Welcome to the website of the 100th Entry, No. 1 Radio School, RAF Locking
When Tony Lindon wrote the original introduction to this website in August 2006, the aim was a simple one: to find the men of the 100th Entry, bring together the photographs, memories and stories that had survived the years, and create somewhere that we could all share them.
Almost twenty years later, that aim remains just as important.
The original website has now been recovered, along with much of the material that was contributed over the years. Looking through it is a remarkable reminder of a particular time in our lives — the training, the trades, the billets, the exercises, the social life, the friendships, the characters and, eventually, graduation and leaving RAF Locking.
For many of us, RAF Locking was where we first met people who would remain friends for many years. For others, memories of those days may have faded somewhat with time. This website is an opportunity to bring those memories back to life.
The 100th Entry was much more than a list of names. We were young men brought together from different parts of the country and different backgrounds, learning our trades and learning to live and work together. We shared the good times, the frustrations, the hard work and, inevitably, the occasional bit of mischief!
The website contains sections covering:
- Life at Locking
- Chronicle
- Trades
- Billets
- Learning
- Exercise
- Social
- Graduation
- Nostalgia
- Photographs
- Reunions
But a website like this can only be as complete as the memories that are contributed to it. So, if you were part of the 100th Entry, please look through the site. You may recognise yourself, old friends, familiar faces or places that you had almost forgotten. If you have photographs, letters, documents, stories or memories that are not here, please consider sharing them.
There is no such thing as an insignificant memory.
A photograph of a group of apprentices, a story about a particular instructor, a recollection of a billet, an old nickname, a photograph from an exercise, or simply a memory of something that happened one evening at Locking can all help to build a more complete record of our time together.
And if you recognise someone whose name or photograph appears here, please let us know. One of the most valuable things this website can do is help reconnect people who lost touch after leaving Locking.
Tony wrote in 2006:
“The site will only be as good as the data we put on it and that has to come from all of us.”
Those words still apply today.
This is our website and, more importantly, it is our shared history.
Whether you were closely involved with the original website, have only just discovered it, or are returning after many years, you are very welcome.
Take your time. Explore the photographs. Read the Chronicle. Revisit the training, the billets and the social life. Look through the names and see how many familiar faces you can find. And perhaps most importantly, get in touch and contribute your memories.
To everyone who was part of the 100th Entry:
Welcome back to RAF Locking.