RAF Halton
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 gentlemen’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 estate was purchased by the British Government for the nascent Royal Air Force at the end of the First World War for £112,000. Now, however the base is ongoing phased closure
RAF Halton was visited in the autumn of 1985, with discussion of Surgery in the Armed Forces, the mobile RAF hyperbaric unit, trauma and urology. Ronald and Margaret Brown hosted the meeting, including dinner in the village hall opposite their house. Waddesdon Manor – one of the Rothschild homes – was visited, as was the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban. This meeting was thought to have been the first to hold a dinner graced by black tie and formal Service dress.
The images above show Parade at the station and their crest.