The Inaugural Lecture of the Air Law Group of the Society “Crime in Aircraft” by the Hon. Mr. Justice Wilberforce was given in the Lecture Theatre, 4 Hamilton Place, London W.l. on 31st October 1962. Mr. L. A. Wingfield, M.C., D.F.C., A.R.Ae.S., Solicitor to the Society, presided. Introducing the lecturer Mr. Wingfield said that the Hon. Mr. Justice Wilberforce was a Judge of the Supreme Court (Chancery Division). He had also been the leader for the United Kingdom at no less than four diplomatic Conferences on Air Law—Geneva in 1948, Rome in 1952, The Hague in 1955 and Guadalajara in 1961—he had also been the Chief United Kingdom member of the Legal Committee of I.C.A.O.; to find a more distinguished contribution to air law than Sir Richard's would be difficult.

The Society's Air Law Group arose indirectly from a lecture to the Society in January 1961 by Mr. H. Caplan on “The Law versus Science in Aeronautics”. The Group was formed in September of that year, and since its inception Sir Richard had acted as Chairman. One of the first tasks tackled by the Group had been the study of the draft convention adopted by I.C.A.O. at Munich in September 1959 on offences occurring on board aircraft. At the request of the Ministry of Aviation the Steering Committee of the Group, voicing an independent view, reported on the draft convention.

Not only was this the Group's inaugural lecture, it was also the first occasion in the Society's 96 years that it had been addressed by one of Her Majesty's Judges.

Before beginning his lecture the Hon. Mr. Justice Wilberforce congratulated the Society on its initiative in forming the Air Law Group and paid tribute to the Secretary of the Society, Dr. A. M. Ballantyne, T.D., B.Sc, F.R.Ae.S., F.A.I.A.A., Hon.F.C.A.S.I., for the work he had done and the assistance he had given in organising the Group.

The following report is taken from the tape recording of the lecture.