About This Unit
Rhodesian Air Training Group (WW2 1939-45)
(ln 1970 Lord Malvern was making notes on "Notable Events in the History of Rhodesia" that had occurred during the course of his career. He was not writing a book but the notes were to be lodged in the National Archives. He asked Sir Charles Meredith to wwrite a Memorandum on the Rhodesia Air Training Group 1939 - 1945. The bulk of this article comprises the semi-0fficial Memorandum written by Sir Charles and some subsequent correspondence as recorded in the National Archives. - Editor.)The Rhodesian Air Training Group was the name of a scheme whereby' during the 1939 - 1945 war, allied air personnel' the bulk of whom were British' were sent to be trained in Rhodesia. Among those trained were Greeks, Yugoslavs, Frenchmen, Australians and South Africans.
Before the war had started the British Air Ministry was planning to set up training centres outside Britain - away from air activity over the country and somewhere where the weather was good. Canada was first chosen, the scheme there being known as the Empire Air Training Scheme. AUstralia eventaully set up a lrge network of schools mainly in inland AUstralia where there was good weather and more forgiving terrain. In the early days 1939-41, while it was still being established and equipped a great many trainees travelled to Canada and Rhodesia.
On the outbreak of war in September, 1939, the facilities in Rhodesia for Air Training on any scale capable of dealing with the probable offerings of Rhodesian personnel for service in the Air Force were, in fact, non-existent.
I had arrived in Rhodesia earlier in the year as Lieut. Colonel, Rhodesian Staff Officer for Air and Director of Civil Aviation. I went to London in October, 1939, to seek supplies of aircraft and equipment to train Rhodesians. Air Ministry showed great interest in the proposals to train in Rhodesia and, because of the desire to get Air Training out of Britain, the discussions developed along the lines of a much larger scheme than Rhodesia had envisaged, involving the training of other allied personnel as well as Rhodesians.
There had been an air training scheme in existence in Rhodesia begun in 1937 by my predecessor, Major D. Cloete, M.C., A.F.C., who had retired to South Africa early in 1939. This included aircraft bought from Britain and the seconding of instructors from the R.A.F. It differed from the 1939 scheme in that it was a part of the territorial forces of the country and involved training only Rhodesian personnel from the Rhodesia Regiment. This came to an end just before the outbreak of war when, as described below, the unit departed for Kenya.
Although the Canadian scheme had been planned well before the war and much earlier than Rhodesia's, because of the enthusiasm and support generated in the country the first of the R.A.T.G. stations, Belvedere, was opened on 24th May,1940, several weeks before the first Canadian station became operational.
The R.A.T.G. was not only Southern Rhodesia's main contribution to Word War II, it was one of the most important happenings in Rhodesian history. As mentioned below it led to development during a period that otherwise might have been a depression. The total local annual amount spent on the scheme greatly exceeded the annual Southern Rhodesia budget at the time and there were 150 separate non-public accounts (messes and canteens, etc.), with an annual turnover of over ś350 000. But, most important, the R.A.T.G. also proved, in the long term, to be a most successful immigration scheme since many of the staff and trainees returned to settle in Rhodesia after the war, some of them becoming leading citizens in the land.