Paris District High School - Yearbook (Paris, Ontario Canada)

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20 PARIS HIGH SCHOOL YEAR BOOK The Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force is the air-arm of Canada's great part in the present conflict. Canada's brave airmen have been fighting with the British airmen since the beginning of the war but they have now been form- ed into Canadian squadrons-hence the Royal Canadian Air Force. As soon as the Motherland suggested that Canada, Australia, and New Zealand train the necessary pilots, navigators and crews to beat the Germans, Canada at once put her vast territorial area, her natural and financial resources at the Motherland's disposal. This was the beginning of the Empire Training Scheme. - Canada is putting her shoulder to the wheel for aerial warfare more than any other Dominion. The R.C.A.F. now numbers twenty-tive thousand. Our men are doing patrol and convoy work at home as well as actual war- fare abroad. As well as the navy the Air Force keeps a ceaseless watch over Canada's Atlantic coast. If the occasion arises the 'planes circle low to sig- nal surface patrol boats. The Empire Training Plan is costing Canada two hundred and sixty million dollars for this year alone. There are one hundred odd schools for Air Force recruits scattered through Canada with the nerve centre at Tren- ton. Its job is to train instructors for Britain. Trenton Air Station consists of four separate schools-School of Administration, Central Flying School, Air Navigation School and Air Armament School. Each day starts impres- sively with parade. The whole station parades on Thursdays and each unit in turn on other days. The finishing school at Mossbank, Saskatchewan, is being feverishly rushed to conclusion. Work previously planned to take two years is being compressed into three months. If selected as a pilot, the young recruit first goes to the Elementary Fly- ing Training School for eight weeks. From here he goes to a Service Flying Training School for sixteen weeks. Another eight weeks are spent in an in- termediate training squadron, six weeks in an advanced training squadron, and two weeks in a Bombing and Gunnery School. The complete training of a pilot takes twenty-eight weeks. The R.C.A.F. is composed of the Permanent Active Air Force, the Non- Permanent Active Air Force, and a Reserve of Officers. What did Canada do in the last war? The Canadians fought under the Royal Air Force. They had their own particular squadron and Canada was noted for possessing more air aces than any other country. One of the chief of these was Colonel Billy Bishop, now Air Marshall of the R.C.A.F., who shot down seventy-two enemy planes, and cn whose chest are the ribbons of the V.C., D.S.O. and bar, D.F.C., and

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PARIS HIGH SCHOOL YEAR BOOK 19 objectives, they have dropped their bombs indiscriminately causing great loss of life and property. The German method is to come over in groups, the bombers being accompanied by fighters whose job it is to keep off the British planes while the bombers go about causing destruction. The bomb- ers, however, still have to Worry about the anti-aircraft guns. Germany, in her previous battles, has lost most of her good pilots. The pilots of many of the German planes to-day are mere boys who become easily confused. However, the British are not allowing the Germans to destroy property without offering resistance. Each night, extensive raids are made on Ger- many and German-held territory. The Germans, fearing the truth, are not allowing the truth of these raids to be published. At home, Britain is erect- ing balloon barrages to protect her cities and air raid shelters to protect her people. These shelters, which are cellars, subways and specially con- structed vaults, protect the people from Hying shrapnel. During the nights many long, weary hours are spent in these shelters. The women knit while the children sleep. There are many workers who do not go into these shelters. These are fire-fighters and rescue workers who remain outside to save property from the ravages of fire and people from trapped buildings. Another group of men who deserve recognition is the suicide squad whose job it is to pull the stingers of delayed action bombs and explode them in the country. Another important phase of the siege of Britain is the maintaining of trade with her colonies. Germany has tried, since the first of the war, to shut off these trade routes with submarines, magnetic mines, and long range guns along the Strait of Dover. These methods have been overcome one by one, but it is believed that the Germans are again turning to submarines. Considerable attention has been drawn lately to the fact that the Axis powers have attempted to cut off Britain's supplies from the east by an at- tack upon the Suez Canal and Gibraltar. The Royal Navy, however, is holding the raiders in check on the sea. Since the actual raids on Britain began, there have been no battles on the land. Germany has massed troops and barges along the French coast in preparation for'an invasion, but as yet a successful one has not been accom- plished. Each Briton has risen admirably to the situation. A great number of the young men are in active service. The girls and women of the nation have stepped in to take their place. Many office girls and school girls have gone to work on farms to support the three million soldiers in the country. The siege of Britain may only be in its initial stages and just where and when the next attack may come is uncertain but up to the present all at- tempts to conquer Britain, while inflicting loss of life and property, have failed. This is due, in no small way, to the spirit that prevails throughout the Empire, born of the knowledge that their cause is right and that every- thing in life worth while is at stake. With every new thrust at the heart of the Empire that spirit has found expression in stiffened opposition. The British people are keeping a Hrm upper lip, confident that in the end, right must conquer. Doris Edgington.

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PARIS HIGH SCHOOL YEAR BOOK 21 the Croix de Guerre. Roy Brown, of Brantford, brought down Germany's air ace in a dog-fight in France. These are only two of the renowned avia- tors of 1914-18. After the Great War was over, Canada saw the need of an Air Force of her own. The Air Board Act of nineteen hundred and nineteen was passed and the R.C.A.F. came into being. Although started on a small scale, Canada's Air Force is being slowly but surely built up. The total strength of the R.C.A.F. on December the thirty-first, nineteen hundred and thirty- two, was ninety-eight officers and five hundred and ninety-two airmen. Now let us look to the future of our Air Force. Great prospects are held for the young aviators of to-morrow. Aeroplanes will be used much more commercially than ever before in the history of Canada. It is probable that transport planes will be making weekly or even daily flights to the United Kingdom. Until now the Navy has been the most important factor in the fighting forces. Now the R.C.A.F. is doing its best to wrest the proud title, The Silent Service, from its naval comrades. The first time the Canadian fighter squadron went into action they were successful in bringing down two Dornier bombers, since then, with pride and joy, we have read of their continued success and know that these are only the forerunners of an extremely large number of enemy machines that will never return to their bases. As in the last war Canadian airmen are the masters of any problem the enemy may set them. We are again producing airmen better trained, in fact superior in every way to anything that the Nazis can send against us. When the Prime Minister of Great Britain said in the House of Commons, Never in the field of human conflict was so rnuch owed by so many to so few, he not only paid a tribute and a nation's thanks to a service of heroes, but set a standard to which future airmen will aspire. We know that even this standard will be beaten, as these men fully understand that, as the rep- resentatives of the democracies, they stand for all the aims and ambitions of their forefathers who in many cases fought and died to create this Empire which is ours. The man whose good fortune it has been to be selected as a member of any of the Empire's Air Forces, realizes it is a great honour. Into his hands, at the moment, has been placed a large portion of the defence of our freedom and we all know that, as the days go by, he will rise to full manhood with his laurels won and our Empire still free. The Canadian airman is, without doubt, superior to any and only one result is possible:- It is Victory. Victory at all costs. Victory in spite of all terrors. Vic- tory, however long and hard the road may be. For without Victory, there is no survival. Eva Scott.