RAF PADGATE 1946

[Old-Duffer]

I have had dumped on me a monochrome photo of a course of young men graduating from RAF Padgate in 1946.

I am loathe to simply throw it away (I did tell the sender not to give it to me!!) as it might be something a collector would like.

It's free to a good home or else it's the recycling bin.

Old Duffer

[sandringham1]

Hello Old Duffer

My father (still with us age 95) was at RAF Padgate in 1946, he arrived there in 0ctober 1945 and departed on the 17th May1946 travelling to Tilbury docks to board the Strathaird. He served in India and Singapore on motor transport duties.
Padgate was a big camp where hundreds trained so the likelihood of Dad being in your picture is unlikely but a possibility, if I send you a PM with my address could you post the picture to me.

Richard

[Old-Duffer]

Richard,
Yes!
OD

[Finningley Boy]

My father was at Padgate for Basic Training in 1941, he spoke proudly of his survival of it. He reckoned Padgate had the reputation of being the roughest of all Basic Training Camps. I never understood how such a reputation could be measured as I supposed all such units would have been much of a muchness. However, he said that post-training, when loafing around in Barracks for example, the usual in-house small talk would move occasionally to where you did your basic training, if, as in Dad's case, it was Padgate, apparently it was a conversation stopper, everyone wanted to know if the notoriety was justified.

FB