British Military Aviation in 1953 - Part 2

Part 1

1 August
The Bomber Command Armament School (BCAS) is formed at RAF Wittering. The BCAS was charged with training RAF personnel in the custody, storage, servicing, transportation and use of nuclear weapons. The first commander of the School was Wing Commander J.S. Rowlands.

31 August
The first crop-spraying operation undertaken by British forces in Malaya (Operation Cyclone I) begins. Modified Sikorsky S51 and S55 helicopters were used to spray herbicide on jungle clearings used by the terrorists to cultivate food. During Cyclone I, over 30 clearings were sprayed and one terrorist killed in associated ground force operations. A second series of crop-spraying sorties (Operation Cyclone II) quickly followed and by the end of 1953 a total of 88 clearings had been sprayed. However, due to the paucity of helicopters spraying operations were held in abeyance after 1954.

7 September
A new world speed record is established by Squadron Leader N.F. Duke, who averaged a speed of 727mph in runs over a 3 kilometre course at Littlehampton in Sussex, while flying a Hawker Hunter.

19 September
A new world speed record of 709mph over a 100 kilometre closed course is established by Squadron Leader N.F. Duke in a Hawker Hunter at Dunsfold in Surrey.

25 September
New world speed record is set up by Lieutenant Commander Michael J. Lithgow, flying a Vickers Supermarine Swift and averaging 737mph in four runs over a 3 kilometre course in Tripoli.

29 September
Handley Page Hastings transport aircraft of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and civilian charter flights fly additional reinforcements to Kenya to bolster the security forces.

7 & 14 November
The first atomic bombs for the Royal Air Force (RAF) are delivered to the Bomber Command Armament School at RAF Wittering.

8-10 October
The London to New Zealand Air Race Speed Section is won by a Royal Air Force (RAF) Canberra, flown by Flight Lieutenant R.L.E. Burton and Flight Lieutenant D.H. Gannon. The aircraft covered 12,270 miles in a time of 23 hours 50 minutes 42 seconds.

The flight also established new records between London and Christchurch in New Zealand (23 hours 51 minutes 10 seconds, average speed 494mph) and London and Shaibah (5 hours 11 minutes 5 seconds, average speed 544mph).

Another Canberra, flown by Wing Commander L.M. Hodges (later Air Chief Marshal Sir Lewis Hodges) established a London to Colombo record of 10 hours 25 minutes 21 seconds (average speed 519mph).

14 October
The second British atomic test, Totem/T1, takes place when a 10 kiloton atomic weapon is detonated on top of a 31 metre tower. In Operation Hotbox, an English Electric Canberra entered the atomic cloud 6 minutes after the explosion to assess the behaviour of the aircraft and the effects of the cloud on the crew. Subsequently, between 1952 and 1958 RAF squadrons operating modified English Electric Canberras were called upon to conduct extensive sampling sorties in support of the United Kingdom's atmospheric nuclear test programme.

18 October
Runnymede memorial is unveiled.

27 October
The Duke of Edinburgh is appointed Honorary Air Commodore of No.601 (County of London) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, in succession to Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Douglas of Kirtleside.

11 November
The first detachment of Avro Lincoln heavy bombers arrives at RAF Eastleigh in Kenya, to supplement the North American Harvards of No.1340 Flight. RAF Bomber Command squadrons based in the United Kingdom would continueto furnish detachments for operations in Kenya until July 1955. The Lincolns were used to pattern bomb known terrorist camps and operating areas.

1 December
AHQ Malta ceased to be controlled by Headquarters, Middle East Air Force, which became an independent Air Headquarters under the control of the Air Ministry.

17 December
A London to Capetown point to point record of 12 hours 21 minutes 3 seconds is established by Wing Commander G.G. Petty and Squadron Leaders J. McD. Craig and P. MacGarry in an English Electric Canberra.

Part 1