The types of missions which my squadron undertook while I was with them are described below: and on 5th June 1943 was posted to RAF Hurn and transferred to 38 Group Airborne Forces. 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. Several hundred ex-apprentices serving on these engagements at the start of hostilities were, however, retained in flying posts. The Oath of Allegiance. Gp Capt Min Larkin CBE MRAeS Min joined the RAF as an aircraft apprentice in 1949. It is located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire. Halton apprentices contributed to all of the major air campaigns of WW II, both in the air and on the ground. On the few occasions she spoke about her war service she expressed that they were some of the best times of her life. There is no doubt at all in my opinion, that Halton and the Halton spirit have been a pillar of strength to the RAF all over the world. The top rank, normally flight sergeant apprentice, was in effect the head boy of the School. After the introduction of a new trade structure in 1951, all aircraft apprentices graduated as junior technicians with some gaining accelerated promotion to corporal. We are interested in the apprentice scheme run at RAF Halton No1 Technical Training School from 1922 until closure in 1993. It is the responsibility Dennis died in 1942, in an aircraft accident. Sgt. 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. May be difficult to read. This scheme ended in 1972. He commanded the whole apprentice population and also enjoyed the privilege of commanding his Entrys graduation parade, and parades for visiting VIPs and Royalty. AC1. By the end of 1919, 26,000 of the 27,000 serving RAF officers had been discharged, and it is largely their service details which are held in this series. Through war-time and peace-time, being honoured by the Queen and honouring a Prime Minister, welcoming trainees from around the world and moving to bases across the UK since 1920, the RAF Apprentices have been part of significant events in history. The first 400 RFC boy mechanics enlisted at Farnborough in May 1917, shortly followed by further intakes at Blandford. AET Prevett, the Parade Commander, was so chuffed, he wore a wheel on both arms. He ew in Shackletons with 224, 205 and 201 Sqns, and Nimrods with 201 Sqn as Air Electronics Leader and aircraft captain. Most exapprentices did exactly that. Want to find out more about your relative's service? He remustered to aircrew as an Air Signaller/Air Gunner in 1953 and was commissioned as an Air Electronics Ofcer in 1959. Halton Apprentice Roll of Honour This is now on the net www.oldhaltonians.co.uk then look in the Tribute section. Whittle initially applied to join the 7th Entry at Halton in January 1923 but failed the medical owing to his lack of height. All other recruits were enlisted, or commissioned, into the RAFVR. This scheme, which included Sir Frank Whittle "father of the jet engine", trained . The original Aircraft Apprentice (AA) training started in 1920 and continued until December 1966, with the graduation of the 106th Entry. Get up and make beds, all blankets and sheets folded to make a neat sandwich. The Main Force targets, mentioned above, were the well known bombing missions on German towns and industrial targets, involving many aircraft concentrated over as little time as possible, to saturate defences. 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. Most pre-war apprentices soon attained LAC rank but, following the Great Depression, from the late 1920s to the start of WW II, many did not advance beyond corporal, unless selected for flying training. My father was in the RAF after the war, based in Ismalia, by now married, with mum and me as a baby. 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. He trained at RAF Halton as an aircraft apprentice, known as Trenchards Brats. He ew in Shackletons with 224, 205 and 201 Sqns, and Nimrods with 201 Sqn as Air Electronics Leader and aircraft captain. 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. Our Association details are provided on the rear page of the Haltonian and are sufficient for most lawyer's needs. Whittles final examination results along with those of 40,000 other former 73 Halton apprentices are preserved at the Trenchard Museum Archives at Halton. You can help us achieve lasting recognition for ex-Halton brats by making a gift to RAFHAA in your will. 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. Ironically, the TAs gradated in the rank of Junior Technicain but unsurprisingly, produced the highest number of commissioning candidates. This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. 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. Another short-lived course training medical admin apprentices for one year starting with the 301st Entry in 1964 ended in 1969. Apprentice Flight Commanders were always busy during lunch hours hearing charges but never. So be careful when telling your RN friends this 62 snippet as they can get very upset to learn that the junior Service, in the form of Halton apprentices, provided an important element of the foundations on which the carrier force developed into a vital arm of the nations capability in WW II and beyond. If you are not the intended recipient or there are problems While ex-Halton apprentices who became high achievers contributed much to its legacy, Trenchards original aim in founding the apprentice scheme was to produce a cadre of wellmotivated, highly trained airmen capable of becoming competent supervisors in the direction of work and control of men. The Queen Inspecting the Escort Squadron, the 63rd Entry, escorted by Group Captain Don Finlay the parade commander. 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. The majority of these pilots became aircraft captains, two making notable contributions to the introduction of the Blind Landing System. Recently, a member asked if we still accepted bequests or legacies and how he should proceed if he wished to make such an arrangement. The statements expressed in this e-mail are personal and do not There was absolute secrecy about this, no mention of it in squadron operational records or our log books - she did not in fact exist. The AET scheme ended in June 48 1993 with the graduation of the 155th Entry, which also marked the end of apprentice training in the RAF. The information was collated from graduation records, confirmed by research at the PMA. He has also told us in Family . 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. 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. This very deliberate commissioning from the ranks was an outstanding example of social mobility, uncommon for the time. One of the main difficulties facing the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) from its foundation in 1912 was a shortage of air mechanics. On the 22nd July 1941 she was posted to RAF Peterhead in North East Scotland, aFighter Station. You have only to look at the promotions and honours gained. 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 . Passing out you had to average 80% on all subjects to pass out LAC (Leading Aircraftsman), 60% average to be AC1 (Aircraftsman 1st class), 40% to be AC2. I will happily attempt to copy some of the photos if needed. 1 The curriculum was a mix of traditional schooling and technical apprenticeship in the various air force trades such as engine maintenance and repair, and airframe rigging. He was in Egypt by June 1941. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy, Please enter a password with 6 characters or more. 1, Pipit Gardens 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. I passed out AC1. The museum also records the background to Apprentice training at the Halton camp through examples of the tools, work and test pieces completed by Apprentices. concurrently with the TA scheme. The Origins of Boy Service in the RFC and RAF. 12-08-2021, 8:00 PM. For example, a new training school was set up at Netheravon with 200 men, another was formed at Reading with 1,000, and one in a converted jam factory at nearby Coley with another 2,000, and there were many others, large and small. The Apprenticeship Scheme was launched in October 1919, when selection examinations were held around the country. A shorter course meant a cheaper one, which no doubt pleased the Secretary of State for Air, Winston Churchill. These grew out of early artillery and engineers' experiments and manoeuvres with balloons as described concisely by Swinnerton in Family Tree Magazine (2000). I think he may have joined up in Jan 1940? Sgt. One or two of the photos, have all the names on the back, a group, with names, is dated 28th Aug. Cosford. Other tours included, Apprentice Flight Commander at Locking, avionics development at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, and Deputy OC Brawdy. Location. The MOD has taken steps to keep this e-mail and any attachments free from All of my Grandmother`s duties from now on were in Code & Cypher work. 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, Most notable of these was Cliff Michelmore who was an aircraft apprentice in the 32nd Entry which graduated from Halton in 1938. WhatDoTheyKnow also publishes and archives requests and responses, building a massive archive of information. Cliff Michelmore, ultimately became the anchor man for BBC TV news and current affairs programmes. Thousands of former apprentices made senior officer rank and many more Flight Lieutenant. 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. Bill Liddle. The Association magazine, 'The Haltonian', is published twice yearly and additional Newsletters are electronically mailed out four or five times a year. 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. On 25th October 1942 she moved to RAF Hurn near Bournemouth, Hants. An Olympian and an inventor, Dam Busters and Great Escapers come and meet the boys who truly took off! This was a new air-crew category specifically for the four-engined bombers then coming into service. A high proportion of TAs were commissioned in the engineering branch. Their success in the air and on the ground pays a finer tribute than any words of mine to the standard of Haltons achievements., 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., 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., 2021 The Old Haltonians | All Rights Reserved. Initial trade training was carried out in the workshops and later in a mix of workshops and on redundant aircraft positioned on the airfield. the system and for other lawful purposes. Helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by Why Forces War Records? 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. With ever increasing numbers now volunteering for the RAF, the size of Halton intakes ballooned, in 1936 reaching over 1,000 boys per entry. Also in 1919, Halton House - a French style mansion built by Lionel de Rothschild . RAF Halton. 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. Block 3. His role was to assist the pilot to manage the complicated systems in these more advanced aircraft. . Our barrack room had 30 boys in it. A large number of these men are senior Air Vice-Marshals and Air Commodores running the highest technical ofces in the Air Force. His name is Ian Henderson cairms and joined the 81st RAF Halton apprentice. Age 15- 17 for a a three year course. On 14th October 1945 she resigned her Commission and left WAAF Service. 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. Their adult status was recognised by the discontinuance of the apprentice NCO ranks and the removal of all apprentice insignia from uniforms. The Wartime Memories Project is run by volunteers and the free to access part of the website is funded by donations from our visitors. One of these, MRAF Sir Keith Williamson, a Cranwell 67 apprentice, became CAS, and several others served on the Air Force Board, including Air Chf Mshl Sir Michael Armitage who was AMSO in the early 1980s and has been the Patron of the RAF Halton Apprentices Association since its foundation in 1980. Thank you. 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. This payment, An Apprentice on a familiarisation flight in a Hawker Hart 1936, seems to the Committee to be unnecessary. 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. 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-going research indicates that 1,000 have been awarded State Honours. 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. Most post-1951 AAs were corporals within a year of graduation. RM 2D2Y83F - The Queen inclines her head in acknowledgement of the new colour (the flag), one of only nine held by the Royal Air Force, which she presented to RAF Halton this afternoon (Friday). 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. If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. If you were a 'Trenchard Brat' and not already a member, why not join this elite . The standards of behaviour expected of AETs when off duty was similar to that required from all RAF personnel. If we wish to publish summaries on-line or in print, what are the restrictions? What and where may we have access to such information? D. Bell made this Freedom of Information request to Ministry of Defence One, Sir John McGregor, left the RAF as a sergeant after WW II, emigrated to Hong Kong where he joined the colonys Civil Service in a lowly position and made his way up the promotion ladder to become head of the Hong Kong Executive Council and adviser to the last Governor, Mr Chris Patten, during the negotiations leading to the transfer of the colony to China in 1997. It was, I believe, the largest of its kind in the world. For the first 50 years of the scheme apprentices were classified as minors and their officers and SNCOs acted in loco parentis. Perhaps the most resented rule, especially by older apprentices in their third year of training, was lights out at 21:45hrs, when their former school chums were still out enjoying themselves with their girlfriends. Over the years, some members have made bequests to our Association in their wills in preparation for their final postings. monitoring, recording and auditing to secure the effective operation of It withstood crash landings better and, whereas the Rolls-Royce Merlin engines with which the Lancaster were fitted were magnificent engines, they were liquid cooled and just a bullet or two in the cooling system would rapidly put the engine out of action; whereas I have known air-cooled Hercules engines still give out some power even with a cylinder shot away. Like this page to receive our updates. 2 Squadron (Airframes) 78th. While many of their colleagues were fighting in the air, thousands of former apprentices were working tirelessly on the ground to ensure their aircraft were in fighting condition. Only five of Haltons Polish contingent elected to return to Poland. - RAF Halton during the Second World War -. The site has been in use since the First World War but is due to close by December 2027. is the Royal Air Force's aircraft engineering school. This aid could be unreliable but when it was used mainly over this country and into France, we found it to be very accurate. To see photographs of our reunions and of ex 78th entry members . 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. Halton was arguably one of the first aeronautical engineering colleges in the world and certainly the first in any air force. By the mid 1920s Halton apprentices were serving on aircraft carriers, then under the control of the Royal Air Force. For these reasons and others, Trenchard instituted the Aircraft Apprentice Scheme to be based at RAF Halton No. . We would overfly the target, not circle around, to ensure we did not attract attention. Every November we organise the annual Apprentices Service of Remembrance at the Halton Tribute. She was on a on-way trip, we at least had a chance of getting home! On the 13th of January 1931, a month shy of his 16th birthday, my father started a three-year apprenticeship at the Royal Air Force's No. 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. The 40th Entry, which enlisted in August 1939, was the largest ever with 1,285 boys taking the Kings shilling. Contact us if you think it should be reopened. However, certain aspects of the original scheme were retained such as the apprentice entry numbering system and AETs were accommodated separately from airmen. He was rescued only to be shot down again a few weeks later and killed. Although offered a five year engagement in the RAF, most opted to leave the Service. Indeed some AETs were married during training, had children and lived in MQs. These boys are not only extremely well lodged, fed, and clothed, but are taught trades which will be useful to them in after-life. 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.. This was undertaken in parallel with another study into the requirements for trade specialisations and resulted in the 1964 Trade Structure, introduced in April that year. Super Moderator. She was brought out to our aircraft just as we were about to take off. The Royal Air Force Apprentice scheme began in 1920, having been devised by Chief of the Air Staff Hugh Trenchard and approved by Winston Churchill. 1 Squadron (Engines and Instruments) 78th. Reply 13th Jun 2019, 07:36 . Some who graduated as LACs 33 in the 1920s were given immediate further training at Henlow and took up their first appointments as corporals. They have records for every single engineering apprentice that went through RAF Halton. Rowland James George Bazell B Flight 90 Squadron. Passing out parades were always impressive. Unfortunately these . We are now on Facebook. I was confirmed in the station church. A pass mark in all aspects of his trade training was an absolute for an apprentice to graduate. We all owe a debt of gratitude for the apprentice training we received at Halton. The 74th Entry Graduation Invitation. (05798215). Here she met my Grandfather, Squadron Leader William Henry Edwards DFC. Halton apprentice training gave many a boy from a humble background the chance to aspire to heights not normally expected of him. To help find them, these trips were always in full moonlight and at low level, generally 500ft, so that the parachutes were in the air for the shortest possible time to avoid detection. But the cost issue resurfaced in a Commons debate in 1926 when MP, Sir Frank Nelson, pointed out that 230, which was estimated to be the cost of training an apprentice, is probably more than it costs a parent to send a boy to any of the four or five leading public schools of England. He went on to complain that, these apprentices at Halton get 1s a day pocket money, which, when they number 3,000, will cost the country 55,000 a year, and even now it costs between 30,000 and 35,000 a year. But, once again, the point was not pursued. Welcome to the Brit-Gen forums. They were the true heroes of the piece, becoming SNCOs and warrant officers whose training taught them never to accept second best in keeping our aircraft serviceable and safe. At the end of the war, November 1918 . 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. We never failed to drop our load. The Chairman advises: He completed his 45 years in uniform as Deputy Director of Personal Services. To meet the immediate need for these 61 skills, volunteers were invited from the 35th, 36th and 37th Entries to transfer to the Royal Navy, and 160 of Haltons apprentices answered the call. Included in the syllabus was English and general studies which covered, in some depth, the history of the RAF. Coincidentally with the arrival of this large entry, as a war emergency measure the 50 duration of training was gradually shortened, initially to 2 then to 2 years. The Army's Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was established in 1912 and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was founded in 1914. In March 1920 No 1 School of Technical Training was established at Halton, the future home of aircraft apprentice training. Two entries a year were planned. 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. 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. 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. addressed. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is You can help us achieve lasting recognition for ex-Halton brats by making a gift to RAFHAA in your will. With an average of 2,000 boys in residence at any one time, the establishment of RAF Police at Halton, known as Snoops to apprentices, was higher than normal. 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. 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. He died in 1950, polio, having left the RAF in approx.1949. The trades taught evolved with the ever developing advances in aeronautical engineering but they were principally engines, airframes, armaments, instruments, electrics and wireless. He is buried at Diego Suarez War Cemetery, near the town of Antsiranana, on the western shore of Diego Suarez Bay, on the north-east coast of Madagascar in Antsiranana War Cemetery. Halton apprentices loyalty and devotion to duty during WW II was recognised by the large number of decorations they received. Due to Peters expertise, our crew were given many specialist operations. The idea was to create future leaders of the technical branch with an appreciation 51 of the challenges faced by aircrew. 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. When RAF Halton closes (circa 2025), the Association wants to create a Heritage centre in St George's Church where the contents of the . 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. After brief service with No. The RAF Police could often be seen patrolling local towns, especially on Saturday evenings when their chances of nabbing a few apprentices in the local pubs or dance halls were high. The Halton Apprentices Contribution to WW II.
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