THE STAINED GLASS WINDOW PROJECT
In 1997 the then RAF C of E Padre at St Georges Church, the Rev Richard Lee, suggested that the Association encourage its members to install stained glass windows in the church to commemorate their time at Halton. The membership were immediately enamoured of this idea and soon windows, depicting Entry numbers, wing colours, Entry badges, famous and infamous Entry activities, and a host of other events were appearing in glorious colour glass: each telling something of its creators time at Halton. For example the 2nd Entry shows the tunic and puttees that the early apprentices wore, and one of the aircraft types that was in service in 1922. The 76th shows badges of the commonwealth air forces who sent boys to be trained with the Entry, and a Russian Tank commemorating the Soviet invasion of Hungary which took place during their apprenticeship. The 62nd Entry window depicts the Tornado which swept across the camp during their time at Halton causing much damage to the workshops.
So far the main response has been from the Aircraft Apprentices. So come on you young-uns from the Technician, Aircraft Engineering, Craft, Admin and Mechanic Entries, get cracking and produce your story for posterity. Remember that you too were graduates of the world's first and best formal aircraft engineering college.
For details of how to go about producing a window contact the HAAA office, or call direct the stained glass artist, strongly recommended by the Association. The contact details are: Karen Newby, tel 01452 859272.
Entry Windows Gallery.
Click on the link below to visit the new gallery, a superb piece of work on the 75th Entry website engineered by Dave Howell!
Entry Window Descriptions.
2nd Entry
One of the very few members of this Entry
still with us A. Ruffel was very involved with the design of the
window.
The Aircraft is a "HAWKER HOUSLEY TORPEDO BOMBER" which
he flew as a Sergeant Pilot.
The two figures represent his entry collegues, one in his "best
blue" outside a Barrack Block, and the other in his Overalls
outside Workshops.
The bottom Panel is his Flight on parade.
11th Entry
The Widow of one of the Entry paid for
this window, as a gift to her husbands memory, showing the actual
"HAWKER HART" her husband flew over the "Kyber
Pass" and his Pilot Wings.
26th Entry
The Entry was at the take off , of the
DH COMET crewed by SCOTT and BLACK when it won the 1934 UK to
AUSTRALIA Air Race
The scroll with Motto "TWO SIX UP" is a play on the
Entry number and the RAF call for extra effort when pulling or
lifting
An Apprentice from each Wing is supporting the scroll and crest.
27th Entry
The entry worked on the aircraft shown,
a AVRO 504K and practiced prop swinging on the British Bulldog
They worked on the Rolls Royce KESTREL Engines
33rd Entry
The Harp representing the largest apprentice
band with 110 musicians
The orange hat band for No. 4 wing
The Coronet for our Earl
The rings for our Air Vice Marshal
The beech leaves and primroses recalling our cross country runs
The Crown on a black square for the last entry to witness a Drumming
Out and Public Flogging Ceremony
The opaque white barrack square for the only Entry whose Passing
Out Parade was cancelled because of snow on the Parade Square
The figures representing the last Entry to wear Pantaloons and
dog collar tunics
The ammunition for our Armourers
The chequered hat band for N0. 3 Wing
42nd Entry
The Window was designed jointly by Peter
Beckett (in Australia) and John Cook (in England) with some input
from former members of the 42nd Entry with whom contact had been
made. It was manufactured by Bernard Seaton of Saxon Abbey, a
local craftsman in stained glass windows. The main elements of
the Window are the Apprentice Wheel (displaying the Entry Number
and dates) surmounted by the eagle motif, a diamond shape enclosing
a set square, a micrometer and a scroll bearing the lettering
"PRECISION", symbolic of both the accurate workmanship
and the great accuracy in execution in all activities demanded
of aircraft apprentices during their training and, lastly, beech
trees and falling leaves for the beauty of the Chiltern Hills.
50th Entry
Last entry to receive the war medal.
54th Entry
1st Entry to have the new Flt. Sgt. Apprentice rank
National emblems in each corner
Spitfire/Meteor range of Aircraft trained on.
58th Entry
The crown depicted is a King's Crown and signifies that King George VI was on the throne when we enlisted.
The depiction of the beret indicates that the 58th were the first Aircraft Apprentice Entry to be issued with the beret at their initial kitting out.
The Apprentice Wheel is common to all but a very few Apprentices and is the badge of our unique bond.
The inverted rank chevron denotes the fact that the 58th Entry had the distinction of being the first Entry to Pass Out under the "new" 1951 trade structure and were thus amongst the first Junior Technicians in the Royal Air Force. The inverted chevron was indicative of that rank.
The three Sixpenses add up to one shilling
and sixpence (7.5 new pence) of the pre-decimal coinage and is
representative of our daily rate of pay on enlistment. The dates
shown on the coins represent the three years during which the
Entry underwent training, although it is acknowledged that the
Cranwell element of the Entry did not Pass Out until February
1951.
65th Entry
The flag, with the three wing colours
of RED, BLUE, and YELLOW, at half mast reflects the nation in
Court Mourning due to the passing away of Queen Mary on March
24th, 3 days before we were due to pass out.
The black draped drums at the bottom reflect our passing out Parade
on March 27th 1953 to the somber beat of the drum only. No other
music permitted.
The open book at the top reflects the Quinton Memorial Trophy
awarded for the first time to the highest placed ex ATC Cadet.
This was won by F/Sgt. GARLICK
76th Entry
The three cap badges at the top
are of the airforces represented in the entry, the Royal Air Force,
Royal Ceylon Air Force and the Royal Rhodesian Air Force.
The Entry badge at centre an eagle above the globe with the motto, " The World At Our Feet", It probably was at pass out!
The three circular images at the bottom, show an Aylesbury Duck representing the Freedom of Aylesbury parade of April 1956 on which the 76th were the senior entry present. The tank (T34) over a broken Hungarian flag is for the supressed uprising of October 1956. The other circle shows the date period of the 76th at Halton, Jan 54 to Dec 56.
Finally the coloured rectangles around the window periphery represent the three wing colours.
80th Entry
The window is made up of 3 vertical gothic
bars representing the 3 wing colours, and the motto means United
We Are Victorious. Aircraft markings for the mid fifties are shown
for each of the countries represented in our entry, with the RAF
at centre top, Royal New Zealand Air Force to the left and the
Southern Rhodesian Air Force to the right. The Ceylonese Air Force
insignia is lower left and the Burmese Air Force to the right.
86th Entry
The three Wing Colours
Their blazer badge design
The football because a member of the Entry was the Captain of
the South African football team
The Comet was a link with the DH Comet Aircraft
87th Entry
Surround is wing colours
The apprentice wheel.
The converging trees represent Chestnut Avenue with a silhouette
of the workshops at the end.
The Hawker Hunter symbolises the modern Air Force. It came into
service during the fifties (our era) and was also the advanced
airframe and systems training aircraft in the workshops and down
the airfield.
8T7 as painted by us on the 2 wing Naafi roof and dug out at Ivanhoe
Beacon, and written such thereafter by us.
96th Entry
The date 1940 and silhouettes of the
Spitfire and Hurricane remind us that the majority of the Entry
signed on the dotted line exactly 20 years to the day after the
Battle of Britain.
The dates 1960 on a yellow background and 1963 on a red background
are the years of our enlisting and graduation with the colours
representing 3 Wing and 1 Wing.
The wing colours are echoed at the bottom of the window behind
4 brass wheels, 3 of which are backed by the Squadron colours
of Green, Red, and Pale Blue. The other wheel has a purple backing
to indicate that the Entry famously dosed the fountains in Trafalgar
Square with potassium permanganate turning the water purple. It
was blamed on the CND who were holding a ban-the-bomb demo that
weekend.
The antique adjustable wrench represents the skills of our aircraft
trades and the articulator the skills of our dental technicians.
An articulator is a clever vice that mimics the geometry of the
jaw such that a set of false teeth when made and installed in
the correct mouth will mesh correctly.
The main theme of the window shows the Queen's colour party parading
the 1 S of TT royal standard, (which is only paraded by non-commissioned
ranks), in St George's at the dedication ceremony in July 1963,
where as senior Entry the 96th was proud to provide ushers, guard
of honour and colour party for the dedication day.
The window behind the colour party is plain glass as it was in
1963 without the blaze of colour you see today, and so the unique
part of our window is that we have the original church window
incorporated in our window which is incorporated in the existing
window so completing the circle.
102nd Entry
The Entry helped to line the route of
CHURCHILL'S Funeral Cortège
The Entry put teepol (Detergent) in the fountains in Trafalgar
Square after their Passing Out.
Polish Apprentices
Their Cap Band colour
The Insignia carried by Polish Aircraft
the National colours of white and red
The Polish Air Force Cap badge.
Rhodesian Apprentices
The flowers are the Rhodesian National
flowers
The Crest is the Rhodesian Air Force badge
The Entry numbers are those in which the Rhodesian Apprentices
were trained
Pakistan Apprentices
The window was painted in PAKISTAN, sent
to the UK in two pieces cut down, leaded and installed by UK tradesmen
The Findlay Window
Don Findlay was in the 12th Entry
He was a pilot.
The Medal is a true representation of the 1936 Berlin Olympic
track silver medal which he won in the 100 yards hurdles
The background colours are the those of the 1936 silver medal
ribbon.
He was also a Bronze Medal winner in the 1932 games, and the Captain
of the British team in the 1948 London Olympics
Other Church items of interest.
The following two pictures show the lectern, with the inscription, "Made by 47th Entry ex Apprentice 579480 C Jeffery Fitter 2A", and the Queen's Colour which was presented on 25th July 1952.
