The Air Force

Of the three fighting services, the Air Force demands the highest educational qualifications from its recruits, and a high percentage of university men enter this service. Many of them have gained commissions, many been on operations over England and German-occupied Europe. There are V.U.C. men training in New Zealand, in Canada, and in England. Among the familiar names are those of Les. Gandar, Lloyd Stuchbery, Peter Hillyer (now making an excellent recovery from his recent airplane crash), George Culliford, Jim Croxton (doing meteorological work on a Pacific island), Kingi Tahiwi, Bill Austin, Bruce Drummond, and Athol Howarth.

Canada is quite a reasonable place. But I do miss the mountains. Admittedly the Rockies are of the highest order. We have nothing in New Zealand to equal them with their different-coloured strata all running horizontal. There was not much snow on them when we passed through, and I was rather glad of that, as snow is only white anyway!—Pilot-Officer L. R. Stuchbery.

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It is impossible at this stage to give complete lists of ex-students serving in the various theatres of war, but a few names of men serving with the Navy and the Fleet Air Arm will be familiar to recent students; [unclear: Barney] Butchers, Paul Taylor, Stan. [unclear: Bratawaite] (who was one of few to escape when his ship was torpedoed recently), Arthur Oliver, Stan. Lowe, Lloyd Black, J. B. Stevenson, and our crack sprinter, John Sutherland. Last week a well-known New Zealand periodical published a photograph of a tennis champion, at present Ordinary Seaman John Cope, chatting to King George of Greece. In New Zealand, Bonk Scotney, Gurth Higgin, O. S. Meads, - and Stuart Devine are to be seen around in faultlessly tailored naval uniforms.

In addition to her men serving overseas, V.U.C. has numbers of students and ex-students who are stationed with the Forces for the [unclear: duration]. Science graduates are working for the Government on special [unclear: war time] jobs—Rex Collin recently left New Zealand to do research under the Australian Government. Among students recently retained to the country from various [unclear: countries] overseas are: Bill Pasley, Hep. Downes, Eric McCormick, Phil. Marsack, Paul Powell, Stewart Wilson, and Peter Holthouse.