HC Deb 11 October 1939 vol 352 cc368-9W
Mr. Perkins

asked the Secretary of State for Air (1) how many members of the Civil Air Guard have been granted commissions in the Royal Air Force or Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve since the outbreak of war and the total number of sergeant-pilots in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who have received commissions since the outbreak of war;

(2) how many commissions in the Royal Air Force have been granted to civilians or ex-Army officers since the outbreak of war?

Sir K. Wood

Some 1,500 "starred" pilots of the Civil Air Guard and 6,000"unstarred"pilots are now in course of being interviewed with a view to entry into the Royal Air Force. It is not, however, possible to say without considerable labour how many Civil Air Guard members have so far been granted commissions or accepted for flying duties in other ranks. My hon. Friend will appreciate that it would not be in the public interest to give particulars of the total number of new entry commissions granted since the outbreak of war, or such information as would enable this figure to be computed.