HC Deb 27 March 1946 vol 421 cc377-80

The following Question stood upon the Order Paper:

83. Mr. georģe WARD,—To ask the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he has any statement to make regarding the re-establishment of Reserve Command; and whether he will now make a further statement regarding the Auxiliary Air Force and the R.A.F. Reserves.

The Under-Secretary of State for Air (Mr. Strachey)

Mr. Speaker, with your permission, and that of the House, I will make a statement in reply to this Question:.

Reserve Command of the Royal Air Force will be re-established in the immediate future. Its primary function will be to maintain and train adequate reserves of flying and ground personnel. To that end it will recruit to the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve; foster the creation and development of the Auxiliary Air Force; assume responsibility for the Air Training Corps, and, in co-operation with the university authorities, re-create the University Air Squadrons. Group headquarters of Reserve Command will be set up: they will coincide geographically with Army Commands. These Group headquarters will, in turn, set up town centres and will provide training facilities. Public announcements will then be made inviting officers and men released from the Royal Air Force to join the Volunteer Reserve or the auxiliary units. The Territorial Army and Air Force Association will be the main recruiting agency.

The Auxiliary Air Force. The 20 Auxiliary Squadrons which existed before the war will be re-created on their old territorial basis. Commanding Officers are now being appointed. Most of these units will be day and night fighter squadrons and, when fully trained, they will form part of the First Line Air Defences of this country. But several light bomber auxiliary squadrons will also be formed. In addition, some non-flying auxiliary units will be formed, probably in such spheres as Operational Control and Radar work.

The University Air Squadrons. Discussions have been opened with the university authorities to determine at which universities it will be possible to maintain University Air Squadrons.

A.T.C. For the present, we propose to maintain the A.T.C. at a strength of 75,000. From a corps of this size we should be able to accept all cadets of a satisfactory standard into the air forces; but it must be realised that not all can become aircrew. We shall keep the A.T.C. authorities informed as to the proportion of their cadets who can become aircrew, and the proportions which we can take in the different groups of tradesmen. This will enable A.T.C. Squadrons to plan their initial training in such a way that their cadets will find the right openings before them.

We are thus proceeding to the immediate creation of a framework within which the Volunteer Reserve, the Auxiliary Squadrons, the University Squadrons and the Air Training Corps will find their permanent place in the postwar Royal Air Force. We attach the utmost importance to these non-regular forces, and it may well be that in the future it will be desirable, and possible, to develop them to a much greater degree than before the war. Such development will take time, however, and I must warn the House that we shall not immediately be in a position to give intending recruits to the non-regular forces the same facilities as those that existed before the war. But the main thing is to get a firm basis laid down now. The re-establishment of Reserve Command provides this basis, and we confidently appeal to all those who have the interests of the Royal Air Force at heart to help us, in one way or another, in the rebuilding of our non-regular forces.

Air-Commodore Harvey

Is the Auxiliary Air Force Reserve to be re-formed so that officers and men, when they have finished their training, and after their five years, can continue to fly at least 20 hours each year?

Mr. Strachey

Yes, Sir. I have no doubt that will be a feature of the scheme.

Sir Wavell Wakefield

Is it intended that the Air Training Corps shall give preparatory training for those who desire to join the Royal Navy or the Army for air work, in the same way that such preparatory training was given during the war years? The Under-Secretary mentioned only preparatory training for the Royal Air Force and its reserves.

Mr. Strachey

That is perhaps the more immediate concern of my hon. and right hon. Friends. As far as we are concerned, I think I may say we should be very agreeable to any such arrangement.

Sir Ronald Ross

May I ask the Under-Secretary whether one or more of these Auxiliary Squadrons will be stationed in Northern Ireland?

Mr. Strachey

I would ask for notice of that question. However, if they are on the same geographical basis as before the war, that would be so.

Wingģ-Commander Millinģton

I do not want to press the Under-Secretary, but can he tell us the sort of time which will elapse before the establishment of these Group headquarters? A tremendous number of demobilised ex-aircrews are very anxious to get back into a voluntary organisation of this character.

Mr. Strachey

We realise the great urgency of this, and naturally, in our own interests, we are most anxious to go ahead. With the authority to establish the Command, I see no reason for delay in the establishment of Group headquarters. It will take a little time but we shall press on as fast as we possibly can.

Wingģ-Commander Hulbert

Can the Under-Secretary say whether the Auxiliary balloon squadrons are to be re-formed?

Mr. Strachey

No, Sir. I shall require notice of that question.

Mr. Bossom

Will the Under-Secretary encourage ex-officers of the Royal Air Force to become instructors for the Air Training Corps, because there is difficulty today in getting officers to instruct in the Air Corps?

Mr. Strachey

I did mention that fact in my speech on the Estimates. We are extremely keen that we should be helped by ex-officers; not only by ex-officers, because we value very much in the Air Training Corps the help of people who have not served in the Royal Air Force.

Mr. Tolley

Will the Under-Secretary make a public statement to the effect that, in future at any rate, the Air Training Corps will get sympathetic consideration?

Mr. Strachey

I think it as had a great deal in the past. This announcement shows that we do regard it as the main source of recruitment for the Royal Air Force.

Mr. Scollan

Will the same prohibitive qualifications as those which applied before the war regarding fees for entry into the Air Force, especially with regard to those acting as pilots, continue to apply?

Mr. Strachey

I think we can say right away, that any such disabilities and disqualifications have been abolished. We know that at Cranwell College, for example, fees are to be abolished in future.