Dennis died in 1942, in an aircraft accident. In the latter respect, two Cranwell apprentices excelled, one becoming a bishop and another followed in Lord Trenchard's footsteps by becoming head of the Metropolitan Police. Also in 1919, Halton House - a French style mansion built by Lionel de Rothschild . 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. Bill Liddle. 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. Bucks HP19 0GF. An Olympian and an inventor, Dam Busters and Great Escapers come and meet the boys who truly took off! attached) from your system. 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. Several hundred ex-apprentices serving on these engagements at the start of hostilities were, however, retained in flying posts. 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. The Halton Apprentices Contribution to WW II. Watermead 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. Halton was arguably one of the first aeronautical engineering colleges in the world and certainly the first in any air force. 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. He remustered to aircrew as an Air Signaller/Air Gunner in 1953 and was commissioned as an Air Electronics Ofcer in 1959. 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. 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. it gained a reprieve with the introduction of the Apprentice Engineering Technician (AET) scheme. 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. Flight Engineers accounted for more than 400 of these names. On 25th October 1942 she moved to RAF Hurn near Bournemouth, Hants. 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. Our Since then he has been Haltons historian and archivist and in 1995 he founded the Apprentice Museum, renamed the Trenchard Museum in 1999. 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. This was a new air-crew category specifically for the four-engined bombers then coming into service. 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. This scheme produced single-skill fitters who maintained aircraft and associated equipment and could, if necessary, actually fashion small replacement parts themselves. The site has been in use since the First World War but is due to close by December 2027. Patron - Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Armitage - ObituaryClick here. World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945. services through our wholly owned subsidiary The Boys were signed on for 12 years' service from the age of 18 and . is the Royal Air Force's aircraft engineering school. 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. Your donations keep this site and others like it running. 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. 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. These certificates were awarded for achievement in all aspects of trade and academic training. Apprentice Flight Commanders were always busy during lunch hours hearing charges but never. 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. A shorter course meant a cheaper one, which no doubt pleased the Secretary of State for Air, Winston Churchill. Sometimes rifle drill or PT before breakfast, later march to workshops with our own band with bugles, bagpipes, trumpets and drums. 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. After the re-introduction of the wheel it was paraded for the first time at the Graduation of the 134th Entry on 29th September 1982. The RAFs previous reliance on maintenance by repair was being superseded by a new concept of repair by component change. Ironically, the TAs gradated in the rank of Junior Technicain but unsurprisingly, produced the highest number of commissioning candidates. 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. viruses. The Halton trained men have provided the nucleus on which the great expansion of the air force was centred. This scheme ended in 1972. 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. . Another short-lived course training medical admin apprentices for one year starting with the 301st Entry in 1964 ended in 1969. He ew in Shackletons with 224, 205 and 201 Sqns, and Nimrods with 201 Sqn as Air Electronics Leader and aircraft captain. 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 would get me to take endless star-shots and he continuously consulted his GEE box - a very useful early electronic navigation aid. The majority of these pilots became aircraft captains, two making notable contributions to the introduction of the Blind Landing System. please This meant contending with masses of search lights, flak, fighters, shot and shell. Engine running was done on the airfield. Thus in late 1919 the Halton Apprentice Scheme was promulgated to Local Education Authorities, and entrance examinations were held in London and the provinces. There was a lot of sport I did swimming, cross-country running and athletics. 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. Royal Air Force HAA 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. to help with the costs of keeping the site running. Public opinion over the recent scandals of child sexual abuse in institutions is now demanding that full Inquiries be carried out. On school days we had various subjects including aerodynamics and technical drawing. 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. By the end of 1919, 26,000 of the 27,000 serving RAF officers had been discharged, and it is largely their service details which are held in this series. The 74th Entry Graduation Invitation. 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. He was rescued only to be shot down again a few weeks later and killed. 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. Add a Name to this List. The trust was set up to commemorate the centenary of the inception of one of the most fore-sighted and innovative schemes in British military history. We are the largest and fastest growing community of UK forces veterans on the web with over 500,000 members! 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. Former Halton apprentices were ideally suited to this new challenge and volunteered for it in their thousands. 2 Wing. 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) It was opened by his grandson on the 26 June 1999. RAF Database Global Search: Enter a name, number or an Aircraft Serial to search all our databases! We also have our own garden of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum. AETs enjoyed the highest level of aircraft engineering training during the life of the various 49 apprentice schemes. This scheme, which included Sir Frank Whittle "father of the jet engine", trained . Passing out parades were always impressive. Run by Volunteers and powered by Alaveteli. Gp Capt Min Larkin CBE MRAeS Min joined the RAF as an aircraft apprentice in 1949. Due to Peters expertise, our crew were given many specialist operations. A.C.I/LAC Donald George Porritt MU/MEF 107 B Squadron. However, as the TSR2 on which they were destined to work had not materialised, many after graduation found themselves posted to single-skill posts. 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. Our navigator, Peter Ashford, was excellent; throughout every flight, even when he knew fairly certainly where we were, he continually checked his calculations. In 1919 Lord Trenchard established the No. Once you have catered for your loved ones, a generous bequest would help us achieve our Heritage plans. SocietyWorks Ltd Many were soon commissioned rising quickly to executive positions on operational squadrons. AIR CHIEF MARSHAL SIR MICHAEL ARMITAGE, who has died aged 92, began his long RAF career as a Halton Apprentice, one of "Trenchard's Brats" under the scheme established by Lord Trenchard in 1920 which saw apprentices trained at RAF Halton. It was a great experiment and was bitterly criticised at the time. The official contact address for the RAFHAA is as follows: 2021 The Old Haltonians | All Rights Reserved. In 1930 he won the first of his 8 Amateur Athletic Association titles and represented his country at the Empire Games. 2nd May 2009, . Finlay arrived at RAF Halton as an Apprentice in 1925. (05798215). Two entries a year were planned. Thank you. 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. . caused as a result of any virus being passed on. In March 1920 No 1 School of Technical Training was established at Halton, the future home of aircraft apprentice training. He died in 1950, polio, having left the RAF in approx.1949. 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. On the 17th May 1945 they were married in St Nicholas Church in Witham, Essex. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Some former apprentices ended up as BBC TV stars. Having passed this course I was sent to 90 squadron of 3 Group, Bomber Command, then stationed at Tuddenham, Nr Mildenhall in Suffolk. CORPORAL Served from 1959 - 1973 Served in RAF Apprentices. The site has grown as people send in old photos of those days . Need more information, contact the General Secretary by email to. Other tours included, Apprentice Flight Commander at Locking, avionics development at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, and Deputy OC Brawdy. Helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by I would love to know what happened to this very courageous lady. 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. 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. intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is The Chairman advises: The brass wheel badge, introduced in April 1919 and subsequently worn by apprentices on the upper left sleeve. On airfield, we did engine running on a Blenheim, prop swinging on Tiger Moth. 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 . He ew in Shackletons with 224, 205 and 201 Sqns, and Nimrods with 201 Sqn as Air Electronics Leader and aircraft captain. While ex-Halton apprentices who became high achievers contributed much to its legacy, Trenchards original aim in founding the apprentice scheme was to produce a cadre of wellmotivated, highly trained airmen capable of becoming competent supervisors in the direction of work and control of men. Keith Robinson. Indeed some AETs were married during training, had children and lived in MQs. If you have any unwanted At the end of the war, November 1918 . Recent discoveries include six George Cross and thirteen George Medal winners among the former apprentice fraternity. after leaving RAF Halton, but whilst stll serving in the Royal Air Force, click here. Block 3. Air CmdSecCS-RAFParliBusiness (MULTIUSER), Download a zip file of all correspondence, Employers from which applications originate, IT Apprenticeship and traineeship employers. About Us. addressed. Activities of 38 Group were towing of gliders and dropping of parachutists. 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. 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. One of the main difficulties facing the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) from its foundation in 1912 was a shortage of air mechanics. May be difficult to read. Posts. Need more information, contact the General Secretary by email to secretary@rafhaa.co.uk. 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. Donate and support our work. However, they soon proved capable of taking on trade supervisory roles. We are now on Facebook. Your Association is determined that the role of ex Halton apprentices in the military history of our great nation is recognised by future generations. 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. 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. However, on-going research is continually uncovering hitherto unknown awards. 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). We had to polish all our floors, clean bathrooms. It is the responsibility necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the department. The idea was to create future leaders of the technical branch with an appreciation 51 of the challenges faced by aircrew. This theme was very shortlived and was terminated after ten intakes. The two views shown are the front and reverse faces of 'The Tribute'; a sculpture which is located in front of Kermode Hall, previously Patron - Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Armitage - Obituary, The Royal Air Force Apprentices' Association (RAFHAA), the Old Haltonians, was. Joining the RAF as an aircraft apprentice at RAF Halton, Buckinghamshire. For example, a new training school was set up at Netheravon with 200 men, another was formed at Reading with 1,000, and one in a converted jam factory at nearby Coley with another 2,000, and there were many others, large and small. Your help would be gratefully received. In 1919, Air Marshal Lord Trenchard foresaw the need to produce a pool of skilled aircraft engineers for the RAF. SERGEANT Served from 1962 - 1975 Served in RAF Apprentices. Below are just some of our members who have served at RAF Apprentices. Some who graduated as LACs 33 in the 1920s were given immediate further training at Henlow and took up their first appointments as corporals. By the early 1970s, RAF apprentice training had reached a crossroads. To keep abreast of changes in RAF engineering practice, four different types of apprenticeships were introduced over the lifetime of the scheme. Reply 13th Jun 2019, 07:36 . I think he may have joined up in Jan 1940? They have records for every single engineering apprentice that went through RAF Halton. Lord Trenchard was proud of, and took a keen interest in, his apprentices at Halton and visited them often at work and play. RAF Halton. 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. 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. 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.
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