what 2 expect at halton????

[smartsteveo]

hey all, starting my basic training next week and im just wondering what the first couple of weeks at halton will be like??? i am expecting it to be quite hard and i am expectng myself 2 probably feel very homesick!!! any help and info would be a great help

[peter1034]

you're expecting it to only be 'quite hard'? Think again.

Be prepared for 9 weeks of hell. Expect to be homesick because you will be - trust me. it is nothing like PRTC. Your in the military as soon as you sign your papers as your in there. You will get 3 hours sleep a night - of your lucky. You will be yelled at, made to feel uncomfortable, have your bedding/clothes thrown out in the rain and made to sleep in wet bedding. You make a mistake - you will stand in the rain for at least 2 hours. You will feel embarrassed by the corporals autocracy and intimidated. You will feel like your in prison - only in prison you get to stay in a cell all day and hide away. In halton - your a slave to the corporals - you are scum. Personally I enjoyed the fitness training as they push you to do your best - it was everything else I hated espicslly being so used to civvy life.

I had second thoughts as I was in there so I left, but my advice is that if you REALLY want it - you will put up with it. Don't join for the wrong reasons like I did. Most of the lads who join up are ok, the woman tend to be hefty lesbians who will have little in common with you. There was only only a couple of lads there who I would of had trouble with - saying that am not the type to put up with verbal abuse. I saw one lad be picked on for having Ginger hair in PRTC - bit thats ok to some people because its only seen as banter. Am not the guy that does it but am not the guy who would put up with it.

You will hate it in my opinion - but if you can see the long term benefits then best of luck.

[sittingstress]

Smartsteveo,

Please read this thread in it's entirety and form your own opinion about the complete load of ill-informed, bilious clap-trap that Peter has given as fact.

viewtopic.php?t=18194&highlight=

Regards

ss

[Hyperlithe]

I had to take 5 minutes to calm down before i added my reply to this post!
Anyone on here who's seen my pic care to describe me as a 'hefty lesbian'?

Peter - you were there for all of a week, how can you possibly comment on what to expect over 9 weeks? Just because you hated it and couldn't cope doesn't mean everyone else is the same. I didn't hate it, and it was harder when i went through, we actually had to carry our own bergens and march down to the Regt Section (Although you didn't stick it out that long, so you wouldn't know where that is...)
If you only got 3 hours sleep then you must have been seriously pissing your time away in the evenings.

Steveo, you will be fine, all you have to do is exactly what you are told, no more, no less. There are hoops you will have to jump through, and you will have days where you hate it, but then you will have days where you look in the mirror and realise how much you have achieved, and how far you have come in a really short space of time, and you will be SO proud of yourself! I can't describe to you the feeling when you march out onto the parade square for your passing out, knowing that your friends and family are there to see you.
My only advice to you now would be to give 100% in every single thing you do, even when you're tired, or cold, or soaked through, because the instructors do see it, and it really does make a difference.

You need any advice, you PM me, ok?

[Hyperlithe]

Have just realised that 29 Sep was my start date too, so I will have been in 4 years tomorrow...
That's scary!

Means your pass out parade should be Nov 30, or thereabouts...
It'll probably be freezing cold and raining, and you wear your white gloves wet so that you can grip the rifle, that's not fun!

[peter1034]

smartstevo

People are motivated in career terms in different ways. Hyperlithe may say 'I couldn't cope' but the fact is the military career wasn't for me. If I saw benefit at the end of it I would of stuck it out, but I never. I joined for the wrong reasons. Alot of people here say they want to join for the travel and the outdoor life - that does not mean the military is for you.
Hyperlithe - I did not refer to you as being a hefty lesbian what I meant was alot of woman I met in the military are lesbians and we generally don't tend to have much in common - apart from
we both like woman.

Am just telling you my experience and yes am motivated by careers, cclimbing ladders and achievement however the military route does not match my persnality. In my opinion, the military for Poole with specific personalties and nothing to do with sticking things out and feeling better about oneselve, if the military fits your personality then am sure your making the right decision.

Sorry for any offence hyperlithe.(not intended)

Smartstevo - watch people blast me as they are all military personairy hence being on militaryforums.co.uk of course they don't respect my opionion.

[Hyperlithe]

peter, you said the women tend to be hefty lesbians, that's a direct quote, so no amount of back-pedalling will save you there. I really don't think that's a statement you can justify in your limited experience of female RAF personnel.

The main reason I was so annoyed by your post is because it was incredibly unhelpful for someone who is starting their basic training next week to be blasted with all that negativity. Your post was not objective, and I really don't feel that it was appropriate for you to put it up, given that you decided not to continue with training after one week.
I never said that it was the training you couldn't cope with, you have made it quite clear that you couldn't handle the fact that you were signing up for however many years it was.

By the way, what is 'military personairy'?

[Hands on]

smartstevo

People are motivated in career terms in different ways. Hyperlithe may say 'I couldn't cope' but the fact is the military career wasn't for me. If I saw benefit at the end of it I would of stuck it out, but I never. I joined for the wrong reasons. Alot of people here say they want to join for the travel and the outdoor life - that does not mean the military is for you.
Hyperlithe - I did not refer to you as being a hefty lesbian what I meant was alot of woman I met in the military are lesbians and we generally don't tend to have much in common - apart from
we both like woman.

Am just telling you my experience and yes am motivated by careers, cclimbing ladders and achievement however the military route does not match my persnality. In my opinion, the military for Poole with specific personalties and nothing to do with sticking things out and feeling better about oneselve, if the military fits your personality then am sure your making the right decision.

Sorry for any offence hyperlithe.(not intended)

Smartstevo - watch people blast me as they are all military personairy hence being on militaryforums.co.uk of course they don't respect my opionion.

Sounds to me that you just could not handle the fact the women were more man then you.

[sittingstress]

Peter, not going to contradict what my last post on the previous thread was though are you?

Steveo, ignore the smoke and mirrors that this bloke will try and lead you through. There are many more helpful posts on here. I will blow my own trumpet now and add that I was an instructor at Halton for 6 years and I therefore can comment with authority on how recruits are treated.

All the best

Regards

ss

Peter, bore off.

[smartsteveo]

seems like i have caused a little fight here between the 2 of you. however i can not agree with you there peter as you only stuck it out for a week and therfore you can not really give me any advice on what the 9 weeks will be like. im exepecting it to be rubbish of course it will be thats wat the courses are designed for to see which people really want a career in the air force and who have determination and the self-belief to carry on even though you have so much thrown against you. personally i can not wait to start my 9 weeks at halton because at the end of the day what is 9 weeks to a whole career in a job which which you can say you are proud to do!!!

[Wholley]

seems like i have caused a little fight here between the 2 of you. however i can not agree with you there peter as you only stuck it out for a week and therfore you can not really give me any advice on what the 9 weeks will be like. im exepecting it to be rubbish of course it will be thats wat the courses are designed for to see which people really want a career in the air force and who have determination and the self-belief to carry on even though you have so much thrown against you. personally i can not wait to start my 9 weeks at halton because at the end of the day what is 9 weeks to a whole career in a job which which you can say you are proud to do!!!

Would you care to de-code the above and type in plain please.

[London Boy]

Smartstevo,

For what it's worth and it probably won't be of any help or relevance nowadays
But I did my basic at RAF Swinderby nearly 30 years ago, however I personally thought it was a piece of cake.
How much basic training has changed in the last 30 years I couldn't say.
But in light of the rest of the country seemingly having gone soft on most issues in the face of PC I can only imagine basic is now half as hard as it was when I did it.

That being the case, you should breeze through it. But don't listen to me, I'm only an old git & I could be completely wrong.

I probably found it easy because I'd had such a hard time in civvy street and at home so I was glad to be in the RAF away from the doom,gloom, desperation and depression.... No, but honestly I found it really quite easy.

RAF life only starting getting tough when I went to the Regt depot at RAF Catterick, but even that I found relatively easy. Knackering yea, but nothing the body didn't quickly recover from.

The really lung-collapsing moments and total fatigue came when I did para training on the airborne squadron........F*** me, was I totally knacked every day or what!

Good luck!

[peter1034]

Smartstevo
you're gonna get beasted in the RAF. Wholley has already hinted that. Trust me mate, without me sounding to be nasty - u WILL F&@king hate every second of it.

Hyperlithe - read through your posts carefully & look how you contradicted yourself. Can u send ur picture for proof?

[London Boy]

Smartstevo
you're gonna get beasted in the RAF. Wholley has already hinted that. Trust me mate, without me sounding to be nasty - u WILL F&@king hate every second of it.

Hyperlithe - read through your posts carefully & look how you contradicted yourself. Can u send ur picture for proof?

Wind your neck in pal, you did 2 weeks apparently. You didn't have the
mustard so you're bitter and twisted. Get over it!

[Hyperlithe]

LB, he did one week, and he says he quit because he didn't want to be committed to something for however many years he was supposed to be joining up for.

However, from his posts on this thread, it really does sound like he just couldn't hack it.
Peter, any more cr*p from you and I will be either editing or deleting your posts. You decided the Armed Forces was not for you, so what are you still doing here?