The following by Bob Wilson...

223 Entry Back Together (Again) 

Members of the Royal Air Force's smallest craft apprentice entry, 223 (whose motto is small but deadly), turned up in force
at the Chesford Grange, Kenilworth, on Saturday 30/05/09 to once again celebrate their friendship and to commemorate the
retirement from the RAF of the entry's longest serving member. 

Wing Commander Don Tanner finally hung up his handlebar moustache (poetic license, as he was clean shaven - all over for
speed on his bike), after 38 years service. This surprised me, as I thought that the most jankers they could give you in 1971
was 14 days but he must have done something worst that being late on parade to get 14,235 days!  Don was not only the
longest serving 223 entry member but also the only one who was able to make the transition from snotty nosed apprentice
to snotty nosed officer. His fellow entry members collected hard to raise the 97p for the wrapping paper for the glass trophy
that the event organiser, Bob Rodham bought him. 

The reunion started off for some 24 hours early and for the majority in the bar (very unusual) in the afternoon, where 'Pancho'
sat transfixed to the FA Cup final and could only speak to us during the interval and full time.  It took five of us, twenty minutes
to work out why we called Paul Bedward 'Pancho' 38 years ago and finally remembered his Pancho Villa moustache, which brought
back laughter and much reminiscing. 

It seems strange and a bit surreal to witness a room full of middle-aged men immersed back in their youth, at a time where none
of them had heard of MP's expenses, sensible drinking or old age. This great meeting of minds, waist bands and receding
hairlines showed the unbreakable bond made 38 years earlier at RAF Halton was as strong as ever and due mainly to Bob Rodham's 
great efforts to locate and blackmail us to attend.  The evening (in which many of the wives attended, some being wife number  2, 3
and maybe even a 4) was mixed with incredible highs and lows.  The highs by the comradeship that still shine in the eyes of every
apprentice as they met each other and a dark and dismal low for me when I was told that I had not changed a bit since I was 15 and
a half, despite spending 7.39 on plastic surgery to avoid creditors and Jock Strachan, as it was my round. 

Nick names are still used nearly forty years after their first introduction, with Jock, Taff, Pancho, Geordie, etc being uttered by
the 50 something's (probably our old age helps us remember information of 1971 but completely forget what happened yesterday -
what did happen then?). Memories of tartan trim, ben sherman shirts and cromby coats took us all back to our youth and activities
of long ago became more adventurous and unbelievable as tales of bravery or stupidity were unfolded like table cloths at table after
table around the room. My thanks to Phil Scott, Mick Carter, Keith Bass, Paul Bedward, Don Tanner, Terry Hayward, Phil Jones,
Davey Jones, Bob Rodham, Steve Foster, John Kerr, Rae Stevens, Dave Squires, Ken Ryan, Dave Gingell, Ian Hovey, Paul
Pickwell, Dick Bothamley, Rod Wallace,Jock Strachan and Keith Godden from 223 entry for a wonderful evening in their company.

Roll on the next 223 entry reunion, roll on the undiminished friendship built at RAF Halton between 1971-73, that makes me proud
to use the immortal words of Max Boyce by saying that "I was there" and my oldest friends (literally) were there and will be with
me always.

Taff Wilson