The 76th Entry of
Aircraft Apprentices.
Halton and Locking.
26/03/12. URGENT 2012 REUNION
REMINDER!
If you intend coming to
the 76th Entry Reunion over the weekend of the 27th & 28th October, then it
really is time to get busy and do some booking! Please don't leave action
too late and so risk disappointment. If you have lost the details regarding of
how to book, please contact Henry
Reynolds, his email address is hencar(AT)ntlworld.com . Take this opportuniy to
meet once more your old comrades from the 76th and keep in mind that none of us
are getting any younger. We are all in our mid seventies! One cannot argue with
anno domini, no matter how fit some of us might still feel!
Yours Sincerely Roger
Harvey 589289, Secretary.
01/05/12. Bookings made to this date:
418 Alexander, 555 Austin,
330 Bernhardt, 530 Castle, 567 Collier, 876 Cornforth,
568 Davies, 353 Gandy, 289 Harvey, 328 Hayward, 091 Hill-Paul, 461 Hobbs,
566 Huscroft, 338 Jago, 519 Kay, 456 Kendall, 261 LeCount, 400 Mackenzie, 378
Nethercott, 573 Newson, 362 Niblett, 291 Oliver, 382 Petersen. 389 Petty, 293
Reynolds, 406 Ritchie, 466 Stanley, 513 Staples, 329 Tasker, 502 Upton, 664
Utton, 312 Williams. ................... (latest is Huscroft).
26/11/10. 76th Halton
and Locking join together. Click on news!
04/12/10. Reunion 2012 details
announced. Click on news!
07/12/10. Two Locking items
added to the "Reports" section.
08/12/10. Locking P.O.P. photos
and a plan of the camp added to "Pics & Plans" section.
16/12/10. The new 76th Tie is now available. Click on "News"!
16/12/10. Have a look at
the combined Halton & Locking statistics. Click on "Docs".
20/12/10. Halton POP rehersal
schedule Nov / Dec 56. Click on "Docs".
10/01/11. Locking plan redrawn
to show site as it was in the 1950s.
22/07/11. Listings of those found, not
found and deceased updated.
23/09/11. Archive
article from our magazine of July 1994 inserted near the bottom of this
page.
The 76th Entry arrived at RAF Halton, the home of The No.1
School of Technical Training, on 19 January 1954.
The Entry was made up of 265 Apprentices, including four Ceylonese
and four Rhodesians. During the next three years the original
intake was considerably reduced by members getting, Recoursed,
Transferred to a Skilled Trade, Free discharge, Medical discharge,
Purchased discharge, Expelled etc. In fact 82 who joined originally,
did not pass out with the 76th Entry, however 30 of these did
pass out with later entries.
During the three years at Halton we were joined by 57 apprentices
from other entries, so that the 76th Entry Graduation Parade,
on a cold and frosty day, 19 December 1956, consisted of 205 Apprentices.
300 apprentices were at some time in the 76th! All of the
76th Entry started life in No.2(A) Apprentice Wing (housed in
Groves barracks). The Engine trade being in No.1 Squadron, Airframes
and Armourers in No.2 Squadron, and Electrical and Instruments
in No.3
On arrival in January 1954 The 76th became the third Entry
housed in No.2 Wing. Already resident were the 70th and the 73rd
Entries. Re-organisation took place after the 70th passed out
in December 1954. The 73rd were all located in No.2 Wing, 1 Squadron,
the 76th in 2 Squadron, and the 79th in 3 Squadron. This particular
arrangement brought in to focus the rivalries between entries.
In No.2 Wing particularly, rivalry between the 76th and the
73rd, coming to a head with a major battle on the eve of the 73rd
pass out, most enjoyable, but very costly in terms of damage to
property! This sort of action was mirrored in Nos.1 and 3 Wings.
Perhaps as a result of the 76th / 73rd confrontation, another
reorganisation took place at the beginning of 1956, with the 76th,
and all other entries being evenly distributed over the 9 squadrons
making up the three wings, in an attempt to eliminate conflict
(hooliganism / entry spirit). Entry spirit however managed to
survive the final year, indeed it's still alive in 2009!
To see who we have on the books see the listing links below.
Happenings at Halton, 1954
- 1956.
1954
1st January Air Commodore Tindal-Carill-Worsley CB CBE assumed
command.
19th January 76th Entry (2W) arrived, consisting of RAF 257,
RCyAF 4 and RRhAF 4.
4th April Wing Commander WG Brinn DFC DFM posted in to command
3(A) Wing.
13th April 68th Entry (1W) passed out. 242 plus 37 recoursed from
previous, 59 retained for further training, 37 discharged, 183
passed out.
11th May 77th Entry (1W) arrived, consisting of RAF 196, RNZAF
6, RCyAF 7 and Burma AF 12.
26th July 69th Entry (3W) passed out. 357 plus 38 recoursed from
previous, 74 retained for further training, 63 discharged, 258
passed out.
7th September 78th Entry (3W) arrived, consisting of RAF 303 and
RRhAF 1.
15th December 70th Entry (2W) passed out. 223 plus 64 recoursed
from previous, 40 retained for further training, 54 discharged,
184 passed out.
1955
19th January 79th Entry (2W) arrived, consisting of RAF 298,
RCyAF 7 and RRhAF 3.
14th March Wing Commander FH Stubbs AFC DFM posted in to command
2W, vice Wing Commander E Donovan DFC, posted to Coastal Command.
6th April 71st Entry (1W) passed out. 175 plus 44 recoursed from
previous, 33 retained for further training, 26 discharged, 133
passed out
18th April 80th Entry (1W) arrived, consisting of RAF 234, RCyAF
3, RRhAF 5, RNZAF 6 and Burma AF 13.
27th May Wing Commander WDG Watkins DSO DFC DFM posted in to command
1W, vice Wing Commander HA Paton.
27th July 72nd Entry (3W) passed out. 346 plus 47 recoursed from
previous, 61 retained for further training, 85 discharged, 247
passed out.
7th September 81st Entry (3W) arrived, consisting of RAF 332.
9th October Nine Venezuelan AF apprentices arrived for English
language training before joining an entry.
15th October Wing Commander P Peters OBE DFC posted in to command
3W vice Wing Commander WG Brinn DFC DFM posted to HQ Maintenance
Command.
15th December 73rd Entry (2W) passed out. 229 plus 37 recoursed
from previous, 35 retained for further training, 44 discharged,
176 passed out.
1956
1st January The organisation of the Wings into Squadrons by
Entries, which had been introduced in January 1955 was abandoned
and Apprentice Wings re allocated so that all Entries were evenly
distributed throughout all Wings, Squadrons and Flights. The Squadrons
by Entries system was abandoned for the following amongst other
reasons.
1. Loyalty to the Entry appeared to be greater than loyalty to
the Flight, Squadron, Wing, Station or Service.
2. Mass bullying on an Entry basis, ie organised in gangs by the
worst element in the Senior Entries was prevalent and growing.
3. Segregation of Entries prevented apprentices from getting progressive
experience in responsibility for juniors.
8th January 82nd Entry arrived, consisting of RAF 265.
9th February Lord Trenchard dies.
28th March 74th Entry passed out. 233 plus 41 recoursed from previous,
35 retained for further training, 43 discharged, 137 passed out.
18th April 83rd Entry arrived, consisting of RAF 202, RRhAF 5,
RNZAF 7 and Venezuelan AF 9.
24th April The Freedom of Aylesbury Parade, lead by the 76th Entry.
On parade were 24 Officers, 10 WOs, 40 SNCOs, 513 Apprentices,
160 Airmen and 58 Airwomen.
May 76th Entry at Summer
Camp. RAF Woodvale.
14th May Air Commodore ED McK Nelson CB ADC posted in to command
vice Air Commodore GNE Tindal-Carill-Worsley CB CBE posted to
FEAF.
1st August 75th Entry passed out. 370 plus 56 recoursed from previous,
56 retained for further training, 57 discharged, 289 passed out.
10th September 84th Entry arrived, consisting RAF 315.
November The Suez Crisis. The station ordered to make a 10% saving
in commodities and to increase the rate of saving over the next
few months.
19th December 76th Entry
passed out. 265 plus 57 recoursed from previous, 63 retained for
further training, 54 discharged, 205 passed out
From Engine Fitter to Wing Commander Grocer , via
Paris!
Bob Gattrell is another member of the 76th to complete a full RAF
career, retiring in May 1993, 8 months short of 40 years
service.
Initially intent on becoming
a Boy Entrant, it was only the eleventh hour advice of a family friend who
advised to try Halton instead. Not over ambitious, he recalls his years at
Halton as unspectacular and poorly paid. Boscombe Down, his first posting,
provided a wealth of experience, but also a realisation that Engine Fitters were
stuck on the ground and promotion prospects sparse. After 3 years he transferred
to the Air RadioTrade Group, completing a 12 month cram course at Yatesbury in 1960. 3 years followed with 49
Sqn (Valiants) at Wittering and Marham on NBS and it was here that he received
his first taste of life on a flying squadron and decided that his ambition was
to become a navigator. Successful at the Biggin Hill OASC board, he was
commissioned at South Cerney
in 1964 and was awarded his first brevet after flying training at Hullavington
and Stradishall. However attempts to go operational were not successful and
becoming lost over Paris, en-route from Malta
was to prove his swansong in the GD branch.
Following loss of his brevet he was encouraged to join the Supply
branch where his computer and systems experience might be utilised on system
development duties. After initial Supply training and posts at Locking and
Muharraq he reached the RAF Supply Computer Centre in 1970 for the first of 4
tours of duty in this specialisation.
Promoted to Squadron Leader 2 years later, he was sent to
Carlisle
as project officer for a new order management system.
A tour as OC Supply at Thorney
Island
followed and it was there that he closed the unit which had been dropped from
flying 6 years before. 1976 found him again at Hendon, as team leader
responsible for online systems. In 1979 he was offered a respite from
computer duties and he became MOD desk officer responsible for Supply Movements
and Provost training. Following an evaluation of all training in just 2 years he
was promoted to Wing Commander and sent to MOD Harrogate to head spares support
for guided weapons and simulators. One year later he was moved sideways to form
a new branch to support the growing Tornado fleet.
A third tour at Hendon
commenced in 1985, with Bob becoming head of Central Systems Development. 1988
provided an opportunity for a second overseas tour. Volunteering for duties with
NATO in Munich, he was appointed head of
spares supply and procurement to support the Tornado fleets being flown by the RAF, Italian and German air forces. Returning to the
UK
in 1992 he returned to system development as head of the RAF Logistics Research
Wing.
During his career, Bob followed 5 different 'trades', Engines, Air
Radar, Navigation, Supply, Air Movements and Systems Design and Analysis.; he
received 27 posting notices and his family have moved 8 times. His only regret,
is that he was not able to retire as a Wg Cdr
navigator!
Reprinted from the 76th Magazine, Issue # 1, July
1994.
Pics & Plans 
76th Window 
76th
Locking 
Located Lost
Deceased
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