A popular song during the last World War had the refrain "Australia will be there" and she was. Already in this war, answering the call of the Mother Country, Australia is there with an air squadron and a promise of a large contingent of troops in the early spring. The Australian air squadron will be attached to the British Coastal Command and in this capacity will be the first Dominion to have its own complete air unit in the European theatre of war. Using "Sunderland" flying boats with which they are equipped by the Commonwealth Government, members of this unit will cooperate with the British Coastal Command in general reconnaissance work which is arduous and requires a high degree of navigational ability. Since the beginning of the war, aircraft of the Coastal Command, ranging wide over the North Sea, have flown 3,000,000 miles in all kinds of weather—and the North Sea has only one variety and that is generally bad—and machines have often been compelled to remain aloft all day. Always vigilant, they search the sea for U-boats and enemy warships and in the air for hostile aircraft, while another branch of service is air protection for convoys and British and neutral shipping. The Coastal Command has been responsible for other services such as the rescue of the crew of the British tramp steamer Kensington Court, torpedoed by a German U-boat. The Royal Australian Air Force is well acquainted with the problems of oversea navigation and reconnaissance although they will be flying in new conditions in their patrols of the English
midable aircraft specially suited to long-range coast. The "Sunderland" fying boats are for-reconnaissance work over the sea, They are high-wing monoplanes weighing 20 tons with a wing spread of 1,500 square feet and their lift is so exceptional that they take off in 33 seconds. With four Britol "Pegasus" radial engines developing 3,360 horse power, they have two decks and carry a crew of six men although they are able to transport 20 more in addition, Standard armament they carry is powerful and comprehensive enough for defence and attack.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.