Description
In this memoir that reads like a nostalgic rollercoaster, Ken Bartrop takes us on a whirlwind tour of his RAF escapades, which kicked off during the chaos of World War II and rambled on until the groovy 1960s. Imagine a 15-year-old Ken, wide-eyed and fresh out of Sheffield, hopping on a train to the No.1 School of Technical Training at RAF Halton. It was here that he joined the ranks of what the RAF affectionately dubbed “Trenchard’s Brats,” a motley crew of underage apprentices groomed to become the unsung heroes behind the scenes, tinkering with aircraft and keeping them skyworthy.
Fast forward past the rigors of engine fitter training, and we find Ken stationed at RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey, elbow-deep in the mechanical innards of the legendary Rolls-Royce Merlin engines powering the Supermarine Spitfires. Just as you’re getting comfortable, he’s whisked off to India in 1944, where he joins No.322 Maintenance Unit in Cawnpore, playing his part in the ongoing Far East fracas.
Ken bounces back to the UK in 1947, sticking with the RAF until 1966. His career takes him far and wide, from the exotic locales of Singapore to the heat of RAF Habbaniyah in Iraq. But that’s not all, folks. Post-RAF life sees Ken morph into an educator, and later, he and his wife embark on a decade-long French adventure, basking in the charm of their own home from home in a quirky Provençal ‘Domaine.’
All in all, Ken’s memoir offers a treasure trove of anecdotes that’ll resonate with his contemporaries and fellow ex-Apprentices alike, serving up a slice of RAF history with a side of personal perspective.
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