Hats Up!...

[Scorpius]

During the mid 1950s RAF Apprentices at RAF Locking used to throw their caps high in the air after the final passing out parade.

We did it when we passed out at Cosford in Oct 73, 225 entry apprentices. It was the tradition.

Nev

[DaveB]

We had no such shenanigans in the RN I'm glad to say. I'll say no more on the matter

ATB
DaveB

[Nigel H-J]

Just out of interest Peter from having watched documentaries of officer training at Cranwell after passing out and when in the main hall the officers also throw their hats up in the air and as you were an officer in the RAF did you pass through Cranwell and if so was that traditional in your day?

Regards
Nigel.

[petermcleland]

Just out of interest Peter from having watched documentaries of officer training at Cranwell after passing out and when in the main hall the officers also throw their hats up in the air and as you were an officer in the RAF did you pass through Cranwell and if so was that traditional in your day?

Nigel, The only Cranwell that I passed through was the Initial Training Wing...It was not really part of the proper Cranwell college. The real Cranwell was for people training for Permanent Commissions in the RAF. The ITW was for people like me who were training for Short Service Commissions...In my case 8 years but later extended to 12 years. I vaguely remember our Passing Out Parade but I don't remember the Hats bit...I think we only wore berets anyway...We were measured up by the various tailors for our full uniforms but the huge parcels containing these arrived at our homes while we were on leave. Interestingly the bills for these were, exactly to the penny, the same as the "uniform allowance" paid to us. At the end of our leave we all reported to our Flying Training Schools...In my case this was 3 FTS Royal Air Force Feltwell in Norfolk. We were Acting Pilot Officers until we got our wings and then we moved to Advanced Flying Training schools as Pilot Officers...My AFS was 202 AFS at Royal Air Force Valley on Anglesea.

[Nigel H-J]

Thanks for that Peter, interesting knowing that Cranwell was for Permanent Commisions even though you went through on an Initial Training Wing.

I think we only wore berets anyway

Now that got me thinking although it is not relevent to your post but when stationed at Scampton during the early seventies one of the ATC Controllers was a Flight Sergeant who still wore his pilots brevet. Apparently he had completed his service as a pilot then came out only to rejoin a few years later but by then there were no NCO pilots in the RAF only commisioned officers however he was still allowed to retain the brevet on his uniform.

Regards
Nigel.

[petermcleland]

Nigel, I expected to be a Sergeant Pilot but I was on the second course to be officer pilots so I was an Acting Pilot Officer...There were no new Sergeant Pilots after that but on my first squadron (266) there were two Sergeant Pilots who had been in the RAF for longer than me. One of them was Geoff Harding who died last year...He and I had some great adventures together and he had a very interesting flying career.

[Nigel H-J]

Nigel, I expected to be a Sergeant Pilot but I was on the second course to be officer pilots so I was an Acting Pilot Officer

That must have been around the time that the RAF decided not to recruit any more sergeant pilots then.

Regards
Nigel.

[petermcleland]

Nigel, I expected to be a Sergeant Pilot but I was on the second course to be officer pilots so I was an Acting Pilot Officer

That must have been around the time that the RAF decided not to recruit any more sergeant pilots then.

Yes, that was 1951 Nigel

[Nigel H-J]

Yes, that was 1951 Nigel

What a year that was I have to say................... for I came into this world during September of that very year..........what's more......
I'm still here!!!!!

Regards
Nigel.

[petermcleland]

Yes, that was 1951 Nigel

What a year that was I have to say................... for I came into this world during September of that very year..........what's more......
I'm still here!!!!!

Well on the 18th September 1951, on my fourth flight at No. 3 FTS Feltwell, I got the landing all wrong and pushed a wheel up through the main spar of Percival Prentice VS243...A pretty sad moment in my life which did not endear my instructor. I had a change of instructor the following month!