We had to polish all our floors, clean bathrooms. 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. Once you have catered for your loved ones, a generous bequest would help us achieve our Heritage plans. 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. He remustered to aircrew as an Air Signaller/Air Gunner in 1953 and was commissioned as an Air Electronics Ofcer in 1959. Whittle initially applied to join the 7th Entry at Halton in January 1923 but failed the medical owing to his lack of height. 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. He commanded the whole apprentice population and also enjoyed the privilege of commanding his Entrys graduation parade, and parades for visiting VIPs and Royalty. Although the government took options on the purchase of the American F-111 this never came about. One of the main difficulties facing the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) from its foundation in 1912 was a shortage of air mechanics. He argued that the best way to ensure that, . Introduction of the Halton apprentice scheme. It was, I believe, the largest of its kind in the world. We provide commercial The original Aircraft Apprentice (AA) training started in 1920 and continued until December 1966, with the graduation of the 106th Entry. This meant contending with masses of search lights, flak, fighters, shot and shell. Joining the RAF as an aircraft apprentice at RAF Halton, Buckinghamshire. If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page. 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, necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the department. The 13 year old became a University lecturer with a PhD. . 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. This site uses cookies. Our CORPORAL Served from 1959 - 1973 Served in RAF Apprentices. The 74th Entry Graduation Invitation. The TA course, although relatively short-lived, offered unprecedented career opportunities for those apprentices who completed it. Other tours included, Apprentice Flight Commander at Locking, avionics development at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, and Deputy OC Brawdy. My father was in the RAF after the war, based in Ismalia, by now married, with mum and me as a baby. concurrently with the TA scheme. Here she met my Grandfather, Squadron Leader William Henry Edwards DFC. The top rank, normally flight sergeant apprentice, was in effect the head boy of the School. Staff appointments involved operations, search and rescue, training and personnel management. Engine running was done on the airfield. 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. Age 15- 17 for a a three year course. After brief service with No. This payment, An Apprentice on a familiarisation flight in a Hawker Hart 1936, seems to the Committee to be unnecessary. Want to know what life was like during the War? What and where may we have access to such information? They were woken with Reveille at 0630hrs, called on colour hoisting 18 parade at 0730hrs and sent to bed at 2145hrs. 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. He became Sergeant 570858 of 209 Squadron RAF Volunteer Reserve. 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. We can reunite you with your friends who served at RAF Apprentices and we have a wealth of information on different units, bases and ships in the site. The Halton Apprentice label soon became synonymous with aeronautical engineering excellence, a reputation that rapidly gained international recognition particularly in the aircraft Industries. These rules are necessary for your own benefit, apprentices were often told by their superiors. By the mid 1920s Halton apprentices were serving on aircraft carriers, then under the control of the Royal Air Force. There was absolute secrecy about this, no mention of it in squadron operational records or our log books - she did not in fact exist. There is a label at the Imperial War Museum which reads;- 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. Technical training at Halton was divided into three distinct, but closely co-ordinated departments: Trade, Academic and General Service Training. Add a Name to this List. Like this page to receive our updates. 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. . Since 1921, airmen had been able to volunteer for training as sergeant pilots and to serve as such for six years before returning to their ground trades, retaining their rank. When RAF Halton closes (circa 2025), the Association wants to create a Heritage centre in St George's Church where the contents of the . Two entries a year were planned. Fortunately for thousands of apprentices yet to come, this point was not pursued. 20th Apr 2023 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. SERGEANT Served from 1962 - 1975 Served in RAF Apprentices. 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. 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. 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. It's run by ex-apprentices mostly too, so some of them may have some personal knowledge. Of the five ex-apprentice flight engineers who flew in the Dams Raid, only one returned. Halton apprentice training gave many a boy from a humble background the chance to aspire to heights not normally expected of him. 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.. I would love to know what happened to this very courageous lady. 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. John King No 1 School of Technical Training RAF Halton, 17th Jan 1939 575533 Aircraft Apprentice J King. Several hundred ex-apprentices serving on these engagements at the start of hostilities were, however, retained in flying posts. A large number of these men are senior Air Vice-Marshals and Air Commodores running the highest technical ofces in the Air Force. He was rescued only to be shot down again a few weeks later and killed. - RAF Malton, in A Squadron initially. Watermead Following a visit by members of a Parliamentary Select Committee in 1923, they reported that they were; [] of the opinion that the management and training of these boys is conducted in a very efficient manner; they were much struck with the discipline, with the order which was kept, and the arrangement by which they were efficiently taught a trade [and they] receive a payment of 10s. Super Moderator. Helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by Considering they were the two professions most apprentices had spent three years avoiding at Halton and Cranwell, a surprising number became vicars and policemen. The most famous of the aircraft apprentice alumni is Air Cdre Sir Frank Whittle who gave the world the jet engine. By the early 1970s, RAF apprentice training had reached a crossroads. He had laid firm ground on which Trenchard was able to build his aircraft apprentice scheme. With over 620 million military records, . It was a great experiment and was bitterly criticised at the time. The first 400 RFC boy mechanics enlisted at Farnborough in May 1917, shortly followed by further intakes at Blandford. 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. They spent most of their first year at Halton and Cranwell settling into their new country and learning English. Welcome to the Brit-Gen forums. 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. Having passed this course I was sent to 90 squadron of 3 Group, Bomber Command, then stationed at Tuddenham, Nr Mildenhall in Suffolk. Wairarapa New Zealand. Flight Engineers accounted for more than 400 of these names. Thousands of former apprentices made senior officer rank and many more Flight Lieutenant. Maintain the electronic and paper medical records, monitoring the occupational health of Defence personnel. It is located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire. We are interested in the apprentice scheme run at RAF Halton No1 Technical Training School from 1922 until closure in 1993. Recently, a member asked if we still accepted bequests or legacies and how he should proceed if he wished to make such an arrangement. It is still unclear what my Grandmother's duties were in Code and Cypher. services through our wholly owned subsidiary Halton apprentice pay account sample sheet. 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. 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. On the 21st of February 1945 she moved to RAF Rivenhall near Witham in Essex with 38 Group. Reply 13th Jun 2019, 07:36 . In addition to all these privileges they enjoyed six weeks holiday a year, mid-term breaks, and were paid, albeit a paltry amount. The Imperial War Museum holds all of his documents including his flying log, photographs of his funeral & personal potographs letters etc. Join Date. This was, in effect, a direct replacement for AA training, but required lower academic qualifications on entry. He trained at RAF Halton as an aircraft apprentice, known as Trenchards Brats. 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. In the third year of training, all apprentices were required to produce a dissertation of 5,000 words on a subject of their choice. Then on 25th November 1943 she moved to RAF Ringway near Manchester, 38 Group. 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. Once you have catered for your loved ones, a generous bequest would help us achieve our Heritage plans. In 1930 he won the first of his 8 Amateur Athletic Association titles and represented his country at the Empire Games. Was she captured by the Germans? Halton was arguably one of the first aeronautical engineering colleges in the world and certainly the first in any air force. 2 Wing. Public opinion over the recent scandals of child sexual abuse in institutions is now demanding that full Inquiries be carried out. . During our time HRH Duke of Kent (Prince George) came round workshops to inspect our work. RAF Halton. Also in 1919, Halton House - a French style mansion built by Lionel de Rothschild . 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. These boys are not only extremely well lodged, fed, and clothed, but are taught trades which will be useful to them in after-life. Most post-1951 AAs were corporals within a year of graduation. Dear Royal Air Force, When will the RAF conduct a full investigation into the sexual abuse and cover up of such by staff at RAF Halton during the years of it's existence. 1 School of Technical Training at RAF Halton (see aircraft apprentice) which remained at the Station until it moved to RAF Cosford in the early 1990s. This kind of improvisation could not provide all of the men the RFC needed and rationalisation of the training machine became an urgent requirement. On-going research indicates that 1,000 have been awarded State Honours. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Many were soon commissioned rising quickly to executive positions on operational squadrons. At the end of the war, November 1918 . Why Forces War Records? Air CmdSecCS-RAFParliBusiness (MULTIUSER), Download a zip file of all correspondence, Employers from which applications originate, IT Apprenticeship and traineeship employers. Some of this Entry were only 16, officially still boys but now serving as airmen on the front line. 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. The statements expressed in this e-mail are personal and do not His name is Ian Henderson cairms and joined the 81st RAF Halton apprentice. of the recipient to perform all necessary checks. These grew out of early artillery and engineers' experiments and manoeuvres with balloons as described concisely by Swinnerton in Family Tree Magazine (2000). All of my Grandmother`s duties from now on were in Code & Cypher work. CHIEF TECHNICIAN Served from 1969 - 1993 Served in RAF Apprentices. 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. 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. Sgt. The site has been in use since the First World War but is due to close by December 2027. 1, Pipit Gardens Did she survive? Below are just some of our members who have served at RAF Apprentices. Finlay arrived at RAF Halton as an Apprentice in 1925. This scheme produced single-skill fitters who maintained aircraft and associated equipment and could, if necessary, actually fashion small replacement parts themselves. 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. 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. 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. Photographs at RAF Halton 1954 - 1957 Official photographs. He ew in Shackletons with 224, 205 and 201 Sqns, and Nimrods with 201 Sqn as Air Electronics Leader and aircraft captain. 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 Boys were signed on for 12 years' service from the age of 18 and . 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. 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. Gp Capt Min Larkin CBE MRAeS Min joined the RAF as an aircraft apprentice in 1949. The Association magazine, 'The Haltonian', is published twice yearly and additional Newsletters are electronically mailed out four or five times a year. 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. 3rd June 1935. 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. In 1919 Lord Trenchard established the No. This theme was very shortlived and was terminated after ten intakes. In the late 1950s, a study was initiated into the RAFs youth training requirements. 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. Posts. Halton apprentices contributed to all of the major air campaigns of WW II, both in the air and on the ground. I passed out AC1. This has the added advantage that it will undoubtedly foster the Air Force spirit on which so much depends. Later in the paper, he continues, The training of all these boys will eventually be carried out at Halton Park. He was flying in Catalina VA713.Coded L for Leather. 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. SocietyWorks Ltd Their adult status was recognised by the discontinuance of the apprentice NCO ranks and the removal of all apprentice insignia from uniforms. 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. 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. Neville Lee. May be difficult to read. Details of HLF award to RAF Museum Hendon. The CA Scheme lasted ten years, ending with the 231st entry in 1974. 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. His role was to assist the pilot to manage the complicated systems in these more advanced aircraft. caused as a result of any virus being passed on. 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.