Wednesday 28th July 1948
No.1 School of Technical Training
PASSING OUT INSPECTION
OF THE
51st ENTRY OF AIRCRAFT
APPRENTICES
at
R.A.F. STATION HALTON
By
Air Marshal Sir LESLIE N HOLLINGHURST
KCB KBE DFC
on
WEDNESDAY, 28th JULY, 1948
When the 51st arrived at Halton on 21st August 1945, they were
allocated a service number and became Aircraft Apprentices.
The first number and apprentice in the Entry, following the last number
in the 50th Entry, was 582480 A/A Alan Dando, who joined the Radio Fitters
and went to Cranwell to do their apprenticeship. Alan is a member of the
Association and has attended the last two reunions. The last of the
252 members of the Entry was 582731 A/A Ralph Roberts, a FIIE.
Despite vigorous attempts to locate him, Ralph has so far eluded
the net, and we think he may be in South Africa having spent the war
years down there. For our non-apprentice readers, A/A was the abbreviation
for Aircraft Apprentice. During the 3 years of our engineering
apprenticeship, many were promoted, with the highest rank being
Sergeant Aircraft Apprentice (S/A/A). Intermediate ranks were
Leading Aircraft Apprentice (L/A/A) and Corporal Aircraft
Apprentice (C/A/A)
On 28th July 1948, the day of the Passing Out Parade,
the 51st Entry formed up on the parade ground
(the Henderson Square) in three flights in front of the Pipe Band,
with the 52nd, 53rd and 54th
Entry’s to the rear. Officers and Senior NCO’s of the
Permanent Staff were not on the parade, leaving the
51st to control the event. The 51st
apprentices in charge were:-
|
Parade Commander |
S/A/A Tony Thomas |
|
Parade Warrant Officer |
S/A/A Arthur Becker |
Flight Commanders
|
No. 1 Flight |
S/A/A Ben Coombes |
|
No. 2 Flight |
C/A/A Mike Gill |
|
No. 3 Flight |
S/A/A Barry Faulkner |
|
Pipe Band Drum Major |
C/A/A Frank Howard |
|
Military Band Drum Major |
L/A/A Derek Ward |
|
Reviewing Base Standard Bearers |
S/A/A Ben Mitchell |
S/A/A Rodney Pocock |
The 51st passed out under the watchful eye of the Reviewing
Officer - Air Marshal Sir Leslie Hollinghurst, who was
accompanied by:-
|
Air Marshal J. Whitworth Jones |
AOC Technical Training Command |
|
Air Vice Marshal L.Harvey |
AOC No. 24 Group |
|
Air Commodore J. Titmus |
Officer Commanding RAF Halton |
|
Group Captain J. Mutch |
STO No. 1 School of Technical Training, RAF Halton |
|
Wing Commander D. Biggs |
Officer Commanding No. 1 Apprentice Wing |
Guests of the 51st received a formal invitation
to the Passing Out Parade. A copy of an original invitation card
is reproduced below.
If you read the small print on the card,
you will see that due to food rationing at the time,
lunch would not be available - only light refreshments
in the No.1 Wing Institute (or Naafi to us!) - and that was
three years after the war!
51st ENTRY PRIZE WINNERS
|
Highest in Order of Merit in All Subjects |
582488 S/A/A Arthur Becker (FIIE) |
|
Highest in Order of Merit for General Efficiency |
582488 S/A/A Arthur Becker (FIIE) |
|
Highest in Order of Merit in Educational Subjects |
582488 S/A/A Arthur Becker (FIIE)
|
|
Highest in Order of Merit for CTTB Practical Fitting and Winner
of the Crebbin Robinson Cup |
582709 A/A Gus Dixon (FIIA) |
|
Highest Average for Practical Fitting over 3 years |
582487 L/A/A Brian Sherburn (FIIE) |
|
Highest in Order of Merit in General Studies and winner of the
Elliot Memorial Prize presented by the Royal Aeronautical Society
|
582494 S/A/A Don Ellis (FIIE) |
BEST TRADESMAN IN THE CTTB EXAM
|
FIIA (Airframe) |
582709 A/A Gus Dixon |
|
FIIE (Engines) |
582501 C/A/A Mike Gill |
|
Electrician |
582556 L/A/A Roy Loveluck |
|
Instrument Maker |
582526 C/A/A Lawrie Gillard |
|
Armourer |
582370 L/A/A Joe Woodford |
Our Chairman, Don Ellis, was the winner
of the Elliot Memorial Prize and he has told us that the prize
was a cheque for 2 guineas (£2.10 in ‘new’ money) and a
suitably inscribed book on the History of Flight.
Don said that he loaned the book to a pilot at RAF Kinloss
in the early 50’s and he never returned it!