. They have advanced step by step with the world’s knowledge of the air.

To reduce it to a sentence, the system of to-day turns out a pilot who is subdivided, so to speak, into two sections. One is subjective and does the flying. The other is objective, free for retreat or pursuit, defence or attack or any of the countless situations of aerial warfare which call for swift and fearless action.

[SCHOOL OF SPECIAL FLYING.]

The Armour Heights special course for instructors commenced on or about April 1st, 1918, with one squadron detailed for duty. As will be inferred, this was the direct outcome of the adoption and further development by the R.A.F., Canada, of the method of tuition known as the Gosport system, then in use in Great Britain.

It might be well to explain that the Armour Heights course differs in important respects from the instruction given in England. Up till the present, it was not considered that the JN4 machine, as used, was capable of performing all higher manoeuvres, such as rolling, looping, etc. It had therefore been, so to speak, set aside by the British authorities for what might be called lower training. The higher and more difficult evolutions had been reserved until the pilot went overseas and was trained in the use of fast, service machines. With the Canadian JN4, however, all the higher manoeuvres were now performed by speed and not by engine power. This naturally necessitated considerable dexterity of manipulation.

By the first of July, ninety-five instructors were passed out of the School. On this date a second squadron was absorbed for the purpose of tuition and the School of Special Flying came into existence, with thirty-six machines and an average of twelve instructors.

At the beginning of October an output of sixty for the month was counted on. This was lowered to forty-two, owing to the severe epidemic of influenza then prevalent, which considerably reduced the number of serviceable instructors.

OFFICERS AND STAFF—SCHOOL OF SPECIAL FLYING.

R.A.F. Can.—School of Special Flying—Output of Pupils
Grand Total 257

The primary aim of the tuition has been to obtain smooth and correct work and a light-handed method of flying, as it was found that when pilots used perforce only JN4 machines they were apt to develop a somewhat heavy touch, unless extreme care was exercised. Stunting and contour chasing were particularly encouraged amongst instructors and others with sufficient air experience, and since the duty of the School was to instruct instructors, the personality of the latter was always considered a determining factor entirely apart from ability as a pilot.

An important duty performed by the School, was the calling in of most of the instructors then in the brigade, in order to thoroughly acquaint them with the new methods involved in tuition as given in the Armour Heights course. This proved entirely justified.

It was found, also, that even in the case of most experienced pilots, who had been flying fast machines overseas, great advantage was secured by taking the course, since it was required that they depend to a much greater extent upon correct flying, far more skill being required to do higher manoeuvres on a low-powered machine.

The dual time put in by instructors who passed out for wing duty was reduced from fourteen hours to eight hours in the course of four or five months, as a result of better instruction at the wings, this being indirectly due to the fact that the instructors under whom they had flown in each squadron had themselves been through the Armour Heights course. It was found that three hours’ solo to one hour of dual instruction was most advantageous.

The above notes give very baldly an outline of the purpose of the School, and it will be found necessary to take them in conjunction with the chapter on the [Armour Heights system] in order that the essential elements of this tuition may be fully realized.

[FLYING ACCIDENTS.]

The “crash” diagram is, after all, the most definite and conclusive record of the success or failure of any system of flying instruction. Its facts are incontrovertible.

During the earlier period of the history of the Corps in Canada, there was, of course, in use a constantly broadening system whereby the details of all aerial accidents were instantly forwarded to headquarters. It was not, however, until the Armour Heights method had been in definite operation for some months that it became possible to re-analyse the then existing procedure in the light of new knowledge, and evolve a form of records which completely reflected all the various instrumentalities which required diagnosis.

This statement carries no reflection on either the instructors or the methods of instruction pertaining to the first year’s operation of the unit. As in all its other activities, out of experience came knowledge, the application of which was instantly undertaken. We find, then, that during the summer of 1918 not only were the salient features of the crash carefully investigated, but also all those possibly contributory causes in some one of which will almost certainly be found some vitally important feature.

The first procedure was to classify the crash. The method adopted will be seen in the index of the graph on [page 229]. Prior, however, to this classification, which of course is only established by means of close technical examination of the damaged machine, the unit to which the machine belonged sent to headquarters by telegraph or telephone, whichever was the faster, the following information:—

(1) Regimental number, rank and name of personnel concerned, stating which is pilot and which is passenger.

(2) Injuries sustained and by whom.

(3) Précis of accident.

(4) Time and date.

(5) Type and number of machine.

(6) Number of hours solo and dual flown by casualty.

(7) Whether next-of-kin has been notified.

(8) Whether Canadian press (if necessary) has been notified.

(9) Whether court of enquiry is being held.

The next procedure was to further analyze the accident by establishing as quickly as possible all facts which might tend to elucidate information. Under the nine succeeding headings come also certain crashes from one or more contributory causes—the latter to be further classified in relative proportion, whether primary or secondary.

As some accidents will have one or more contributory causes, they will be shown under two headings:—

It will be seen at a glance that the bringing forth of this information involved reference to records already in existence, and which had been maintained with particular care in order they might be fully available when thus crucially needed. There was sent, furthermore, specified information with regard to certain possible contributory causes, such as “loss of head,” “brain fatigue” or “fear.” Under “loss of head,” for instance, it is pointed out that the pupil in his new occupation of flying, especially for the first time, has every mental faculty on the alert at extremely high tension, and that the sense of danger, although not asserting itself, is also subconsciously present. It follows, therefore, that under the strain of an emergency the power of synchronized decision and act may lapse—this lapse resulting in what is known as “loss of head.” When there is added to this the fact that in flying, not only seconds, but parts of a second count enormously, it will be clear that after an actual loss of head there is seldom time to correct an error.

“Brain fatigue” and “fear” are allied to “loss of head;” when the pupil reaches the stage in which he has neither the power to reason, decide or act. Then supervenes a state of mental inertia due to the swiftly repeated stream of impulses received in rapid succession by his brain. He begins to feel alone, and unable to assume control. Errors occur, and he becomes overwhelmed with the enormousness of the whole thing. Follows a state of brain fatigue and stupor, during which he awaits events and takes little part in the control of his machine. After such an accident, the pupil has generally no recollection of what has happened. His memory seems to be partially stunned. Under these circumstances, it seldom occurs that he resumes flying—his temperament as a general thing proving to be unsuitable.

TYPES OF CRASHES.

A TEXAS CRASH.
AT DESERONTO.
AT DESERONTO.

R.A.F. Can.—Crashes According to Causes
Total Crashes 174

It is important that “brain fatigue” should be sharply separated from “fear.” The latter is rarely experienced in the air on the first few solo flights, the pilot’s mind being far too much concerned with the details of flying, watching the various instruments, and in checking his position and direction in the air relative to the ground. Many confess to a lurking sense of danger, but all say that it rarely if ever asserts itself.

Turning again to the graph on [page 218], and now keeping in mind the classification of crashes, it is interesting to note that, owing to the introduction of the Armour Heights system, crashes in which the machine is totally wrecked were reduced from 53 in the month of June to 21 in part of the month of November. “B” and “C” crashes in which longerons are broken, were reduced from 43 in June to 12 in November. “D” crashes, which are those affecting only the undercarriage or planes, and are usually due to rough ground being insufficiently allowed for, or too late a pull back on the control ere the machine comes into contact with the earth, fell from 107 to 16. While the general reduction is most gratifying, the improvement in the acquirement of a delicate control necessary to make workmanlike landings is remarkable.

It will be observed that although training was continually being intensified, fatalities decreased from 1 in 1,760 hours’ flying in July 1918, to 1 in 5,300 hours’ flying in October, 1918, and this in spite of the fact that pilots were doing all aerial manoeuvres. Official data from other training centres, where work was done on varying types of machines, show 1 fatality for 1,170 hours’ flying.

R.A.F. Can.—Flying Fatalities

LAKE WORTH.
PART OF BENBROOK.

[THE R.F.C. IN TEXAS.]

The entry of the United States into the war affected almost immediately the programme of the R.F.C. in Canada. There was now next door, instead of a neutral if friendly nation, a vast organization associated with us in the greatest of all undertakings, and when in April the O.C. was authorized to visit the War Department in Washington and discuss a reciprocal scheme for training pilots, he found the U.S. authorities animated by the keenest possible spirit. The idea of coöperation was attractive to both services. It would not only stimulate a most desirable comradeship between the two, but would be of direct assistance to the U.S. Signal Corps in training their tremendous reserves of admirable recruits, as well as possibly obviate the necessity of the R.F.C. forming a fourth wing in British Columbia, where the preparation of aerodromes was already under way.

The move was preceded by formal communications between the two governments, but the details of organization, equipment and training, on behalf of the British, rested with the O.C., R.F.C., Canada. Briefly they were as follows:—

(1) The R.F.C. was to train ten squadrons for the U.S. Signal Corps, comprising 300 pilots, 144 other flying officers, some 20 administrative and equipment officers and approximately 2,000 mechanics. This training was to be commenced immediately in Canada, and completed at Fort Worth, Texas. All training equipment, aerodromes, etc., in Canada to be provided by the R.F.C.

(2) The Aviation Section, United States Signal Corps was to provide in Texas, and equip with all the necessary buildings, water supply, etc., two aerodromes capable of accommodating 10 squadrons, and part of a third for the Aerial Gunnery School; these areas to be occupied and under the control of the R.F.C.

(3) The Aviation Section, United States Signal Corps was to provide in Texas all aeroplanes, spares, running supplies (oil, gasoline, etc.), office and barrack fixtures and other camp equipment. The R.F.C. to supply gunnery, wireless and all other ground instructional equipment.

(4) Each service would provide its own pay, clothing and transportation, and draw rations on repayment during their stay in each other’s country.

(5) The R.F.C. to supply all medical services in Canada, and vice versa.

This general arrangement was found to be mutually acceptable, and it was agreed, in addition, that the invaluable assistance of the I.M.B. in Canada, should be continued in Texas by the establishment there of a section of their purchasing staff.

Such was the proposal noted on the back of an envelope by the chiefs of each service, and it was carried out by both to the letter.

The brigade was already acquainted with the splendid pilot material available in the U.S., as many had enlisted in Canada, hoping to reach France at the earliest possible moment. Their record lives, and some of the success of the Corps is due to the admirable progress they made in training. They came—studied hard, and got into the air at every opportunity, breathless to join those forerunners whose names were already written large.

CANADIAN WEATHER IN TEXAS.
TOWED TARGET FOR AERIAL GUNNERY.

EVERMAN, TEXAS.
PORTION OF HICKS, TEXAS.

Commencing early in July, 1917, the brigade received for training from the U.S.S.C., about 1,400 enlisted men and cadets. A colonel of the Signal Corps describes them as under-officered, unorganized, unpaid, without records, and though one hesitates—practically without uniforms. The immediate result for the R.F.C. was administrative chaos, but, in due course, matters were smoothed out, and when they returned south in the fall, they were already assuming a semblance of entity as United States Aero Squadrons.

On September 24th, 1917, the advance party left for Texas, composed of 4 U.S. officers and 50 men and 4 R.F.C. officers and 34 men, constituting a wing headquarters and a fatigue party, who, arriving in Fort Worth on September 26th, immediately proceeded to their headquarters in that city. They found there were three fields located north, south and west of Fort Worth, named, locally, Hicks, Benbrook and Everman, but grouped under the Signal Corps title of Camp Taliaferro, Fields Nos. 1, 2, and 3. Construction had been delayed through various causes. Barracks and aerodromes were incomplete. At one field building had been barely started. Water and light supply and sewage disposal had not been finished. Thus, although every effort was made to complete construction, it was nearly three months before this was accomplished, entailing much delay, inconvenience and some hardship on the squadrons occupying camps and quarters not ready for them.

The first to arrive from Canada was the 17th Aero Squadron, U.S.S.C., which marched in to Hicks Field on October 17th. From that time on one squadron arrived weekly until November 17th when the 42nd and 43rd Wings R.F.C. and the balance of the Americans detrained, preceded only by a few days by advanced headquarters staff.

There were now in Texas two R.F.C. Wings, the 42nd at Everman and 43rd at Benbrook, the 17th, 22nd, 27th, 28th Aero Squadrons and the School of Aerial Gunnery at Hicks, advanced headquarters, R.F.C., headquarters U.S.S.C., Camp Taliaferro and the purchasing section of the I.M.B. in Fort Worth.

Transportation arrangements for these units from Canada to Texas were exceptionally good. The 42nd and 43rd Wings ceased flying on 14th November and recommenced in Texas on 17th November, a loss of only three days occasioned by a journey of approximately 1,600 miles.

It would not be amiss to mention the enormous amount of work thrown on A.O., A.E., and Q.M. branches through the novel situation that now existed. The U.S. owned the buildings, but the R.F.C. used and were responsible for those they occupied. There were R.F.C. squadrons and, beside them, American squadrons being trained by the R.F.C. but administered by their own authorities. Aeroplanes, engines, oil, gasoline, etc., were supplied by the U.S., but the R.F.C. directed flying, and repaired and rebuilt machines and engines, drawing the necessary spares from U.S. stores. The Aviation Department of the I.M.B. transacted R.F.C. affairs as though in Canada, and with equal facility. Cadets and men were being received continually for training, and as continually trained and returned to their own organizations. American railroads honoured transportation warrants redeemable in Ottawa. The R.F.C. medical officers quarantined the R.F.C., in which there were hundreds of Americans, against U.S. camps a few miles away. Weekly train-loads of Canadian-made engines and aeroplanes arrived, came under U.S. control and were immediately used by the R.F.C.

The situation was, in short, as though an area in Texas had been temporarily acquired by the British Empire, and in it members of an Imperial force conducted their affairs with the utmost freedom. There was friction of course—for no two great military systems can work together with all their national traditions, usages, procedures and regulations, without many minor and some major adjustments being necessary. It was, however, the friction of two keen and rival organizations pressing toward the same object. Difficulties arose only to be met and overcome by the spontaneous goodwill and friendship of both services.

BENBROOK, TEXAS.

A DIVE AT “HUNGRY LIZZIE.”
SALVAGE.
TEXAS CRASHES.

THE LOOP.
THE LOOP.

CLASS INSTRUCTION.
GUNNERY IN TEXAS.

Before moving to Texas many American cadets had nearly finished their training. Their first flights in their own country were over aerodromes situated amid open territory with no timber and comparatively flat. Excellent material these men, the best the U.S. could supply, most of them fresh from great American universities, young, keen and quick to learn. There were very few who did not turn out excellent pilots. The supply of machines was satisfactory, the standard of flying was good, and daily acrobatics took place. Formation flying was popular. On one occasion a formation of six machines, all piloted by newly graduated cadets, were seen to loop several times consecutively, retaining their formation, a most unusual performance at that time at any aerodrome in the United States.

A summing up of the work in Texas shows a total of 67,000 flying hours between November 17th and April 12th, spent in turning out 1,960 pilots trained and partly trained, both U.S. and R.F.C. Besides these, 69 non-flying officers and 4,150 men were trained in their respective duties. The flying fatalities were 1.88% of pilots trained—an excellent record. The medical percentage is equally good, showing 3% incapacitated from all causes.

Flying conditions were found to differ somewhat from those in Canada. The atmosphere was much dryer and less buoyant. Calm air was the exception, despite the comparatively flat country. The temperature range was much wider, and on the arrival of a “norther,” the air became chilled with extraordinary rapidity, the thermometer dropping from 70 to 20 degrees Fah. in a couple of hours. This sudden drop was more trying to many than the colder but steadier temperature of higher latitudes. Texas, though presumed a dry state, departed this winter from its custom, and suffered heavy rainfalls and even snow, which reduced the aerodromes at times to a drab plain surfaced with a sticky blanket of mud, from which undercarriages and propellers suffered grievously at times. No less than 40 propellers were broken in one morning, and the average for one month was 10 per day. So troublesome was the mud that finally the brigade was forced to adopt the use of wire mesh mud guards. No provision had been made for sub-draining any of the fields. These periods, however, were but occasional. For the rest, the winter was one of favorable weather with high, clear skies, dotted from daylight till dark with innumerable machines.

Much admirable work was done by the personnel of both services, of which perforce no record can be given. In one instance an American squadron allotted to Hicks Field marched into new and unfinished barracks. There was no camp equipment, no water or sewerage. The hangars were congested with machines in packing cases, and there were no tools, yet within eight days the packing cases had disappeared and all machines were serviceable and ready to fly. A remarkable performance for a unit of partially-trained men.

No account of the Texas experience would be complete without some record of the spontaneous hospitality and goodwill shown by the citizens of Fort Worth and the community in general. During Christmas time, pneumonia was rampant at Camp Bowie, some six miles from Fort Worth, where there were no less than 35,000 Texans, composing the Panther Division. As a result the Canadians were quarantined. This made no difference, however, to the all-hospitable Texan, who extended to officers, cadets and mechanics so many and lavish invitations that at the year’s end there was not a man who had not personally experienced the goodwill of the South. The interest created by the first arrival of the brigade in strange uniforms and caps seemed to continue throughout the winter. No Flying Corps man was allowed to walk, when every privately owned motor car was at his service. Liaison duties were most admirably discharged by the American officer who made it not only his particular duty but pleasure to see that all newcomers were welcomed under his kindly roof, and had every opportunity of meeting brother officers under the most delightful circumstances.

“THE ROLL”—HALF-OVER.
THE “ROLL.”

CALM SKIES.

Fort Worth citizens subscribed the sum of $75,000 to provide funds for the local branch of the American War Service Board, and rented a large club room and dancing hall in the centre of the city, where comfortable accommodation was found for men of both the American and British services. This organization was under the management of a “Big Brother,” who seemed born to the work. Canteen and dancing halls were supervised by an organization, the Federated Ladies’ Clubs of Fort Worth, in which each of the latter endeavoured to excel in hospitality, and it fell on one memorable night that the Canadians were entertained by the daughter of the President of the United States.

The Country Club was at the disposal of visiting officers, who will long remember the evenings spent in the best of fellowship. The ever-present Y.M.C.A. saw to it that commodious huts and writing rooms were furnished in all Canadian flying camps. It is impossible, in short, to imagine any source of pleasure, interest or entertainment which was not provided during these notable months in the history of the brigade.

On the evening before the departure of the R.F.C. a smoking concert was given by U.S. officers to their comrades, an entertainment which was eloquent of the comradeship born of strenuous times of mutual work, and prophetic of that still closer brotherhood which would follow in the days of active service.

The appended copy of a letter from Major-General Kenly reveals his generous appreciation of the effort of the R.F.C. personnel:—

“War Department.
“Office of the Chief Signal Officer,
“Washington.

“May 17, 1918.

“Air Service Division
Training Section.

“From: Chief of Air Service.

“To: General Officer Commanding, Royal Air Force,
Toronto, Canada.

“Subject: Reciprocal Agreement.

“1. The reciprocal agreement made last autumn by yourself and the Chief Signal Officer of the Army having successfully accomplished its purpose, I desire to express to you my appreciation of the manner in which the Royal Air Force, under your directions, has fulfilled its part of the arrangement.

“2. By its faithful and efficient work in the training of our cadets and enlisted personnel, the Royal Air Forces has conferred a great and practical benefit on the United States Air Service.

“3. Equally important is the imponderable but undoubted benefit which has accrued to our men from instruction by and association with officers and men who have had practical experience, at the front, with the conditions which we are preparing to meet. This contact, so desired by all our forces and so particularly influential in the training of a wholly new arm of the service, would, but for your assistance, have been denied to all the men training for the Air Service in this country.

“4. The following is quoted from the report of our Commanding Officer, Taliaferro Fields. ‘I am of the opinion that the reciprocal agreement between the Chief Signal Officer of the Army and the General Officer Commanding, Royal Flying Corps, has proven an entire success, and that outside of the training actually given at the fields here, the influence of the Royal Flying Corps in Texas and our association with that Corps in Canada has had a far-reaching and decidedly beneficial effect on our flying fields, throughout the United States.’ With the sentiment herein expressed I am in complete accord, and can wish no better for the United States Air Service than that it may duplicate the high endeavor and equally high accomplishment which has distinguished the Royal Flying Corps, and now distinguishes, in no less abundant measure, the Royal Air Force.

“W. L. KENLY,
“Major-General N.A.,
“Chief of the Air Service.”

PART OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS.

OFFICERS AND STAFF—ENGINE REPAIR PARK.

[ENGINE REPAIR PARK.]

To the Engine Repair Park the brigade has looked for the main portion of that mechanical work on which so much has depended, and it has not looked in vain. The necessity for the establishment of this unit was apparent from the first, it being put into action about the time when flying might be said to have reached a permanent status. Some three months later, in August, 1917, the unit was enlarged by provision for aeroplane repair, and work of both types was done under one command. With the rapidly increasing flying hours put in by the Corps, there again appeared the necessity for still further enlargement, and the unit was finally subdivided into Engine and Aeroplane Repair. This system remained till the close of hostilities.

It is quite obvious that the mechanical condition of the power plant of an aeroplane is of paramount importance, and, in consequence, no expense or trouble was spared to put the Engine Repair Park on the best possible basis. The equipment, which in the winter of 1917, promised to be ample, soon proved insufficient, and in September, 1918, the Park moved into large and most completely fitted shops in rented premises on King Street. In this building four floors presented a scene of extreme activity, the work being so arranged as to be progressive, finishing with the final tests before shipment. During its life of some nineteen months, this Park completely overhauled no less than 1,325 engines, of which all but thirty-five were of the Curtiss 8-cylinder type. Records show that for a complete overhaul, such as was given, an average of 300 hours’ work was required. The total strength of the unit in November, 1918, was 125.

It is of interest to note that obligations covered the complete dissembling and assembling of engines, the repair sections, situated at the various wings, doing only a top overhaul, for which they were suitably equipped.

During 1918, it became apparent that considerable saving could be effected by carrying the work of the unit into the manufacture of engines as well as their repair, and, in consequence, much time and thought was given to the turning out of those integral parts which, assembled, made up the complete engine. To such a pitch was this carried that the point was reached at which only about twenty individual parts out of several hundred were purchased, the balance being the product of the Repair Park itself. It is estimated that in this way some $30,000 was saved on the manufacture of Curtiss engines, and some $20,000 additional when this economical system was applied to the manufacture of machine gun parts. These estimates of saving are probably low, owing to the fact that 50c. an hour was allowed for bench work and $1.00 an hour for machine work.

The rarity of any serious engine trouble reported by the flying wings, is a tribute not only to the admirably simple design of the Curtiss engine, but also to the excellent work done by the Engine Repair Park.

ENGINES MOUNTED FOR TEST.
THE STARTING END.
(NOTE PROTECTIVE SCREEN.)

R.A.F. Can.—Monthly Strength of Engine Repair Park

R.A.F. Can.—Engine Repair Park—Engines Overhauled and Shipped per Month

[AEROPLANE REPAIR PARK.]

This unit commenced operations as a separate organization on the 23rd February, 1918, prior to which time both engine and aeroplane repairs were made under the same administration. The work consisted of not only rebuilding every machine which crashed, but also dismantling and reassembling every aeroplane which had completed its flying time at the various wings. The fact that 400 hours in the air was considered to necessitate complete rebuilding, will indicate the extreme care taken to ensure that no instructor or cadet took to the air in an aeroplane which was not in perfect mechanical condition.

Entire dismantling was accomplished in every case, and after every individual fitting and part had undergone various stages of repair and inspection, it was sent forthwith to the technical stores, whence it was reissued as required for construction of new machines. By this means it was found feasible to salve and re-use not less than sixty per cent. of the members and fittings of every machine received by the unit.

In the early summer of 1918, the output of the Aeroplane Repair Park (the quality of this output being always entirely satisfactory) reached such a point that the brigade found it unnecessary to continue the practice of buying complete machines from the Canadian Aeroplanes Limited, and the latter undertook to supply only such individual parts as the Repair Park was not equipped to make for itself. Thus this organization proved its constantly increasing importance.

A glance at the exterior of a machine gives no idea whatever of the number of integral parts which go to make up a structure seemingly so simple, and the fact that the parts are so numerous threw additional work on the stores section, which was required at all times to keep in stock an ample supply of members and fittings.

In addition to the work of salvaging machines, the unit had other duties to perform, such as the repair of instruments, tires, inner-tubes, radiators, metal fittings, wings, etc. The aeroplane when dismantled presents a vastly different appearance to that of the complete machine ready to take the air.

In all construction the progressive system was worked out, by which machines, commencing at the first stage, moved on from section to section, receiving at each point the necessary additional touches, till at the end they emerged mechanically complete. The work was, in fact exactly like that at the Canadian Aeroplanes Limited, with the exception that in addition to new construction this unit shouldered as well the system of salvaging, by which great economies were without question effected. Over and above this, there went out from the Repair Park a constantly increasing flow of wooden members, which were absorbed by various flying units in repairs made on wings and ailerons at these stations.

Two graphs, given herewith, show the fluctuation in the quantity of work done, this fluctuation corresponding with demands made. These will be found to synchronize closely with other data giving the record of crashes, etc.

In a retrospection of the general operations of the brigade it has been impossible to find a scene of operations better organized than this Repair Park, or one of which the output was more uniformly dependable and mechanically satisfactory.

Man Hour Production

Machines Passed Through
R.A.F. Can.—Aeroplane Repair Park

OFFICERS AND STAFF—AEROPLANE REPAIR PARK.

OFFICERS AND STAFF—STORES DEPOT.

[STORES DEPOT.]

Stores Depot has been the general receiving, distributing and clearing house for all supplies and equipment used by the brigade, and it is estimated that between 20,000 and 30,000 different types of articles and appliances have been carried in its spacious premises.

Provision of this organization was recognized as an imperative necessity at the very inception of the Corps. Its procedure has been from the start greatly assisted by the fact that the Aviation Department of the Imperial Munitions Board has acted as purchasing agent, and has always placed its unique facilities at the service of the R.A.F. and secured for the latter the very best possible terms and deliveries procurable. In order to reduce as far as possible the labor imposed upon the Imperial Munitions Board, the requirements of each unit for a definite length of time were estimated, grouped and submitted as one request. It will be understood that these requirements covered all needs from socks to propellers. This procedure is termed “provisioning.”

Purchased material, being received at Stores Depot, is subject to a minute inspection, and no payments are made by the Munitions Board until notification has been received from the inspection department that the articles received are in classification and quantity exactly what has been ordered. If this centralizing of receiving work should be considered in any way unnecessary, it has only be to pointed out that the receipt of purchased material is thereby enormously simplified, and the duty of inspection is unified in one specially qualified organization.

It is easily seen that without extreme care Stores Depot might have accumulated an enormous quantity of innumerable articles, quantities far beyond actual requirements of the various units for whom they were purchased. In consequence, the practice has invariably been to compile a schedule covering the needs for six months of each branch of the service, and confine the stocks carried to these amounts.

The amount of work discharged by Stores Depot has been probably not thoroughly appreciated, even by the various branches of the brigade. Records show an average receipt per week for the last year of some 250 shipments, or between thirty or forty a day. These shipments range from one case to seventy or eighty cases each, while from the commencement of Stores to November, 1918, there have been placed with the Aviation Department of the Imperial Munitions Board some 9,000 requisitions, each of which represents an average of ten different types of articles, each requisition in turn has been covered by from one to ten orders placed by the Munitions Board, while every order has been covered by from one up to as high as one hundred invoices.

The responsibility of Stores Depot has involved not only receipt and distribution of all supplies required by the brigade, but also the maintenance of a form of record which will enable the government auditors to trace the entire history of any article which has passed through this organization, from the date of the order given for its purchase up to the point at which it has reached the end of its serviceable life and been written off.

It will, of course, be understood that supplies have been sent to the various wings only upon a request being made by the latter, and it is furthermore necessary that the type and amount of the equipment which is being asked for coincide with the provision Stores Depot are authorized to make, and the rate of consumption which is laid down as being proper for the particular service involved. If, on the other hand, any purchase is necessary of articles not carried as standard, special authority is required to be granted before action is taken.

WINGS AND RUDDERS.
SPARES.

PART OF STORES DEPOT.

The move to Texas of a section of the Corps in October, 1917, and the return of that section to Canada in April, 1918, threw additional responsibility on Stores Depot organization, and shipments which involved as many as twenty carloads per day were frequently sent out, the total value of articles thus forwarded being over $2,000,000. It was also of extreme importance that on the return of the Aerial Gunnery School to its permanent quarters at Beamsville, this unit should find itself equipped with the involved and often highly technical scheduled supplies required for its special duty, and it is to be recorded that this provision was admirably foreseen and supplied.

In the Stores Depot, as well as in all other units, excellent service has been rendered by lady civilian subordinates, and in October no less than 184 were on the strength of this unit. There was required, of course, the special training of those hitherto unskilled in these particular duties, but the result has amply justified the trouble taken. Over and above the civilian subordinates, there were on the strength 17 officers and 217 other ranks. All have contributed to a notable degree to the success of the work of other units, which without a constant dependable supply of necessary equipment would have been soon rendered ineffective.

[THE PAY OFFICE.]

The Pay Officer arrived in Canada on the 11th February, 1917, with four non-commissioned officers of the Imperial Army Pay Corps and eight boxes of army books and forms, the latter, however, being practically useless. Canadian conditions were vastly different from those in England.

A suitable office was located at 20 Victoria Street. The Pay Officer then immediately notified the press of his arrival and address, and work began on February 17th, necessary funds being drawn from the War Office through the British Remount Commission in Montreal.

Owing to values in Canada varying widely from those prevailing in England, it was essential to tread very warily regarding the fixing of rates of pay and allowances and innumerable other points known only to those who have experience in an Army Pay Office.

Once in the swing, and after numerous conferences and interviews with Imperial and Canadian authorities, the department became a hive of industry. Its extraordinary growth may be seen from the following table:

Total CashTotal CashNo. ofNo. of
Monthexpended onissued toSub-cheques
all servicesSub-accountantsaccountantsissued
February, 1917$ 2,000.00$ 1,500.00226
July, 1917236,572.90152,812.14191354
January, 1918588,610.97375,164.47192926
July, 1918782,383.76469,291.57184036

The number of claims for separation allowance to wives of cadets, warrant officers and other ranks paid in February, 1917, was fifteen. At present 1,579 claims are issued every month. Similarly the payments to dependents have increased during the same period from 2 to 1,684. The expenditure incurred for the above services to the end of November, 1918, is approximately $1,200,000.

PAY OFFICE STAFF.

90TH SQUADRON, CAMP RATHBUN.

The total number of cadets, warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and airmen who have been dealt with through the Department has reached the total of 18,232.

The total expenditure by the Pay Officer on all services from February, 1917, to December 31, 1918, has been $12,555,000.

For the reader’s further information, all units hold sub-accounts with the Pay Officer for the payment of their personnel, each sub-accountant rendering a monthly statement, properly vouched, to show how the money advanced has been disposed of.

The Pay Officer’s further duties involve also the keeping of each man’s account on a ledger sheet, showing clearly by monthly periods the credits due and the debits made against each account. In addition, a ledger account is kept of the amounts due and paid to the wives and dependents of airmen. The Pay Office also assumes the payment and examination of all railway warrants, and all rations in kind issued to all ranks. This includes the adjustment between the Imperial and U.S. Governments for rations and supplies issued in Canada and Texas under the reciprocal training agreement. The examination and payment of all accounts from civilian authorities for damage to private property on account of crashes and breakdowns of aircraft and mechanical transport falls to this department.

The Victory Loan of 1917, was by arrangement with the Pay Officer, inasfar as the R.A.F. was concerned, paid for by instalments through allotment from the men’s accounts. The total of $350,000 was subscribed in this manner.

As to the staff, one officer and four non-commissioned officers were responsible for the training of an ever-increasing personnel, and the effort was made to utilize each man’s civilian experience to the utmost. Bank clerks and accountants who enlisted into the R.A.F. were, upon request, usually allotted for duty with this department, thus ensuring efficient ground work. Each was thoroughly schooled, promotion by merit being the incentive. This practice has always been adhered to, and has been found most satisfactory. The total of men clerks is now 38, in charge of a flight clerk. There are but two officers.

The female subordinates were mostly obtained from the public schools and colleges, and, after training, their work has been as duly recognized as that of the men. Most have been with the department for more than twelve months. This speaks well for their work and efficiency. The female staff numbers 41, with one lady superintendent in charge.

It is desired in conclusion to point out that the demobilization of the Force in Canada has seriously taxed the efforts of this office, but, taking past experience as a guide, no trouble is being experienced in disposing of the tremendous detail involved in returning the corps to civil life.

TOP OVERHAUL.
TOP OVERHAUL.

MEN’S KITCHEN—CAMP BORDEN.

CADET BARRACK BLOCKS—LONG BRANCH.

MECHANICAL TRANSPORT SECTION.

[MECHANICAL TRANSPORT SECTION.]

This organization came into official existence on March, 17th, 1917, with a strength of one officer, fifteen non-commissioned officers and airmen, and some fifteen vehicles which had been brought out from England by the advance party of the wing.

By October, 1918, the number of vehicles had grown to about 400 (exclusive of side cars) these being looked after by a staff of some two hundred and thirty non-commissioned officers and airmen, thirty lady drivers, and a clerical staff of thirty-six. The vehicles were distributed throughout the various sections of the brigade, all major sections being so organized as to make their own repairs without reference to the central establishment in Toronto.

Housed at first in rented premises in the Wolseley Garage, Toronto, the headquarters establishment was moved early in August, 1917, to its new building in Dupont Street. This structure was approximately 180 ft. × 150 ft., being laid out in bays, and so arranged as to afford both the maximum storage space and the best possible accommodation for repair work. The latter in turn was subdivided into branches, each taking over its special duty as applied to various features of repair work, thus ensuring that a car which came in for overhaul moved constantly forward until, on completion, it had passed through the hands of every section concerned. Arrangements were so perfected that a complete overhaul could be completed by noon on the third day from commencement, and three days later the vehicle, completely painted and varnished, stood ready for either storage or reissue.

The salvage of spare or worn parts proved, of course, to be a point demanding special attention, inasmuch as a great portion of the expense connected with overhaul is invariably to be found in such replacements. Under the arrangements made, all worn parts were classified and, wherever possible, repaired and stored so as to be ready for re-issue when needed. It is reported by the officer in charge of this section that the average repair output per week was some nineteen vehicles of all descriptions, heavy and light, this work being accomplished in addition to maintenance, washing, etc., of all the other vehicles in the headquarters section.

The transport purchased locally proved most efficient, and in the Toronto section 1,200-miles-run was averaged per day. Every vehicle carried a log book, in which its duty was carefully detailed, and all vehicles were completely rebuilt twice a year.

In October, 1918, the section, again expanding, occupied large premises on Avenue Road, reserving the former building for repair work only. The duties of various units of the brigade called for transportation work of a widely varying nature, so it came that the fleet of official vehicles presented an extreme variety, ranging from Packard ambulances—admirable vehicles specially constructed for hospital work at high speed over rough ground—to repair lorries and motorcycles. Gasoline tanks for service on aerodromes proved invaluable, and fire protection was distinctly aided by the purchase of chemical trucks which were stationed at various units.

The work of the section was extended to the carrying of local mails between the various units in Toronto. This proved to be most advantageous. No record of the section would, furthermore, be complete without some reference to the duties performed by the lady drivers who patriotically volunteered for this service. Their history is one of entire success, both as to the duty performed collectively and individually, and also having in view the all-important fact that by the acceptance of service so finely offered the brigade was able to release many men for other and imperative work in all sections of its operations.

IN FORMATION.
A SNAPSHOT.

ASSISTANT PROVOST-MARSHAL, OFFICERS AND STAFF.

[THE ASSISTANT PROVOST MARSHAL]

An Assistant Provost Marshal was appointed on February 1st, 1918. This was deemed advisable owing to the large number of men enlisted in the Royal Air Force, Canada. It further relieved the Canadian Military Police Corps of the extra work of supervising airmen in the streets of Toronto.

On the formation of this office there were approximately thirty enlisted men to carry out the duties of Royal Air Force policemen. The number has since been increased to fifty, whose duties consist of patrolling the streets of Toronto, and generally supervising the discipline and movements of airmen when on leave in the city. They have also carried out all necessary escort duties in bringing absentees back to their units.

A city guard room was opened in April, 1918, situated at the corner of Church and Wellington Streets, and later moved to the basement of the Records building, at the corner of Duke and George Streets.

In July, 1918, the Royal Air Force detention rooms and police barracks were opened at 1322 Dufferin Street, for the dual purpose of receiving airmen sentenced to undergo detention and to accommodate the personnel of the Assistant Provost Marshal’s staff. These barracks are under the supervision of an officer specially detailed for the duty.

Since July of 1918, three men have been continually on duty in New York City, under the direction of an officer of the Royal Air Force, to supervise the discipline of airmen when on leave in that city.

In the above connection it will be seen that considering the many thousands of men on the strength of the brigade, the staff of the A.P.M. was extremely small. No better evidence could be given of the excellent discipline and behavior of the Force.

[ROYAL ENGINEERS’ SECTION.]

Early in 1917 two engineer officers were appointed to the staff of the Officer Commanding, R.F.C., Canada, for technical duty in the selection of aerodrome sites and construction work generally. The former occupied the initial period of their service, but with the enlargement of the Corps came the necessity of a Royal Engineers section to deal with affairs of maintenance and repair. It was considered that the best results would be secured by posting detachments of this unit to various stations, etc., to which, under an R.E. non-commissioned officer, they were attached for discipline, pay, rations, etc.

Under these arrangements, the R.E. section carried out its obligations until the end of August, 1918, when on account of the shortage of men who were both of military age and of required trades, it was decided that the maintenance work performed up to this time by the various subdivisions of the R.E. section, should be taken over by the construction section of the Aviation Department of the Imperial Munitions Board.

The method of carrying out maintenance work was thus changed, but the responsibility for inspection and general supervision still devolved upon the headquarters branch of the R.E. section. The strength of the latter was reduced from an authorized establishment of 135 to a staff of four officers, four or five draughtsmen and a sufficient number of clerks. The duty performed by the unit still covered, as before, the general design of all buildings whether technical, instructional or barracks, coöperation with the construction section of the Munitions Board in the securing of service of water, power, light, etc., and, in general, such responsibilities as fall upon a firm of consulting engineers. To these must be added the fact that this section was responsible to the General Officer Commanding, and acted as technical go-between and adviser between him and the Munitions Board in all constructional and in many technical matters.

OFFICERS AND STAFF, ROYAL ENGINEERS’ SECTION.

“CHURCH UNION” AT CAMP BORDEN.

In retrospect it appears that the arrangement worked exceedingly well. The coöperation of the Munitions Board relieved the unit of all except very minor construction. During the period of this coöperation, some 400 buildings were specially erected by the former, some 40 other existing buildings altered and fitted, together with the provision of innumerable services of varied nature. Records show the completion of six aerodromes with accommodation for 22 squadrons, and the establishment of an Armament School at Hamilton and a Cadet Wing at Long Branch. The average cost for barrack accommodation was approximately $235 per man. In this connection it is interesting to note that at a time when men were becoming extremely scarce owing to the annulment of transfer from R.F.C. to the R.A.F., the employment and accommodation of women on a fairly large scale was discussed. Analysis of building costs showed that barrack accommodation would in this case cost some $430 per head, owing to the necessity of special provision. The scheme was not unnaturally abandoned.

[CAMP BORDEN.]

This camp, the summer home of the 44th Wing for the year 1918, represented the first structural activities of the unit in Canada. By most energetic methods it was transformed from a sandy desert, and became probably the finest flying camp in North America, the Department of Militia and Defence having put at the disposition of the unit approximately 1,000 acres adjoining the C.E.F. camp of a similar name. The work of construction, which began at the end of January, 1917, progressed so fast that flying began early in April.

Never probably in the history of Canadian construction has a scene of greater activity been presented than was observed at Borden during this period under the direction of the late Colonel Low, backed up by an R.E. officer lent by the Department of Militia and Defence. Work progressed unceasingly in a temperature often 20° to 30° below zero. Buildings sprang up at night under the glare of arc lamps, and physical difficulties one after the other were met only to be conquered. Within two weeks 1,700 men and 200 teams had been transported and were at work.

Hundreds of acres of sandy soil were sown with grass seed, thousands of stumps were uprooted and numberless hillocks levelled. An excellent road system, a first rate water supply and electrical system were all provided, together with special telephone communication to Toronto and neighboring towns.

The type of building adopted was retained for all subsequent construction, and has proved to give a maximum of comfort with a minimum of expense.

OFFICERS AND STRENGTH, 44TH WING, CAMP BORDEN.

OFFICERS, 44TH WING, CAMP BORDEN.

At the close of hostilities, Camp Borden had accommodation for 122 officers, 500 cadets, 120 warrant officers and sergeants, and 900 rank and file. A few illustrations of typical buildings are given, together with photographs of the strength at the cessation of hostilities.

The surrounding country is level, and affords many opportunities for landing. To the north stretches the great expanse of Lake Huron, to the east lies Lake Simcoe, and 50 miles to the south is the shore of Lake Ontario. To those who visited Borden when the air was full of machines, there has always been something peculiarily fascinating in the wide, clear skies and unquestionable atmosphere of space and height which is noticeable.

During its occupancy, the 44th Wing did much to improve the camp, and the energetic measures taken by the officer commanding for the comfort and enjoyment of his unit will long be remembered. A large concrete swimming pool, 100 feet by 40 feet was built, a cement tennis court of exceptional excellence was constructed, and a golf course of 9 holes laid down by first rate professionals, arrangements being made whereby, for the expenditure of a few cents, all could enjoy this most inviting of sports. Games, football and all types of physical exercise were indulged in, and it was impossible to find within the boundaries of the corps a more complete programme of physical relaxation.

The chart on [page 291] shows the number of cadets passed through this wing. It should be remembered, however, that until the formation of the School of Aerial Gunnery in April, 1918, at Beamsville, the 44th Wing assumed this instruction. The unit occupied Camps Leaside and Armour Heights during the summer and winter of 1917, but for the rest of its active history its home has been at Camp Borden.

[LONG BRANCH.]

At first the scene of the initial flying activity of the brigade, i.e., that of “X” and “Y” Squadrons, Long Branch subsequently became the home of the Cadet Wing. The area covers approximately 100 acres, its use being kindly granted by the Department of Militia and Defence.

During the summer of 1917, cadets were housed under canvas. When autumn came, the unit was split between camps Mohawk and Borden, then vacated by units proceeding to Texas, and returned in April to a larger tented city on the former ground. During the summer of 1918 it was decided that permanent accommodation be provided, this being due to the fact that it was not contemplated that the brigade should again visit Texas. By the autumn most excellent provision had been made for 30 officers, 1,200 cadets, 68 warrant officers and sergeants and 1,200 rank and file.

The camp is excellently laid out, supplied with power and light from the transmission lines of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission, and was complete with every provision for the instruction, comfort and amusement of the large number of cadets on the strength.

Hospital accommodation at this unit was especially centralized, and arrangements provided that technical instruction be given to patients so far as their condition permitted. The Cadet Wing was always prominent in sports, and during the summer of 1918 several racing shells were purchased and afforded much enjoyment along the shores of Lake Ontario, which lies immediately on the south boundary of the camp. Here also constant interest was occasioned by the passage of machines en route to the School of Aerial Fighting at Beamsville.

[DESERONTO.]

The Town of Deseronto is on the north shore of Lake Ontario, some 130 miles east of Toronto. Between it and the main body of the lake, lies the island county of Prince Edward. Here, at points three miles west and one and a half miles north, were selected the two aerodromes of camps Mohawk and Rathbun, the former being part of an Indian reserve, the use of which was secured through the agency of the Department of Indian Affairs at Ottawa, the latter being a level farm owned by a prominent family in the town of Deseronto. Work commenced during April, 1917, and was sufficiently far advanced to enable machines to take the air in the following month.

The technical equipment at Mohawk ultimately consisted of twelve flight sheds (four squadrons), with complete provision for aeroplane repair and ground instruction, the engine repair work being done in rented sheds in the town of Deseronto. The aerodrome itself was unusually level and the surrounding country fairly open. A large amount of flying took place, of course, over water. Within easy reach to the eastward lies that exquisite expanse of the St. Lawrence River which encircles the Thousand Islands.

The camp buildings, centrally heated, crowned an eminence lying between the aerodrome and the water’s edge, a beautiful site which commanded an excellent view of the adjacent country. Mohawk, with the neighboring camp of Rathbun, was occupied during the early summer of 1917 by the 43rd Wing, headquarters administration being housed in the Town of Deseronto, from which both camps could easily be reached.

The development of training, confined at first to aerial work, was carried to the point of giving ground and gunnery instruction, and an excellent range was constructed near the barrack buildings. Water was drawn from the lake nearby and chlorinated for use, while ample electrical facilities were secured from the transmission circuits of the Provincial Hydro-Electric system.

By November, 1918, the accommodation of this unit was sufficient for 71 officers, 320 cadets, 69 warrant officers and sergeants, and 450 rank and file.

Camp Rathbun, one and a half miles north of Deseronto, was topographically very similar to Mohawk, but comprised a lesser acreage. During the autumn of 1918, the accommodation there was also increased, and a central heating plant erected in order to keep all buildings thoroughly comfortable during the winter months. There was provision for 53 officers, 246 cadets, and 330 other ranks. Water was chlorinated and drawn through the municipal system of the town of Deseronto, and electrical energy secured as at Mohawk.

Both the above camps were occupied by the 43rd Wing during the summer of 1917, and by the 42nd Wing during the summer of 1918. In the intervening winter, Camp Mohawk afforded accommodation for one half of the Cadet Wing held in Canada in training during that particular period.

Wing headquarters have always been in Deseronto, and there also, during the summer of 1918, permanent housing was erected for that section of the occupying wing engaged in repair, motor transport and similar work. Here too was housed the headquarters staff.

Women civilian subordinates were largely employed at Deseronto, making their temporary homes in the town, and radiating out to the two flying camps. In spite of apparent scanty accommodation the arrangement worked here, as elsewhere, to the definite advantage of the Corps.

R.A.F. Can.—Output of Cadets—42ND, 43RD, & 44TH Wings

REPAIR SECTION—CAMP MOHAWK.

Telephone communication connected all units, and a private wire was secured between wing headquarters and headquarters in Toronto. The Canadian Northern Railway immediately serves the town, and the Grand Trunk Railway Company’s lines pass within the short distance of seven miles, and were very frequently used. The roads in the camps’ vicinity have been considerably improved by the Corps. A noticeable increase in the commercial life of the community has taken place since this section of the brigade took up its residence.

[SPORTS.]

The instructions of the Air Ministry that sports should be encouraged in all possible forms, met with the keenest approval from all members of the Force, and as a result great advantage was secured in keeping the physical condition of all ranks at the highest possible point. During its first year’s history the Corps was in the throes of organization, and with the exception of individual sports meetings held at various stations, there was no possibility of organizing any general system. A representative football team was, however, formed in March of 1917, which, playing in the Ontario Provincial League, had by the end of the season won a silver trophy known as the Shamrock Cup, together with a gold medal for each player, and, as a finale, journeyed to Montreal and defeated the well known Grand Trunk Railway Team by 3 goals to 0, after a hard fought game.

Hockey presented too much of a problem to be faced during the first winter, owing to the fact that there were not at the disposal of the various units sufficient rinks of the required dimensions. On the removal of part of the unit to Texas, however, the question of sports was definitely taken up, and the general sports committee, then appointed, arranged at once for inter-wing matches which proved a constant source of interest and rivalry. At the end of the season, the 42nd Wing led in soccer football, with a record of 26 goals as against 11 secured by opponents in 5 matches. This wing won every game it played.

It was quite natural that with such an excellent reputation, the R.A.F. should be invited to send its representatives to play in the North Texas Soccer Football League. Here, too, a very successful programme was carried out. No game was lost out of five played, and, as a result, the Spalding Trophy, presented each year to the champion team of the League, became the property of the R.F.C. As a token of appreciation of the services rendered by Mr. Frank Morris, a prominent sportsman of Fort Worth, the R.F.C. sports committee presented a shield for competition among the school teams of the Fort Worth League.

TILTING.
“THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT!”

CAMP BORDEN REPRESENTATIVE TEAM.

Sports led, in natural sequence, to entertainment, and while it is impossible in this history to give the details of the various concerts and entertainments provided by talent of the R.F.C., it must in fairness be stated that these occasions brought out an astonishing and varied amount of talent, which was keenly appreciated by innumerable Texan friends and the unit at large. On one such occasion nearly $1,200 remained as net profit, and on another some $800, these two sums being divided between various funds.

On the return of this section of the Force to Canada in April, no time was lost in opening a new and wider field of operation. A representative R.F.C. team was enrolled in the Ontario Provincial Football League, and inter-unit teams were also selected. A very successful eleven was entered in the local Church and Mercantile Cricket League, and the year 1918 saw great activity in all sports, in spite of the difficulty in securing the necessary time and place for training. The record of the football team showed that out of 12 games played, 7 were won, 3 lost and 2 drawn, with 33 goals scored as against 18 by opponents.

In the final match for the championship, the R.A.F. players lost, owing largely to sickness then prevalent.

The inter-unit football league was led at the end of the season by the 43rd Wing.

Baseball was, for a time, followed closely, and some excellent talent discovered, especially in the junior units, but it was found to interfere somewhat with other games, and was therefore temporarily suspended.

Boxing took always a prominent part in the athletics of the Corps, and representatives included the feather-weight champion of Canada, the middle-weight champion of America, the 115 lbs. champion of Canada and the welter-weight champion of the West.

At Borden, aquatic sports were prominent, owing to the fact that an admirable swimming tank had been constructed at this unit. In an aquatic contest the plunge for distance was won, not unnaturally, by a pearl diver from Jamaica, who plunged fifty feet.

Cricket, although a continual source of pleasure and interest was, so far as concerns the brigade, under a handicap, owing to lack of practice and the impossibility of analyzing the merits of individual players. There was discovered, however, a valuable acquisition in an ex-Kent County colt, who was a first-rate class bowler, and was backed up by an extremely steady sergeant-major. Both achieved many successes during the year.

Outstanding in the history of R.A.F. sports are three events. The first was the first annual Sports Day held on August 17th, 1918, at the Island Stadium, Toronto. The second the joint C.E.F. and R.A.F. Sports at Exhibition Camp on September 7th, and third the National Championship Meet at the Great Lakes Training Centre, Chicago, from 20th to 23rd of September, 1918. The first meet, at the Island Stadium was a great success, and will be long remembered by those who participated. The day was perfect, the entries numerous (these of course having been subject to prior elimination tests at the various units) and an excellent track was available. The 456 entries received for various events were reduced to a suitable number, and some 12,000 people filled the great tiers of benches which surround the ground. Both in point of records made, and in the keen sportsmanlike spirit in which the whole affair was carried out, this meet will long remain as representative of a contest exhibiting the very best desirable quality. A Beamsville cadet carried off the championship cup for the greatest number of points, a remarkable athlete from Dartmouth College. This contestant won no less than five firsts.

R.A.F. REPRESENTATIVE SOCCER TEAM, 1916.

“WELL OVER!”
THE CHAMPION.

The joint C.E.F. and R.A.F. meet took place on September 7th. The latter maintained its reputation for sportsmanship, and succeeded in winning the majority of the contests.

The last large Meet in which the brigade participated was at the Great Lakes Training Station near Chicago. The Corps was somewhat handicapped by having limited time for preliminary training, but, in spite of this, captured four firsts, these being won by the same cadet who had previously covered himself with laurels at the Island Stadium. Such was the success of the R.A.F. on this occasion, that special congratulations were received from the Secretary of State through the Director of Training at the Air Ministry, London. With the coming of winter in 1918 came also orders for demobilization and, in consequence, the large programme of the sports committee was perforce abandoned.

In retrospect it appears that the athletics practised have been of the greatest possible value, not only in the maintenance of first-rate physical condition, but also in the fostering of all those principles of sportsmanship and good fellowship without which a military unit can never realize its highest character and efficiency.

[ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.]

It is desired to give official and universal thanks of the brigade for the great services rendered by many organizations and individuals during its two years’ work in Canada. From the first it was recognized that while military training was the object of the Corps, there were other phases of the life of the personnel that were of primary importance. That the work of training has been successful is due in no small degree to the fact that all ranks have benefited both temperamentally and socially by the generous thoughtfulness so continually extended.

No sooner had the wing been formed than the late Colonel Hamilton Merritt and Mrs. Merritt, of Toronto, presented two training machines as an indication of their keen interest in the progress of the flying arm of the Imperial services. Later the City of Toronto followed this example with three machines, Mr. James Carruthers with a similar gift, and the Province of Ontario provided two more.

Colonel Merritt’s donation commemorated the battles of Queenston and Lundy’s Lane, in October, 1812, and July, 1814, respectively; while Mr. Carruthers’ machines were named after three cities in which the donor’s interests were principally centred.

FIRST CANADIAN JN4 MACHINE AT LONG BRANCH.

SECOND PRESENTATION MACHINE GIVEN BY THE LATE COLONEL MERRITT.

85TH SQUADRON, CAMP MOHAWK.

LONGWOOD.

The Department of Education of the Ontario Government was most generous in providing splendid libraries, made up of thousands of specially selected books. These were sent, free of cost, to the various units, and proved of the greatest possible interest and value.

To the Young Men’s Christian Association, the Young Women’s Christian Association, the Aero Club, originators of the Aviation Fund, to those warm-hearted ladies under whose energy Longwood Convalescent Home did such splendid work for the brigade, to those who were responsible for the King Street Hostess House, and to many others, most grateful acknowledgments are made.

To the omnipresent Y.M.C.A., the members of the brigade owe many and sincere thanks. Animated by the admirable spirit which has always characterized its activities, it seems to have made a special effort to be of service particularly to the cadets and rank and file on the strength of the Canadian Corps. At Camp Borden, the “Y” erected a very large building, splendidly equipped for various purposes, a building of such size as to flout the name of hut, by which it is officially termed. At Long Branch, another was approaching completion just as this unit demobilized. In Toronto, the “Y” doors have invariably been thrown open to all men in uniform, and membership accorded without any fee whatever. At the Central building on College Street, special provision was made to meet the desires of the soldiers in their leisure hours, and the splendid swimming pool, one of the finest on the continent, was at the disposal of all soldiers of the King. To such an extent was this kindness appreciated, that members of the Royal Air Force were in the majority among those who took advantage of these privileges.

The inner man was especially remembered, and the “Y” cafeteria proved immensely popular. On Victoria Street was a much frequented building for the exclusive use of men in uniform, and the Red Triangle Club soon became the recognized meeting place for rank and file in the city. In consequence, accommodation was constantly on the increase. Here the dining hall service was doubly attractive, being made possible by the voluntary labor of a number of Toronto ladies. It was a club in every sense except one, in that membership is extended only to those who had signified their readiness to serve their country.

The Y.M.C.A. furnished and managed Hostess Houses at Beamsville, Long Branch, Deseronto, Leaside and Camp Borden. This proved a delightful variation from camp routine, and excellent light lunches were provided at most reasonable prices, the latter being especially enjoyed by the girls employed by the R.A.F. This organization also secured for the summer months of 1918, a large residence on St. George Street adjoining the School of Military Aeronautics, which will long be remembered by countless cadets who availed themselves of its hospitality.

The Longwood Convalescent Home, the use of which was kindly donated by Mrs. Charles Beatty through the Canadian Aviation Aid Club, has proved absolutely invaluable in nursing convalescents back to health and strength. It is charmingly situated in some ten acres of grounds about five miles north of Toronto, and being on the main road is accessible both by motor and electric tram.

The upkeep of Longwood has always been a matter of pride and pleasure to the Force. It was formally opened on July 30th, 1917, by Major-General W. A. Logie, C.B., C.F.A.—since Justice Logie—who was at that time General Officer Commanding, Military District No. 2. The furniture, which was of a most comfortable and complete description, including everything imaginable for the amusement of the patients, together with all linen and men’s wear, were provided by the Aviation Club, which body has been since its inception a continual source of comfort and help to the brigade.

84TH SQUADRON, CAMP MOHAWK.

INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF, “X” SQUADRON, LONG BRANCH.
FIRST BATCH OF CADETS, “X” SQUADRON, LONG BRANCH.

In the spring of 1918, Longwood Annex was opened, a commodious house standing in the same grounds, and which had a capacity for an additional 24 patients, making 48 in all; but so popular was Longwood that, during this last summer, tents and marquees were pitched on part of the large lawn, accommodating not less than 50 additional patients. It will be thus seen that about 100 men at a time have been the recipients of most thoughtful care and attention at this Home. Its actual administration was carried out by the Canadian Army Medical Corps through the Base Hospital, and by two excellent nursing sisters who were continually in charge. Nothing was more satisfactory than a visit to this delightful spot, in which, surrounded by garden and orchard, so many healing days were passed by the men of the Force, while above them continually soared the machines of Armour Heights, only a short mile away.

The cost of alterations, repairs and various additions which completed the attractive charm of Longwood was borne by the strength of the R.A.F.,—$9,800 being raised in voluntary subscriptions from all ranks, and by the sale of waste paper from the various units. Altogether over 850 men have been privileged to convalesce in this admirable institution, and not once has there been any slackening of effort in the valuable service rendered by Mrs. Beatty and the ladies of the Canadian Aviation Aid Club.

Other work of the Club covered an extension of branch organization in most towns and cities in Canada, where appeals for donations were sent out and met with a generous response in comforts and money. Since the Club was affiliated with the R.A.F. Air Committee in London, England, a special effort was made to aid its endeavors, and a sum of nearly $7,000 had been forwarded to parent headquarters in England by the middle of August, 1918. This was subdivided between the R.A.F. Hospital, the Prisoner’s Fund and the Comfort Fund.

The King Street Hostess House, organized by private individuals, was a down-town rallying point for men in both American and Imperial services, and the cadets and airmen of the brigade comprised a great majority of the visitors.

Mrs. Chester Martin and Mrs. Martin Jones, the wife and daughter of the American Consul at Toronto, and Mrs. Ransom, associated with themselves a number of ladies whose voluntary duty it was to make the place exceptionally attractive, and to minister to practically all the needs of uniformed visitors.

The Aero Club of Canada, originated with the visit to the Dominion of the late Colonel C. J. Burke, D.S.O., R.F.C., in 1915, and a recommendation made by him that an organization be formed to control the granting of aeronautical certificates.

In July, 1915, the late Colonel William Hamilton Merritt had an audience with the Dominion Government at Ottawa and was then assured that every official facility would be given to any organization which might aid the Naval and Military authorities in Canada in securing trained pilots. From this interview developed the formation of the Aviation Fund, and later arose the Aero Club of Canada. It was incorporated in December, 1916, and the by-laws adopted at its first meeting provided that all flying officers of the Allies in Canada be made honorary members if they so desired. The first annual meeting took place on March 14th, 1918.

Recruiting for the R.F.C. was given special attention by the Club from its inception, a committee being formed to assist in the obtaining of cadets. The official report of this committee states that thirty local organizations had been formed to obtain candidates throughout Ontario, and that some 3,000 lawyers and clergymen were circularized, as also all college and university students in the Province. The press was used very largely to forward this work. Six thousand application enlistment forms for R.F.C. cadets were distributed in Ontario, and this work carried on till October 12th, 1917, when the Royal Flying Corps took over the local offices and shouldered all its own recruiting.

All cadets of the R.F.C. are honorary members of the Aero Club of Canada. The flying personnel of the Corps found the club and reading rooms (established by the courtesy of the Canadian Military Institute) most valuable in their leisure hours.

As at present constituted, the Club is affiliated with the Royal Aero Club of London, England. Its membership is comprised, amongst others, of some 3,000 members of the R.F.C. personnel, and it has of late been authorized to issue international aeronautical certificates to pilots who have qualified in training.

An irreparable loss was suffered by the death of Colonel Hamilton Merritt, in November, 1918, whose energy, generosity and unfailing enthusiasm had from the first been the chief factor in a most successful history of progress.

To the Aero Club falls the credit for the inauguration of the first Canadian aerial mail. A request was made that the Royal Air Force undertake transportation, all other arrangements being carried out by the Aero Club. The first mail, via the air route, left Toronto for Montreal on June 30th, 1918. This machine, the C-203, piloted by Capt. B. A. Peck with Corporal E. W. Mathers as passenger, arrived at Deseronto, the first stage, in 120 minutes. The following day Montreal was reached in 150 minutes. Leaving on the 24th on the return journey, the pilot made Camp Leaside in six hours’ actual flying.

The second mail was carried from Toronto to Ottawa. It left Leaside in C-280, piloted by Lieut. T. Longman on August 15th, returning on August 17th. The easterly flight took 280 minutes and the return trip 220 minutes.

On August 26th, Lieut. A. Dunstan in machine C-282 again carried the mail to the Capital, taking 220 minutes in each direction. Lieut. H. Burton in the same machine repeated this flight in similar time on September 4th, the latter officer making the round trip in a single day.

The Aero Club, for the purpose, arranged with the Dominion Government for the use of a special stamp, of the design illustrated. Thus was inaugurated a service which should in the near future develop enormously in this country of great distances.

The above acknowledgments are perforce fragmentary, as it is impossible to extend to each and all in any other form the thanks which the brigade desires to offer. It is hoped, therefore, that those to whom individual reference is not here made will accept this assurance of the great value the unit has placed upon services so generously offered and so gratefully received.

OFFICERS’ QUARTERS, LEASIDE.
TYPICAL HANGAR.
CORNER IN OFFICERS’ MESS, LEASIDE.

79TH SQUADRON, CAMP RATHBUN.

OFFICERS AND NURSES, SCHOOL OF AERIAL FIGHTING, BEAMSVILLE.

[INDEX TO PORTRAITS AND GROUPS]

The following list indicates the Squadrons and Groups of which it has been possible to reproduce photographs. Every effort was made to secure a complete record, but this has not been entirely achieved.

PAGE
Sir Joseph Flavelle, Chairman Imperial Munitions Board[24]
G. A. Morrow, Esq., O.B.E., Director of Aviation[24]
Sir Frank Baillie, K.B.E, President Canadian Aeroplanes Limited[24]
Officers, Aviation Department, Imperial Munitions Board[27]
Officials and Executive Staff, Canadian Aeroplanes Limited[45]
Officers, 81st Squadron, Camp Rathbun[59]
Headquarters, Officers and Staff[60]
Headquarters Staff[63]
80th Squadron, Camp Borden Officers and Mechanics[64]
87th Squadron, Camp Borden[73]
Officers and Strength, School of Aerial Fighting, Beamsville[91]
Ground Instructional Section, Camp Mohawk[92]
92nd Squadron, Camp Borden, Officers and Mechanics[96]
85th Squadron, Camp Mohawk[101]
Medical Officer and Staff, Deseronto[109]
Records and Recruiting Officers and Staff[133]
Recruits Depot, Jesse Ketchum Barracks, Toronto[134]
89th Squadron, Camp Mohawk[153]
Officers and Strength, 43rd Wing, Leaside[157]
Staff of School of Aeronautics[163]
Officers and Staff, Armament School, Hamilton[171]
82nd Squadron[196]
88th Squadron, Camp Borden[214]
Officers and Staff, School of Special Flying[221]
Officers and Staff, Engine Repair Park[250]
Officers and Staff, Aeroplane Repair Park[259]
Officers and Staff, Stores Depot[260]
Pay Office Staff[267]
90th Squadron, Camp Rathbun[268]
Mechanical Transport Section[274]
Assistant Provost Marshal, Officers and Staff[278]
Officers and Staff, Royal Engineers’ Section[281]
Officers and Strength, 44th Wing, Camp Borden[285]
Officers, 44th Wing, Camp Borden[286]
Repair Section, Camp Mohawk[292]
Camp Borden Representative Team[296]
R.A.F. Representative Soccer Team, 1916[299]
85th Squadron, Camp Mohawk[305]
84th Squadron, Camp Mohawk[309]
Instructional Staff, X Squadron, Long Branch[310]
First Batch of Cadets, X Squadron, Long Branch[310]
79th Squadron, Camp Rathbun[316]
Officers and Nurses, School of Aerial Fighting, Beamsville[317]

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE

Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within the text and consultation of external sources.

Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text, and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained: for example, re-issue, reissue; every-day, everyday; employes; unfused; enfiling.

[Pg 27]: ‘A. N. MULCAHEY’ replaced by ‘A. H. MULCAHEY’.
[Pg 35]: Added heading ‘(Procedure of Purchase)’.
[Pg 35]: Added heading ‘(History of Invoices)’.
[Pg 35]: five occurrences of ‘FYLE’ in the diagrams replaced by ‘FILE’.
[Pg 183]: ‘enojyed excellent’ replaced by ‘enjoyed excellent’.
[Pg 224]: ‘proceedure in the’ replaced by ‘procedure in the’.
[Pg 230]: ‘make workmenlike’ replaced by ‘make workmanlike’.
[Pg 237]: ‘though one hestitates’ replaced by ‘though one hesitates’.
[Pg 318]: Index page number ‘292’ replaced by ‘299’.