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Saturday 25th September 2010
It was another great day for the 208 entry at our old home at RAF Halton.
The first surprise was that Dave Colbert arrived before the rest of us! Well done Dave, you set us a fine example and it was good to see you again. Joining Dave this time were Roddy McKenzie, John Robson and Adrian Small. We made the total number of ex-apprentices up to 1,500 according to one report. They couldn’t have done that without our help!
There is a huge new building at the end of our old block which is used as an indoor parade square. Indoor drill?
The “Burton Drill Facility” was put to better use by us as a place for everyone to meet and drink beer or tea and look at the various displays. Roddy, Dave and I met John there and we went on to have a look at one of the blocks that was open for visitors. What a change there was here too! Only twelve beds in a room and the floor is completely carpeted. The new bods don’t know what they’re missing. Who can forget a Friday bull night and the joy of swinging a bumper up and down the centre deck?
The wash rooms have more showers in them and there were no red tiles on the floor, they’ve been replaced by non-slip modern ones. I would imagine that the red cardinal makers have gone bust by now. There’s a washing and a drying machine on each floor but there was no sign of an ironing board. You can’t burn your best blue trousers properly without an old table with a blanket on it. I did that before one parade and Sooty was kind enough to put it down to over enthusiasm. I was expecting a right roasting but he did have a heart didn’t he?
We ambled across the parade square without feeling at all guilty and visited the Trenchard Museum. It was a lot busier than it was when we had it to ourselves last year but we managed to get a good look at the exhibits.
Some of the ex-apprentices had brought their classic or vintage cars with them and these were on display on the square near the Henderson Mess. We had a good look at them while waiting for the second lunch sitting. The Golden Oldies pipe band had been playing most of the morning and Roddy managed to blag a quick go on one of the side drums. That must be the first time on a single drum for forty years isn’t it Roddy?
While waiting in the queue for lunch we were serenaded by ex-brass bandsmen who concluded with the traditional mess call on a trumpet. There seems to be no sign of bugles at Halton now, I wonder how the new recruits get up in the mornings? Lunch was pretty good although there wasn’t the wide choice we were given in the old days. I went for the chicken curry and couldn’t think why only half my plate was filled because there were no poppadoms or chapattis on offer. Then I figured it out, they’d left room for chips of course, but by this time I had joined the others at the table. The mess staff even came up with some rhubarb crumble and custard for desert, very nice too. Robbie told us that the contractors who provide mess facilities throughout the RAF have to provide three meals a day at a cost per head of only 75p. I can’t imagine how they manage to do that without sacrificing quality or quantity.
We were called from the mess at 2:30 for parade! I don’t think any of us were ready for that. On the road outside the mess there was complete chaos. We were supposed to be assembling by entry with the lower numbers at the head but with the older entries having done three years, us two, and techs doing three again it was difficult to figure out where to place ourselves. Still, it encouraged us to talk to everyone to find out what entry they were in and we did manage to get ourselves in some sort of order eventually.
Some of us remembered how to come to attention and we marched off along the road next to the mess to go behind the old gym and on to the parade square. The Pipe Band was leading and it was great to hear the familiar tunes and to be marching behind them again. (I may sound like a daft old beggar but we all felt the same.) Since the early entries are considerably older than us, they slowed occasionally and a bit of a concertina started so we stopped once or twice before we got past the gym.
By the time we set foot on the square, the band had taken post in the centre and we could hear them properly and keep time better. Then a little boy marching at our side who turned out to be a Corporal D.I. called out “Eyes . . . . left!” Well, we didn’t expect it to be that formal, and I’m sure I wasn’t alone in thinking I might fall over if I wasn’t looking where I was going. None the less, we gave it a go and were treated to the sight of the prettiest Station Commander we had ever seen. Group Captain Christine Elliot is also current President of the Apprentices Association. After doing a circuit of the square in order to get everyone on, we stopped, sorry, halted, 4 to 6 deep on three sides of it. As we stopped, we shuffled to face inwards and then the Parade Warrant Officer, in the centre of the square shouted out “Apprentices, inwards . . . . . turn!” and then suffered a fit of giggles as he realised what had happened.
There followed the Sunset Ceremony, a combined effort from the Golden Oldies Pipe Band and the Halton Area Military Band. It’s a long time since I heard Last Post played with the Evening Hymn and that, and the sound of the pipes starting up made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
After an address by the Vice Chairman, Air Marshal Sir Dusty Miller (210th Entry) we were treated to a magnificent flying display in a Spitfire by Air Marshal Cliff Spink. (104th Entry) He must have been well below the regulation display height and was flying full loops and very tight turns, just like display flying used to be before health and safety got hold of it. When we had all calmed down, we were brought to attention and marched off the square on our way down that hill. It was strangely satisfying to see all the traffic stopped at Main Point to let us cross, the present lot don’t do that any more because a tunnel has been dug under the road for them. I’m surprised they’re not carried down in coaches.
Parade was dismissed at the side of the old workshops and we had the choice of church parade or the RAFA Club. Since the church was already full we took the second choice and drove down to the airfield. At the club, we drank a toast to everybody who couldn’t be with us and also to the hope that we’ll find more old pals and have a big get together in the future. More contributions were collected for the Entry Window Fund and there is information on the current status of that on the window page.
1968
Roddy reunited with another old friend!
2010
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