In an article he wrote for the Halton Magazine while in Halton Hospital for a short period in early 1944, Whittle explains the advice he was given by a flight sergeant physical training instructor which enabled him to add three inches to his height, enough to be accepted for the 8th Entry in September 1923. The Boys were signed on for 12 years' service from the age of 18 and . Dear Air CmdSecCS-RAFParliBusiness (MULTIUSER). Watermead After the re-introduction of the wheel it was paraded for the first time at the Graduation of the 134th Entry on 29th September 1982. This meant contending with masses of search lights, flak, fighters, shot and shell. A large minority of the boys joining the RAF as apprentices saw it as a route via which they might achieve their true ambition, which was to become pilots. At the end of the 6 weeks training I was sent to RAF Halton. The information was collated from graduation records, confirmed by research at the PMA. 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. He had left school in July 1964 and was headed off to join the Royal Air Force at RAF Hereford to enter a one-year Administrative Apprentice training course as part of the 301 st cohort known as an 'entry' (1) A week later, on the 2nd of September 1964, he took the Oath of Allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen. He went on to say that apprentices would form 40% of all ground crews in the Royal Air Force, and 62% of all the skilled tradesmen. Halton received its first . 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. On airfield, we did engine running on a Blenheim, prop swinging on Tiger Moth. He was flying in Catalina VA713.Coded L for Leather. The site has grown as people send in old photos of those days . Thank you. RAF and Halton Apprentice Documents Archive! - 74th.co.uk . 81st RAF Halton apprentice - british-genealogy.com . At the navigators order to go, I pushed the package out and she immediately followed. Royal Air Force Administrative Apprentices Association For the many who were selected for promotion it gave greater responsibility as they progressed through the ranks. Duty RAF Medics provide airfield medical crash cover and pre-hospital emergency care. We are interested in the apprentice scheme run at RAF Halton No1 Technical Training School from 1922 until closure in 1993. Two hundred of these Polish boys, 14/15 year olds and one only 13, were selected to train at Halton as aircraft apprentices, and another 100 at Cranwell. Monica was one of the first residents there. Dennis died in 1942, in an aircraft accident. It was opened by his grandson on the 26 June 1999. 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. Some apprentices clocked up cricket type scores in days of Jankers, but someone had the good sense to rule that punishments awarded for youthful offences were to be erased from apprentice records on graduation. Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Armitage - PressReader For example: The consistent technical excellence of the RAF has rested upon the skill and high devotion to duty of those who learned at Halton their trades and first formed their sense of duty. Old Haltonians - Wikipedia Although many boys were later transferred to 5 Cranwell, where permanent accommodation was available, several thousand remained at Halton undergoing in equal measure, drill, physical training, fatigues and technical training for which only basic facilities were available. Welcome to Forces Reunited the place where you can find information and friends from RAF Apprentices. Records of the Royal Air Force relating to the operations of the air component of the armed forces. Download We also have our own garden of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. This scheme ended in 1972. Some became top surgeons and a few served on the Crown Court circuit. We would overfly the target, not circle around, to ensure we did not attract attention. 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. Aylesbury Our Heritage plans are extensive and likely costly. 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. Because of lack of accommodation at Halton, the school was originally located at RAF Cranwell in 1920. The Queen Inspecting the Escort Squadron, the 63rd Entry, escorted by Group Captain Don Finlay the parade commander. Medically fit potential recruits were offered training in the trade of their 12 choice, or one the selectors thought more appropriate for them. In February 1920, still known as Boy Mechanics, the first intake of 235 was accepted at Cranwell for a three-year apprenticeship. intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is Did she survive? In his memorandum, Permanent Organization of the Royal Air Force, which was presented to the House of Commons as a White Paper by Secretary of State Winston Churchill in December 1919, Trenchard placed great emphasis on the importance of training, particularly of skilled ground crew. It is the responsibility Activities of 38 Group were towing of gliders and dropping of parachutists. Gp Capt Min Larkin CBE MRAeS Min joined the RAF as an aircraft apprentice in 1949. England Royal Air Force Records for Family History - International 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. In 1930 he won the first of his 8 Amateur Athletic Association titles and represented his country at the Empire Games. All apprentices studied the same mathematics, mechanics and engineering drawing syllabuses, but engineering science was tailored to suit an individuals trade. 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. Records of the Royal Air Force | The National Archives The RAFs previous reliance on maintenance by repair was being superseded by a new concept of repair by component change. These were donated by his mother after the war. Most post-1951 AAs were corporals within a year of graduation. The trades taught evolved with the ever developing advances in aeronautical engineering but they were principally engines, airframes, armaments, instruments, electrics and wireless. He completed his 45 years in uniform as Deputy Director of Personal Services. 12-08-2021, 8:00 PM #2. christanel. After leaving the RAF, many ex-apprentices turned away from engineering altogether and forged successful second careers in other professions including medicine and the law. John King No 1 School of Technical Training RAF Halton, 17th Jan 1939 575533 Aircraft Apprentice J King. John Rogerson. We are the largest and fastest growing community of UK forces veterans on the web with over 500,000 members! In order to find the thousands of skilled men demanded by the rapidly growing Service, the RFC expanded its training programmes, basing these new units wherever suitable sites could be found, an unavoidable but random process that scattered the schools across the country. 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, These had to be accurately placed and this called for very accurate navigation. By creating an account you agree to us emailing you with newsletters and discounts, which you can switch off in your account at any time. Craft Apprentices graduated as junior technicians but without formal academic qualifications, unless taken ex-curriculum. Reunion and other photographs. Indeed some AETs were married during training, had children and lived in MQs. The aircraft industries were naturally the first port of call for many ex-apprentices where they made magnificent contributions on the shop floor, at all levels of management, and in the boardrooms. 57K This scheme produced single-skill fitters who maintained aircraft and associated equipment and could, if necessary, actually fashion small replacement parts themselves. His name is Ian Henderson cairms and joined the 81st RAF Halton apprentice. If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small The Wartime Memories Project is a non profit organisation run by volunteers. Like this page to receive our updates. The winds of change were now well and truly blowing through Halton. It was, I believe, the largest of its kind in the world. He had laid firm ground on which Trenchard was able to build his aircraft apprentice scheme. We couldnt load the mail server logs for this message. Thames Valley Police have concluded an investigation and agreed that such crimes did take . Introduction of the Halton apprentice scheme. The Origins of Boy Service in the RFC and RAF. Age 15- 17 for a a three year course. Wairarapa New Zealand. SocietyWorks Ltd We all owe a debt of gratitude for the apprentice training we received at Halton. please Below are just some of our members who have served at RAF Apprentices. 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. He would get me to take endless star-shots and he continuously consulted his GEE box - a very useful early electronic navigation aid. There was a lot of sport I did swimming, cross-country running and athletics. Sgt App F M Hines of the 63rd Entry receives the Colour for No 1 School of Technical Training from HM Queen Elizabeth II on 25 July 1952. Our AIR CHIEF MARSHAL SIR MICHAEL ARMITAGE, who has died aged 92, began his long RAF career as a Halton Apprentice, one of "Trenchard's Brats" under the scheme established by Lord Trenchard in 1920 which saw apprentices trained at RAF Halton. 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. He has also told us in Family . The Halton trained men have provided the nucleus on which the great expansion of the air force was centred. Your help would be gratefully received. With the rapidly growing numbers now joining the Service, thousands of ex-apprentices ,who had been corporals for years, suddenly found themselves racing through the ranks to SNCO and warrant officer, providing a vital source of experienced technical supervisors on front line squadrons, maintenance units and as instructors for the increasing number of technical training schools. Other tours included, Apprentice Flight Commander at Locking . Neville Lee. May be difficult to read. Search the Royal Air Force officers' service records 1918-1919 ( charges apply) online for officers who served in the Royal Air Force during the First World War ( AIR 76 ). to help with the costs of keeping the site running. If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. On 25 July 1952, No 1 School of Technical Training, RAF Halton received the highest accolade that any unit in the RAF can receive the award of a Queens Colour.