The 81st Entry
RAF Halton Aircraft Apprentices
Sept 1955 - July 1958
ISSUE No. 10 - FEBRUARY 2007
The Journal of the 81st Entry
Editor: Mike Stanley
Welcome to the tenth issue of The Journal of The 81st Entry. Double Figures!
The pie chart below shows the numbers of articles submitted by trades; Alongside the colour key are the numbers of each trade represented on Brian Spurway's In Touch list.
Blue = Airframes 31
Red = Armourers 33
Green = Electricians 10
Yellow = Engines 36
Lt Blue = Instruments 10
The 81st and Triennial Reunion 2007
Frank Chammings
As Brian stated at Cirencester, there will not be an organised 81st Entry reunion after the Halton Triennial reunion on 22nd September 2007. It may be possible for a get together if we can find a hotel that we can all stay at and socialise in the evening. In order to find a suitable location it is necessary to determine how many 81st members might be attending at Halton.
Those on-line can email directly to f.chammings#tiscali.co.uk, [for # substitute @], I would be grateful if members could respond as soon as possible, at least within a month after the journal is published. Alternatively phone 01837 52095.
New Articles
The Continuing Adventures of Adrian Gates by Adrian Gates
Why an Armourer? by 681218 Sach Goodwin´
The Adventures of……… by Alan Lowther RAF Binbrook- Part the First (Sept 58 to May 59) 681267 J/T (ex A/A) Alan Lowther (Armourer)
Mr Carter by Mike Stanley
After Halton : My Time in the RAF by Malcolm (Mac) Mason
If you have any comments on articles in the Journals, or just want to say 'Hi!' to old friends please CONTACT US
It will be published in due course on our FEEDBACK PAGE
What colour was your toolbox?
As a brave cold war warrior I am uncomfortable with our esteemed editor's choice of colour to represent the Fitters in the pie-chart above.. Pondering this, I recalled our Engines' toolboxes during Basic were painted a nice solid shade of RED. I seem to recall that the riggers' toolboxes were painted BLUE. As far as the ancillary trades were concerned, I just don't know. Were they actually allowed enuff tools, apart from a big hammer or a dinky little screwdriver, to warrant a toolbox? Any recollections on this vital point? WK
Email to seamushk¤hotmail.com
Vanishing Words?
Mike, by providing us with the stats regarding contributions to the The Journal, has illuminated something to ponder on. As far as I am aware, no other Entry has accumulated such reminiscences of the period that will forever be known as the Cold War. Minutiae it might be but just think how modern-day historians probe into the letters and other papers written during the World Wars, to find how about real life for the Tommy or erk.
The Internet, for all its advantages at providing practically instant information, is fundamentally ephemeral. Not for nothing is information on paper known as 'hard copy'. The words penned for our Journal on the Web are very far from immortal, requiring only a push of a 'Delete'button somewhere to dissolve into a meaningless collection of 1s and 0s.Maybe we should provide a bound volume of our Journal for retention in the RAF Museum at Hendon. Or is that too pompous?
Views on a postcard please, or email. WK
