RAF Halton 219th Apprentice Entry Website

Erks's "Ardlife Ad Astra"

"In this fictionalised account of my life as an apprentice at Royal Air Force Halton I have drawn on the experiences from that time. I have also enlarged upon situations, borrowed some from my peers and created others. The whole provides an amusing, yet poignant view of those two long years."

Also added is a love interest, to punctuate the forces lien and to make the work more acceptable to the general public.I have further illustrated situations by the insertion of pencil line drawings at the relevant place within the text.

The foreword is by my old Wing Co, Air Chief Marshall Sir Richard Johns.To reserve a copy please e-mail E-mail Steve Corless or call 01254 766088 (Daytime)
Cost £5-00 + 70p P&P

219th Entry A FittA 's - First Postings
MURPHY PUGH DAVIES ELMS McARVAIl ALLEN ALLISON ASHDOWN BAKER BEALE BILLING BLYTHE BOOTH BOURNE BRETT BROWN BURRIDGE CLARKSON CORBETT COUPLAND CROSSLAND DAVIES JOHNSON JONES DEERING DICKENSON DYSON ENRIGHT EYLES GEMMELL GOLDSMITH GRIGG HALL HUSSEY JAMES KINGSBURY LACEY LANCASTER LAWRENCE LESBUREL LIVINGS LUMB MaCKENZIE MALCOLM MANN MATHESON McDONALD MERCER MIDDLEMISS MILLAR MILLS MITCHELL MOORE TAYLOR TOBIN TRANGMAR TREVENA TURNER WAINWRIGHT WARDEN WATKINS WELHAM WELLS WHITTEN WILLIAMS WINTERS WOODHOUSE HENDERSON HOOPER MURTON O’NEIL PETRIE PLUMMER PRATT PRIESTLEY REDFORD ROSSER RUMBLES SCADDING SHORT SMITH SMITH SMITH SOUTHGATE STACHURA STOREY SUTTON ASHFIELD BARCLAY BARRATT BENNETT BOSWELL BOWLER DIAMOND BROWNE BURGESS BUTTERWORTH CARTER CHOWN CLEAVER COTHIER CURWEN DEAL LANGSFORD JOHNSON JONES DUNBAR EDNEY EMERY GAIR GIBBS GREEN GUESS HICKSON INGRAM JACKSON KIRKUP LAIRD WHITBY LAURENSON LAWRENCE LORD BRYANT LITTLE LUCAS MAKINSON MANDER MARSHALL MAULT MEADE MEREDITH MIDSON MILLER PARKER PILCHER TOWNS PRIESTLY POLDEN SMITH TAYLOR ROBINSON ROWE SABEY SCOTT SELF SLOAN SNOW SPAIN STOCKS SULLIVAN THORNTON TURNER WILLIAMS HAMILTON VAUGHAN WALTERS WARDLY WELLER WILLIS WOODMASON	J E A M P G M L S J E T W R E C T R S A P J I N F M J G N F D A R R A M M J N R A J A R A J A M A J R L M J D C D D R F J A L E G K P J M R P D N C E G E D M D I R T J N M I A C A E G M A R E M K M P P T D J F T P G W A J P F J A J M J P B A K R R J B J R F R D I K C R W A J B E M S B P M P P A C J F J D C D E S J M C R E J M C J E R D N R G D D G G L A S A J S R J M J D R F R B L M G S J W J P R S A B A C J A R T F A D R M I A A A A S S G P D J K A R P V C J D W D J D L S G R H I C C R N G A W R L D L N M D P J D C K C K A R D G J D N P P A C J J R D R H E A C R D P D J R C M	WYTON 39 SQN ABINGDON VALLEY 4FTS COLERNE ST ATHAN WEST RAYNHAM COLERNE COLERNE WYTON 543 SQN COLERNE CHIVENOR THORNEY ISLAND CHIVENOR 229 OCU CHIVENOR 229 OCU CONINGSBY CHIVENOR 229 OCU COLTISHALL 226 OCU WITTERING COLERNE LYNEHAM WEST RAYNHAM WITTERING COLERNE LINTON-ON-OUSE IFTS CHIVENOR 229 OCU ABINGDON LINTON-ON-OUSE 1FTS COLERNE COLERNE COLERNE COLTISHALL 226 OCU ABINGDON LINTON-ON-OUSE 1FTS ST ATHAN LEEMING 3FTS ODIHAM LINTON-ON-OUSE WYTON 39 SQN CHIVENOR 229 OCU BINBROOK WYTON 39 SQN WITTERING THORNEY ISLAND ABINGDON WEST RAYNHAM WEST RAYNHAM LEEMING 3FTS ST ATHAN ABINGDON VALLEY 4FTS COLERNE LEEMING 3FTS WEST RAYNHAM WITTERING¬ ST ATHAN ST MAWGAN ST MAWGAN CHIVENOR 229 OCU CHIVENOR 229 OCU WITTERING. ST MAWGAN COTTESMORE LECONFIELD 60 MU WITTERING COLERNE HONINGTON COLTISHALL COLERNE LYNEHAM VALLEY 4FTS COLERNE COLERNE WITTERING ABINGDON LITTLE RISSINGTON CFS WYTON 51 SQN ST ATHAN COLERNE ST ATHAN VALLEY 4 FTS COLERNE TERNHILL ST ATHAN COLERNE ST ATHAN THORNEY ISLAND SCAMPTON THORNEY ISLAND COLERNE WYTON WYTON ABINGDON THORNEY ISLAND ST ATHAN VALLEY 4.FTS VALLEY 4 FTS COLERNE CHIVENOR 229 OCU ST MAWGAN VALLEY 4FTS ABINGDON WEST RAYNHAM COLERNE COLERNE LECONFIELD 60 MU TERNHILL WYTON 51 SQN COLERNE LINTON-ON-OUSE 1FTS LINTON-ON-OUSE 1FTS LINTON-ON-OUSE 1FTS LYNEHAM LINTON-ON-OUSE 1FTS LEEMING- 3FTS LEEMING- 3FTS WITTERING ABINGDON WITTERING ST MAWGAN WITTERING WEST RAYNHAM WEST RAYNHAM WITTERING ODIHAM ABINGDON WEST RAYNHAM COLERNE BINBROOK WITTERING COLTISHALL CHIVENOR 229 OCU CHIVENOR 229 OCU ST MAWGAN CONINGSBY LYNEHAM COLERNE CHIVENOR 229 OCU CHIVENOR 229 OCU CONINGSBY WEST RAYNHAM WYTON 543 SQN WYTON 543 SQN LITTLE RISSINGTON CFS WITTERING HONINGTON COLTISHALL COLTISHALL ST ATHAN ST ATHAN ST ATHAN CHIVENOR 229 OCU COLERNE ST ATHAN COLERNE WITTERING COLERNE COLERNE COLERNE SCAMPTON COLERNE

REUNION 2005

We had lads and lasses from all over Europe, Didcot, the Fens, Sunderland, Widnes, Banbury, with piper Melvyn Morrison coming from Brussels. No, he didn’t bring any sprouts.

We all had meals during the evening, although at different times, which kept the conversation flowing. Perhaps next year we can all eat at the same time? What do you think?

The bar closed at 11pm and we said goodbye to those going home to their digs in the village. Then the remaining eight of us, who were staying at the Days Inn, instigated a new tradition. We walked back and, as it was dark at the bit where we crossed the stile into the service area, held hands in a line, so as not to lose anybody.
Finally we had a convivial drink and swapped stories in the hotel bar to round off a good day.

Thoughts for the future
Same place: Dog and Duck, Shardlow, nice Derby.
Same time: October 28th 2006 – It’s a long weekend as the clocks go back.
Bring a raffle prize and we’ll donate the money to a charity.
Try to organize eating the evening meal at the same time.
I recommend the Days Inn. At £49 it was clean, friendly and comfortable. It’s fifteen minutes walk from there to the Dog and Duck and entitles you to a post reunion debrief and storytime.

"Thoroughly enjoyed the reunion even though I didn't get there till late.

Well done and thanks to Stephen for his organisation, sorry it's taken so
long to say so but been having trouble with my internet service. Been a
sooty too long to get involved with this computer stuff.

Had a chat about the triennial at Halton and the Association in general. We both felt that there's an us and them between between the AA's and the Crafties. That will only change if we turn up en masse. Something to be discussed at the next reunion."