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. The arrival of the first RAF Commandant, Air Cdre F R Scarlett CB DSO, in December 1919 heralded many improvements to all aspects of boy training, in particular the tightening of disciplinary standards which had been allowed to drift downwards after the armistice. 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 February 1920, still known as Boy Mechanics, the first intake of 235 was accepted at Cranwell for a three-year apprenticeship. 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. He trained at RAF Halton as an aircraft apprentice, known as Trenchards Brats. 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. However it accepts no liability for any loss or damage howsoever You have only to look at the promotions and honours gained. People | RAF Apprentices Halton 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. You can help us achieve lasting recognition for ex-Halton brats by making a gift to RAFHAA in your will. The standards of behaviour expected of AETs when off duty was similar to that required from all RAF personnel. The trades taught evolved with the ever developing advances in aeronautical engineering but they were principally engines, airframes, armaments, instruments, electrics and wireless. is a registered charity in England and Wales (1076346) Raf halton hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy From 3rd November 1943 to 14th November 1943 she was detached on course to W.O.S Windemere in the Lake District. We also have our own garden of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum. In the late 1950s, a study was initiated into the RAFs youth training requirements. 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. During our time HRH Duke of Kent (Prince George) came round workshops to inspect our work. Patron - Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Armitage - ObituaryClick here. Want to know what life was like during the War? Neville Lee. 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. Whittle initially applied to join the 7th Entry at Halton in January 1923 but failed the medical owing to his lack of height. England Royal Air Force Records for Family History - International 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. Most notable of these was Cliff Michelmore who was an aircraft apprentice in the 32nd Entry which graduated from Halton in 1938. He commanded the whole apprentice population and also enjoyed the privilege of commanding his Entrys graduation parade, and parades for visiting VIPs and Royalty. 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. 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. 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. Academic training was comparable with that of a good technical college and was to National Certificate level. The reduction of training time reached its nadir with the early graduation of the 39th entry in April 1940 after only 21 months. I will happily attempt to copy some of the photos if needed. For the first 50 years of the scheme apprentices were classified as minors and their officers and SNCOs acted in loco parentis. 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. The official contact address for the RAFHAA is as follows: 2021 The Old Haltonians | All Rights Reserved. A high proportion of TAs were commissioned in the engineering branch. 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. 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. On the 21st of February 1945 she moved to RAF Rivenhall near Witham in Essex with 38 Group. The Halton trained men have provided the nucleus on which the great expansion of the air force was centred. He set an RAF record for the 120 yards High Hurdles in his first race, and represented his country at the High Jump whilst serving as an aircraft apprentice. 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. If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small 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. The original Aircraft Apprentice (AA) training started in 1920 and continued until December 1966, with the graduation of the 106th Entry. Download Bill Liddle. The Halton trained men . He died in 1950, polio, having left the RAF in approx.1949. Members of RAF Apprentices | Forces Reunited The statements expressed in this e-mail are personal and do not Royal Air Force Apprentices were a breed apart, a cut above, a group of boys who went on to become highly skilled craftsmen and airmen. 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. There is a label at the Imperial War Museum which reads;- 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. Since then he has been Haltons historian and archivist and in 1995 he founded the Apprentice Museum, renamed the Trenchard Museum in 1999. These certificates were awarded for achievement in all aspects of trade and academic training. 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. Serving and retired RAF personnel should ensure the boxes, Service No, Rank, Entry, Joining Date, Trade and Current Occupation are completed. 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: It is still unclear what my Grandmother's duties were in Code and Cypher. The 103rd Entry has an active Association and has held a number of reunions. 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). 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. In March 1920 No 1 School of Technical Training was established at Halton, the future home of aircraft apprentice training. CHIEF TECHNICIAN Served from 1969 - 1993 Served in RAF Apprentices. This site uses cookies. On-going research indicates that 1,000 have been awarded State Honours. This kind of improvisation could not provide all of the men the RFC needed and rationalisation of the training machine became an urgent requirement. They have records for every single engineering apprentice that went through RAF Halton. Records of RAF Halton apprentice scheme - WhatDoTheyKnow 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. He has also told us in Family . 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. This very deliberate commissioning from the ranks was an outstanding example of social mobility, uncommon for the time. Journey through our timeline to discover more. RAF Apprentices Halton 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. The winds of change were now well and truly blowing through Halton. The Imperial War Museum holds all of his documents including his flying log, photographs of his funeral & personal potographs letters etc. Of the Halton apprentices who achieved air rank, thirteen were knighted. At the end of the 6 weeks training I was sent to RAF Halton. 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. Its trainees graduated as LAC with many of them still less than 17 years of age. He ew in Shackletons with 224, 205 and 201 Sqns, and Nimrods with 201 Sqn as Air Electronics Leader and aircraft captain. 1 Squadron (Engines and Instruments) 78th. 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. Recent discoveries include six George Cross and thirteen George Medal winners among the former apprentice fraternity. Some who graduated as LACs 33 in the 1920s were given immediate further training at Henlow and took up their first appointments as corporals. 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. The end of an era. 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. Ironically, the TAs gradated in the rank of Junior Technicain but unsurprisingly, produced the highest number of commissioning candidates. 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. Dennis died in 1942, in an aircraft accident. Our To my mind, the future of this great Service depends largely upon Halton; the boy of today is the fellow who will man the RAF tomorrow. The TA course, although relatively short-lived, offered unprecedented career opportunities for those apprentices who completed it. 3rd June 1935. On school days we had various subjects including aerodynamics and technical drawing. In 1919 Lord Trenchard established the No. Military Unit - Unit - Forces War Records Another short-lived course training medical admin apprentices for one year starting with the 301st Entry in 1964 ended in 1969. Recently, a member asked if we still accepted bequests or legacies and how he should proceed if he wished to make such an arrangement. Engine running was done on the airfield. What and where may we have access to such information? After the introduction of a new trade structure in 1951, all aircraft apprentices graduated as junior technicians with some gaining accelerated promotion to corporal. Although the government took options on the purchase of the American F-111 this never came about. Reunion and other photographs. (05798215). RAF Halton. By the early 1970s, RAF apprentice training had reached a crossroads. Despite the harsh standards of discipline, most ex-apprentices are only too willing to tell you about the occasions when they broke bounds, climbed in and out through windows stealthily in the dead of night, to avoid being caught by patrolling RAF Police. 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. 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. Was she captured by the Germans? You can help us achieve lasting recognition for ex-Halton brats by making a gift to RAFHAA in your will. provided through resource and initiative training, field exercises at summer camps and the Apprentice NCO scheme. A squadron. Activities of 38 Group were towing of gliders and dropping of parachutists. If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page. British Path video of the Apprentice training scheme at Halton in 1938. Over 1,000 other 65 gallantry awards went to former aircraft apprentices and some 3000 were Mentioned in Dispatches. 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. Also in 1919, Halton House - a French style mansion built by Lionel de Rothschild . However, they soon proved capable of taking on trade supervisory roles. 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. 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 Royal Air Force Halton Apprentices' Association is a registered charity (No 292523) and operates within the rules of the Charity Commission., As a member you will have access to the Association membership database (subject to GDPR restrictions) which may well be able to assist you in renewing your friendships with past colleagues of your entry or your time at Halton. 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. 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. However, on-going research is continually uncovering hitherto unknown awards. For the many who were selected for promotion it gave greater responsibility as they progressed through the ranks. Halton apprentices contributed to all of the major air campaigns of WW II, both in the air and on the ground. The first 400 RFC boy mechanics enlisted at Farnborough in May 1917, shortly followed by further intakes at Blandford. Need more information, contact the General Secretary by email to secretary@rafhaa.co.uk. Until 1951, this mark also governed the rank at which an apprentice graduated. She was on a on-way trip, we at least had a chance of getting home! 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. necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the department. If you were a 'Trenchard Brat' and not already a member, why not join this elite . I would love to know what happened to this very courageous lady. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy, Please enter a password with 6 characters or more. 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. 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. View as HTML, Please see attached response to your recent FOI request. Welcome to the Brit-Gen forums. Welcome to Forces Reunited the place where you can find information and friends from RAF Apprentices. Recipients should note that e-mail traffic on MOD systems is subject to Reply 13th Jun 2019, 07:36 . AET Prevett, the Parade Commander, was so chuffed, he wore a wheel on both arms. Workshops entailed basic fitting, lectures on metallurgy, heat treatments etc. This was a new air-crew category specifically for the four-engined bombers then coming into service. The RAF Administrative Apprentice | Genealogy Ensemble Under the guidance of his Flight Commander and the NCO instructors, he was taught drill, physical training and Air Force Law. The idea was to create future leaders of the technical branch with an appreciation 51 of the challenges faced by aircrew. Every November we organise the annual Apprentices Service of Remembrance at the Halton Tribute. This element of the course was replaced in 1977 by the Ordinary Diploma and for most the Higher Certificate awarded by the newly formed Business and Technician Education Council (BTEC). For these reasons and others, Trenchard instituted the Aircraft Apprentice Scheme to be based at RAF Halton No. After brief service with No. He was in Egypt by June 1941. About Us. Supply Drops - again very small targets often just a map reference in the middle of a wood. Trenchard Museum - About Us Age 15- 17 for a a three year course. The RAF Apprenticeship Scheme | 203-entry In 1943 hundreds of boys, many orphans, were driven out of Poland by Hitler and, after a tortuous journey through the Middle East, ended up in the UK. Records of the Royal Air Force | The National Archives Sgt. The introduction of the four-engined bombers in 1941 brought an urgent need for an additional crew member, a flight engineer. Indeed some AETs were married during training, had children and lived in MQs. Did she survive? Menu RAF Halton Apprentice Christmas Dinner 1954. the system and for other lawful purposes. Halton apprentice pay account sample sheet. He was rescued only to be shot down again a few weeks later and killed. 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. It is the responsibility Cliff Michelmore, ultimately became the anchor man for BBC TV news and current affairs programmes. Former Halton apprentices were ideally suited to this new challenge and volunteered for it in their thousands. photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. Below are just some of our members who have served at RAF Apprentices. The MOD has taken steps to keep this e-mail and any attachments free from These were donated by his mother after the war. If you are not the intended recipient or there are problems Gp Capt Min Larkin CBE MRAeS Min joined the RAF as an aircraft apprentice in 1949. Run by Volunteers and powered by Alaveteli. 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. I think he may have joined up in Jan 1940? 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. The brass wheel badge, introduced in April 1919 and subsequently worn by apprentices on the upper left sleeve. monitoring, recording and auditing to secure the effective operation of . We had lunch on airfield from field kitchens, on 3rd Sept 1939 I heard Mr Chamberlain say we were at war with Germany. 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. Unfortunately these . 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. Many friends were made, lost and extremely difficult times were had. 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. 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. There was a lot of sport I did swimming, cross-country running and athletics. The RAFs previous reliance on maintenance by repair was being superseded by a new concept of repair by component change. Lord Trenchard was proud of, and took a keen interest in, his apprentices at Halton and visited them often at work and play. 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 Royal Air Force Apprentice scheme began in 1920, having been devised by Chief of the Air Staff Hugh Trenchard and approved by Winston Churchill.
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