Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation

Military Training Bill - 1939

Military Training Bill - Royal. Air Force Participation,
 

Introduction.

1. Consequent on the Military Training Bill it has been agreed that the Royal Air Force shall accept approximately 12,000 candidates per annum, from the 20/21 group subject to the Act, for the RAFVR, Ground Section.

2. Candidates will be accepted in batches of 2,000 at two monthly intervals and the first batch will be enlisted, on or about July the 15th.  Subsequent batches will be enlisted at two monthly intervals.

3. On entry candidates will receive a period of six months' continuous training and a maximum of 6,000 will therefore be in training at any one time,

Medical Examination and Interview.

4. The medical examination of candidates on entry will be carried out by the Ministry of Labour Medical Panels, and the interview and acceptance by representatives of the RAFVR.

Calling up, Attestation and Posting of Candidates.

5. The Officer-in-Charge of Records will be responsible for calling up the candidates and will instruct them to report to the Reception Depot, at West Drayton for attestation.  This will be done at the rate of 500 per week, i.e. 100 per weekday excluding Saturday, until each batch of 2,000 candidates is completed.  During this period candidates' references will be examined by the Officer-in-Charge of Records at the Reception Depot.

6. Candidates will be kitted up at No 1 RAF Depot, Uxbridge, under arrangements which will be made between the Officer Commanding the Reception Depot and the Officer Commanding No 1 RAF. Depot, Marking of Kits and tailoring will not, however, be undertaken during this period, owing to the time factor, but will be the responsibility of the Officers Commanding the Stations to which the candidates are subsequently posted.

7. Posting to Stations from the Reception Depot will be carried out by the Officer-in-Charge of Records.

8. Further details are contained in a memorandum on the Military Training Bill, so far as it effects the Royal Air Force, which is attached, as Appendix A to this memorandum.

Stations to which candidates will be posted.

9. Owing to lack of training facilities during the present period, the candidates will be posted to Stations within the operational and Training Commands and the distribution between Commands of the first batch of 2,000 will be as follows:-

   	1st Batch	2nd Batch Sep 1939
   i )  Fighter Command	0	700
   ii)  Bomber Command	700	600
   iii) Coastal Command	300	275
   iv) Training Command	400

    

10. A list showing the Stations to which candidates will be posted and those which may be brought later into the scheme is attached as Appendix B to this memorandum,

11. Not more than 100 men will be posted to any one Station.

12. It is anticipated that the posting of candidates to the Stations selected will have to be continued until September 1940, and after that date it is hoped that there will be sufficient training capacity available at the Schools of Technical Training to release the operational Commands from this responsibility.

Training.

13. The majority of the candidates will be selected from skilled or semi-skilled applicants and will be enlisted, as Aircrafthands under training in various trades. The division between various trade groups at stations will be approximately as follows:-

    Fitters Trades	25%
    Wireless and electrical trades including instrument makers	15%
    Equipment Assistants	5%
    Drivers M/T	10%
    Clerks	6%
    Fabric workers	3%
    Armourera	10%
    Photographers	3%
    Carpenters	3%
    Cooks and Butchers	5%
    Aircrafthands	15%

     

14. A syllabus of drill and PT instruction is being prepared, but it is not proposed to provide a syllabus for trade instruction as the amount given must depend largely on the capacity of individual Stations.  A letter giving general guidance is, however, being issued to Commands.  Remustering to trade groups on completion of the six months' continuous training will be dealt with in an AMO shortly to be issued.

Nomenclature.

15. Candidates will be known as RAFVR. airmen and the term "conscript" will not be employed in connection with them.

Accommodation.

16. Additional hutted accommodation is being provided at the Reception Depot, West Drayton to meet the requirements of this scheme, and will also be provided at the Stations participating in the scheme in time to be available at the conclusion of the tenting season.  The first batch of candidates will, however, have to be accommodated in tents, and Commands have been informed that ridge tents to a scale of one per eight men may be demanded, together with the necessary barrack equipment.

17. The Commands have also been instructed that if any additional land is necessary, details are to be forwarded to the Air Ministry but that owing to delays involved, it is desirable to restrict such hiring to a minimum.,

Additional Personnel

18. 18. The following additional personnel will be posted to the Reception Depot, West Drayton and No 1 RAF Depot Uxbridge, to enable candidates to be dealt with: -

    Reception Depot
    Reception	1 Flying Officer Administrative. 1 Warrant Officer (ACH/GD) 2 Sergeants (ACH/GD)
    HQ Staff.	2 Aircraftmen (Clerk GD) for posting 8 Aircraftmen (ACH/GD) for hut orderlies and escort work,
    Accountant	1 Aircraftman (Clerk Accounting) for Voucher work and Forms 1510.
    Stores,	2 Civilian Labourers for issue of blankets and bedding.
    Cookhouse	1 Corporal 3 Aircraftmen (Cook and Butcher).

    Some additional staff will also be provided for the Officer-in.-Charge of Records for attestation work at West Drayton,

    No 1 RAF Depot

    2 AC Equipment Assistants 4 Labourers.

     

19. Additional personnel will also be provided at each Station required to undertake the training of candidates. This will be as follows:-

1 Flight Sergeant (Disciplinarian)
2 Corporals (including 1 PT Instructor)
1 Aircraftman for duty with Barrack Warden.
1 Corporal (Clerk Accounting) who will also act as instructor

1 Corporal (Equipment Assistant) who will also act as instructor
2 ACs. (Cooks and Butchers).
 

 

Appendix A to Organisation Memorandud No 275

MEMORANDUM ON THE MILITARY TRAINING BILL SO FAR AS IT AFFECTS THE ROYAL AIR FORCE

1. There are four stages provided in the Bill through which enlisted men liable for military training must pass, namely registration, medical examination, allocation and calling up.

2. On the 3rd June [1939], all men between the ages of 20 and 21 were required to register at their local Ministry of Labour offices.  When making his registration a man is entitled to express a preference for either RAF or Naval service.

3. The RAF, however, can only accommodate and train in the Regular RAF and Volunteer Reserve, a limited number which will consist partly of ground section and partly of air section personnel.

4. For the ground section, whose continuous training will be done at Regular units, the total number for the first year is limited to 1,200 who will be enlisted at two monthly intervals in batches of 2,000.

5. As regards the air section, personnel will be trained at RAFVR centres and no such training can be undertaken until towards the end of the year.  During the first year it is estimated that 600 pilots, 400 observers, and 600 W/T operator/air gunners can be dealt with.

6. All enlistments, whether for ground or air sections, will be in the RAFVR as aircrafthand under training.

7. It is necessary to select, before the 12th of June, all those candidates who are to be enlisted in the RAFVR. for the ensuing twelve months.

8. In order to make this selection, arrangements have been made for candidates opting for Air Force service to receive at the time of Registration, three forms, (a) Notice of conditions of service (b) Forms of application for entry into RAFVR, and (c) Postcard for use should the man finally decide not to enlist for Air Force service.

9. Applicants have been instructed to post their applications (in a special envelope provided) to the appropriate RAFVR Town Centre.

10. On receipt of the applications at the Town Centres, the Commandant, assisted by personnel detailed for the purpose, will select from the most suitable applications, a number equivalent to twice the total annual quota (as far as possible by trades) allotted to his centre by AOC, Reserve Command.

11. Those applications which are rejected must be clearly marked with a large "R" at the top of the front page.  These forms marked "R" will then be despatched immediately by post to the appropriate Ministry of Labour Offices indicated on the top right hand corner of the forms.

12. Except for the air section, which is dealt with in paragraph 18 below, the remaining applications must then be divided into six batches (lettered A to F) each containing an equal proportion of every trade group allowed in the quota.  The air section will be divided into three equal batches which will be added to batches A, B and C

13. These batches will thus contain the applications of twice the number of individuals who will be called for training at two monthly intervals during the year.  Consequently it is desirable that the first batch (batch "A") should consist of the oldest men, subsequent batches being graded in descending order of ages.

14. The names, addresses and places of Registration of all applicants contained in the first batch (batch "A") must be forwarded to the Ministry of Labour Offices at which the applicants registered not later than 16th June, in order that arrangements can be made by Ministry of Labour for medical boards to be held at selected towns adjacent to RAFVR centres.

15. The remaining batches B to P must be treated similarly, but as these will be dealt with by later medical boards, some delay can be tolerated.

16. The Ministry of Labour authorities will notify the Town Centre Commandant concerned, the date and place of the medical board referred to in paragraph 14.  The Commandant, together with his assistants, will then arrange to be present at the medical board and will make a final selection from those men passed in Grade I medical category up to the limit of his two monthly quota.  Men selected are to be warned by the interviewing officer that they will be required to produce two written references when they report for attestation on being called up by the Officer-in-Charge of Records This warning will be repeated in the calling up notice issued by the Officer-in-Charge of Records.  The application forms of candidates eliminated at this final selection will then be marked "R" and dealt with as in paragraph 11.

17. The application forms and medical documents of candidates finally selected are then to be forwarded immediately to the Officer-in-Charge of Records, who will be responsible for issuing instructions for the men to report in convenient batches to the Reception Depot for attestation, kitting up and posting.  At the same time, the Officer-in-Charge of Records will inform the Ministry of Labour officer concerned, giving particulars of men called up.

18. The air section will be dealt with similarly to the ground section, except that application forms of candidates selected-for this section will be forwarded to Air Officer Commanding Reserve Command and not to the Officer-in-Charge of Records.  AOC, Reserve Command will be responsible for arranging for a second special Medical Board and Selection Board to determine fitness for air duties.  Candidates rejected at this stage for air duties will be transferred to the ground section, AOC, Reserve Command forwarding their application forms to the Officer-in-Charge of Records- for normal calling up action.  Candidates selected will be informed by Reserve Command when and where to report for training.

19. No candidate can be accepted for the air section unless he lives within a reasonable distance of a RAFVR aerodrome at which he can do his part-time training subsequent to the six months' continuous service.

20. It is not anticipated that ground section personnel will be required to do weekly attendance after the six months continuous training so that no locality bar as in paragraph 19 need be applied.  Ground personnel will, however, attend for 15 days annual training when required,

Appendix B to Organisation Memorandum No 275

Source - Confidential Organisation Memorandum No 275 dated 7 June 1939

Further to the above, COM 336/39 dated 4 July 1939 made the following amendments: -

Military Training Bill 1939 - Royal Air Force Participation

1. With reference to Organisation Memorandum No 275 it has been decided that Equipment Assistants entered under the Military Training Bill shall be given a two months' course at Cranwell during their training.  It is anticipated that the number of airmen who will undertake the course will be approximately 100 every two months.

2. Equipment Assistants will in the first instance be posted by Officer-in-Charge of Records to stations in the operational and training Commands as given in Appendix B to Organisation Memorandum No 275 and will then undergo one month's disciplinary course.  At the conclusion of the disciplinary course they will be posted to the equipment course at Cranwell on the recommendation of their Station Commander.  On the conclusion of the equipment course they will be posted back to the stations from which they came and will conclude the remaining three months' training at these stations.
    

COM 337/39 made the further amendments: -

MILITARY TRAINING BILL - ROYAL AIR FORCE PARTICIPATION

With reference to paragraph 9 and Appendix 'B' of Organisation Memorandum No 275, dated 7th June 1939, it has now been decided that the Stations to which airmen of the RAFVR (Ground Section), entered in consequence of the Military Training Bill, will be posted, are as follows: -

First Batch - 15th July 1939

Second Batch - 15th September 1939

Third Batch - 15th November 1940

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