§ Mr. John E. Haireasked the Secretary of State for Air what are the functions of fighter control units; and whether he is satisfied with the recruiting for them.
§ Mr. A. HendersonFighter Control Units, which were formerly called Air Defence Units, are part of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. Their function in war would be twofold: to detect by radar and to plot and report movements of enemy aircraft; and to control the operation of fighter aircraft. In their first function their work and that of the Royal Observer Corps is complementary. They are a key part of the defence of the 103W United Kingdom and the work of Fighter Command, Anti-Aircraft Command and the Civil Defence organisation depends on them. They must therefore be fully manned and prepared to go into action as trained teams at the very outset of an emergency.
Recruiting, which is open to both men and women in a large number of trades, has only recently started on a full scale. Results so far are encouraging but there is a long way to go before the target of 20,000 is reached, and volunteers, particularly from among those who had experience of this type of work in the war, are urgently required.