Apprentice Technical Training at RAF Halton

Introduction – Technical Training Program at RAF Halton (WWII Era)

During WWII, the Royal Air Force (RAF) Halton was the central training facility for technical apprentices who were responsible for maintaining and repairing military aircraft. Our blog series on RAF Halton was inspired by our visit to the Trenchard Museum. This blog series explores the technical training program for apprentices at RAF Halton during the WWII era. We have a special focus on the contingent of young boys from Poland who participated in this training and war support endeavor.

Visual Images of the RAF Halton Technical Training Program (circa WWII)

The images in this post are examples of technical training at RAF Halton during WWII as preserved at the Trenchard Museum.

Armourer Training

This display at the Trenchard Museum shows aspects of Armourer Training. Featured are parts for a .303 Vickers Machine Gun made by Jo Swain of the 32nd Entry. The items were presented to the museum by his son.

Riveting Exercise

Here, we see an example of riveting work based on the drawing underneath the displayed item. This is the type of technical learning that RAF Halton apprentices experienced to develop riveting skills.

Practice Piece – Dzus Fastener

The following exercise demonstrates a Dzus fastener and the use of 3 kinds of rivets. This technical training exercise allowed the RAF Halton apprentice to learn the use of the drill, hammer, dolly, and riveter.

Practice Piece – Semi-Circular Cutout

The practice piece below demonstrates the technical training for the RAF Apprentice to set rivets and preparations to make a semi-circular cutout. Mistakes were marked by the instructor.

Tools – Micrometer Screw Gauge

Many tools were used by apprentices in the technical training program at RAF Halton. Below, we see an image of a micrometer screw gauge. This was used to accurately measure thickness of metal. The item to be measured is placed between the pads of the micrometer. The pads are tightened by turning the knurled end until the ratchet “clicks”. The thickness can be read to one-thousandth of an inch (or centimeter).

Photos of Apprentices in Training (1930s-1940s)

A few photos below show technical training of apprentices at RAF Halton during the 1930s-1940s.

Comments Welcome

The information and images above came from photos we took during our visit to the Trenchard Museum. We hope that in sharing this information, we can help people understand the experience of the Apprentice Program at RAF Halton during WWII.

If you have related information to contribute to this blog, please let us know.

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Polish Forces at RAF Halton

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