§ Mr. Loveysasked the Secretary of State for Defence why he does not consider it suitable for boys to join the Air Training Corps at the same age as those joining the Sea Cadets; and why there is also a disparity between these services with regard to the age at which a boy may wear uniform.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesThe amount of training and instruction that can be given to a boy in the Air Training Corps is160W naturally limited. If this training is completed too early, then a boy may lose interest and leave the corps at an age when that training would be becoming of the maximum value to him and possibly to the Royal Air Force. Bearing in mind that the normal upper age limit for membership of the Corps is 20—as against 18 for the Sea Cadets—we think that a normal minimum age of entry of 14 gives the most suitable age span, both from an administrative point of view and from the point of view of the objects for the Corps.
The purpose of a probationary period before boys are allowed to wear the uniform at 14¼ is to make sure that a boy has the right qualities and the necessary genuine enthusiasm to make a useful member.