8 May 1959 :'-~.\*
629
THE FAR EAST
AIR FORCE
Varied and Valuable Peace-Time Tasks
By NORMAN
MACMILLAN
F
AR EAST AIR FORCE HEADQUARTERS are about 181
flying hours by Comet 2 from Lyneham airfield. The elapsed
time depends on the mode of flight, whether by double aircrews, slip crews along the route, or one crew night-stopping.
There is a sun-time loss of 1\ hr when flying east, an equal gain
when flying west. Reckoning solar time at each terminal, the
fastest eastward journey takes about 30 hr, the fastest westward
about 15 to 16. V-bombers with their longer range and faster
cruise can clip some hours off these times. The Hastings, good old
workhorse though it be, takes twice as long; that is why it is to be
replaced on the longer routes of R.A.F. Transport Command.
Moreover, the greater noise-level of its piston engines is far more
fatiguing, an important factor on a route between two strategic
reserve centres.
H.Q. F.E.A.F. is at Changi, at the eastern end of Singapore
Island. It combines the Command headquarters and the tactical
H.Q. controlling the three air bases on the island, since Air
Headquarters Singapore was abolished in accordance with the
recommendations of the Hollinghurjt report for economies in the
R.A.F.
The headquarters are delightfully situated on a slight eminence
overlooking the eastern channel leading to the Johore Strait and
the estuary of the Johore River. The grounds are pleasantly laid
out with tropical trees—the red-blossomed flame of the forest, the
yellow-flowering cassia, the handsomely tall, laurel-like-leaved
garcinia, the drooping and less brilliantly yellow-blossomed
casuarina, banana and papaya trees; and for shrubs the purple
bougainvillea, delicate oleander, jasmine and deep-scented frangipani. The air is hot and the atmosphere sticky with the humidity
of a rainy, low-level tropical island. Diurnal temperature varies
from about 93 to 78; perhaps one feels the absence of cool nights
more than the higher day temperature, which is low relative to
parts of India, Pakistan, Iraq or even Cyprus in the summer.
Singapore has much the same climate and temperatures all the
year round, so that there is no let-up unless one can go up to the
two hill stations in Malaya or on leave to Hong Kong, where there
is a recognizable summer and winter solstice. The tour at Singapore and Malaya is 2\ years and most of the R.A.F. personnel
posted there find that enough, though some love it and would
willingly stay longer.
Within the headquarters building the air is cooler because the
fans are turning in every room and the windows are all wide open.
The local pigeons (like those in Trafalgar Sauare) would roost and
nest on the window ledges if allowed. Outside the windows
brilliant birds flit from tree to tree—the black-naped oriole with
bright yellow plumage, the magpie robin who sings like our home
thrush, the Javanese myna whose song is like our blackbird's but
with a descending trill at the end, and many others. F.E.A.F. has
the most attractively situated R.A.F. Command headquarters I
have ever seen, but not the most attractive building.
Singapore and Ma'ava lie below the atmospheric intertropical
convergence zone. While I was there they appeared to have a
fairlv regular weather seauence, althoueh its timing was always
uncertain: a clear morning with sunshine, clouds beginning to
build up about eleven, perhacs thunder and rain then, or a continuance of the build-up until the afternoon; then at about four
or five there would come a delude, followed by an evening of
thunder muttering in the distance or oerhaps a final rainstorm
before the night became fine and clear. That is the seauence when
one is stationary. When flvine throueh this weather there is often
more bad than trood. The height of the cloud upper level mav be
45.000 or 50,000ft. I have flown throueh cirrus stratus at 42,000ft
and seen the cupola-shaoed tons of cumulo-nimbus risine some
5,000ft higher on one side and the rarer anvil cloud yet hieher on
the other. Aircraft flying in these conditions reauire and ought to
carry search raHar, whose green blips display the presence of
cu-nim
and of island eroups. thus providing simultaneously an aid
* or navieation and against collision.
The officers' mess at Fairy Point is the best apoointed R.A.F.
rness I have ever visited. It is spacious, comfortable, beautifully
situated and admirablv run. The food is excellent, with a mixture
of English, Chinese and Malav dishes which provides the variety
so necessary in a relaxing climate. Every Sunday evening after
Canberra B.2s of No. 45 Sqn. fly past Singapore's waterfront
dinner a newsreel and feature film are shown in the grounds, with
seats set out on the lawn. Dress on that occasion is a white dinner
jacket, black tie and black trousers; ladies wear evening gowns.
On ordinary evenings officers wear white shirt, long tie and lounge
trousers. Working dress is open-neck khaki shirt with No. 6 khaki
drill uniform; the jacket may be slipped off for greater comfort in
the heat. The one discomfort I found was the ceaselessly twirling
reflection of the rotating fans in the polish of the dining tables.
A.V-M. A. A. Adams, C.B., D.F.C., the Chief of Staff, described
F.E.A.F. to me as "a big parish but an interesting one." Its composition as a Commonwealth Air Force makes it doubly interesting,
for its staff and operational units alike are drawn from the R.A.F.,
R.A.A.F. and R.N.Z.A.F. Of course Britain, Australia and New
Zealand are all members of SEATO and F.E.A.F. is part of the
SEATO defence. But I believe the principle of the Commonwealth Air Force is intrinsically sound and might profitably be
extended to other areas.
F.E.A.F. differs from the R.A.F. home commands (which are
functional) by being fully built up as a complete air force—able,
if necessary, to operate in isolation for extended periods. It is thus
more like a modern version of the Air Force of the First World
War, able to undertake whatever task is necessary. It does not,
however, possess its own V-bombers; these are retained within
Bomber Command but are able (if required) to operate from
F.E.A.F. bases.
There are three F.E.A.F. airfields on Singapore Island—Changi,
Tengah and Seletar—and two in Malaya, at Kuala Lumpur and
Butterworth. The three Singapore airfields are R.A.F.-controlled.
Kuala Lumpur is a joint-user airfield, part R.A.F., part Malayan
Air Force and part international airport. Butterworth is an
R.A.A.F. station, the most modern of them all and up to full
NATO standard.
F.E.A.F. is commanded by an R.A.F. air marshal—Air Marshal
the Earl of Bandon—whose staff is drawn from the three Air
Forces. No. 224 Group's headquarters at Kuala Lumpur have
recently moved to Singapore, with an R.A.A.F. air vice-marshal
currently in command (A.V-M. V. E. Hancock, who is being succeeded by A.V-M. R. A. R. Rae) and again an integrated staff.
Lines of Communication. Although it is an independent Command, F.E.A.F. must link up with the three great Commonwealth
States which furnish its components, with the SEATO partners,
and with other strategically sited British forces overseas.
To this end, air communications within its own area of responsibility are maintained by F.E.A.F. Within its authority come
F.E.A.F. units stationed either temporarily or permanently at Kai
Tak civil airport, Hong Kong; Labuan; Katunavake (Negombo),
Ceylon; and Gan (Maldive Islands). Combined SEATO exercises
have been carried out at Bangkok to which F.E.A.F. operational
and transport aircraft have been flown. Air communication is
maintained with the U.S.A.F. at Clark Field, Manila, and with
Edinburgh Field, Adelaide. Casualty evacuation cases are flown
to the R.A.F. base hospital at Changi from Malaya and detachments farther east. Units operating on the ground in Malaya
aeainst the Communist terrorists require air transport and support.
There is thus a continuous need for military air transport services
in F.E.A.F. To meet this overall demand the Command has used
Hastings, Valetta, Freighter, Dakota, Pembroke, Auster and more
recently Beverley fixed-wing aircraft, and Whirlwind and Sycamore helicopters.