Question One:  What were the first systematic flying regulations that were introduced in 1917 by the IRFC (Imperial Royal Flying Corps) training plan in Canada during WWI?

Answer  (from Dancing In The Sky, pp 224 - 225):

Hoare did not generally grant press interviews but privately both he and his staff officer were concerned at the high casualty rate. They had already implemented a few safety measures, such as requiring flyers to wear safety belts to prevent them falling from their airplanes. In the summer of 1917, as casualties grew, they introduced the first systematic flying regulations in Canada. These required that flyers not take off until a signaller with a flag gave the go-ahead. When an aircraft was coming in for a landing, no other machine was allowed to take off until the other machine had landed safely. Aviators in the air had to keep at least one hundred yards away from each other or at least 200 to 300 feet above one another. Windsocks were made mandatory at all aerodromes so that any pilot could easily determine the direction of the wind. Henceforth, he could take off and land only if he was going into the wind. Moreover, a thorough inspection of each airplane was mandatory before it could be taken up. Every aircraft had a mechanic specifically responsible for each airplane’s air-worthiness and only he could give the plane clearance to be flown.

Question Two:  Who recommended to the Canadian Government that all Axis aliens be removed from the west coast?

Answer  (from Jericho Beach and the West Coast Flying Stations, pp 177 - 178):

On January 2, 1942, the new Air Officer Commanding Western Air Command L.F. Stevenson bypassed the Joint Service Committee and communicated directly with Air Force Headquarters to recommend that all Axis aliens be removed from the west coast. A/C Stevenson received a strong reprimand for his lack of protocol. However, the following month he voiced his concerns again. This time he was supported by Air Vice-Marshal Johnson. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in December1941 had amplified concerns about the safety of the Pacific coast and residents of the west coast also supported A/C Stevenson’s recommendations. At the end of February 1942, the Cabinet War Committee bowed to political pressure and ordered the evacuation of Japanese from the west coast of Canada. There were several actions, carried out as precautionary measures, that took place prior to the announcement of the evacuation order.

Question Three:  What was the impact of the bombing raid by the RAF Bomber Command on Hamburg the night of July 27, 1943?

Answer  (from No Prouder Place, pg 176):

Most of Hamburg’s fire vehicles had been in the western part of the city, damping down the fires still smouldering there from the raid of 3 nights earlier, and only a few units were able to pass through roads which were blocked by the rubble of buildings destroyed by high-explosive bombs early in the raid. About half-way through the raid, the fires in Hammerbrook started joining together and competing with each other for oxygen in the surrounding air. Suddenly the whole area became one big fire with air being drawn into it with the force of the storm. The bombing continued for another half-hour, spreading the firestorm area gradually east-wards. It was estimated that 550-600 bomb loads fell into an area measuring only 2 miles by 1 mile. The firestorm raged for about 3 hours and only subsided when all burnable material was consumed. The burnt-out area was almost entirely residential. Approximately 16,000 multi-storied buildings were destroyed. There were few survivors from the firestorm area and approximately 40,000 people died, most of them by carbon monoxide poisoning when all the air was drawn out of their basement shelters. In the period immediately following this raid, approximately 1,200,000 people – two-thirds of Hamburg’s population – fled the city in fear of further raids.