Older Notices

This Notice Board contains a copy of some older notices for reference purposes.

A Long Walk in France

Gerry Klippel and Alex Hatherall decided to take a long walk - a very long walk - from the north to the south of France. They set off for France on 4 May 2004 and were dropped off at Reims. They intended to walk from Reims to St Julien Moulin Mollette, via Lyon and Grenoble. Why St Julien Moulin Mollette? That is where Alex has a house in the south of France. For news of their journey. click here.

HAAA 8th Triennial Reunion - 25 September 2004

The 8th Halton Aircraft Apprentice Association Triennial Reunion was held on 25 September 2004. Wives/partners/friends were welcome to attend all aspects of the reunion as guests, with the exception of the airfield phase (a separate programme was arranged for guests during this time). There were lots of events, including a service in St George's Church (which included the dedication of the 21st and 29th Entry windows) and the traditional march up the hill, by Entries, to Henderson Grove parade ground led by the 'Golden Oldies' pipe band. One of our Entry, Keith Arnott, is a member of the 'Golden Oldies'.

Attendees from the 89th Entry were: Peter Ayee, Ken Coburn, Alf Freestone, Roger Gulliver, Gerry Klippel, Tom Muncaster and Peter Thorpe.

Roy Linkins Found......

Roy Linkins was surprised to find the 89th Entry Web site on the Internet. He is now living in Australia. Contact the secretary / treasurer if you want his contract details.

......but One of our Members is Missing

Roy Scott passed away on 23 February. Roy had undergone an operation for cancer of the colon but soon afterwards his condition deteriorated rapidly. He was transferred to intensive care but he died at 17:35 in the evening. His widow, Josie, said that a friend had had a similar operation a little while ago and had recovered from the operation with no problems. She understood that such an operation was relatively routine and so was obviously shocked by the outcome. Roy was a regular attendee at the annual reunion and will be sadly missed. Josie too attended our reunions. Roy was cremated on 5 March at the Glynn Valley Crematorium, Bodmin, near his home. Alex Hatherall, Alfie Tebb, Mike Hughes, John Turner and Slim Stead attended the funeral.

John Newnham Found

August 2003.Mike Hughes contacted me a couple of months ago and said that he had made contact with John Newnham. I contacted John and he has been persuaded to become a member of the Association. He is married to Carol and they have three children. He is living in Ontario, Canada. There will be more details in the Autumn 2003 Newsletter and there is a photograph of John in the Graduates section of the web site.

Eddie Gillespie Passed Away

December 2002. It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of Eddie Gillespie. His wife Jane wrote to me to inform his colleagues that his health deteriorated rapidly following what appeared to be a back problem in September 2002. He was admitted to hospital on 13 December with breathing difficulties and muscle weakness. His death on 8 January 2003 was due to pneumonia caused by an aggressive form of motor neurone disease. Jane added, "Eddie enjoyed the reunions he attended and keeping up with the Association news, having many happy memories of his time at Halton as an apprentice. His death has been a great shock for both me and our sons but I have to be thankful that his suffering was of short duration."

Peter Moseley - Found!

October 2002. Peter Moseley wrote, having recently found out about the existence of the Association through our web site.  He has recently retired from the prison service.  He met many ex-89th Entry colleagues at the 2002 Reunion held at Buxton in October 02.  He was accompanied by his wife Linda and both were warmly welcomed by members of the Association.

One of our Members is Missing

June 2002. It is with deep regret that I must announce that Allen Gillespie died on 5 June 2002.  I was informed by Bill Jefferson, who attended the funeral, that Allen had been diagnosed as suffering from bowel cancer but by the time it was discovered it was too late to save him.

John Savage - Found!

April 2002. John Savage wrote, having recently found out about the existence of the Association.  He is employed by a company called Transafrik, which based in Angola.  He lives in South Africa but spends much of his time travelling.  At the time or writing he was in Jordan doing a ‘C’ check on a Hercules freighter.  He is now a paid up member and has been sent the usual data pack.

Jim Franklin - Found!

February 2002. Jim Franklin had just become an Internet surfer and while testing out his new skills he found our Web site and the contact address.  He is now a paid up member of the Association and has been sent back copies of our Newsletter and a data pack containing list of members and their contact details.

Annual General Meeting

October 1999. The main decision taken at the AGM held on 3 October 1999 was to raise the annual subscription to £7 per annum, beginning 1 January 2000, in order to raise additional funds to pay for the 89th Entry stained glass window in St. George's Church, RAF Halton and to build up a reasonable contingency fund. .

Sad News

November 1998. One of the possible contacts from the CD-ROM mentioned above was Ashley Milledge and so I wrote to him in October. Regrettably, whilst the contact led to the right person, it was his wife Wendy who replied to tell me that Ashley had died in 1995. Wendy told me that Ashley was always proud to have been a member of the 89th Entry and was a very special person to his family.

George White - Sad News

September 1998. It is with great sadness that I learned of the death of George White who died on 8 Aug 98 from leukemia. He was diagnosed with the disease in Dec 97 and after an initial hopeful prognosis it was soon clear by June 98 that he had lost the battle. The funeral was held on 17 August and was attended by an estimated 70 - 80 family and friends, including a small representation from the Entry: Slim Steed, Dick Mustoe, Andy Andrews, Tom Muncaster and John and Janet Robbins. The Union flag draped coffin was escorted by a colour party of the British Legion to the sound of the organ playing the RAF march past. The service, conducted by the RAF Lyneham padre included the hymn 'All things bright and beautiful' and an oratory by his work colleagues (and neighbour).

Particular thanks must go to John Robbins who kept in touch with George and his wife Eileen in the latter stages. John Robbins also organised a wreath on behalf of the 89th Entry Association.

Triennial Reunion at Halton

September 1998. The Triennial Reunion at Halton was held on Saturday 26 September 1998. Keith Arnott, Roger Bradly, Ken Coburn, Alf Freestone, Brendon Hannon, Gordon Lowe, and Don Smith were there to represent the 89th Entry. There was a display of model aircraft by one of the local clubs and a Dakota and Mustang flypast/display. The Golden Oldies Pipe Band also played. After lunch in one of the hangars there was time to visit the Station Museum situated in one of the old workshops and attend an informal church parade at St. George's Church where there was an excellent address to a packed church by Padre Richard Lee.

After the service, apprentices assembled outside the front of workshops and marched up the hill in order of Entry seniority - just like the old days. There were so may 'brats'; that the first ranks must have been half way up the hill before the 89th contingent started somewhere near the back (we certainly couldn't hear the band well enough to march in step). I believe the first Entry in line was the 27th and so the 89th Entry has a long way to go before it gets to the front - those that survive that long. On arrival at the Henderson/Groves parade ground the parade marched across the square; past Air Chief Marshal Armitage and the Station Commander, Group Captain David Walker, who took the salute.

Contribution to the Tribute Appeal

May 1998. The RAFHAAA asked for donations towards the purchase and upkeep of the Tribute. A number of members expressed a desire to contribute as an Entry and so it was discussed at the Isle of Wight Reunion and agreed that, in line with what a number of other Apprentice Associations had done, we should contribute an amount equal to the Entry number - in our case £89.

Accordingly, a cheque for £89 was sent to the RAFHAA to assist with the upkeep of the Tribute. Hence, if you have contributed to the 89th Entry Association Fund, you have contributed to the Tribute - many thanks.

A cabinet has been constructed to hold the Tribute Book which contains the names of all those who contributed to the Tribute.