The Seventh Sir Henry Royce Memorial Lecture of the Derby Branch of the Society —"NATO's Firstborn: The Atlantic" by Captain R. Bloch, F.N., F.R.Ae.S., A.F.A.I.A.A., given on 5th November 1962—was also the 53rd Main Lecture of the Society to be given at a Branch Centre. Mr. A. A. Rubbra, F.R.Ae.S., Chairman of the Derby Branch opened the proceedings by welcoming the members of Council who were present, the visitors from other Branches and, especially, their distinguished visitors from Belgium, France and Germany. He expressed the regrets of the Branch that the President was unable to be present because of his absence overseas, but welcomed the President-elect, Professor A. R. Collar, M.A., D.Sc, F.R.Ae.S., F.A.I.A.A., F.C.A.S.I., Professor of Aeronautical Engineering at Bristol University, who would preside for the rest of the evening.

Professor Collar said how delighted he was to be at Derby again on such an occasion; it was also the first time he had presided at a Main Lecture of the Society. Introducing Captain Bloch, Professor Collar said that although he was not yet 40 years of age he had had a distinguished career. He had achieved distinction at the Ecole Polytechnique, and at the Licencié es-Sciences and was also an M.A. of Harvard University. Captain Bloch was an Ingénieur du Génie Maritime and Ingénieur de l'Aéronautique and held the Diploma du Centre de Perfectionnement dans l'Administration des Affairs. He was a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur and a Combatant Volontaire de la Resistance and held the Médaille de la France Libre and the Médaille de l'Aéronautique. From 1952 to 1961 Captain Bloch had been head of Research and Development for French Naval Aviation and since 1961 had been Assistant Director of Aeronautics for International Affairs in the French Defence Ministry. He was also the French Representative of the NATO Maritime Patrol Aircraft Steering Committee and Permanent Chairman of the Technical SubCommittee; since 1957 he had been French Co-Chairman of the Anglo-French Naval Aviation Committee. He was an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a member of the American Institute of Radio Engineers, a member of AFITAE and a Fellow of the Society.