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. 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. 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, Sgt. Recipients should note that e-mail traffic on MOD systems is subject to Bombing - apart from the first two, our bombing missions were confined mainly to the near coast of France. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy, Please enter a password with 6 characters or more. This aid could be unreliable but when it was used mainly over this country and into France, we found it to be very accurate. Like this page to receive our updates. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Many friends were made, lost and extremely difficult times were had. An Olympian and an inventor, Dam Busters and Great Escapers come and meet the boys who truly took off! I was up in the NAAFI listening to the wireless. 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 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. 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. Here she met my Grandfather, Squadron Leader William Henry Edwards DFC. Then on 25th November 1943 she moved to RAF Ringway near Manchester, 38 Group. About Us. From 1919 to 1993, the No 1 SoTT was based at RAF Halton and from 1920 until 1993 the School was the home of the Aircraft Apprentice Scheme. Wairarapa New Zealand. Halton received its first . Thank you. He had laid firm ground on which Trenchard was able to build his aircraft apprentice scheme. When RAF Halton closes (circa 2025), the Association wants to create a Heritage centre in St George's Church where the contents of the . He died in 1950, polio, having left the RAF in approx.1949. 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. 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. 1 School of Technical Training at Halton in southern England. Due to Peters expertise, our crew were given many specialist operations. Join Date. caused as a result of any virus being passed on. To keep abreast of changes in RAF engineering practice, four different types of apprenticeships were introduced over the lifetime of the scheme. The CA Scheme lasted ten years, ending with the 231st entry in 1974. 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. 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. This very deliberate commissioning from the ranks was an outstanding example of social mobility, uncommon for the time. I would love to know what happened to this very courageous lady. With ever increasing numbers now volunteering for the RAF, the size of Halton intakes ballooned, in 1936 reaching over 1,000 boys per entry. The oldest living member of the RAF Halton Apprentices Association (Old Haltonians) is John Rogers, who was born in October 1908, and who became a member of the 12th entry of apprentices in 1925. This meant contending with masses of search lights, flak, fighters, shot and shell. 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. 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. He had always intended that the best of each Entry should be awarded cadetships at Cranwell, but were he alive today he would be amazed to discover that well-over 20% were commissioned, with 110 attaining air rank. photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Army's Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was established in 1912 and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was founded in 1914. The Boys were signed on for 12 years' service from the age of 18 and . Super Moderator. Included in the syllabus was English and general studies which covered, in some depth, the history of the RAF. This Atlantic Star (1939-1945) was sent to the next of kin of Sergeant 570858 Dennison Pierce Broomfield, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who was killed in action on 8 September 1942, aged 22 years, while serving with No 209 Squadron. Public opinion over the recent scandals of child sexual abuse in institutions is now demanding that full Inquiries be carried out. After brief service with No. 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. This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential and The Royal Air Force Apprentices' Association (RAFHAA), the Old Haltonians, was formed in 1980 to meet the need for a point of focus for all those young persons who as 'Trenchard Brats' went through the 'Halton Grinder' and emerged at the other end as fully-fledged tradesmen to support the needs of the RAF.. - RAF Halton during the Second World War -. We also have our Entry Window in St. George's Church at RAF Halton. 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. 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 ). Gp Capt Min Larkin CBE MRAeS Min joined the RAF as an aircraft apprentice in 1949. Since then he has been Haltons historian and archivist and in 1995 he founded the Apprentice Museum, renamed the Trenchard Museum in 1999. These targets were mainly coastal gun emplacements and launching sites for the V-weapons. 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. Our navigator, Peter Ashford, was excellent; throughout every flight, even when he knew fairly certainly where we were, he continually checked his calculations. 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. 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. 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. AETs were trained as dual-trade airframe and propulsion technicians and initially followed the National Certificate curriculum in their academic training as their predecessors had done. Your Association is determined that the role of ex Halton apprentices in the military history of our great nation is recognised by future generations. I think he may have joined up in Jan 1940? In 1919 Lord Trenchard established the No. The winds of change were now well and truly blowing through Halton. He completed his 45 years in uniform as Deputy Director of Personal Services. Their adult status was recognised by the discontinuance of the apprentice NCO ranks and the removal of all apprentice insignia from uniforms. He ew in Shackletons with 224, 205 and 201 Sqns, and Nimrods with 201 Sqn as Air Electronics Leader and aircraft captain. What and where may we have access to such information? provided through resource and initiative training, field exercises at summer camps and the Apprentice NCO scheme. My first flight was in an Avro Tutor 2 seat biplane at Halton airfield. 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. 1 Squadron (Engines and Instruments) 78th. Dennison Pierce Broomfield 209 Squadron (d.8th Sep 1942). The Association magazine, 'The Haltonian', is published twice yearly and additional Newsletters are electronically mailed out four or five times a year. D. Bell made this Freedom of Information request to Ministry of Defence 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. Thousands of former apprentices made senior officer rank and many more Flight Lieutenant. Journey through our timeline to discover more. However, they soon proved capable of taking on trade supervisory roles. We couldnt load the mail server logs for this message. On 5th January 1942 she moved to RAF Tain near Thurso, a Fighter Station, she was Appointed Section Officer on 21st of June 1942. Workshops entailed basic fitting, lectures on metallurgy, heat treatments etc. 12-08-2021, 8:00 PM. 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. 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 1922 the school moved permanently to RAF Halton and was fully operational by 1926. 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. 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. please notify the sender and then delete the e-mail (and file(s) if 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. 2nd May 2009, . Help us protect your right to hold public authorities to account. Halton apprentice training gave many a boy from a humble background the chance to aspire to heights not normally expected of him. 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. Aylesbury 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. If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page. Initial trade training was carried out in the workshops and later in a mix of workshops and on redundant aircraft positioned on the airfield. 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. . Many of the latter 64 forged very successful careers in industry and academia. The Wartime Memories Project is a non profit organisation run by volunteers. Two entries a year were planned. The whole estate was purchased by the British Government for the nascent Royal Air Force at the end of the First World War for ?112,000. HRH The Duke of Gloucester reviewing the nal graduation parade, that of the 155th Entry in June 1993. Another short-lived course training medical admin apprentices for one year starting with the 301st Entry in 1964 ended in 1969. 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) From 3rd November 1943 to 14th November 1943 she was detached on course to W.O.S Windemere in the Lake District. Established in 2008. This request has been closed to new correspondence. All other recruits were enlisted, or commissioned, into the RAFVR. Under the continuing pressure on manpower another very important decision for the future of the RFC was taken; it was decided to recruit boys. One of the main difficulties facing the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) from its foundation in 1912 was a shortage of air mechanics. The 74th Entry Graduation Invitation. 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. The original Aircraft Apprentice (AA) training started in 1920 and continued until December 1966, with the graduation of the 106th Entry. We are interested in the apprentice scheme run at RAF Halton No1 Technical Training School from 1922 until closure in 1993. Manage receipt and storage of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals in medical stores, issuing of medications. You have only to look at the promotions and honours gained. No.1 Parachutists School. 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. During our time HRH Duke of Kent (Prince George) came round workshops to inspect our work. In 1969 a one-year Mechanic Apprentice course was introduced starting with the 401st Entry. The Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Hospital Halton, was the first Royal Air Force hospital to be built that was dedicated to air force personnel.Located on what was then the largest of the RAF camps at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire, England, the hospital treated over 20,000 patients during the Second World War and was the first place in the world to use penicillin on a large-scale. 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. Routine. Need more information, contact the General Secretary by email to secretary@rafhaa.co.uk. Entry, September 1954. Download The site has been in use since the First World War but is due to close by December 2027. 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 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. 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 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. Given that, at the end of the war, only some 20,000 apprentices had graduated from Halton, it is clear that their contribution to WW II had been impressive and this was acknowledged by many senior commanders. The RAF Medic is able to handle ambiguity . The Queen Inspecting the Escort Squadron, the 63rd Entry, escorted by Group Captain Don Finlay the parade commander. RAF Halton. We never failed to drop our load. Because of lack of accommodation at Halton, the school was originally located at RAF Cranwell in 1920. Ironically, the TAs gradated in the rank of Junior Technicain but unsurprisingly, produced the highest number of commissioning candidates. As a result, the single-skill Aircraft Apprentice was replaced by a new breed, the Technician Apprentice (TA), who trained in the four trades of airframe, propulsion, electrical and weapons. These rules are necessary for your own benefit, apprentices were often told by their superiors.