Halton Apprentices

[biggles111]

When my father passed away last year, I started to go through his stuff and thought it would be nice to add his service to the Family history, (Surprisingly he hadn't done it himself as he was really into the family history.

I know he entered as an apprentice in the 1950's and then graduated onto basic Flying Training, I have his logbook and a newspaper cutting showing him as a bugler at the cenotaph in the 1950's but that is about all. I have searched the RAF apprentices website, but the lists of names are somewhat sparse. Can anyone suggest where I go next? I am not sure if I even have his service number.

[kenparry]

Look at the London Gazette website. Put in his full name (and personal number if you can find it) and it should find his commissioning date and subsequent promotions. That would give you a start.

In the back of the flying logbook you should find the list, with dates, of his postings.

[sycamore]

His logbook should have his Service number in it...

[Lima Juliet]

+1 Trenchard Museum. They have records for every single engineering apprentice that went through RAF Halton. It’s run by ex-apprentices mostly too, so some of them may have some personal knowledge.

[Oldlae]

RAF Halton Aircraft Apprentices Association (RAFHAAA) RAFHAAA Page (http://www.oldhaltonians.co.uk) will find him.

[biggles111]

Thanks for ther pointers I will see what info I can find from the locations you have mentioned.

[biggles111]

I have had a look in his logbook it seems he was at Halton much earlier than I thought. 1947! The went to Shawbury to CN & CS for nearly two years before going to Cranwell and then RAF Burneston to learn to fly the Chipmunk.

Can anyone tell me what CN & CS stood for please?

[pr00ne]

Central Navigation and Control School.

[sycamore]

Biggles,have you found his Service number yet; should be 6 figures,and let us know what aircraft he was flying.All helps to know about the man. Very early to fly the Chipmunk as well...

[BEagle]

Whilst looking at the Internet last night, I found this:

youtu.be/zNVXTvvxM9s

How / why the hell did the RAF lose all this....:(

[Lima Juliet]

Whilst looking at the Internet last night, I found this:

youtu.be/zNVXTvvxM9s (https://youtu.be/zNVXTvvxM9s)

How / why the hell did the RAF lose all this....:(

Because we stopped spending 4% or more GDP on Defence in the late 80s?

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/750x427/image_fbe37fedf625ac75306f89c05984fc297fd78652.png

https://ourworldindata.org/exports/military-expenditure-as-share-of-gdp_v1_850x600.svg

[Imagegear]

Would be interesting to add "Government in Power" to that Graph but I think it might not be a constructive task.

IG

[Harley Quinn]

Would be interesting to add "Government in Power" to that Graph. I would but I think it might not be a constructive task.

IG

And also what the budget is spent on; I believe a far greater proportion goes on pay and pensions (+ having to absorb all the costs of CASD) than at any time in the past.

Interesting to see the Fireflash missiles on Swifts in Beagles' video.

[pr00ne]

BEagle,

'​​​​​​How / why the hell did the RAF lose all this....https://www.pprune.org/images/smilies/sowee.gif"

Because the world changed and we no longer need any of it.

We have vastly improved capabilities that deliver ALL of what was available in 1959, the world does move on you know, and that was a snapshot of SIXTY years ago...

[BEagle]

We no longer need apprentice training?

So the current emphasis on STEM learning is a waste of time, is it comrade?

[pr00ne]

We no longer need apprentice training?

So the current emphasis on STEM learning is a waste of time, is it comrade?


Not as depicted in your sixty old film, no. Modern apprentices in the RAF are quite different, as in nobody spends three years doing it in one go.

[Innominate]

ISTR being told in the 1980s or 90s that apprenticeships were seen by young people as less appealing than going to university, so the number of recruits dropped. I think there may also have been a change in the way that apprenticeships in industry were structured.

[pr00ne]

Innominate,

Quite possibly so, but the whole atmosphere and environment around modern apprenticeships has changed out of all proportion over the last decade. They are now seen as a viable alternative to University and addressing a genuine need for a large number of qualified folk in the engineering field. They are also proving terrifically popular with some of the larger UK companies and numbers are rising steeply year on year. It was UK industry in the 70's and 80's that reduced the number of apprentices massively as part of huge economic cut backs. All that has now changed.

[Chair RAFHAA]

The RAFHAA has undergone a renaissance in the last 2 years. A re-envigorated Council has introduced a new website www.oldhaltonians.co.uk and is concentrating on ensuring a heritage for Halton Apprentices that reflects their importance in 20th century military history. A reunion is planned for August 2022 at RAF Halton and the Association now offers membership to the next of kin of all ex-Halton Apprentices. When RAF Halton closes (circa 2025), the Association wants to create a Heritage centre in St George's Church where the contents of the present Trenchard museum and Mc Cudden flight centre may be relocated. Let's ensure the history of the Halton brat lives on!

[gamecock]

as in nobody spends three years doing it in one go.

I did, 85-88. Padded out with so much drill (including interminable rehearsals) and other guff, and trained on outdated platforms (bar the Jag which had just started to arrive). In 2002 I was at the other end on Line Training Flight at Cosford. It was my firm belief that the 20-30 posts would have been better off re-allocated around each aircraft type at an MOB. Would have been much more realistic than a 4-man servicing on a JP, gravity fluid replenishments and all!