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Royal Marines Observers, Aircrewmen and Air Gunners
Over the years of Royal Marines aviation there have been many Non-Commissioned Officers who have served as Aircrewmen or Airgunners before they were phased out.
Royal Marines NCO aircrew started in 1938 when AFO 459/38 called for Royal Marines Non-commissioned officers to volunteer for pilot training. Those successfully completing their pilot training were transferred to the Royal Navy as Petty Officer rating pilots.
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AFO 459/38 was cancelled (along with four other AFOs) after a review and was incorporated into AFO 1221/39 (dated May 1939) titled: "Fleet Air Arm - Air Gunners, Observer's Mates and Rating Pilots - Re-organisation and Institution of a New Branch". This revision also applied to the Royal Marines. However, after the start of World War 2, no more non-commissioned officers volunteered or, if they did, their requests were not approved.
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In 1946 AFO 5968/46 introduced a dramatic re-organisation in the manning of Naval aircraft. It stated that the majority of pilot's seats would, in the future, be filled by rating pilots. It called for RN ratings and RM Non-Commissioned Officers and Marines to volunteer for flying training. Incidentally, it also stated that the observer specialization would die out and, furthermore, the majority of rating pilots would be recruited direct from civil life. It has proved impossible to determine whether any Royal Marines volunteered but certainly none qualified. Also, it would seem that most of the significant policy changes contained in this AFO were very short lived.
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The biographies of those Royal Marines NCOs who volunteered under AFO 459/38 can be accessed by clicking on the link below:
There have been many Royal Marine NCOs who have served as Observer, Aircrewmen or Airgunners. Many of those in the early days went on to qualify as NCO (and later commissioned) pilots. As of 2011 the list of Royal Marine Observers, Aircrewmen and Airgunners can be accessed by clicking on the link below:
Flying Marines
A History of Royal Marines Aviation
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