In the long history of the Society many committees of Council have been appointed to advise the Council upon matters concerning the advancement of aeronautical science and engineering, and of the welfare of the Society and its members. Yet the most important committee of the Council ever appointed never gave any advice to the Council during its five years of office. In the whole of my experience, as secretary of the Council and its committees, no committee attained that complete ideal of unselfish endeavour, without any regard whatever for their own personal and business interests, as did The Advisory Committee of the Royal Aeronautical Society to the Ministers of Aircraft Production, which played such a great part in the 1939–1945 World War.