RAF Halton

Royal Air Force Halton or more simply RAF Halton is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom, located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire.

HRH the Duchess of Cornwall is the Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Halton.

History

The first recorded military aviation at Halton took place in 1913 when the then owner of the Halton estate, Alfred de Rothschild invited No 3 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps to conduct manoeuvres on his land. Following a gentleman's agreement between Rothschild and Lord Kitchener, the estate was used by the British Army throughout the First World War. In 1916 the Royal Flying Corps moved its air mechanics school from Farnborough, Hampshire to Halton, and in 1917, the school was permanently accommodated in workshops built by German PoWs.

The whole estate was purchased by the British Government for the nascent Royal Air Force at the end of the First World War for £112,000.

In 1919 Lord Trenchard established the No. 1 School of Technical Training at RAF Halton for RAF aircraft apprentices, which remained at the station until it moved to RAF Cosford in the early 1990s. Also in 1919, Halton House – a French-style mansion built for Lionel de Rothschild – was re-opened as the station's Officers' Mess. Halton House continues to be used as the station's Officers' Mess.