January 1969    RAF Locking Craft Apprentice LFITTGC       214 Entry

Electronics Craft Apprenticeship,  Electronic Ground Equipment and Communication

(   RAF Locking, near Weston Super Mare  in Somerset, was the No 1 Radio School from the 1940s to the early  90s, when it was transferred to RAF Cosford.  Virtually all Radio, Radar and Missile Technicians were trained here. The main training being a  three year apprenticeship for boys from the age of 16 up.

RAF Locking boys after training could maintain sophisticated electronic equipment right down to component level. Around 300 to 500 boys a year were trained this way.  )

  1971 RAF Locking

5T Secure Equipment and  cryptology and cypher technology post apprenticeship training

  1971 RAF Stanbridge

RAF Communications Centre – Working in (SCS) Systems Control Section routing both land based transmitter receiver communication and satellite communication world wide. Using EDC equipment inline communication.  Later working in secure equipment section SES with BID610 and other cypher equipment working in shift work in secret operations centre.

(  During the Cold War  RAF Stanbridge was used as a vital communications base 

In the early 1970s RAF Stanbridge had satellite sites at RAF Bampton Castle (Receiver site), RAF Weyhill (Transmitter site), RAF Edlesborough (Transmitter site), RAF Greatworth (transmitter site) and RAF Stoke Hammond (Receiver site).

1. RAF Stanbridge  was then known as the Communications Control Centre (CCC or Commcen  Central) and was the hub of the Defence Communications Network (DCN).  The main building hosted Systems Control, a tape relay centre and later a Telegraphic Automatic Routing Equipment (TARE). The DCN connected sites all over the world by HF radio links using the two diverse transmitter  sites and the diverse receiver sites. The Distant Terminals of these  links included Canberra, Gan, Cyprus, Ottawa and Malta. Other UK sites  involved were the RN site at HMS Forest Moor and RAF Oakhanger with its satellite earth-station.  )

1972 RAF Gutersloh,

( The closest RAF base to East Germany and the Russian federation. Working in the Ground Radio Flight Section where maintaining a range of airfield equipment including Receivers, transmitters, (ILS) Aircraft Instrument Landing System, (CRDF) Cathode Ray Direction Finding System, Aircraft Telebrief communication System for aircraft dispersal, Control Tower communication systems, Ground handheld communication equipment and many varied airfield based equipment.

On detachment - Working with 49 Signal Group Army,

( RAF Gutersloh, was a Royal Air Force Germany airbase, the nearest Royal  Air Force air base to the East/West German border. It was constructed by the Germans prior to World War II. Battle Flight consisted of two Lightning aircraft on 24hr standby which were armed and very often scrambled to intercept East German and Russian MIGs during the cold war.    During its history as an RAF base, it was home to two squadrons of the  English Electric Lightning F2/F2A - No. 92 Squadron RAF and No. 19  Squadron RAF from 1968 to 1976 )

   1972 RAF Gutersloh attached to 49 Sigs Army - RAF Liasion

  1973 RAF Vegberg, RAF Rhindalen - training courses

   1973 RAF Gutersloh,

Working in the base communication centre in secure Equipment Section working on teleprinters, facsimile machines. (Whilst training working with German engineer who worked on V2 during WW2 ).

  1974 RAF Wattisham, USAF Wethersfield

( RAF Wattisham became one of the UK's front-line air force fighter airfields during the Cold War with aircraft on Quick Reaction Alert on a rotational basis with other UK fighter stations. In 1974 McDonnell Douglas Phantoms arrived to replace the Lightnings. They continued the role of playing a major part in defending Britain's airspace which largely involved  intercepting the Soviet Tupolev Tu-95 Bear aircraft. The Phantoms served through to 1992 and the end of the Cold War. )

  1975 No 1 Air Control Centre 1ACC

No 1ACC  Working on mobile communication systems (259) meant to be deployed in the early stages of war along with attached mobile aircraft control centre and radar units.

   1977 RAF Wattisham

Working in Airfield Ground Electronics Section Radio Flight similar equipment as at RAF Gutersloh

  1979 Demobed and moved from Ipswich to Peterborough