Air Force Reserve Act 1950

JurisdictionUK Non-devolved
Citation1950 c. 33


Air Force Reserve Act , 1950

(14 Geo. 6) CHAPTER 33

An Act to consolidate certain enactments and Orders in Council relating to the air force reserve.

[26th October 1950]

Be it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

S-1 The air force reserve.

1 The air force reserve.

1. It shall be lawful for His Majesty to maintain an air force reserve, which shall consist of such number of officers as may from time to time be provided by Parliament and of such number of men as may be so provided, being either—

a ) men transferred (whether before or after the commencement of this Act) to the air force reserve in pursuance of the Air Force Act, or
b ) men serving in the said reserve for a term of part-time service within the meaning of Part I of the Act of 1948 or
c ) men enlisted or re-engaged therein in pursuance of this Act
S-2 Service as a special reservist.

2 Service as a special reservist.

(1) A man enlisted into the air force reserve may, whether or not he has previously served in the regular air force, be enlisted in the said reserve for service as a special reservist.

(2) A special reservist may be re-engaged, and when re-engaged shall continue subject to the terms of service applicable to special reservists.

(3) A man may be enlisted in the air force reserve for service as a special reservist with a liability to serve only within the limits of the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

(4) Subject to the provisions of this Act, orders or regulations made thereunder may provide for the formation of special reservists into squadrons or other air force units, and for the formation of such squadrons or other air force units into wings, groups or other formations, either alone or jointly with any other part of His Majesty's air force, and for appointing, transferring or attaching special reservists to such units or formations and for posting, attaching or otherwise dealing with special reservists within such units or formations.

(5) A special reservist who enlists into the regular air force shall upon such enlistment be deemed to be discharged from the air force reserve.

(6) Nothing in this Act shall be construed as affecting the meaning of the expression ‘air force reserve’ in paragraph (c ) of subsection (3) of section one of the Act of 1948 (which subsection provides that where a man's last service during his period of whole-time service under that Act was in the regular air force, he shall be deemed after the completion of that term to be enlisted for service in the air force reserve for a term of part-time service).

S-3 Procedure and term of service on enlistment or re-engagement.

3 Procedure and term of service on enlistment or re-engagement.

(1) Every man who becomes a man of the air force reserve by being enlisted or re-engaged in pursuance of this Act shall be enlisted or re-engaged, as the case may be, in such manner, and for a term of such length and to begin on such date, as may be prescribed.

(2) Subject to the provisions of this Act, and save as is otherwise prescribed, a man enlisting in the air force reserve shall be attested in the same manner as a recruit in the regular air force, and the following sections of the Air Force Act, that is to say—

(a ) section eighty (which relates to the mode of enlistment and attestation);

(b ) section ninety-eight (which imposes a fine for unlawful recruiting);

(c ) section ninety-nine (which makes recruits punishable for false answers);

(d ) section one hundred (which relates to the validity of attestation and enlistment or re-engagement); and

(e ) so much of section one hundred and sixty-three as relates to an attestation paper, or a copy thereof, or a declaration, being evidence,

shall apply in like manner as if they were re-enacted in this Act, with the substitution for the expression ‘airman’ of the expression ‘man’ or, if the context so requires, ‘man of the air force reserve’, and for the expression ‘regular air force’ of the expression ‘air force reserve’.

(3) A man enlisting in the air force reserve may be attested by a regular officer, and the sections of the Air Force Act specified in the last foregoing subsection together also with section thirty-three of that Act (which relates to false answers on enlistment) shall, in their application to the air force reserve, be construed as if the expressions ‘justice’ and ‘justice of the peace’ included such an officer.

S-4 Calling out for annual training, special courses, etc.

4 Calling out for annual training, special courses, etc.

(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, all or any of the men of the air force reserve may be called out for annual training at such time or times, and at such place or places in the United Kingdom and for such period or periods as may be prescribed:

Provided that the period or periods so prescribed shall not, except as respects special reservists, exceed in any one year—

(i) twenty-four days in the case of a man who is serving as a qualified pilot or as a qualified observer;

(ii) six months in the case of a man who is undergoing instruction with a view to his qualifying for service as a pilot or observer;

(iii) twelve days or twenty drills or instructional parades in the case of any other man.

In this subsection ‘observer’ includes navigator, and ‘qualified’ means qualified in accordance with orders or regulations made under this Act.

(2) Subject to the provisions of this section, a special reservist may, in addition to being called out for annual training, be called out for a special course or special courses of training at such place or places in the United Kingdom or the Isle of Man, at such time or times, and for such period or periods, not exceeding in the whole six months, as may be prescribed, in like manner and subject to the like conditions as he may be called out for annual training.

(3) Where one of the conditions on which a special reservist was enlisted or re-engaged is that he shall not be called out for training, whether special or annual, for a longer period than the period specified in his attestation paper, he shall not be liable under the foregoing provisions of this section to be called out for any longer period.

(4) The foregoing provisions of this section shall not apply to men serving in the air force reserve for a term of part-time service within the meaning of Part I of the Act of 1948, but such men shall perform such training as they may be required to undergo under the said Part I.

(5) A man of the air force reserve may, during any period of training for which he may be called out or which he may be required to undergo as aforesaid, be attached to and trained with any body of the regular or auxiliary air force.

S-5 Calling out on permanent service by proclamation.

5 Calling out on permanent service by proclamation.

(1) In case of imminent national danger or of great emergency it shall be lawful for His Majesty in Council by proclamation to order that the air force reserve shall be called out on permanent service.

(2) Before a proclamation is issued under the last foregoing subsection the occasion thereof shall be communicated to Parliament, if Parliament be then sitting; and if Parliament be not then sitting—

(a ) the occasion of the proclamation shall be declared in Council and notified by the proclamation, and

(b ) if Parliament be then separated by such an adjournment or prorogation as will not expire within ten days, a proclamation shall be issued for the meeting of Parliament within ten days, and Parliament shall accordingly meet and sit on the day appointed by the proclamation and shall continue to sit and act as if it had stood adjourned or prorogued to that day.

(3) Where a proclamation under subsection (1) of this section has been issued, it shall be lawful for His Majesty at any time thereafter by proclamation to order that all special reservists shall cease to be called out on permanent service.

S-6 Calling out on permanent service for home defence and overseas service.

6 Calling out on permanent service for home defence and overseas service.

(1) Without prejudice to the provisions of the last foregoing section but subject to the provisions of this section,—

(a ) any man of the air force reserve (whether he entered the reserve on transfer or re-engagement or on being enlisted or on being deemed to be enlisted) shall during the whole of his service therein be liable to be called out on permanent service for home defence service;

(b ) any man who has been transferred to the air force reserve in pursuance of the Air Force Act shall, if on his transfer he was designated by the competent air force authority as a man to whom this paragraph applies, be liable to be called out on permanent service for overseas service at any time during the first year of his service therein;

(c ) without prejudice to the provisions of the last foregoing paragraph, any man of the air force reserve (whether he entered the reserve on transfer or re-engagement or on being enlisted or on being deemed to be enlisted) shall, if he has entered into an agreement in writing to be so liable at the time in question, be liable at any time during his service in the said reserve to be called out on permanent service for overseas service.

Any exercise of the power of calling out men under paragraphs (b ) and (c ) of this subsection shall be reported to Parliament as soon as may be.

(2) A man called out on permanent service under any paragraph of the last foregoing subsection may, while on permanent service, be employed in any service for which, if not previously called out, he could have been called out under that subsection.

(3) The following...

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