(Alrewas, Staffordshire)
(Suggested by Dave Shephard)

 

The following from the latest edition of the Haltonian

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Dave Squires has offered to pay the £50 next August for the 223 entry paver, it is
proposed that we hold a raffle at the reunion next May to recover the £50 back
to Dave and any profits be donated to 'Help for Heros'

The following from Dave Squires regarding the new Grove

As most of you know we are planning to lay a new entrance pathway into the Grove, 
this will link to a circular 4’ path around the ‘wheel’ hedging. The circular pathway will 
accommodate engraved Entry pavers at a cost of £50.00 each.  Work on these 
pathways is scheduled to be completed for April 2012. Around this time the HAAA 
will be holding a high profile 90th anniversary of the Halton Apprentice scheme at 
Halton Grove.  

A stall will be at the triennial in September to promote Halton Grove and take 
pre-orders for the Entry pavers.

Halton Grove Gate Competition

The competition produced many excellent design ideas. After due consideration by the 
Grove Management Committee and the HAAA Council the design submitted by 
Gerry Honey, 70th was declared the winner. 



Check out the following marking the occasion of the
Service of Re-Dedication of the Halton Grove at the National Memorial Arboretum Alrewas
including the unveiling of a new plaque and inscription

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(with many thanks to Dave Squires who attended and supplied the information & photographs)

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The following pic is of Dave Squires at the Arboretum with 3 guys from other entries,
(Richard Cook 97th, Ian Sloss 105th,  Pat Argent 94th, Ron Priest 207th) after
being approached by RAFHAAA to assist with tidying the plots.
He will be back up there in January 2009 to continue.

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The Arboretum has improved dramatically since the information below was added,
culminating with the dedication service for the new Armed Forces Memorial attended by
HM The Queen on  Friday 12th October 2007.

check out the video below from Gordon Taylor (65th)

 http://www.xhaltonbrat65.com/HaltonGrove-page.html

The National Memorial Arboretum is being created on a 150 acre site as a living tribute to the wartime 
generations of the twentieth century and as a gift in their memory for future generations to reflect upon and enjoy.

Planting began in 1997 and plots and groves have been created for the armed forces, police and fire 
services and many other groups and associations.    

Already established is the 'Halton Grove' in a section dedicated to RAF Halton Apprentices, the
following is the inscription on the plaque attached to a large stone as shown below by Dave Shep.

  

'THIS BEECH GROVE IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ALL THOSE BOYS WHO JOINED THE R.A.F. AT HALTON AS AIRCRAFT APPRENTICES FROM 1922 UNTIL 1993, AND WERE KNOWN AS `TRENCHARD'S BRATS'.

THE GROVE TAKES THE FORM OF THE APPRENTICES' RESPECTED WHEEL BADGE, THE CENTRAL
TREES DENOTING THE PROPELLER, WITH THE CIRCLE OF BEECH HEDGING COMPLETING THE WHEEL.
THE APPRENTICE BADGE IS THE ONLY R.A.F. METAL BADGE TO BE SEWN ON TO THE UNIFORM

THE PARTICIPATING ENTRIES TO THE GROVE ARE: 4th, 11th, 17th, 18th, 20th, 23rd, 30th,
32nd, 34th, 35th, 36th, 37th, 38th, 39th, 40th, 41st, 42nd, 44th, 45th, 47th, 48th, 49th, 50th, 51st, 52nd, 53rd,54th, 55th, 56th, 57th, 58th, 60th, (1,2, & 3 WINGS), 61st, 62nd, 63rd, 65th, 67th, 68th, 69th, 70th, 71st,72nd, 73rd, 76th, 77th, 79th, 81st, 82nd, 83rd, 86th, 89th, 90th, 91st, 96th, 97th, 99th, 100th, 102nd, 130th, 132nd, 137th, 138th, 203rd, 209th, and 211th, AS WELL AS THE NAVAL AIR WING (1938-1942), POLISH (1943-1947), AND CEYLONESE (1951-1962), ENTRIES.

"WHEN BEECH LEAVES ARE FALLING, WHERE - ER WE MAY ROAM, OLD MEMORIES COME CALLING; OF HALTON - AND HOME".

Dedicated: September 2000.'

Unfortunately we missed out on being a 'contributing' entry and our number is not shown on the plaque,
however there are new trees being planted by individual entries with a black label and white writing
with up to 10 words at a cost of £50.

Dave and myself suggest that we try and add a 223 tree as our contribution, the earliest we could do
this is September as there is a long backlog of organizations waiting to do similar.

So the question is what do you all think ? there is a web site and the address is -

www.nationalmemorialarboretum.co.uk

Please take a look and check it out.

Below is the layout of the site as it is at present the Halton area is No. 40