Five items from the papers of Robert French Helm, relating to his post-war career at the International Civil Aviation Authority, including a report and plans on the 'Zambianization of the Air Traffic Services Division', and two chapters of memoirs.

ONE: Mimeographed typed document titled 'Zambianization of the Air Traffic Services Division of the Department of Civil Aviation'. 7pp., foolscap 8vo, with eighth page carrying table of contents. Undated [mid 1960s]. Given that the plans accompanying this item are initialed by Helm, it seems reasonable to assume that this report is also his work. It begins with a 'Statement of Government Policy' ('Since gaining Independence in 1964 a total of 13 Zambian students have been recruited and are in various stages of training'), and including sections on 'Recruitment and Selection of Zambian students', 'Master Plan for Zambianization training', 'Instructional staff' and 'Synthetic training aids'. With three charts drawn out by Helm on graph paper: 'Chart No 1: A.T.S. Personnel - D.C.A. October 1967' (31 x 22cm.), 'Chart No 2: Master Plan for Zambianization A.T.C.O. Training | Period Seven Years' (48 x 63cm.) and 'Chart No 4 | School of Air Traffic Control - Model Layout' (26 x 62cm.), the last two both dated by Helm 'R. F. H. 23. 10. 67 [23 October 1967]'. TWO: Mimeographed typed plan of 'COURSE NO. 2 [3, 4] | ELEMENTARY AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL COURSE | AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL'. 16pp., foolscap 8vo. Paginated 16-31. Undated [1950s?]. With reference to ICAO. THREE: 'Chapter 3 - Interlude in Canada'. Autograph account (27pp., 8vo) by Helm, describing his difficulty in gaining employment on moving to Canada in 1956. After failing to gain work at Trans-Canada Airlines he is interviewed in a Montreal Social Security Office by a 'grizzled Canadian' who informs him that he has 'quite a job ahead of you! It's not going to be easy; for a start you're too specialised and it will be difficult at your age to break into something else - but - should you find an opening that wants what you've got you'll be in in a big way. On the other hand most Canadian employers just won't offer you lower paid job and you can't blame them; they know you won't be satisfied with what they'll pay & you'll be looking around all the time for something else'. In the following days he is interviewed by 'B.O.A.C., C.P.R., Northern Electric & Rolls Royce. Only Northern Electric who were operating a contract to supply stations on the D.E.W. line was interested. As they were an American organization the matter had to be referred to New York & this meant that some time would elapse before I heard anything. One thing I did find out: it was far easier to get in to see the "top man" in Canada than in England.' At the end of three weeks Helm 'was getting depressed & so I decided to play the one card I had kept up my sleeve. Without telling Joyce [Helm's wife] I visited the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation . Two years earlier I had applied to this organisation for an appointment with their Technical Assistance Bureau and my application was still on file.' FOUR: 'Chapter 4 - The Job'. Autograph description (6pp., 8vo) by Helm of how the ICAO 'fitted in with the United Nations Organization' at the time of his employment in 1956. Concludes: 'My work was to serve with the ICAO Mission in Tehran and to train Iranian Air Traffic Control Staff [...] The contract which I had signed was for a period of one year & was renewable for periods of up to one year.' FIVE: Certificate (1p., 8vo) from the Institute of Navigation, signed by M. W. Richey, Executive Secretary, informing Helm that he has been elected to Membership of the Institute of Navigation, at the Royal Georgraphical Society, London. Helm's promotion on 3 September 1940 to the rank of Flying Officer (41020) is recorded in the London Gazette, 15 October 1940.