RAF Halton

A trip today to visit Halton House, which is the Officers Mess at RAF Halton.  The house was built in the 1880's on the commission of  Baron Alfred Freiherr de Rothschild, who used it as a place to entertain his guests.  In 1918 it passed to the Ministry of Defence who built the camp which for the past 100 years has been the place for training all the apprentices in the Air Force.

A wonderful building - the gold leaf on the ceiling is now estimated to be worth over £2m and took three men months to apply.  The wood panelling is also stunning.  It has been a location in many films and TV series and one wonders what will happen with the RAF Station will close in 2022.

After lunch a visit to the two museums on the base - the Trenchard Museum and the James McCudden Flight Heritage Centre, both centres of the role that apprentices played in the Air Force and the number that went on to achieve air rank.  The final blip is a shot of me by Shelley sitting in a link trainer.  I didn't crash!