98th Entry Halton Apprentices

 
I remember very well my arrival at RAF Wattisham - my first’ real’ station after leaving RAF Halton. I had been posted to No 56(F) Sqn along with fellow 98er’s Dave Davison, Andy Folliard and Dave Molden. A bit of apprehension was felt as I wandered around the camp with my ‘Arrival Chit’. After collecting [...]

On my first posting to Coningsby and later when we transferred to Cottesmore I was still very much a motorcycle fanatic and with another ex-98th Apprentice in the shape of Paddy O’Leary, joined the British Formula Racing Club based on the BSA 125 engine (the old Post Office Bikes) and spent weekends racing various tracks [...]

My first Posting was to CFS at Little Rissington in the Cotswolds. There was a tremendous variety of aircraft types there but mainly JPs and Gnats. I was put into the Gnat Recky flight. Gnats were reasonably new 1964 so I felt good about the posting. Frank Duncan was there as well.
Unfortunately the runway at [...]

This photo was sent in to me by Ivan Millington who appears in the photo with Phil Beere and two others during a detachment to RAAF Butterworth.  A ‘jolly’ from Coningsby with the mighty Vulcan was the reason for being in that part of the world. Both Ivan and Phil were posted to Coningsby from Halton.  Please send in your photos [...]

No 56 Sqn Firebird

My first posting from Halton to No 56 (Lightning) Sqn lasted until March 1970, a total of six years. Three years at Wattisham and another three years at Akrotiri. My article ‘Lightning Bolt’ looked at one incident during this period whereas this article takes a broader perspective of my time on Lightnings. Click on the [...]

Budge and Barry Donovan were posted to RAF Odiam. Budge recalls a few memories of those first three years. PLease read on ….microsoft-word-rotating-wing

Mike Mason remembers an incident that happened during his first posting at RAF Wattisham when working on the ‘frightning’ Lightning. Click the link to read:  
Lightning Bolt