§ Mr. R. Morganasked the Minister of Aircraft Production the number of inventions especially affecting machine gun mountings which have been submitted to his Department by the inventions group identified with Flight-Lieutenant John Preston, the number of which have been adopted, the number which have been rejected; whether any of the latter have been adopted by other Departments; and why it has been thought desirable to break up this group which have been submitting useful inventions since the start of the war.
§ Sir S. CrippsTwo of seven inventions affecting gun mountings submitted by Flight-Lieutenant Preston to my Department have been adopted for use in aircraft. I am unable to state whether other Departments have adopted any of his inventions. Flight-Lieutenant Preston and two Royal Air Force N.C.O.s were engaged last year in developing for my Department an aircraft gun mounting, but this work was discontinued in September, 1944, because an alternative type of mounting had in the meantime been designed which showed much greater promise. I have no knowledge of any other group associated with inventions submitted by Flight-Lieutenant Preston.