§ 68. Air-Commodore Harveyasked the Secretary of State for Air why prize money in respect of the 1939–45 war for the R.A.F. is to be paid to the Service and not to individuals.
§ Mr. A. HendersonThe intention behind the proposed grant of prize money to the Royal Air Force is to recognise the part which the Service played in the war at sea between 1939 and 1945. After careful consideration the Air Council reached the conclusion that no distinction should he drawn between individual members of the different Commands of the Royal Air Force, all of which contributed to winning the air supremacy which was a vital factor in operations at sea. Account was also taken of the fact that in the case of the Royal Air Force there was no tradition of payment of prize money to individuals and that individual distribution of £1¼ million to the large number of personnel who served in the R.A.F. during the war would have resulted in very small average payments. For these reasons the Air Council reached the conclusion that the balance of advantage lay in applying the Royal Air Force share of prize money in the form of grants to Air Force benevolent and welfare funds for the general benefit of both present and former members of the Service, and their families and dependants.