Subsequently the RN sent 400 directly recruited Fleet Air Arm apprentices to train with the 38th to 41st Entries. His role was to assist the pilot to manage the complicated systems in these more advanced aircraft. Through this website, exhibitions and the media, the story of the boys who were propelled to excellence is relived by those who are proud to call themselves Trenchards Brats. These rules are necessary for your own benefit, apprentices were often told by their superiors. Details of HLF award to RAF Museum Hendon. Included in the syllabus was English and general studies which covered, in some depth, the history of the RAF. Once you have catered for your loved ones, a generous bequest would help us achieve our Heritage plans. Gp Capt Min Larkin CBE MRAeS Min joined the RAF as an aircraft apprentice in 1949. 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. 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. Early morning a boy went to cookhouse and brought back a bucket of tea and biscuits known as gunfire. 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 . All of my Grandmother`s duties from now on were in Code & Cypher work. Want to know what life was like during the War? 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. They were woken with Reveille at 0630hrs, called on colour hoisting 18 parade at 0730hrs and sent to bed at 2145hrs. 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. Halton Apprentice Roll of Honour This is now on the net www.oldhaltonians.co.uk then look in the Tribute section. Halton apprentices loyalty and devotion to duty during WW II was recognised by the large number of decorations they received. RAF Halton apprentice graduation prizes: The Pioneer Trophy | The 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 completed his 45 years in uniform as Deputy Director of Personal Services. The top rank, normally flight sergeant apprentice, was in effect the head boy of the School. Then on 25th November 1943 she moved to RAF Ringway near Manchester, 38 Group. 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. 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. 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 ). 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. 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. 1 School of Technical Training at Halton in southern England. Contact us if you think it should be reopened. At the end of the 6 weeks training I was sent to RAF Halton. The trades taught evolved with the ever developing advances in aeronautical engineering but they were principally engines, airframes, armaments, instruments, electrics and wireless. Most exapprentices did exactly that. The most famous of the aircraft apprentice alumni is Air Cdre Sir Frank Whittle who gave the world the jet engine. 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. 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. Printed from https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/records_of_raf_halton_apprentice on May 01, 2023 15:11. 29th June 1941 she joined HQ 14 Group. This payment, An Apprentice on a familiarisation flight in a Hawker Hart 1936, seems to the Committee to be unnecessary. 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. 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. My first flight was in an Avro Tutor 2 seat biplane at Halton airfield. Get up and make beds, all blankets and sheets folded to make a neat sandwich. Records of the Royal Air Force relating to the operations of the air component of the armed forces. 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. Royal Air Force HAA The brass wheel badge, introduced in April 1919 and subsequently worn by apprentices on the upper left sleeve. 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: At Halton, they eventually joined the 49th and 50th Entries which graduated in the late 1940s. We couldnt load the mail server logs for this message. 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. Did she survive? 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. 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. 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. There is a label at the Imperial War Museum which reads;- John King No 1 School of Technical Training RAF Halton, 17th Jan 1939 575533 Aircraft Apprentice J King. 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). 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. He would get me to take endless star-shots and he continuously consulted his GEE box - a very useful early electronic navigation aid. 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. Catalogue description Records of the Royal Air Force. 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. For many years this sign was displayed in a prominent place in each of the Workshops Bays. Over 1,000 other 65 gallantry awards went to former aircraft apprentices and some 3000 were Mentioned in Dispatches. Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Hospital Halton - Wikipedia The RAF Administrative Apprentice | Genealogy Ensemble 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. As the rudimentary methods of training RFC tradesmen hitherto were unlikely to meet the massive new manpower requirement, it soon became clear that the RFC would have to train its own air mechanics. Having passed this course I was sent to 90 squadron of 3 Group, Bomber Command, then stationed at Tuddenham, Nr Mildenhall in Suffolk. By the mid 1920s Halton apprentices were serving on aircraft carriers, then under the control of the Royal Air Force. Trenchard had already provided more detail about his intentions for the scheme in a letter to Churchill in November 1919, writing that it would be necessary to enlist the bulk of the technical tradesmen as boys, because the Royal Air Force could not hope to compete in the recruitment of men who had served full apprenticeships in civilian life and could therefore command high wages. . Menu RAF Halton Apprentice Christmas Dinner 1954. Your donations keep this site and others like it running. Sgt. RAF Recruitment | RAF Medic | Royal Air Force However, certain aspects of the original scheme were retained such as the apprentice entry numbering system and AETs were accommodated separately from airmen. 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. Supply Drops - again very small targets often just a map reference in the middle of a wood. 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. 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. Initially, aircraft apprentices graduated as an Aircraftman Second Class (AC2), an Aircraftman First Class (AC1), or a Leading Aircraftman, (LAC), depending on their final trade test results. When control of the Fleet Air Arm passed to the Royal Navy in January 1937 it lacked the facilities for training its own aircraft engineering apprentices. Top 10 most popular library books since 2016. An Olympian and an inventor, Dam Busters and Great Escapers come and meet the boys who truly took off! If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small 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. Join Date. Military Unit - Unit - Forces War Records 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. I can just remember her small white face behind her goggles as she dropped into the night. 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, 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. In January 1920, the 1st Entry of 235 recruits began their three-year apprenticeship at Cranwell, whilst permanent accommodation was being completed at Halton. Your help would be gratefully received. Another short-lived course training medical admin apprentices for one year starting with the 301st Entry in 1964 ended in 1969. 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. What are the limitations? Records of RAF Halton apprentice scheme - WhatDoTheyKnow On school days we had various subjects including aerodynamics and technical drawing. CHIEF TECHNICIAN Served from 1969 - 1993 Served in RAF Apprentices. We had lunch on airfield from field kitchens, on 3rd Sept 1939 I heard Mr Chamberlain say we were at war with Germany. He ew in Shackletons with 224, 205 and 201 Sqns, and Nimrods with 201 Sqn as Air Electronics Leader and aircraft captain. 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. 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. Super Moderator. However, because of its heavier build, the Sterling did not have the performance of the Lancaster and were eventually replaced by them on Main Force targets. Royal Air Force personnel - The National Archives The first 400 RFC boy mechanics enlisted at Farnborough in May 1917, shortly followed by further intakes at Blandford. The winds of change were now well and truly blowing through Halton. I was confirmed in the station church. 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. A high proportion of TAs were commissioned in the engineering branch. 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. Need more information, contact the General Secretary by email to. However, they soon proved capable of taking on trade supervisory roles.
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