READY FOR THE AIR.
THE TAKE-OFF—WINTER FLYING.
SCHOOL OF AERONAUTICS—CANTEEN.
DINING HALL.
Owing to the fact that one-half of the personnel of the brigade was in a constant state of flux, and moving forward from unit to unit, additional work was thrown upon both the Records and Quartermaster’s department, and the prompt manner in which these organizations adapted themselves to the changing needs is worthy of mention. The move to Texas created an involved situation which was made workable only by a very special effort and complete coöperation with the Imperial Munitions Board, and, in spite of the strain thus occasioned, the success of this move must always be recalled with particular satisfaction by those responsible for its arrangement.
The Quartermaster branch discharged, as well, the duty of a Quartermaster-General’s department, this being but one instance out of many in which the obligations of individual sections of the brigade were enlarged till they paralleled the work elsewhere performed by the Air Board or the War Office.
The composition of the Canadian units decided upon by the War Office, varied considerably from that of units already established in England, and, in consequence, the mobilization and equipment tables heretofore in use proved in most respects inapplicable to Canadian requirements. Thus there was thrown upon the Aircraft Equipment branch the almost unprecedented duty of compiling all the data determining every item of equipment to be supplied for carrying on the work of the Corps.
It was provided from the first that responsibility for price and point of purchase would be borne by the Aviation Department, and the burden of the A.E. branch ceased when requisitions were handed to the former. This, however it eased the situation, still left upon the A.E. branch the constant onus of working out in detail the entire list of engines and aeroplanes, with their multitudinous spares, and the complicated list of stores, technical and otherwise, requisite for the training of a continuous stream of pilots.
The records of the branch show that while the supply of machines from the Canadian Aeroplanes factory was invariably dependable, considerable difficulty was experienced in securing deliveries of engines, and, on occasions, machines were sent to the wings without engines, the latter to be installed when received.