Stanwell (#191),
...I learned something about "Scout's Honour" many years ago...
Clearly, you were a Gentleman, Sir (there aren't many of us left !)
As "Aviation Cadets" (or reasonable facsimiles thereof) we were supposed to be governed by an "Honor System" handed down from West Point. Not only were we supposed to behave impeccably ourselves, but to report any infractions of the rules by our fellows.
An example would be, if you saw the chap in the row ahead at an exam "cribbing", you must "blow the whistle" on him. This ran absolutely contrary to our instincts; we made it clear to our Instructors that we would have nothing to do with it, if we transgressed, it would be up to them to catch us. Which they frequently did, and many 'demerits' were gained that way.
The practice of "hazing" served to reinforce a "them and us" mentality, the "Upper Class" came to believe that they actually were superior beings to the "Lower Classmen" whom they were entitled to humiliate in every possible way. Again this was anathema to us; from our standpoint, the whole student body should band together against the 'enemy' (the Instructional staff).
Of course, "Hazing" was a problem only between the last American class of Cadets and the first British one. At Carlstrom Field in Florida, (two Classes before mine) there was supposed to have been a riot in which the British Lower Class set upon the American Upper Class in a body, prevailed and threw them and their possessions into the camp pool. "Hazing" was suspended. (I have never seen any good evidence for this, and it's too late to find any now).
All this is a tiny blot on the cordial relations which all of us in the "Arnold Scheme" enjoyed with our hosts in the Army Air Corps. It may be ancient history now, but the (still neutral) US offered pilot and navigator training in their own schools to British airmen. In all, we sent out 7,000+ LACs up to 1943 (and got 4,000+ pilots back - the "washout" rate was horrendous). They also provided the six "British Flying Training Schools" (RAF commanded, but with mainly American civil flying instructors) which provided another 3,000+ pilots for us (with a much lower loss rate). This was of incalculable help in the darkest period of the war: roughly balancing the pilot losses in Bomber Command throughout.
Danny.