Official
Web Site for 202 entry Craft Apprentices
Contents
STOP PRESS......11 April 2009.......Jim Voss is organising a reunion of the 202 entry association which now numbers some 30 plus members. The reunion will be held on the weekend of 24 and 25 October 2009 at the Hunting Lodge Hotel, Cottingham, Leicestershire. Please contact either Jim Voss or Becky at the hotel for further details.
STOP PRESS......11 April 2009.......202 entry association also have a social networking site at 202entry.ning.com. Please log in to that site to find out what 202 members are doing these days.
STOP PRESS......11 April 2009.......Many ex-Halton brats are also members of the Facebook social networking site. Please log in to that site and look for the ex-brats 1 S of TT RAF Halton group site to find out what some of your old colleagues are doing these days.
Background Information
The 202nd entry was the second of the Craft Apprentice
entries. 201 entry
had arrived at No 1 School of Technical Training RAF Halton in September
1964. The 90 plus young men, who would
become 202 entry, arrived at Wendover station, near
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire on
The craft apprentice scheme was designed to provide skilled craftsmen to service and maintain the TSR2 and the new generation of aircraft. The technician apprentice scheme was similarly designed to provide more highly qualified technicians to work
alongside the craftsmen. Both schemes
were to replace the aircraft apprentice schemes, which had been introduced in
the nineteen twenties by The Lord Trenchard. The apprentices of the Trenchard scheme are affectionately known as
brats. Both craft and technician apprentice
schemes were worthy successors of the aircraft apprentices.
The TSR2 never went into service as the
Click on the photo below to enlarge it.
A
Flt 202 Entry January 1965 B Flt 202 Entry January 1965
The Entry Commander was Flt Lt Brian Carter and his Adjutant was Fg Off Ambler. Brian Carter was last seen by Stuart Morgan in the Running Horse bar at the RAF Club in about 1985. Brian was working for a commercial airline as a pilot.
Many of the Entry went on to become commissioned officers, SNCOs, and warrant officers in the Royal Air Force. Of those who left the RAF at the end of their original term, many have had distinguished careers in civilian life.
One of the Cpl Aircraft Apprentices (CAA) from 104 Entry Aircraft Apprentices, who was the floor CAA in A Flt on our arrival, was Cliff
Spink. Cliff reached the rank of Air Marshall. He retired from the service in November 2002, although by all accounts he still flies with the RAF Reserve, and he flies Hunters out of RAF Scampton.
Less than three weeks after joining the RAF, 202 were involved in the funeral arrangements of Sir Winston Churchill, who died on
Our ex-sergeant apprentice, Jim McKee recently got back in touch through this site. Jim lives in Bridlington with his wife.
Additionally, Paul Moore, Keith Stuart, Dave Greenfield, John Robinson, Eddie Hughes and John Manson have also recently got back in touch. Their email contacts are available to entry members from Stuart Morgan or Jim Voss.
Dave Whiting, Frank Dixon, Jim Voss, Mac Pile, Jimmy Jobson and Jim McKee attended the 2008 reunion of the 202 association at RAF Halton. A 202 entry stain glass window has been endowed by members of the association. This can be seen in the St George's church at Halton.
Mac Pile, Jim Voss, Dave Burgin, Stuart Morgan and Frank Dixon and several other members of the entry attended the RAF Halton RAFHAAA reunion in 2004. Several entry members attended the 2007 reunion of RAFHAAA at Halton
Robin Ling, Mick Meehan and Stuart were in the air scouts when they were brats. Mick and Stuart earned the Queens Award and we went to
John Norman worked at BAE in Brough, East Yorkshire, until his retirement. In 2003 John crashed a glider and badly broke a leg. He is now fully recovered. He competed in a major gliding competition for veterans in Australia in early 2009.
Danny Elliot now lives in Gladstone, Queensland, Australia. He is a Counsellor & Psychotherapist. He became a proud grandfather early in 2005.
In addition to those mentioned elsewhere on this page, the 202 association includes Dave Burgin (who is Secretary, 24 Sqn, RAF); Frank Dixon; Matt Ellis; Andrew Ferguson; Ken Isaac; Terry Lacey (Wg Cdr Retd), now living in Spain; Roger Tunsley; Brian Playle; Mike Pay; Tom Fortune; Paul Moore; and Dennis Wherry.
If you need help to contact any ex-brat, and Stuart Morgan cannot help, then try making contact with Chris McBrien, ex-99th entry, who is a whizz on the
search for ex-brats. Chris maintains a list of email addresses at Chris McBrien web site. Alternatively, look up Chris McBrien's web page for 99th entry, RAFHAAA. If the link on this page does not work for
any reason open either the Altavista or Google search
engines and then search on either Chris McBrien or 99th Entry.
Stuart also has email contact with many other ex-brats, particularly in 106, 201, and 203 entries (over 50 ex-colleagues). A list of known e-mail addresses for members of 202 entry is kept by Stuart Morgan and Jim Voss. Jim is the Branch representative to the RAFHAAA. A number of ex-202 entry brats are also to be found on the Facebook site. There you will find a group for ex-brats of No 1 S of TT, RAF Halton. Membership is open to any ex-Halton brat.
Since April 2009, the 202 entry association have their own social networking site at 202entry.ning.com. If you are ex-202 entry RAF Halton we would love to see you join that site and renew thee friendship.
Membership of the RAF Halton Aircraft Apprentices Association is another good way to keep in touch with ex-brats and the alma mater.
Details of all events and membership subscriptions are available from the RAFHAAA at The Airfield, RAF Halton. The next members only reunion will be in September 2010. We hope to see you there. Please contact the RAFHAAA for further details.
Favourite
Links
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RAF Halton Aircraft
Apprentices Association
Contact
Information
A list of e-mail addresses of ex-202 entry brats is kept by Stuart Morgan and Jim Voss
David Burgin is the secretary of 24 Sqn.
Peter Burke is a senior lecturer at Hull University and lives in Beverley.
Frank Dixon
Danny Elliott is now a Counsellor & Psychotherapist, living in
Matt Ellis
Andrew Ferguson
Dave (Brickwood) Figgins lives in USA.
Tom Fortune
Dave Greenfield lives in Preston.
Eddie Hughes lives in Lincoln.
Ken Isaac
Jimmy Jobson.
Terence Lacey was Wg Ad
O for the Herts and Bucks Wing of the Air Training Corps before retiring to Spain in 2006.
Rob Ling is living and working in Lincoln.
John Manson.
Jim McKee, our ex-sergeant apprentice, is living in Bridlington.
Mick Meehan is living and working on the Isle of Iona
Stuart Morgan lives in Swansea. Stuart’s Skype name is “stuartmorgan”
Paul Moore is living in Australia.
John Norman lives in Beverley, East Yorkshire.
Mike Pay.
Raymond Malcolm (Mac) Pile works for MOD Boscombe Down as the Task Manger (Heavy aircraft).
Brian Playle
John Robinson lives in Lincoln.
Dave Stirling.
Keith Stuart, now living in Burien, WA, USA.
Roger Tunsley lives in USA.
Jim Voss is MD for the North East for CB Richard Ellis, and he is based at Park Place in Leeds
Gareth Walters is also to be found on Skype
Nick Watts.
Dennis Wherry is now living and working in Guernsey, Channel Islands.
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