Aircraft Apprentice
Encyclopedia
The Aircraft Apprentice Scheme (1920–1993) was a training programme for Royal Air Force
ground crew
personnel.
saw the beginning of aerial combat. By 1 April 1918 the Royal Flying Corps
(RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service
(RNAS) had amalgamated into the Royal Air Force
. Hugh Trenchard
had been appointed Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) and quickly discovered that specialist groundcrew were in very short supply.
Wartime use of aircraft accelerated the development of new technologies. Aircraft power plants
were vastly different from those that powered buses and lorries. Airframe
s, with their need to reduce drag and provide control in the air, were a totally new challenge. Armourers were asked to develop new fusing methods
for equally new explosive devices like air-dropped bombs. Aircraft electrical systems included bomb release mechanisms and synchronised gun firing
through the propeller via the use of an interrupter mechanism. The addition of a third dimension to navigation meant aircraft instrument makers had to produce new indicators for such things as turn and bank, air speed and an artificial horizon.
For these reasons and others, Trenchard instituted the aircraft apprentice scheme based on No 1 School of Technical Training. This was originally located at RAF Cranwell
but later more permanently at RAF Halton
, in 1922. RAF Cranwell and RAF Locking
later switched exclusively to training aircraft apprentices in the ground and air radio trades.
.
Initially, training was a three year course, although this was changed briefly to two years for some apprentice entries during WWII. Training took place over five and a half days a week, and consisted of both academic and practical training. In addition, basic military training was given. Originally, applicants were required to be British subjects and of "pure European descent" (and were required to prove this if there was any doubt). Later, Apprentices were accepted from both Commonwealth and other countries.
The 106th Entry who passed out in December 1966 was the last of the Aircraft Apprentice entries. A three year long Technician Apprentice scheme; a two year long Craft Apprentice scheme; and a one year long Administrative Apprentice scheme were initiated in September 1964, with 107 entry being the first Technician Apprentice entry; 201 entry being the first of the Craft Apprentice entries; and 301 being the first of the Administrative Apprentice entries. Later, a one year scheme for mechanic apprentices was also introduced (the 400 series entry apprentices).
Graduates of this illustrious scheme include many famous and outstanding airmen such as Sir Frank Whittle
(father of the jet engine
); Olympian Donald Finlay
, who also fought as a pilot in the Battle of Britain
, and several former officers of Air rank, such as Marshal of the Royal Air Force
Sir Keith Williamson
GCB AFC, and Air Chief Marshal
Sir Mike Armitage KCB, CBE (56th entry).
Mike Armitage is Patron of the alumni association, whilst Group Captain Geoff Burton (100th entry) is the current chair. Air Marshal
Cliff Spink
CB CBE (104th entry) and Air Marshal Sir Dusty Miller KCB (210th entry) are Vice Patrons.
The Brats alumni association, a registered charity, is called the RAF Halton Apprentices Association (Old Haltonians) (the RAFHAA), which can be contacted through the Old Haltonians website. Additionally, the Association has its own social networking website.
The "King Brat" (a title given to the oldest member of the Association) is John Rogers (12th entry), who was born in October 1908.
The Association publishes a magazine called The Haltonian (ISSN 2046-1356), three times a year.
Bill Kelley(55th entry), who was the Editor of The Haltonian magazine for 25 years until the end of June 2010, was appointed MBE in the New Years Honours 2010 "For services to the RAFHAAA."
The current editor of the Haltonian magazine is Stuart Morgan (202nd craft apprentice entry). Stuart is also the webmaster of the Old Haltonian social networking site.
A triennial reunion for Brats is organised by the association. The RAFHAA may be contacted through RAF Halton
airfield.
RAF Halton also has its own memorial to the brats opposite Kermode Hall, very close to St. George's C of E church which is resplendent with very many stained glass windows commemorating the 40,000 or so apprentices who were trained there.
Brats are also remembered at the Halton Grove, which is part of the National Memorial Arboretum
, Alrewas, Staffordshire.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
ground crew
Groundcrew
In aviation, the groundcrew is the support crew supplying the aircraft with fuel and maintenance, as opposed to the aircrew.In airlines, ground crew members include:*Airframe and powerplant technicians*Avionics technicians*Baggage handlers*Rampers...
personnel.
Formation
World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
saw the beginning of aerial combat. By 1 April 1918 the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
(RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
(RNAS) had amalgamated into the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. Hugh Trenchard
Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard GCB OM GCVO DSO was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force...
had been appointed Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) and quickly discovered that specialist groundcrew were in very short supply.
Wartime use of aircraft accelerated the development of new technologies. Aircraft power plants
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
were vastly different from those that powered buses and lorries. Airframe
Airframe
The airframe of an aircraft is its mechanical structure. It is typically considered to include fuselage, wings and undercarriage and exclude the propulsion system...
s, with their need to reduce drag and provide control in the air, were a totally new challenge. Armourers were asked to develop new fusing methods
Fuse (explosives)
In an explosive, pyrotechnic device or military munition, a fuse is the part of the device that initiates function. In common usage, the word fuse is used indiscriminately...
for equally new explosive devices like air-dropped bombs. Aircraft electrical systems included bomb release mechanisms and synchronised gun firing
Interrupter gear
An interrupter gear is a device used on military aircraft and warships in order to allow them to target opponents without damaging themselves....
through the propeller via the use of an interrupter mechanism. The addition of a third dimension to navigation meant aircraft instrument makers had to produce new indicators for such things as turn and bank, air speed and an artificial horizon.
For these reasons and others, Trenchard instituted the aircraft apprentice scheme based on No 1 School of Technical Training. This was originally located at RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. It is currently commanded by Group Captain Dave Waddington...
but later more permanently at RAF Halton
RAF Halton
RAF Halton is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom, located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire.HRH The Duchess of Cornwall is the Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Halton.-History:...
, in 1922. RAF Cranwell and RAF Locking
Raf locking
RAF Locking was a Royal Air Force base at Locking just outside Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, England.Slightly north of the base is the site of Locking Castle a motte and bailey castle on Carberry Hill...
later switched exclusively to training aircraft apprentices in the ground and air radio trades.
Training
Entrance to the scheme involved a highly competitive exam, intelligence and aptitude tests, and medical examinations. Admittance was limited exclusively to males between the ages of 15 and 17½ when the Royal Air Force assumed legal guardianship of the lads as in loco parentisIn loco parentis
The term in loco parentis, Latin for "in the place of a parent"" refers to the legal responsibility of a person or organization to take on some of the functions and responsibilities of a parent...
.
Initially, training was a three year course, although this was changed briefly to two years for some apprentice entries during WWII. Training took place over five and a half days a week, and consisted of both academic and practical training. In addition, basic military training was given. Originally, applicants were required to be British subjects and of "pure European descent" (and were required to prove this if there was any doubt). Later, Apprentices were accepted from both Commonwealth and other countries.
The 106th Entry who passed out in December 1966 was the last of the Aircraft Apprentice entries. A three year long Technician Apprentice scheme; a two year long Craft Apprentice scheme; and a one year long Administrative Apprentice scheme were initiated in September 1964, with 107 entry being the first Technician Apprentice entry; 201 entry being the first of the Craft Apprentice entries; and 301 being the first of the Administrative Apprentice entries. Later, a one year scheme for mechanic apprentices was also introduced (the 400 series entry apprentices).
Alumni
It is estimated that as many as forty percent of Brats achieved commissioned officer rank, and a considerable number achieved Air rank. Whatever their former rank, ex-members of the scheme are very proud indeed to be known as "Trenchard's Brats" - or just "Brats".Graduates of this illustrious scheme include many famous and outstanding airmen such as Sir Frank Whittle
Frank Whittle
Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS was a British Royal Air Force engineer officer. He is credited with independently inventing the turbojet engine Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS (1 June 1907 – 9 August 1996) was a British Royal Air...
(father of the jet engine
Jet engine
A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
); Olympian Donald Finlay
Donald Finlay
Group Captain Donald "Don" Osborne Finlay, DFC, AFC was a British athlete and Royal Air Force officer. He was born in Christchurch, Hampshire and died in Great Missenden.-Athletics career:...
, who also fought as a pilot in the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, and several former officers of Air rank, such as Marshal of the Royal Air Force
Marshal of the Royal Air Force
Marshal of the Royal Air Force is the highest rank in the Royal Air Force. In peacetime it was granted to RAF officers in the appointment of Chief of the Defence Staff, and to retired Chiefs of the Air Staff, who were promoted to it on their last day of service. Promotions to the rank have ceased...
Sir Keith Williamson
Keith Williamson
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Keith Alec Williamson, GCB, AFC , is a retired senior officer in the Royal Air Force. He was Chief of the Air Staff from 1982 to 1985.-RAF career:...
GCB AFC, and Air Chief Marshal
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Mike Armitage KCB, CBE (56th entry).
Mike Armitage is Patron of the alumni association, whilst Group Captain Geoff Burton (100th entry) is the current chair. Air Marshal
Air Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Cliff Spink
Cliff Spink
Air Marshal Clifford Rodney Spink CB CBE FCMI FRAeS RAF R'td was a senior Royal Air Force officer during the early 1990s and is now a Spitfire display pilot on the national air display circuit. The first Spitfire he ever flew belonged to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, during his tenure as...
CB CBE (104th entry) and Air Marshal Sir Dusty Miller KCB (210th entry) are Vice Patrons.
The Brats alumni association, a registered charity, is called the RAF Halton Apprentices Association (Old Haltonians) (the RAFHAA), which can be contacted through the Old Haltonians website. Additionally, the Association has its own social networking website.
The "King Brat" (a title given to the oldest member of the Association) is John Rogers (12th entry), who was born in October 1908.
The Association publishes a magazine called The Haltonian (ISSN 2046-1356), three times a year.
Bill Kelley(55th entry), who was the Editor of The Haltonian magazine for 25 years until the end of June 2010, was appointed MBE in the New Years Honours 2010 "For services to the RAFHAAA."
The current editor of the Haltonian magazine is Stuart Morgan (202nd craft apprentice entry). Stuart is also the webmaster of the Old Haltonian social networking site.
A triennial reunion for Brats is organised by the association. The RAFHAA may be contacted through RAF Halton
RAF Halton
RAF Halton is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom, located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire.HRH The Duchess of Cornwall is the Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Halton.-History:...
airfield.
RAF Halton also has its own memorial to the brats opposite Kermode Hall, very close to St. George's C of E church which is resplendent with very many stained glass windows commemorating the 40,000 or so apprentices who were trained there.
Brats are also remembered at the Halton Grove, which is part of the National Memorial Arboretum
National Memorial Arboretum
The National Memorial Arboretum is a national site of remembrance at Alrewas, near Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. It gives its purpose as:-Origins:...
, Alrewas, Staffordshire.