First Entry Archives

Have You Any Photographs Or
Other Memories Of the 1st
Entry RAF Administrative
Apprentices? If So You Can
E-Mail Them To:
Chief Tech Tom Davies
originally 1st Entry - later
remusterered to L.Fitt (AR).
Photo taken at RAF St Athan
around 1970
OBITUARY CECIL GEORGE CARTER – Ken Roost 1st

It was with great sadness that I learnt of the death of Cecil Carter (1st) Cecil fell out of bed on 7th July and was found to have broken his neck. Following a 4-
hour operation at Kings College Hospital on the 10th July complications set in and, sadly, Cecil passed away on the morning of Saturday 24th July. As
members of the first entry we met when we assembled at North Weald and entrained for St Athan in May/June 1947. As u/t Clerk GD’s we were both
allocated to D22. We all had our own special friends at St Athan and Cecil’s was Les (Nobby) Brambley. Nobby used to like building model aircraft and he
carried Cecil along with him. Cecil was a very quiet and unassuming lad and kept his head down during training and, as far as I can remember, did nothing to
incur the wrath of the instructors. Being the 1st entry we were “guinea pigs”. The training regime was tough and the wastage rates high. Of the 59 starters
only 29, including Cecil, made it to the passing out parade on 6th October 1948. Cecil, I believe, served about 5 or 6 years before being discharged on
medical grounds. Of course, having been born and brought up in Ashford, Kent he went back there on his return to civil life. After his discharge he took an
interim job whilst he studied to gain the necessary qualifications to be a civil servant at the Air Ministry. In 1954 Cecil met his wife Betty and they were
married on 1st June 1957 in Christchurch, Ashford. In 1965 Cecil was seconded to HQ RAF Germany at RAF Rheindahlen where he was a member of No 3
Civilian Mess. It was in the NAAFI shop there, with Betty, where our paths crossed for the first time since passing out. In 1966 Betty returned home with their
two children, Judith and Michael, to nurse Cecil’s mother until her death. Cecil returned home in 1968 to work at the Air Ministry (later known as Ministry of
Defence). He continued to work there until his retirement in 1991. He was an Executive Officer. I do recall Cecil telling me he did at one time work with
another ex-D22 brat Arthur Denny (1st) whilst at the Ministry. Away from work Cecil was very much a family man. He took a great pride and interest in the
educational and sporting achievements of his children and grandchildren. He was also a pillar of his local church, Christchurch, where he had been married.
Over the past 40 years Cecil has been a member of the PCC, Church Warden, Treasurer, Verger, Server and at times, in emergency, a member of the choir.
He would be found at Coffee Mornings, Jumble Sales, the Autumn Fair and helping with the cleaning. For the first 15 years of his retirement he
spentWednesday mornings working in the Pilgrim’s Hospice shop. In 1997 Sam Mold (1st) and Mike Hurrel (1st) decided it was time to get as many 1st and
2nd entry members as possible together for a 50th anniversary reunion. There was no trouble contacting Cecil, as we all knew of his love for Ashford so we
had to look no further than the Ashford telephone directory. Cecil duly turned up at Solihull and was instantly recognisable. He was a little bit older but it was
the same old placid Cecil. He had changed very little. From that reunion grew the Association and the reunions became annual affairs and Cecil was an ever
present until 2006. Cecil and I always used to pal about together at reunions. At the 2000 reunion (Bournemouth) Cecil was accompanied by Betty. At Bingley
(Bradford reunion) we found the canal that ran uphill. At Peterborough we visited the Cathedral, in company with Maurice Jeffrey (1st). At Darlington in 2006,
in company with Stuart Robatham (2nd), we visited the Railway Museum. It was at Darlington that Cecil told me he would not be able to attend the following
year as he had a long-standing family engagement to keep. That was unfortunately Cecil’s last reunion appearance. He kept from us the real reason being
his deteriorating health. He has been much missed by his dining companions, Joe and Joan Green (1st), Sam Mold (1st), Stuart and Angela Robathan (2nd),
myself and my wife Lynn. Lynn and I attended Cecil’s funeral in the church where he had married Betty 53 years ago. Betty, her family and friends, made us
very welcome. There was a comforting feeling of community. A community that had lost a very well liked and respected member. I am sure that Betty and
her family will draw much comfort from the strength of that community. Cecil was a very popular Association member. Many is the member who has asked
me “Where’s Cecil? He will be very much missed.

Cecil G Carter (1st) remembered – Jim Wilcox

Ces left St Athan a few days before the 5th Entry arrived for attestation so I did not get to know him there. I first met him at RAF Fayid, in Egypt, in 1951. We
both worked in SHQ and were accommodated in Billet 54A, Ces occupying one of the two bunks. He was about half way through his tour and I was just
beginning mine. Fayid was a large busy flying station with a number of Valetta transport squadrons. Although the Middle East Air Force was not divided into
Groups, the Air Transport element was under the command of an AOC Transport Fore, who, with his staff was located at Fayid. Soon after my arrival the AOC’
s ADC and civilian clerk/shorthand typist returned to the UK at the same time. A call came to SHQ for a shorthand typist to be temporarily attached to the
Transport Force HQ. Ces and I being ex-Admin Apps and versed in the art of shorthand writing (allegedly) were volunteered as possible candidates. Neither
of us was enthusiastic about the detachment, and conveyed this to the Sqn. Ldr. (probably the SPSO) who interviewed us. He informed us that refusal was
not an option and resolved the impasse by informing us that the last to pass out would be the ‘’lucky appointee’’ so Ces returned to SHQ and I began working
for AOC Transport Force MEAF. Some months later Ces returned to the UK at the end of his tour and I moved into his bunk in Billet 54A. We next met at the
Association’s first re-union in 1998. Even after some 46 years I recognised him immediately, he however took some prompting before he remembered our
time together.He was a regular at subsequent re-unions until ill health forced him to stop attending. With his passing the Association has lost another
dedicated and supportive member
Royal Air Force
Administrative Apprentice Association
RAFAAA
Multam A Parvo