117th: RAF Halton Apprentices


---------------------------------------------------- *A successful reunion was held in September 2022 based at Netley Hall, south of Shrewsbury.* *The highlight of the event was an organised (and guided) tour of the RAF Cosford museum on the Wednesday.* *Both Tuesday and Wednesday evenings were spent at The Dorrington's Horseshoes. We were well catered for and engaged in much story telling!* Images of our September 2022 reunion * See the video *	The 117th Entry, RAF Halton started on Oct 27th 1969 with 56 aspiring recruits. Three years later, in October 1972, 36 (or 40 ??) of us graduated. We were the 11th entry under the new Technician Apprentice scheme. The original concept of the technician (A.Tech) was to provide cross-training of trades to cope more effectively with more complex aircraft systems (originally the TSR2 Youtube Video). We were all dispatched to frontline bases to work on first-line servicing and trouble-shooting of RAF aircraft. Although few in numbers, we were a valuable asset to the Royal Air Force. Video of our "Passing Out" parade.


I have removed the guest book: too many trolls out there leaving dumb messages. E-mail me any comments/stories and I will add them Here. Do mark clearly the paragraphs/area for publication. I will not post everything.	What we did... What other bunch of individuals went through three years of intensive Military/Technical training (ignoring for the moment the further two years of improver-training), and covered topics as diverse as (in no particular order); carbon-pile voltage regulation, conway fuel system, geometric locks, riviting, flight instruments, fileing, vernier scales, flight controls, lectures(public speaking), aerodynamics, metrology, square-bashing, electrical assembly, boxing(and 90+ other sports), religious studies, CS gas experience, needle valves, aden machine-gun, first aid, firestreak, kerchoff's laws, thermodynamics, hydraulic sequence valves, Resource& Initiative training, pneumatics, ejection seats, pressurisation, hydraulics, wheels & brakes, small arms use, military organization & writing, mathematics, bull-nights!,transistors/semi-conductors.....?Wow, the list is nearly endless....

Picture of me pretending to work!

Bob Chassels

STA to you..

image: canada.gif

Halton Sept. 1998

RAF Halton No 1 School of Technical Training

E-mail:bob@mybest.net

If anybody has any photographs of the entry. E-mail them to me ifyoucan.

I did get to Halton on the 25th September 1998 and met up with Martin Radwell - that made two of us representing the 117th Entry. We had a great time catching up on news and checking the beer. There was a great airshow with model aircraft- who would think a helicopter could fly upside down? Notice my casual attire. Everybody is still very formal in Britain - unlike us colonials!

On September 2001, I was the only one to turn up at Halton from the 117th. 'nufsaid!!.

Halton Sept 2004

That's Nick and I admiring a couple of those filing masterpieces we spent countless hours working on 25 years ago!!.

It was just Nick and myself at the 2004 event at Halton. The weather was a bit overcast and it did rain for a while, but worthwhile for a walk down memory lane and a march up Chestnut avenue.

Good news: we were the youngest and the most casual looking guys there!!

No, we did not really march up the hill, but we watched everybody else do it.


Halton Sept 2007 An Englishman, Scotsman and an Irishman went to an airfield one day....
That made three of us at the 2007 reunion. Martin, myself and Nick. We had a pleasant wander around the camp recounting tails of woe, trial and fun - in no particular order. We were NOT the youngest there, but (thanks to Martin) we were the most casual group on the base. The next Halton reunion - September 2019. Or maybe 2020, to mark the official closing of RAF Halton. Check out the 222nd reunion website

Images of our September 2022 reunion

*** See the video ***

The 117th Entry, RAF Halton started on Oct 27th 1969 with 56 aspiring recruits. Three years later, in October 1972, 36 (or 40 ??) of us graduated. We were the 11th entry under the new Technician Apprentice scheme.

The original concept of the technician (A.Tech) was to provide cross-training of trades to cope more effectively with more complex aircraft systems (originally the TSR2 Youtube Video).

We were all dispatched to frontline bases to work on first-line servicing and trouble-shooting of RAF aircraft. Although few in numbers, we were a valuable asset to the Royal Air Force. Video of our "Passing Out" parade.

I have removed the guest book: too many trolls out there leaving dumb messages. E-mail me any comments/stories and I will add them Here. Do mark clearly the paragraphs/area for publication. I will not post everything.

What we did...

On September 2001, I was the only one to turn up at Halton from the 117th. 'nufsaid!!.

Halton Sept 2004

Halton Sept 2007

* See the video *