it gained a reprieve with the introduction of the Apprentice Engineering Technician (AET) scheme. 1, Pipit Gardens Help us protect your right to hold public authorities to account. On airfield, we did engine running on a Blenheim, prop swinging on Tiger Moth. Halton apprentices loyalty and devotion to duty during WW II was recognised by the large number of decorations they received. Watermead Thirty-eight years later he was promoted to Air Chief Marshal to be a member of the Air Force . Journey through our timeline to discover more. The 74th Entry Graduation Invitation. They have records for every single engineering apprentice that went through RAF Halton. Oct 2004. This very deliberate commissioning from the ranks was an outstanding example of social mobility, uncommon for the time. He trained at RAF Halton as an aircraft apprentice, known as Trenchards Brats. Recipients should note that e-mail traffic on MOD systems is subject to 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. These certificates were awarded for achievement in all aspects of trade and academic training. An Olympian and an inventor, Dam Busters and Great Escapers come and meet the boys who truly took off! He was flying in Catalina VA713.Coded L for Leather. Download However, certain aspects of the original scheme were retained such as the apprentice entry numbering system and AETs were accommodated separately from airmen. Craft Apprentices graduated as junior technicians but without formal academic qualifications, unless taken ex-curriculum. Old Haltonians - Wikipedia Over 1,000 other 65 gallantry awards went to former aircraft apprentices and some 3000 were Mentioned in Dispatches. The first four intakes trained at Cranwell, and it was not until January 1922 15 that the first cohort arrived at Halton to become the 5th Entry. He has also told us in Family . We provide commercial 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. While serving as a squadron leader in Germany in 1945 he ran the British Forces Network in Hamburgh. A shorter course meant a cheaper one, which no doubt pleased the Secretary of State for Air, Winston Churchill. At the navigators order to go, I pushed the package out and she immediately followed. Subsequently the RN sent 400 directly recruited Fleet Air Arm apprentices to train with the 38th to 41st Entries. Notable among them was Sgt Gray of the 20th Entry, an observer, who was, along with his pilot Fg Off Garland, awarded one of the first two air VCs of WW II. A squadron. These grew out of early artillery and engineers' experiments and manoeuvres with balloons as described concisely by Swinnerton in Family Tree Magazine (2000). Many of the latter 64 forged very successful careers in industry and academia. RAF and Halton Apprentice Documents Archive! - 74th.co.uk These targets were mainly coastal gun emplacements and launching sites for the V-weapons. The Imperial War Museum holds all of his documents including his flying log, photographs of his funeral & personal potographs letters etc. Get up and make beds, all blankets and sheets folded to make a neat sandwich. Reply 13th Jun 2019, 07:36 . 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.. Although thousands of former apprentices had very successful careers in the RAF, many did not reach their full potential until life beyond the Service. 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. His recommendation to the Air Ministry of distinctive coloured hatbands was approved in 1920 and this too became a permanent feature of an apprentices uniform. 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. Whilst the TA scheme took care of engineering support for future aircraft and equipment coming into service, there was a continuing need for single-skill fitters. 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. 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. The first TA intake (the 107th Entry) started training in October 1964 but, along with many others in the Service, they were dismayed in April 1965 when the Wilson government scrapped the TSR2 programme. I was up in the NAAFI listening to the wireless. 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. Medically fit potential recruits were offered training in the trade of their 12 choice, or one the selectors thought more appropriate for them. To see photographs of our reunions and of ex 78th entry members . Whittles final examination results along with those of 40,000 other former 73 Halton apprentices are preserved at the Trenchard Museum Archives at Halton. Their adult status was recognised by the discontinuance of the apprentice NCO ranks and the removal of all apprentice insignia from uniforms. Some became top surgeons and a few served on the Crown Court circuit. Dear Air CmdSecCS-RAFParliBusiness (MULTIUSER). Join | The Old Haltonians AETs enjoyed the highest level of aircraft engineering training during the life of the various 49 apprentice schemes. Gp Capt Min Larkin CBE MRAeS Min joined the RAF as an aircraft apprentice in 1949. In 2007 he created the Station Archives. 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. Some former apprentices ended up as BBC TV stars. This scheme produced single-skill fitters who maintained aircraft and associated equipment and could, if necessary, actually fashion small replacement parts themselves. 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. Permanent workshops were constructed to house the RFC's many trades. 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. Our Heritage plans are extensive and likely costly. 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. Our navigator, Peter Ashford, was excellent; throughout every flight, even when he knew fairly certainly where we were, he continually checked his calculations. It is tomorrow we must prepare for and so the success of Halton as the birthplace of the RAF, mind and spirit is of the most vital importance. A world-class RAF hospital on the doorstep ensured their medical 20 and dental care were second to none, and spiritual needs were more than well looked after; but few enjoyed the compulsory church parades every other Sunday! His name is Ian Henderson cairms and joined the 81st RAF Halton apprentice. Of course, it is vital that advice is taken from a qualified lawyer; but dealing with these matters is not expensive and gives one peace of mind. Contact us if you think it should be reopened. 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. In January 1917, following the impressive part played by the RFC in the great battles in the previous year, the Army Council authorised its expansion to a total of 106 squadrons (86 to be in France) and in July this was almost doubled to 200. All of my Grandmother`s duties from now on were in Code & Cypher work. Our Heritage plans are extensive and likely costly. He remustered to aircrew as an Air Signaller/Air Gunner in 1953 and was commissioned as an Air Electronics Ofcer in 1959. He was in Egypt by June 1941. I passed out AC1. 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. 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. Flight Engineers accounted for more than 400 of these names. 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. 103rd Entry Association - 103rd Entry Aircraft Apprentices RAF Halton In 1922 the school moved permanently to RAF Halton and was fully operational by 1926. 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. Dennis died in 1942, in an aircraft accident. - RAF Halton during the Second World War -. a week. 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. Bombing - apart from the first two, our bombing missions were confined mainly to the near coast of France. However, as the TSR2 on which they were destined to work had not materialised, many after graduation found themselves posted to single-skill posts. to help with the costs of keeping the site running. My father was in the RAF after the war, based in Ismalia, by now married, with mum and me as a baby. mySociety recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items. This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential and Entry, September 1954. Technical training at Halton was divided into three distinct, but closely co-ordinated departments: Trade, Academic and General Service Training. 1 School of Technical Training. The population expanded and by the end of 1917 some 14,000 air mechanics were trained. Routine. The 13 year old became a University lecturer with a PhD. The Halton trained men . No.1 Parachutists School. Run by Volunteers and powered by Alaveteli. 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. christanel. She was on a on-way trip, we at least had a chance of getting home! There was absolute secrecy about this, no mention of it in squadron operational records or our log books - she did not in fact exist. A.C.I/LAC Donald George Porritt MU/MEF 107 B Squadron. About half way through this course an appeal was launched for training as Flight-Engineer. In addition to all these privileges they enjoyed six weeks holiday a year, mid-term breaks, and were paid, albeit a paltry amount. The Wartime Memories Project is a non profit organisation run by volunteers. Over the years, some members have made bequests to our Association in their wills in preparation for their final postings. 12-08-2021, 8:00 PM. A National Certificate, or at least a B Grade pass in the final school examinations, was sufficient to qualify an apprentice academically for commissioning: a C Grade was the minimum requirement for graduation. My first flight was in an Avro Tutor 2 seat biplane at Halton airfield. 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. 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. At the end of 2017, only 45 ex-AETs were still serving, of whom some twenty were holding commissions, with several at senior officer level and seven at air rank. With over 620 million military records, . Above, a Wallace, 605M (previously K3664) and, To keep abreast of technical developments Halton had state-of-the-art Blenheims to work on as early as 1937. 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. They spent most of their first year at Halton and Cranwell settling into their new country and learning English. Want to know what life was like during the War? Halton was arguably one of the first aeronautical engineering colleges in the world and certainly the first in any air force. monitoring, recording and auditing to secure the effective operation of A high proportion of TAs were commissioned in the engineering branch. 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. The 40th Entry, which enlisted in August 1939, was the largest ever with 1,285 boys taking the Kings shilling. attached) from your system. It is still unclear what my Grandmother's duties were in Code and Cypher. Patron - Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Armitage - ObituaryClick here. 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. Aircraft Apprentice Scheme - Wikipedia The types of missions which my squadron undertook while I was with them are described below: . 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. Military Unit - Unit - Forces War Records CHIEF TECHNICIAN Served from 1969 - 1993 Served in RAF Apprentices. Halton Apprentice Roll of Honour This is now on the net www.oldhaltonians.co.uk then look in the Tribute section. and on 5th June 1943 was posted to RAF Hurn and transferred to 38 Group Airborne Forces. 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. Many of the initial Halton transferees were killed in various sea battles during the war; fifteen went down with HMS Glorious at the end of the Norwegian campaign in 1940. Included in the syllabus was English and general studies which covered, in some depth, the history of the RAF. If you were a 'Trenchard Brat' and not already a member, why not join this elite . Your Association is determined that the role of ex Halton apprentices in the military history of our great nation is recognised by future generations. 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. This aid could be unreliable but when it was used mainly over this country and into France, we found it to be very accurate. From 3rd November 1943 to 14th November 1943 she was detached on course to W.O.S Windemere in the Lake District. The CA Scheme lasted ten years, ending with the 231st entry in 1974. 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. We are interested in the apprentice scheme run at RAF Halton No1 Technical Training School from 1922 until closure in 1993. At the end of the war, November 1918 . 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 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. Welcome to Forces Reunited the place where you can find information and friends from RAF Apprentices. This was, in effect, a direct replacement for AA training, but required lower academic qualifications on entry. addressed. John King No 1 School of Technical Training RAF Halton, 17th Jan 1939 575533 Aircraft Apprentice J King. 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. 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. We never failed to drop our load. Thames Valley Police have concluded an investigation and agreed that such crimes did take . Royal Air Force personnel - The National Archives Thousands of former apprentices made senior officer rank and many more Flight Lieutenant. 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 ). I have moved your post to a thread of its own in the Military - Royal Air Force forum where it will get more attention. For the many who were selected for promotion it gave greater responsibility as they progressed through the ranks. 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 - Wikipedia 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. If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small The museum is named in honour of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Viscount Trenchard, who is regarded as the Founding Father of the Royal Air Force, who also launched the Aircraft Apprentice scheme which brought worldwide recognition to RAF Halton. Was she captured by the Germans? Maintain the electronic and paper medical records, monitoring the occupational health of Defence personnel. Below are just some of our members who have served at RAF Apprentices. Wairarapa New Zealand. On the 21st of February 1945 she moved to RAF Rivenhall near Witham in Essex with 38 Group. 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. 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. 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). Having passed this course I was sent to 90 squadron of 3 Group, Bomber Command, then stationed at Tuddenham, Nr Mildenhall in Suffolk. Please send me copies of any RAF or Halton Apprentice certificates and other items you think may be of interest to other members or visitors to the Website. Records of RAF Halton apprentice scheme - WhatDoTheyKnow Due to Peters expertise, our crew were given many specialist operations. Serious consideration was given to terminating it altogether, but after considerable debate in the upper echelons of the Engineer Branch. The first 400 RFC boy mechanics enlisted at Farnborough in May 1917, shortly followed by further intakes at Blandford. 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. Bucks HP19 0GF. Applicants for Friend Membership must supply details of their relationship with the deceased (wife, brother, sister, etc) together with their service details (Service Number, Apprentice Entry and Rank) if . The top rank, normally flight sergeant apprentice, was in effect the head boy of the School. Until 1951, this mark also governed the rank at which an apprentice graduated. Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Hospital Halton - Wikipedia Age 15- 17 for a a three year course. Once you have catered for your loved ones, a generous bequest would help us achieve our Heritage plans. He completed his 45 years in uniform as Deputy Director of Personal Services. Are you the owner of any commercial copyright on this page? caused as a result of any virus being passed on. You have only to look at the promotions and honours gained. With over 620 million military records, . The site has been in use since the First World War but is due to close by December 2027. Many were soon commissioned rising quickly to executive positions on operational squadrons. These targets were small and did not reveal themselves by searchlight / flak etc, hence accurate navigation was needed. Below are just some of our members who have served at RAF Apprentices. Military Unit - Unit - Forces War Records These publications are free to members and assist in keeping us all in touch. It was opened by his grandson on the 26 June 1999. If you are not the intended recipient or there are problems 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. Under the continuing pressure on manpower another very important decision for the future of the RFC was taken; it was decided to recruit boys. Trenchard Museum - About Us concurrently with the TA scheme. 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. Neville Lee. This was a new air-crew category specifically for the four-engined bombers then coming into service. 12-08-2021, 8:00 PM #2. christanel. Our barrack room had 30 boys in it. Also in 1919, Halton House - a French style mansion built by Lionel de Rothschild . Most post-1951 AAs were corporals within a year of graduation. We had lunch on airfield from field kitchens, on 3rd Sept 1939 I heard Mr Chamberlain say we were at war with Germany. We are interested in the apprentice scheme run at RAF Halton No1 Technical Training School from 1922 until closure in 1993. 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. 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. Several hundred ex-apprentices serving on these engagements at the start of hostilities were, however, retained in flying posts. 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. When RAF Halton closes (circa 2025), the Association wants to create a Heritage centre in St George's Church where the contents of the . The Operation was an Anti-submarine patrol, which took off from RAF Pamanzi, at 04:20 hrs on Tuesday 8 September 1942 but crashed minutes later, with the loss of all crew. A pass mark in all aspects of his trade training was an absolute for an apprentice to graduate. 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. Trenchard Museum - Visit Buckinghamshire The Army's Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was established in 1912 and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was founded in 1914. 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. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. 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. The cost of running Halton was a contentious issue in the early days. 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. By the early 1970s, RAF apprentice training had reached a crossroads. We also have our Entry Window in St. George's Church at RAF Halton. 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. Established in 2008. A site to help anyone submit a Freedom of Information request. Of the Halton apprentices who achieved air rank, thirteen were knighted. 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. The Halton Apprentice label soon became synonymous with aeronautical engineering excellence, a reputation that rapidly gained international recognition particularly in the aircraft Industries. We had 2 year course, not 3 as it was wartime. It was, I believe, the largest of its kind in the world. Like this page to receive our updates. The Halton Apprentices Contribution to WW II. Most notable of these was Cliff Michelmore who was an aircraft apprentice in the 32nd Entry which graduated from Halton in 1938. View as HTML, Please see attached response to your recent FOI request. Although offered a five year engagement in the RAF, most opted to leave the Service. His reason for this was to ensure that boys committing offences both on and off the station could be dealt with expeditiously by the appropriate authority.