At the further meeting of the Air Board, held at Adastral House, January 1st, 1917, the personnel of the advance party was selected. The administration section consisted of the Officer Commanding, at that time lieutenant-colonel; two squadron commanders—a major and a captain; one flight commander—a captain; one flying officer—a lieutenant. The supply section consisted of one park commander, one first-class equipment officer and two second-class equipment officers; these a major, captain and two lieutenants. Two engineer officers, both majors—one of whom was of the Canadian Engineers and the other from the Royal Engineers services—followed a little later. The recruiting section, composed of a captain and three lieutenants, completed the party. Mechanical transport of 21 vehicles was also sent.
At this meeting the general premises governing the future operations of the wing were outlined, such as the intention to give only lower training in Canada, and liaison between the unit and the Imperial Munitions Board. It was further determined to organize twenty training squadrons. Owing to conditions in England at the moment, the question of personnel for the formation of the Canadian wing was difficult of solution, and it was stated quite frankly that the Royal Flying Corps, Canada, would be obliged to do its utmost to train both officers, non-commissioned officers and airmen for the various duties to be performed.
General and personnel equipment was arranged to be sent from England, but all machines and additional transport were to be obtained locally. The general purport of the meeting was, in brief, to provide the skeleton of a training unit, put this scanty personnel under the direction of the O.C. and trust to their united efforts to provide for that expanding output of partially trained pilots for which at the time there was such insistent demand.
Coincident with all this, matters in Canada had already begun to take shape. There was in Toronto a small aeroplane factory, which for the past year or two had been turning out machines used at a private flying school some nine miles from the city. Authority was received by the Imperial Munitions Board from the Air Board to acquire this organization, which, although its output was necessarily limited, afforded an opportunity for future expansion, once suitable premises were secured. The machinery and equipment of this undertaking were forthwith moved into much larger buildings leased from a local engineering works, and took shape as the Canadian Aeroplanes Limited, an organization owned by the Imperial Government, whose product was intended primarily to meet the requirements of the new Canadian wing.
Simultaneously there was formed the Aviation Section of the Imperial Munitions Board, to which section detailed reference is made elsewhere. Such, in short, were the arrangements which had been completed when on January 22nd the advance party of the Royal Flying Corps, Canada, arrived in Toronto.
OBSERVERS’ GUN MOUNTING.
GERMAN GUN MOUNTINGS.