raf halton apprentice records

The rigorous selection procedure 13 ensured that recruits would be of the highest quality, and because of their resourcefulness and intelligence, they could be expected to complete their apprenticeships in three years rather than the five normally served by civilian engineering apprentices. My father was in the RAF after the war, based in Ismalia, by now married, with mum and me as a baby. photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. By the early 1970s, RAF apprentice training had reached a crossroads. Aylesbury These publications are free to members and assist in keeping us all in touch. Location. Because of lack of accommodation at Halton, the school was originally located at RAF Cranwell in 1920. Super Moderator. My Grandmother always said that if she had her time all over again and had option to delete her war service, she most definitely would not and is rightly proud of her achievements. He ew in Shackletons with 224, 205 and 201 Sqns, and Nimrods with 201 Sqn as Air Electronics Leader and aircraft captain. About half way through this course an appeal was launched for training as Flight-Engineer. Run by Volunteers and powered by Alaveteli. You can help us achieve lasting recognition for ex-Halton brats by making a gift to RAFHAA in your will. The BBC soon recognised his talent as a broadcaster and he later co-hosted, with Jean Metcalfe, Two-Way Family Favourites, a radio programme much loved in the UK and those serving in Germany. Your help would be gratefully received. These were donated by his mother after the war. Flight Engineers accounted for more than 400 of these names. At the end of the war, November 1918 . His recommendation to the Air Ministry of distinctive coloured hatbands was approved in 1920 and this too became a permanent feature of an apprentices uniform. On arrival at Halton, apprentices were signed-on for twelve years from the age of 18, allocated accommodation and kitted out and they very soon found their lives falling into a well-ordered routine governed largely by bugle calls. Catalogue description Records of the Royal Air Force. Thames Valley Police have concluded an investigation and agreed that such crimes did take . To meet this requirement a two-year Craft Apprentice (CA) Scheme, with a new numbering series starting with the 201st Entry, was introduced, Hunters, and the occasional Sea Hawk, in Haltons workshops. 1 Squadron (Engines and Instruments) 78th. Whittles final examination results along with those of 40,000 other former 73 Halton apprentices are preserved at the Trenchard Museum Archives at Halton. Sgt. Hopefully this site will also be of interest to others who trained as Trenchard's "Brats", and to anyone with an interest in RAF Halton. We provide commercial This was a new air-crew category specifically for the four-engined bombers then coming into service. We also have our own garden of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum. We wish to have access to records, manuals, policy statements, annual reports, developments, evolution.. especially with respect to the care and education of the apprentices. The museum was named in honour of the man who is regarded as the Founding Father of the Royal Air Force, and also who founded the Aircraft Apprentice scheme with which the good name of Halton has often been synonymous. The first 400 RFC boy mechanics enlisted at Farnborough in May 1917, shortly followed by further intakes at Blandford. The heavy losses sustained by Bomber Command are reflected in the 2,000 casualties listed in the Apprentices Roll of Honour in St Georges Church at Halton. You can help us achieve lasting recognition for ex-Halton brats by making a gift to RAFHAA in your will. Keith Robinson. The Halton Apprentice label soon became synonymous with aeronautical engineering excellence, a reputation that rapidly gained international recognition particularly in the aircraft Industries. 12-08-2021, 8:00 PM #2. christanel. SERGEANT Served from 1962 - 1975 Served in RAF Apprentices. Here is the appropriate extract, Some of your Lordships will remember that after the last war we set up in the Air Force a very large training School at Halton. I will happily attempt to copy some of the photos if needed. However, as the TSR2 on which they were destined to work had not materialised, many after graduation found themselves posted to single-skill posts. In 2007 he created the Station Archives. A National Certificate, or at least a B Grade pass in the final school examinations, was sufficient to qualify an apprentice academically for commissioning: a C Grade was the minimum requirement for graduation. Now with some 4,000 boys on strength Scarlett wanted an additional distinguishing feature on their uniforms to facilitate immediate recognition of the sections (later wings) to which they belonged. The Halton trained men . It is the responsibility Most exapprentices did exactly that. The trust was set up to commemorate the centenary of the inception of one of the most fore-sighted and innovative schemes in British military history. Donate and support our work. We had to polish all our floors, clean bathrooms. This one marked the graduation of the 20th Entry in July 1932. more so than on Mondays when they were usually faced with a crop of charges resulting from apprentices enjoying themselves beyond lights out on Saturday nights. It was a point of honour for apprentices to break 27 as many of the rules as they could, hopefully without getting caught. View as HTML, Please see attached response to your recent FOI request. These boys are not only extremely well lodged, fed, and clothed, but are taught trades which will be useful to them in after-life. Get up and make beds, all blankets and sheets folded to make a neat sandwich. Craft Apprentices graduated as junior technicians but without formal academic qualifications, unless taken ex-curriculum. Suitable adults proved difficult to recruit after WW1, but he persuaded Mr Winston Churchill, then Secretary of State for Air, that boys between the ages of 15 and 17 years should be recruited to be trained at Halton; and the Halton Apprentice was born. On 5th January 1942 she moved to RAF Tain near Thurso, a Fighter Station, she was Appointed Section Officer on 21st of June 1942. RAF apprentices were an elite band who went on to hold some of the highest ranks in the Royal Air Force, and make huge contributions to their country and the wider world. He commanded the whole apprentice population and also enjoyed the privilege of commanding his Entrys graduation parade, and parades for visiting VIPs and Royalty. Halton apprentices contributed to all of the major air campaigns of WW II, both in the air and on the ground. Want to find out more about your relative's service? If you were a 'Trenchard Brat' and not already a member, why not join this elite group; we have regular reunions involving hundreds of your ex-colleagues. A.C.I/LAC Donald George Porritt MU/MEF 107 B Squadron. Interestingly, apprentices were the only people who continued to join the wartime RAF; from September 1939 until 1945. Then on 25th November 1943 she moved to RAF Ringway near Manchester, 38 Group. Mine Laying - it may not be generally known but at least three quarters of all mines laid within enemy waters were dropped by the RAF. The museum is named in honour of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Viscount Trenchard, who is regarded as the Founding Father of the Royal Air Force, who also launched the Aircraft Apprentice scheme which brought worldwide recognition to RAF Halton. His name is Ian Henderson cairms and joined the 81st RAF Halton apprentice. Sgt Samuel Butterfield destroyed eight enemy aircraft in 14 days of intensive operations in May 1940 accounting for four EA on a single day before being shot down himself over the Channel. On 25th October 1942 she moved to RAF Hurn near Bournemouth, Hants. Lord Trenchard was proud of, and took a keen interest in, his apprentices at Halton and visited them often at work and play. If we wish to publish summaries on-line or in print, what are the restrictions? To ascertain we had the right spot, we had to look for a small light (mainly small electric hand torches) flashing a previously agreed letter or letters, which we had to recognise immediately or we were instructed to fly on and bring the load back. Dennis died in 1942, in an aircraft accident. A high proportion of TAs were commissioned in the engineering branch. Joining the RAF as an aircraft apprentice at RAF Halton, Buckinghamshire. Ironically, the TAs gradated in the rank of Junior Technicain but unsurprisingly, produced the highest number of commissioning candidates. For the many who were selected for promotion it gave greater responsibility as they progressed through the ranks. HRH The Duke of Gloucester reviewing the nal graduation parade, that of the 155th Entry in June 1993. Some became top surgeons and a few served on the Crown Court circuit. After brief service with No. Fortunately for thousands of apprentices yet to come, this point was not pursued. However, following a concerted campaign led by the RAF Halton and RAF Cranwell Apprentices Associations, supported by some prominent ex-apprentices serving at air rank, NCO apprentice ranks and the wearing of the iconic wheel badge were reinstated in 1982. This kind of improvisation could not provide all of the men the RFC needed and rationalisation of the training machine became an urgent requirement. RAF Database Global Search: Enter a name, number or an Aircraft Serial to search all our databases! Details of HLF award to RAF Museum Hendon. General Service Training was an important part of the curriculum, because, once he entered productive service, an apprentice was expected to gain rapid promotion and command men. We couldnt load the mail server logs for this message. In January 1917, following the impressive part played by the RFC in the great battles in the previous year, the Army Council authorised its expansion to a total of 106 squadrons (86 to be in France) and in July this was almost doubled to 200. With many apprentices now older than direct entry airmen, there was no need for any of the rules which governed the lives of their predecessors. WhatDoTheyKnow also publishes and archives requests and responses, building a massive archive of information. Well known to all those who follow air shows around the country is one of the nations most skilled display pilots, Air Mshl Cliff Spink, who was a Halton aircraft apprentice in the 104th Entry. It is not just about the quality and depth of professional training but the development of personal qualities and friendships that have shaped the whole of our lives. Introduction of the Halton apprentice scheme. In addition to their responsibilities under the tenets of normal military discipline, each apprentice was issued with a small booklet entitled Standing Orders for Apprentices. Reply 13th Jun 2019, 07:36 . Some former apprentices ended up as BBC TV stars. For many years this sign was displayed in a prominent place in each of the Workshops Bays. Manage receipt and storage of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals in medical stores, issuing of medications. The 40th Entry, which enlisted in August 1939, was the largest ever with 1,285 boys taking the Kings shilling. Other tours included, Apprentice Flight Commander at Locking, avionics development at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, and Deputy OC Brawdy. All other recruits were enlisted, or commissioned, into the RAFVR. Nevertheless, by combing through the ranks for skilled artificers among those already in uniform and identifying likely candidates among the many volunteers who were joining the colours, most of the shortfalls during the first two years of WW I were overcome. CORPORAL Served from 1959 - 1973 Served in RAF Apprentices. Once you have catered for your loved ones, a generous bequest would help us achieve our Heritage plans. Download of the recipient to perform all necessary checks. We never failed to drop our load. In February 1920, still known as Boy Mechanics, the first intake of 235 was accepted at Cranwell for a three-year apprenticeship. Early morning a boy went to cookhouse and brought back a bucket of tea and biscuits known as gunfire. For these reasons and others, Trenchard instituted the Aircraft Apprentice Scheme to be based at RAF Halton No. AETs were trained as dual-trade airframe and propulsion technicians and initially followed the National Certificate curriculum in their academic training as their predecessors had done. monitoring, recording and auditing to secure the effective operation of Their success in the air and on the ground pays a finer tribute than any words of mine to the standard of Haltons achievements. Marshal of the Royal Air Force Viscount Portal, Halton throughout the years has made an outstanding contribution not only to the RAF but to the country as a whole., Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Dermot Boyle, One thing is absolutely true, the air battles of Burma were won in the classrooms and workshops at Halton; won not just by knowledge and skill of your maintenance crews, it was won by the spirit that Halton produced. Admiral of the Fleet Earl Mountbatten, Halton has given the Royal Air Force not only its hard core of efficient technical NCOs and airmen but also a magnificent core of officers many of whom are in high rank in all branches of the Service. Air Marshal Sir John Whitworth Jones. On school days we had various subjects including aerodynamics and technical drawing. Most notable of these was Cliff Michelmore who was an aircraft apprentice in the 32nd Entry which graduated from Halton in 1938. What courage! The Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Hospital Halton, was the first Royal Air Force hospital to be built that was dedicated to air force personnel.Located on what was then the largest of the RAF camps at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire, England, the hospital treated over 20,000 patients during the Second World War and was the first place in the world to use penicillin on a large-scale. The January 1973 Entry, the 123rd, was the first to undertake AET training. Thirty-eight years later he was promoted to Air Chief Marshal to be a member of the Air Force . Only five of Haltons Polish contingent elected to return to Poland. The oldest living member of the RAF Halton Apprentices Association (Old Haltonians) is John Rogers, who was born in October 1908, and who became a member of the 12th entry of apprentices in 1925. These rules are necessary for your own benefit, apprentices were often told by their superiors. Permanent workshops were constructed to house the RFC's many trades. This tribute is situated in front of the old schools at RAF Halton, near to St. Georges Church (hyperlink) and was unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 31st October 1997 . History of the Royal Air Force. Block 3. This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. Did she survive? Surely the efcient maintenance of aircraft has also been one of the outstanding features of the war and that has been made possible by the Halton training of our men.. Serving and retired RAF personnel should ensure the boxes, Service No, Rank, Entry, Joining Date, Trade and Current Occupation are completed. Sqn Ldr Donald Finlay, of the 12th Entry, a triple Olympian well known to the public as one of the countrys top athletes, commanded Nos 41 and 54 Sqns in the Battle of Britain shooting down four enemy aircraft and winning a DFC. Over 1,000 other 65 gallantry awards went to former aircraft apprentices and some 3000 were Mentioned in Dispatches. The Boys were signed on for 12 years' service from the age of 18 and . In 1917 there was an expansion of technical training in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), and Halton became the main training unit for aircraft mechanics. Welcome to the Brit-Gen forums. However, the latter improved with the opening of large training workshops in 6 early 1918 which had been rapidly constructed with the help of thousands of German POWs. Your donations keep this site and others like it running. The trades taught evolved with the ever developing advances in aeronautical engineering but they were principally engines, airframes, armaments, instruments, electrics and wireless. intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is They were woken with Reveille at 0630hrs, called on colour hoisting 18 parade at 0730hrs and sent to bed at 2145hrs. If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small This custom continues at RAF Cosford today, 75 the current home of No 1 School of Technical Training, where young men and women are trained as aircraft engineering technicians on a modern apprenticeship course. Due to Peters expertise, our crew were given many specialist operations. The arrival of the first RAF Commandant, Air Cdre F R Scarlett CB DSO, in December 1919 heralded many improvements to all aspects of boy training, in particular the tightening of disciplinary standards which had been allowed to drift downwards after the armistice. The first TA intake (the 107th Entry) started training in October 1964 but, along with many others in the Service, they were dismayed in April 1965 when the Wilson government scrapped the TSR2 programme. Your Association is determined that the role of ex Halton apprentices in the military history of our great nation is recognised by future generations. This scheme, which included Sir Frank Whittle "father of the jet engine", trained . Our Heritage plans are extensive and likely costly. the training of our mechanics in the multiplicity of trades necessitated by a highly technical Service is to enlist the bulk of our skilled ranks as boys, and train them ourselves. Gp Capt Min Larkin CBE MRAeS Min joined the RAF as an aircraft apprentice in 1949. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. The Operation was an Anti-submarine patrol, which took off from RAF Pamanzi, at 04:20 hrs on Tuesday 8 September 1942 but crashed minutes later, with the loss of all crew. The 103rd Entry has an active Association and has held a number of reunions. Peter was an expert astro-navigator, in fact after we finished our operational service, he went to the Air Ministry and produced a training manual on the subject, which was used as a basic training manual for years afterwards. I would love to know what happened to this very courageous lady. Other tours included, Apprentice Flight Commander at Locking . The brass wheel badge, worn by all RAF boy recruits for some 75 years, to distinguish them from men, had been introduced in April 1919. We had lunch on airfield from field kitchens, on 3rd Sept 1939 I heard Mr Chamberlain say we were at war with Germany. My thoughts on the Stirling - being a very robust aircraft and fitted with Hercules air-cooled engines, it was much the safer aircraft in which to fly. The Royal New Zealand, Pakistan, Ceylon and Royal Rhodesian Air Forces, and the Burmese, Malayan and Venezuelan Air Forces all sent boys to Halton to train alongside British apprentices. The arranging of individual and entry visits to Halton House, The Trenchard Museum and the Apprentice Archives are other services provided to members of the Association. In 1919 Lord Trenchard established the No. Gp Capt Min Larkin CBE MRAeS Min joined the RAF as an aircraft apprentice in 1949. The idea was to create future leaders of the technical branch with an appreciation 51 of the challenges faced by aircrew. The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, The rear gunner reported seeing both parachutes open but as we were very low and had to fly straight on, that was all we saw. Applicants for Friend Membership must supply details of their relationship with the deceased (wife, brother, sister, etc) together with their service details (Service Number, Apprentice Entry and Rank) if . With over 620 million military records, . Having passed this course I was sent to 90 squadron of 3 Group, Bomber Command, then stationed at Tuddenham, Nr Mildenhall in Suffolk. 2 Squadron (Airframes) 78th. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. on to dismantling engines first De Havilland Gypsy engines, then Rolls-Royce Kestrel and Merlin engines and reassembling them, also Bristol Pegasus radial engines, carpentry, blacksmithing, pipework etc. This theme was very shortlived and was terminated after ten intakes. This site uses cookies. Age 15- 17 for a a three year course. On 14th October 1945 she resigned her Commission and left WAAF Service. The site has grown as people send in old photos of those days . 24 This contained a myriad of rules which severely restricted an apprentices freedom to spend what precious spare time he was allowed as he might wish. However, on-going research is continually uncovering hitherto unknown awards. Come with us to discover more about Trenchards Brats as we hear first hand accounts of their stories, see how life was for these young men and marvel at the legacy they left. A group of dedicated retired service personnel and proud ex-Brats came together to ensure that the story was told of how thousands of boys were trained to levels of excellence which led to them to make huge contributions to the Royal Air Force, to science, and to Great Britain. Boys from the age of 15 took a series of highly competitive exams and tests, and the select few were invited to join the most exclusive boarding school of its time. These boys moved to Halton in the late summer of 1917 where, by the end of the 4 year, 2,000 boys were under training as air mechanics living in Spartan conditions in dilapidated wooden huts previously occupied by infantry troops. John Rogers succeeded Richard Martin (6th . Are you the owner of any commercial copyright on this page? It was on one of these drops, I think the one dated 29th April, that we took a passenger with us. Serious consideration was given to terminating it altogether, but after considerable debate in the upper echelons of the Engineer Branch. mySociety 2 Wing. Recreational facilities were available in abundance, including a debating society, aircraft modelling and playing in one of the several apprentice bands, in addition a wide variety of sporting facilities was available. The MOD has taken steps to keep this e-mail and any attachments free from When the expansion of the RAF began in the mid-1930s, ex-apprentices, as Trenchard had planned, formed about 50% of the trained strength of the Service. However it accepts no liability for any loss or damage howsoever Maintain the electronic and paper medical records, monitoring the occupational health of Defence personnel. If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page. He argued that the best way to ensure that, . The end of an era. Apprentice Flight Commanders were always busy during lunch hours hearing charges but never. Under the guidance of his Flight Commander and the NCO instructors, he was taught drill, physical training and Air Force Law. Source: RAF Halton Defence Aerodrome Manual [2] Royal Air Force Halton, or more simply RAF Halton, is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom. Another short-lived course training medical admin apprentices for one year starting with the 301st Entry in 1964 ended in 1969. Of the Halton apprentices who achieved air rank, thirteen were knighted. After the introduction of a new trade structure in 1951, all aircraft apprentices graduated as junior technicians with some gaining accelerated promotion to corporal. It is tomorrow we must prepare for and so the success of Halton as the birthplace of the RAF, mind and spirit is of the most vital importance. Given that, at the end of the war, only some 20,000 apprentices had graduated from Halton, it is clear that their contribution to WW II had been impressive and this was acknowledged by many senior commanders. We wish to have access to records, manuals, policy statements, annual reports, developments, evolution. especially with respect to the care and education of the apprentices. To my mind, the future of this great Service depends largely upon Halton; the boy of today is the fellow who will man the RAF tomorrow. The Association magazine, 'The Haltonian', is published twice yearly and additional Newsletters are electronically mailed out four or five times a year. He was rescued only to be shot down again a few weeks later and killed. Many of the initial Halton transferees were killed in various sea battles during the war; fifteen went down with HMS Glorious at the end of the Norwegian campaign in 1940. . Considering they were the two professions most apprentices had spent three years avoiding at Halton and Cranwell, a surprising number became vicars and policemen. However, many apprentices believe that this antiestablishment activity contributed as much to the development of the famous Halton Spirit as did all of the communal living, sporting activities, marching with bands and discipline. Established in 2008. Bucks HP19 0GF. Cliff Michelmore, ultimately became the anchor man for BBC TV news and current affairs programmes. I can just remember her small white face behind her goggles as she dropped into the night. He remustered to aircrew as an Air Signaller/Air Gunner in 1953 and was commissioned as an Air Electronics Ofcer in 1959. However, they soon proved capable of taking on trade supervisory roles. Apprentices were not allowed time to dwell too much on 19 their personal thoughts, as evenings and most of the weekends were taken up with room cleaning, inspections and parades. Halton Apprentices - The State Awards and Honours, Wing Commander Taffy Holdens inadvertent flight in Lightning XM135, The Stained Glass Windows of St. George's Church (Part 2), The Stained Glass Windows of St. George's Church (Part 1), The Halton Grove at the National Arboretum, The Halton Tribute to the Apprentice Scheme, The official contact address for the RAFHAA is as follows: A large number of these men are senior Air Vice-Marshals and Air Commodores running the highest technical ofces in the Air Force. Former Halton apprentices were ideally suited to this new challenge and volunteered for it in their thousands. AET Prevett, the Parade Commander, was so chuffed, he wore a wheel on both arms.

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