Singapore Wing, Malayan Auxiliary Air Force facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Malayan Auxiliary Air Force(Singapore Wing) |
|
|---|---|
| Active | 1950–1960 |
| Country |  Singapore |
| Role | Flying training |
| Motto(s) | Latin: Usque Ad Astra ("All the way to the heavens") |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Wing Commander Tan Kay Hai, DFC |
The Singapore Wing, Malayan Auxiliary Air Force (MAAF) was a special group of volunteer pilots and air crew in Singapore. They were active from June 1950 until they stopped operations on September 23, 1960.
Contents
A Look Back: The MAAF Story
The Flying Squadron
The Singapore Squadron started in 1950. Its main goal was to train volunteers to become pilots. They learned to fly to the high standards of the Royal Air Force (RAF). There were two other similar squadrons, one in Kuala Lumpur and another in Penang.
Flying lessons took place on weekends at RAF Tengah, an air force base. At first, the Singapore Squadron used four Tiger Moth planes. Later, they added four North American Harvard planes. These Harvards were used by the MAAF until 1957.
In 1957, the MAAF began using a more modern training plane called the de Havilland Chipmunk. This new plane replaced both the Tiger Moths and the Harvards. For a short time, the squadron also had three Mk.24 Spitfire fighter planes from the RAF. However, these Spitfires were quite old. They were taken out of service in 1952 before any local pilots could fly them.
The Fighter Control Unit
In 1954, the RAF looked for volunteers to join the Fighter Control Unit (FCU). These volunteers worked as Fighter Plotters and Radar Operators. Their job was similar to the people who operated the Chain Home system in the United Kingdom. They helped manage the RAF's system for finding and reporting aircraft to defend Singapore.
Ground training for the FCU happened at their headquarters in Beach Road two evenings a week. "Live" training sessions, where they practiced with real aircraft movements, took place every other Sunday at RAF Tengah. Each year, a two-week Annual Camp was held. This camp gave volunteers a chance to train full-time. Sometimes, the Singapore Squadron would even join the Kuala Lumpur and Penang Squadrons for their annual camps.
Aircraft Used by MAAF
RAF Tengah was the home base for the Malayan Auxiliary Air Force (Singapore Squadron) from June 1950. It supported the MAAF's training with fixed-wing aircraft. From its start in 1950 until it closed in 1960, the MAAF used these types of aircraft:
| Aircraft | Role | Number | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| De Havilland Tiger Moth | Trainer | 4 | 1950–1957 |
| North American Harvard | Trainer | 4 | 1951–1957 |
| 2 | 1954–1957 | ||
| Supermarine Spitfire Mk.24 | Fighter | 3 | 1951–1952 |
| DHC Chipmunk T10 | Trainer | 4 | 1957–1960 |
Only one of the three Spitfires used by the MAAF is still around today. It is the PK683, and you can see it at the Solent Sky Museum in Southampton.
Another MAAF plane, a DHC-T.10 Chipmunk (WP977), also partly survives. Only its cockpit section remains, and it is being restored in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
The End of the MAAF
On June 16, 1960, the Fighter Control Unit was officially closed down. Air Vice-Marshal Ronald Ramsay Rae, who was the commander of the Malayan Auxiliary Air Force, attended the farewell parade. This event took place at the unit's headquarters at the old Kallang Airport. Air Vice-Marshal Rae was also a top officer in the RAF.
Three months later, on September 23, 1960, a final parade was held at Kallang again. This time, it was to mark the closing of the entire Singapore Wing of the MAAF. Wing Commander K. H. Tan, DFC, who was the unit's Commanding Officer, and Squadron Leader Jimmy K.T. Chew were specially mentioned for their service.
Wing Commander Tan Kay Hai was one of 114 Singaporean pilots who trained in Canada during World War II. This training was part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). He was shot down over France in June 1944 after the D-Day landings. He was captured but managed to escape within eight months and made his way back to England. His brave actions with the RAF earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross, a very important award.
Squadron Leader Jimmy Chew also served with the RAF during the war. He was a prisoner of the Japanese in Java for three and a half years.
The closing of the Singapore Wing marked the end of this volunteer organization. It had a short but important history.
