Was it the Staion Commanders Daughter ? !!!

Hi “Swerve”,
LOL—:D I seem to remember at my time at Halton,there was a rumour going around that some one had done the same with the then Station Commanders daughter, of course we assumed it was a “Brat”.:D:D

Only a rumour of course :dev2:

Ian, ( last entry at Halton, didn’t realise that ) there’ll be more than us around these threads, give it time.–more storys bound to emerge—-:D

Bill T.

Ex- Brat reporting in-lol !!!

Hi bazv,
Ex Aircraft Apprentice ( RAF Halton 88th Entry ) 684007 reporting in. lol!! Served my apprenticeship there between Jan. 58 to Dec. 60. Great place, very proud of it. Got some pics. to post if I can find em.
Memories:_

Marching to and from Workshops and schools every Weekday (twice ) Playing in Pipe band at weekends practice and watching other lads doing Drill P.T,etc on Sat. mornings—-Big Snowball fight with rest of 2 Wing( Senior Entry 80th ) in that first winter, as they picked on us lads in 88th. I got a small 80th. New Zealand Flt. Sgt. right on the forehead with a hard packed snowball, 6 of em chased me for a mile and gave me a good belting.

Lining up for a head scalp by “Plug” the despised civvie barber, everyone mouthing talk (No sound ) Plug turns his hearing aid up and the roof came off with a combined shout that blew him away-lol. ( We were being scalped anyway, so what the heck. )

Cpl Drill Instructors waiting to check our mugs and irons after we leave mess and delighting in throwing the ones they didn’t like up in air to land on parade ground.

Most of the Entry going down with a Virus and forced to stay in bed for a week in the lower Blocks. The 83rd’s “National sock day” All our socks were pinched one night and hung all over the Camp ( Living Area )

That 1st year we were in 20 man rooms in the H blocks that were Senior Entry dominated, we led a grovelling life–picked on–cold baths if you even looked sideways at Senior Entry, (and had your back scrubbed with bass brooms and scouring powder ) Lippy junior entry in same rooms would be shoved in wood lockers and pushed out of window and don’t even think about going to the NAFFI, the rest of Senior Entry were always in there waiting for new Apprentices,who had shopping lists for the idle senior entry, ( On pain of being beaten up or bed tipped–or Bulled boots toe caps bashed in or locker contents thrown out onto parade ground.

After 4 months of that, the 89TH. Entry arrived and they then took the brunt of this, we were OK after that. After the first year, the RAF decided this system wasn’t so good, so changed everything around to Entries of same periods in Wings, we moved to 2 Wing and life was great from then on.

I was enjoying getting down to the airfield on weekends, always deserted then, I could wander around the piled up Aircraft being scrapped 3 Mosquitoes—Loads of Swifts — Meteors — A Brigand —Spitfire–and of course the Beaufighter Engine Ground Running Rig/ Classroom.

Good friends—parades and practices galore ( got really fed up of them ) Separate Collars that attached with them awful collar studs. Coarse battledress “hairy ” blues. Long “Shreddies” or “Draws Cellular Airmen for the Use Of.” But it all passed and 3 yrs. after arriving, we were all posted away, me as a Junior Technician ( Complete with one upside down stripe ) to RAF Wyton Tyre and Hydraulic Bays, servicing Valiant / Canberra and Victor gear.

Looking at your pic. of this Naval intake of 39, that looks like the famous Halton “Pimple”,that is the bald bit on the hill behind. I think this pic. was taken in the greenery behind 2 Wing H Blocks, (because they would have been there then.)

We had Apprentices sent from all different Countries in our Entry, as did every other Entry, so a Naval Intake definately would be the norm in 1939 as we were building up for WW2 as fast as we could.

basv,—— have a great reunion on the Weekend, can’t imagine what Halton and parade ground and workshops must look like now, and is “Main Point” still there ? I’ll be with you in spirit, (Spitfire Ales -lol ) and if you can get any pics. of these areas,and “Action”– please post them back here.

“Rooks”—“Snags”– Mousey Swinbourne ( 85th ) playing his banjo on bus on away Pipe Band Engagements. Lord Mayors procession ( London ) and Earls Court Services Tournament, played twice as a Sidedrummer. All over 50 years ago now, wow !! where did all that time go to.

Bill Turnbull

Ouch indeed!!

A group from up here in Nth. West made an attempt to save the Cockpit, but scrappies wouldn’t hear of it. It was damaged during Aircraft demolition anyway and was scrapped I believe at their yard a short while later. 🙁

Bill T.

Great programme, Great Stories !!!

Followed the link and it worked OK for me Top Gun, Thanks.

Very well done programme, recommend All forumites view this, at least forumites from afar can as well now.

Bill T.

Excellent !!

What a well thought out and executed programme. I really enjoyed it.

Hawkinge Museum and the Bof B Memorial on Dover Cliffs have to be on the visiting list.

Bill T.

Victor Spin re-visited !!!

QUOTE=Trenchardbrat;1603915]Robert
you should look at the dates of that incident as the Two Pointer aircraft were still in use and able to carry an engine in its Bomb bay . The Flap was suspended from the Pannier adaptor as one method of moving it to RAF Goose Bay on the other hand it probably went by Hercules from Lyneham with a Team to repair the aircraft .You obviously do knot know the two pointers. As to the Control Colum Centres I have two of them from two Mk 1 Aircraft XA932 and XH619 In addition a Control Colum From XA932. My K2 XL512 which I collected from Woodfod had blanks fitted in that place when delivered to Marham in 1976

The K2 was only allowed to fly without a HDU fitted to Major Servicings and Return and on dispoal in 1993[/QUOTE]

———————————————————————-

Hi Folks,
Nice to see the interest here, ( Trenchard Brat–Low-and-Slow —-Rob H. —-Mad Jock–,etc. ) didn’t realise it’s been 2+ years since thread started.

So here’s a few more thoughts:-

Also didn’t realise that 2 Victors were especially rigged to accomodate big loads in Bomb Bay, —-Trenchard B. —–do you know what their numbers were ?

The Goose Bay Victor Flap was definately brought in a Victor, but not being a number cruncher myself, I took little notice of that.

I can well imagine the panic that the Falklands War caused the RAF at St. Athan, —- I was out of RAF by then and working for Airworks in Oman and although on RAF reserve list, was told the Oman contract was too important to UK to take engineers away, so I was never recalled ( Phew !!! ) never got to hear about the preparations side till years later either. I’d just left RAF Shawbury ( Marshalls on Chipmunk Majors ) to head out to Oman in Oct. 81 and learnt later that Harriers were flown in there ( Shawbury ) and modified to take Sidewinders, virtually all work stopped so this big task could be done by the Marshalls Work Force. It was achieved by them working around the clock, ( so I was told ). Bet you could get a great thread going about the Aircraft preparations for the Falklands War Jock.

However, getting back to XL-161, —–somewhere out there on a Living Room wall or squirrel’d away has to be 2 Control Yokes from XL-161, Whether anything else is still around, –who knows ? I guess someone in here will.

And at the time of the “Spin” by XL-161, the rear crew members seats and movable Engineers seat in between and just behind Pilots were std seats, the special rotatable ones with the tipping and bag to get occupants out in emergency situation had arrived at Edinburgh Field in 64, but were a modification fit and the powers that be deemed the Blue Steel Trials more important, so they were never fitted,( complicated by the news of the Trials cancellation as well ). I’ve got some more pics. to scan in, just have to find em first and will post accordingly.

Once the manufacturers ,reps, teams and so on finished at 4 JSTU, the RAF took over the trials and Flt. Lt. Alec Hollingsworth was the main Pilot for XL-161, like all these professional men of this period, he was a great man, really helpful and would listen to everyone. I got on really well with him and he fixed me up up with a ride in 161 on a small flt. test, this would be in the Engineers seat, ( marvellous, could not believe my luck–better anyday than flying in the black bowels of a Vulcan —–lol ) was just collecting my flying kit for the event when 161 went U/S, so that was end of that, no ride and no opportunity after that either, but I did get a ride in back seat of one of the Aussie Meteor T7’s that came in for heavy Servicings by RAAF in their Main Hanger. Enjoyed that carrying out test dives on Edinburgh Field Tech Area for Gun Camera Mods.

Hey Trenchard Brat !!! What Entry of Halton Apprentices were you, I was 88th. 1 then 2 Wing. ( better than having to do National Service in Army-only, just scraped in via entrance exams, but that was enough )

It would be nice to keep this thread going, for sure, time goes on and we forget, so its good to record all.

Bill T.

Mystery Sea- Hawk C/pit

One year on from (Stacey’s) last post, here on this thread. Would like to resurrect thoughts, idea’s-memories on this continuing puzzle (and learn of state of WV-795 )

With C/pit Fest, Newark just 2 days away, Grahams mystery C/pit will be there again, along with his Ex-Black Arrows Hunter C/pit, so any help with identification is eagerly awaited. All potential bearers of good info tidings please line -up outside Mystery C/pit to listen to the North West Contingent making Engine start noises mostly down the Cannon bays, Saturday evenings being best time. lol ——–:D:D:D

Must admit, I never thought about the C/pit being an Ex-Dutch One, that would complicate the mod plates and data plates info. and you would still have to track back somehow to find Sea- Hawks original build Serial Number. But keep hunting for us folks, good men have tried and are still doing so.

Hope to see many of you at Newark this W/end.

Bill T.

Ha !Ha !

Ha ha !!!
Shifty bunch if you ask me.:cool: are you sure that wet sponges are the weapons. ( In Coco-nuts or dipped in paint.)

Brave men you Volunteers,—- should generate a lot of money. (And laughs )

Bill T.