Window Dedication - 7 November
2004
(Address
delivered by Rob
Honnor during the service of dedication)
We came
to Halton to learn and one of the first things that was drummed
into me those many years ago was - NEVER VOLUNTEER TO DO NOTHING. That
being a double negative and me not being very bright at
the time, I took
it as it read and not as it was implied. It has kept me very busy ever
since.
At last
year's reunion (Sept 2003) it was suggested that we should have an Entry web-site. Knowing absolutely
nothing about how you generate and publish a web-site
I volunteered to do one, on the basis, how difficult can
it be for a Halton Apprentice. We now have our web-site, which is
not only a focal point for the Entry, but also links to
many other entries, so helping to strengthen that unique Halton
Apprentice bond. As a direct result of the web-site we have
found many lost souls, but also we have sadly confirmed the
demise of others.
Mervyn
Kelly, our valiant secretary and co-chairman, then asked me
to give him a hand with this window project. We trawled you for
ideas and it was difficult knowing which of the many to keep and
which to leave out, but we have ended up with an extremely fine window to
dedicate this morning.
It was then mooted that someone had to stand here today to
talk about our Entry, its achievements and to tell the story
of our window. I was promptly volunteered again on the basis
that having done the two previous jobs, I probably knew as much
as anyone about the Entry and the
Window.
You
would have thought by now I would have learnt to anticipate
these things and take one pace smartly backwards, but no - it
is a privilege to be so closely involved in these projects and
with good people like Merv and our other co-chairman Gordon
Sherratt, whose unselfish efforts ensure gatherings like this
weekend run so smoothly. Nor must we forget Frank Baldry who
maintains the contact lists that help reunite our people after
all this time.
Story of the
Window
The Spitfire and Hurricane in silhouette
at the top of the window and the year 1940 remind us that most
of us signed on the dotted line on15th September 1960 ,
exactly 20 years to the day after the Battle of Britain.
Our wing colours of yellow (3-wing) and
red (1-wing) are background for the dates 1960 to 1963, the
years we spent at Halton. 3 of the 4 brass wheels in
the row at the bottom of the window are backed with our
Squadron-Flight colours of red, green and pale blue.
The 1st wheel has a
unique purple infill, which
signifies the time a 96th Entry raiding party 'enhanced'
the fountains in Trafalgar Square by dosing them with
potassium permanganate, a well planned event, the outcome of
which was reported in the national press, but blamed on
Ban-the-Bomb protestors who were demonstrating that
weekend. A later apprentice entry copied the stunt
using detergent, producing lots of foam and soap bubbles,
also shown on their window. (Note - The full story behind this
escapade will be told later on a separate web page).
Our
Entry had a full set of trades - Airframes, Engines,
Electrics, Instruments and Armament and these are represented
in our window by that invaluable tool, the universal monkey
wrench or fully adjustable spanner, such a precision tool
that would never be used on aircraft now, although it was
probably the tool of choice in Trenchard's day.
We also had Dental Technicians in our Entry, only the
2nd such apprentice intake at the time, and to represent them we have
an articulator, which is a clever mechanical jaw that ensured
that the sets of plastic gnashers they were trained to make,
intermeshed correctly in accordance with complex geometric
rules. So if your falsies don't fit too well then maybe they
weren't made according to the exacting RAF standards.
The centre-piece of the window illustrates
the occasion when, as senior entry, the 96th was privileged
to provide ushers, a Guard of Honour and the Queen's
Colour Party for the formal parade and Service of Dedication
of the new St George's Church in July 1963.
The Halton
Apprentice Colour Party is unique in that the standard is
paraded by non-commissioned ranks only. Here we see Sgt Apprentice Jock Duff as colour
bearer, escorted by L/Apps Dave Sinclair and Trevor Taylor
(most easily recognisable on the right as drawn).
The background to the
Colour Party is the church pews and the main church
window with plain glass, as it was at the time of the church
dedication in 1963, without the superb blaze of colour you see
now.
The 96th Entry window design is therefore
unique in having the original church window incorporated into
its church window, which is then incorporated into the current
church window to commemorate the original event. (Read it
again - it makes perfect sense).
There should have been some drifting snow shown in the design
just above the row of wheel
badges to remind you of that long harsh winter of 1962/63 when
after struggling back to camp after Xmas grant, we spent so much
time shoveling the stuff, but it obviously melted in the kiln
on the real window.
The
window also includes our Entry shield, designed by Dudley
Denham. The motto ‘Quam Celerrime’ translates loosely as ‘With
Greatest Speed’ hence the legendary rapid spotty cat
– it's a cheetah. What we were chasing then and
why I have
no idea but I find the motto becomes increasingly significant
as each year passes at a seemingly greater rate of knots. The
black frame to the shield is to remind us of those members we
have lost along life's way.
There
were so many other notable events that we were unable to put
into the window, such as route lining and
other parades in London, including the unveiling of the Lord
Trenchard memorial, trips to Earls Court and Wimbledon, summer
camp on Dartmoor, adventure weekends, the brass and pipe
bands, etc - which I must
leave to your memories.
Graduation
Our graduation report tells of our achievements, far
too many to cover in detail in the short time I have today,
but just let me say that according to record, 198 apprentices
took final exams, 3 officer cadetships were awarded, 4
apprentices graduated as full Cpls and there were 130
accelerated promotions recommended, including me, that is 2/3rds
of the Entry, a figure only surpassed by one other entry. 2
apprentices were discharged and 2 were back-entried, but we
were topped up by a few retreads from earlier entries. Along
with the extensive academic and sporting awards gained, these
results were stated by the Commandant as being remarkable
achievements.
Sir
John Hunt, the Reviewing Officer, encouraged us to ‘…stand by
the courage of your convictions, be not afraid of the future
and to go out and make your own mark in life…’ I think the
splendid training we had at Halton has allowed most of us to
do just that.
In closing I would just like to remind you that the
training we were given as Halton apprentices is still
considered to be the best in the world. It has given me and I
know many others here, the confidence and ability to take life
by the scruff of the neck, to take on challenges other people
have shied away from and to make an unqualified success of
them.
The
Halton
Apprentice - he can do anything - and he always will to the
best of his ability - he never volunteers to do nothing - he
normally gets on with it before he is ever asked. | 