Sadly, he would also become one the RAFs youngest casualties when he was killed in an accident while a member of a team salvaging a Dornier shot down at Eaton Socon in the closing days of the Battle of Britain, a month short of his 17th birthday. These are a daily record of events in each Command or Force entered on form 540, often with appendices which contain documents illustrating and expanding the record. Interestingly, at the critical stage of the development of the engine which was to power the first flight of a British jet aircraft, Whittle requested and received the support of four ex-Halton apprentice engine fitters to help out in his workshop at Power Jets. While serving as a squadron leader in Germany in 1945 he ran the British Forces Network in Hamburgh. However, this did not prevent them from being commissioned, with some attaining air rank and others filling senior appointments in industry as we shall see later. On-going research indicates that 1,000 have been awarded State Honours. Just before reaching her destination, which had been given to our navigator verbally just before take off, he alerted me to go aft, open the rear bottom escape hatch, attach her package to the static line, get her in position to jump (after also attaching her parachute to the static line). This was a new air-crew category specifically for the four-engined bombers then coming into service. On the 17th May 1945 they were married in St Nicholas Church in Witham, Essex. AC1. necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the department. 1 Squadron (Engines and Instruments) 78th. By the early 1970s, RAF apprentice training had reached a crossroads. Technician apprentices were recruited with a minimum of four GCE O-levels and more emphasis was placed on their academic training to ensure that most graduated with a National Certificate. Watermead photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. . after leaving RAF Halton, but whilst stll serving in the Royal Air Force, click here. Due to Peters expertise, our crew were given many specialist operations. Halton was arguably one of the first aeronautical engineering colleges in the world and certainly the first in any air force. 12-08-2021, 8:00 PM. Medically fit potential recruits were offered training in the trade of their 12 choice, or one the selectors thought more appropriate for them. 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. The statements expressed in this e-mail are personal and do not The aim of the two studies was to match the growing complexity of aircraft and their systems, particularly those associated with the projected TSR2, with ground crew who had the ability to diagnose faults in systems which cut across the traditional trade boundaries. 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. The Halton trained men provided the nucleus on which the great expansion of the Air Force was centred surely the efficient 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. Most post-1951 AAs were corporals within a year of graduation. This new school was under the 2 direct control of the War Office and commanded by Lt-Col Ian Bonham Carter. Help us protect your right to hold public authorities to account. Flight Engineers accounted for more than 400 of these names. Initial trade training was carried out in the workshops and later in a mix of workshops and on redundant aircraft positioned on the airfield. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy, Please enter a password with 6 characters or more. 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. 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. Super Moderator. Cliff Michelmore as an apprentice. British Path video of the Apprentice training scheme at Halton in 1938. 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. Joining the RAF as an aircraft apprentice at RAF Halton, Buckinghamshire. They have records for every single engineering apprentice that went through RAF Halton. Thank you. Uniquely, at the moment (2016) two former Halton Craft Apprentices hold high executive 69 positions in the two principal RAF Charities: Air Mshl Sir Dusty Miller 210th, is President of the Royal Air Forces Association, and Mr Lawrie Haynes 216th, CEO of Rolls Royce Nuclear and Marine, is Chairman of the Trustees of the RAF Benevolent Fund. In the third year of training, all apprentices were required to produce a dissertation of 5,000 words on a subject of their choice. We had to polish all our floors, clean bathrooms. The first entry numbering 235 boys were accepted for three-year apprenticeships in January 1920 and began training at Cranwell, as accommodation at Halton had not been completed. The introduction of the four-engined bombers in 1941 brought an urgent need for an additional crew member, a flight engineer. AET Prevett, the Parade Commander, was so chuffed, he wore a wheel on both arms. The TA course, although relatively short-lived, offered unprecedented career opportunities for those apprentices who completed it. These publications are free to members and assist in keeping us all in touch. RAF Halton. We would overfly the target, not circle around, to ensure we did not attract attention. What and where may we have access to such information? Thank you. He remustered to aircrew as an Air Signaller/Air Gunner in 1953 and was commissioned as an Air Electronics Ofcer in 1959. Your donations keep this site and others like it running. 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. Only five of Haltons Polish contingent elected to return to Poland. The site has been in use since the First World War but is due to close by December 2027. SERGEANT Served from 1962 - 1975 Served in RAF Apprentices. 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.. World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945. On the 22nd July 1941 she was posted to RAF Peterhead in North East Scotland, aFighter Station. Two entries a year were planned. AETs enjoyed the highest level of aircraft engineering training during the life of the various 49 apprentice schemes. Our navigator, Peter Ashford, was excellent; throughout every flight, even when he knew fairly certainly where we were, he continually checked his calculations. The Royal Air Force Halton Apprentices' Association is a registered charity (No 292523) and operates within the rules of the Charity Commission., As a member you will have access to the Association membership database (subject to GDPR restrictions) which may well be able to assist you in renewing your friendships with past colleagues of your entry or your time at Halton. (05798215). 3rd June 1935. Of those apprentices who became Cranwell cadets, thirteen won the Sword of Honour, giving credence to Trenchards vision that the new Service should base the selection of its future leaders on ability and merit, and not class and social background. 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. His name is Ian Henderson cairms and joined the 81st RAF Halton apprentice. Finlay was one of 116 former apprentices who flew as pilots in the Battle; several of them became aces, some destroying more than 12 enemy aircraft. The RAF Medic is able to handle ambiguity . This site uses cookies. 6d. Although the government took options on the purchase of the American F-111 this never came about. My first flight was in an Avro Tutor 2 seat biplane at Halton airfield. The Wartime Memories Project is run by volunteers and the free to access part of the website is funded by donations from our visitors. Posts. 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. It was opened by his grandson on the 26 June 1999. When RAF Halton closes (circa 2025), the Association wants to create a Heritage centre in St George's Church where the contents of the . To see photographs of our reunions and of ex 78th entry members . From the outset of his training he became a member of a society based on the orderly pattern of RAF life in wings, squadrons and flights, where he learned the give and take of community living, and developed a feeling for the customs and traditions of the Service. On 5th January 1942 she moved to RAF Tain near Thurso, a Fighter Station, she was Appointed Section Officer on 21st of June 1942. Many were soon commissioned rising quickly to executive positions on operational squadrons. He would get me to take endless star-shots and he continuously consulted his GEE box - a very useful early electronic navigation aid. Captain Eric Poole was the first pilot to land an aircraft using the system while carrying passengers and Captain Charles Owens was the first to land an aircraft using it with Her Majesty the Queen on board. 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 maximum age of recruitment of apprentices was raised to 18 and, exceptionally, 21. He set an RAF record for the 120 yards High Hurdles in his first race, and represented his country at the High Jump whilst serving as an aircraft apprentice. Like this page to receive our updates. He commanded the whole apprentice population and also enjoyed the privilege of commanding his Entrys graduation parade, and parades for visiting VIPs and Royalty. Many friends were made, lost and extremely difficult times were had. Many of the latter 64 forged very successful careers in industry and academia. 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. The official contact address for the RAFHAA is as follows: 2021 The Old Haltonians | All Rights Reserved. Passing out parades were always impressive. It is the responsibility Included in the syllabus was English and general studies which covered, in some depth, the history of the RAF. We had lunch on airfield from field kitchens, on 3rd Sept 1939 I heard Mr Chamberlain say we were at war with Germany. As a member you will have access to the Association membership database (subject to GDPR restrictions) which may well be able to assist you in renewing your friendships with past colleagues of your entry or your time at Halton. We provide commercial Age 15- 17 for a a three year course. At Halton, they eventually joined the 49th and 50th Entries which graduated in the late 1940s. Maintain the electronic and paper medical records, monitoring the occupational health of Defence personnel. Routine. Photographs at RAF Halton 1954 - 1957 Official photographs. He was rescued only to be shot down again a few weeks later and killed. The information was collated from graduation records, confirmed by research at the PMA. Other tours included, Apprentice Flight Commander at Locking, avionics development at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, and Deputy OC Brawdy. 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. Aylesbury Your help would be gratefully received. 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. Here she met my Grandfather, Squadron Leader William Henry Edwards DFC. 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. is a registered charity in England and Wales (1076346) A shorter course meant a cheaper one, which no doubt pleased the Secretary of State for Air, Winston Churchill. However, as time passed and the brats were able to prove their worth, it became a title which all ex-apprentices are proud to claim, even those who attained air rank. Among them were Sqn Ldr Ben Bennions, Wg Cdr Taffy Higginson, Flt Lt Geoffrey Sammy Alford and Gp Capt Frank Carey. If you were a 'Trenchard Brat' and not already a member, why not join this elite . 29th June 1941 she joined HQ 14 Group. Why Forces War Records? The standards of behaviour expected of AETs when off duty was similar to that required from all RAF personnel. The CA Scheme lasted ten years, ending with the 231st entry in 1974. John Rogerson. Leadership and management experience were Time-expired airframes were used to provide hands-on experience. The RAF apprentice and flight cadet training schemes were the backbone of the Royal Air Force in the years leading up to, and during and immediately after, the Second World War, and I'm sure Min Larkin (Halton Apprentices Archivist) will give a good account of the huge contribution Halton's ex- apprentices made to our service, both on the . The Army's Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was established in 1912 and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was founded in 1914. recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items. In 1943 hundreds of boys, many orphans, were driven out of Poland by Hitler and, after a tortuous journey through the Middle East, ended up in the UK. The cost of running Halton was a contentious issue in the early days. On airfield, we did engine running on a Blenheim, prop swinging on Tiger Moth. Although thousands of former apprentices had very successful careers in the RAF, many did not reach their full potential until life beyond the Service. He became Sergeant 570858 of 209 Squadron RAF Volunteer Reserve. This kind of improvisation could not provide all of the men the RFC needed and rationalisation of the training machine became an urgent requirement. This element of the course was replaced in 1977 by the Ordinary Diploma and for most the Higher Certificate awarded by the newly formed Business and Technician Education Council (BTEC). 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. intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is Ironically, many of the apprentices serving at this time were keen to see these symbols of their past heritage restored. Some became top surgeons and a few served on the Crown Court circuit. Schools', as it was known by apprentices, was held in a purpose-built college building which had a well-stocked library and excellent engineering science laboratories. We did not charge him with being improperly dressed, recalled Air Cdre M J Evans, one of five former Halton apprentices who returned to command the station. The end of an era. Unfortunately these . I applied for this and was successful, so instead of being sent out to a squadron at the end of this flight-mechanic training, I had to stay on at Halton for a Fitter course and then onto St. Athen for a Flight-Engineers course specific to the aircraft I would eventually fly on, namely the Stirling. 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. We also have our Entry Window in St. George's Church at RAF Halton. In June 1917 Maj Gen Sefton Brancker, Deputy Director-General of Military Aeronautics, submitted proposals to centralise the technical training of men, women and boys in a new large school to be located at Halton. 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. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 261373 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible. 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. 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. A Definitive History of the RAF Aircraft Apprentice Scheme - Min Larkin, 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. Ironically, the TAs gradated in the rank of Junior Technicain but unsurprisingly, produced the highest number of commissioning candidates. Our Heritage plans are extensive and likely costly. Dennison Pierce Broomfield 209 Squadron (d.8th Sep 1942). These rules are necessary for your own benefit, apprentices were often told by their superiors. This Colour is unique in being the only one to be awarded to a youth training school in any of the armed forces and, having been received from Her Majesty by a sergeant apprentice, a unique custom was established that it may, on occasions, be carried by an NCO. The move to Halton coincided with the 5th Entry in January 1922 when the rank of Aircraft . 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. Craft Apprentices graduated as junior technicians but without formal academic qualifications, unless taken ex-curriculum. Top 10 most popular library books since 2016. 1, Pipit Gardens Former Halton apprentices were ideally suited to this new challenge and volunteered for it in their thousands. With over 620 million military records, . The oldest living member of the Association is awarded the honorary title "King Brat" as a mark of respect. If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small 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. of the recipient to perform all necessary checks. Perhaps our founder Lord Trenchard summed up his, and the legacy of Halton in a speech he gave in the House of Lords in December 1944 on the air campaign during the war. 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. 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. 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 . Once you have catered for your loved ones, a generous bequest would help us achieve our Heritage plans. Neville Lee. Under the guidance of his Flight Commander and the NCO instructors, he was taught drill, physical training and Air Force Law. Our Activities of 38 Group were towing of gliders and dropping of parachutists. Scarlett remained in post until 1924 which enabled him to oversee the 8 transformation of a temporary wartime military camp into the beginnings of a permanent RAF station. 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 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, Considering they were the two professions most apprentices had spent three years avoiding at Halton and Cranwell, a surprising number became vicars and policemen. It was in the earliest days of the aircraft apprentice scheme that the term Trenchard (or Halton) Brat came into vogue, initially as a term of derision used by old sweats who took a rather jaundiced view of these clever young upstarts who were destined for rapid promotion to corporal. The January 1973 Entry, the 123rd, was the first to undertake AET training. 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. Halton received its first . The MOD has taken steps to keep this e-mail and any attachments free from I passed out AC1. AIR - Records created or inherited by the Air Ministry, the Royal Air Force, and related bodies; Division within AIR - General records of the Air Boards and Air Ministry; AIR 2 - Air Ministry and Ministry of Defence: Registered Files; Subseries within AIR 2 - Non-coded sequence (files registered from 1953, with some earlier files) addressed. In 1969 a one-year Mechanic Apprentice course was introduced starting with the 401st Entry. However, as the TSR2 on which they were destined to work had not materialised, many after graduation found themselves posted to single-skill posts. It was clear that Trenchard wanted highly skilled men at a price the Service could afford from its very meagre budget, and men who would foster an Air Force spirit. We also have our own garden of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum. John Rogers succeeded Richard Martin (6th . Manage receipt and storage of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals in medical stores, issuing of medications. Printed from https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/records_of_raf_halton_apprentice on May 01, 2023 15:11. Under these circumstances it would appear that, if any payment is to be made, it should be made by the parents of the boys, and not by the State.. The limiting factor to this huge expansion turned out to be not a shortage of aircrew, nor of aircraft manufacturing capacity, but rather a lack of skilled groundcrew of which more than a dozen were needed to maintain each front-line aircraft.
raf halton apprentice records