A fine Birthday Honours 1950 Halton Apprentice Instructor’s Order of the British Empire, Second World War Burma, and Royal Air Force long service and second award bar group awarded to Warrant Officer A.P. Ponting, M.B.E., Royal Air Force, who originally joined up in January 1924 as a Halton Apprentice and went on to see over 40 years service. Between 1929 and 1936 he was out in Iraq and India when amongst other things he flew as an Air Gunner, but with with the Aircraft Rigger’s department on the outbreak of the Second World War, when for a period he was based at Manston. His long service medal was awarded inn January 1942, and he was commissioned as a Warrant Officer in May 1944, briefly seeing service out in India and Burma just before the end of the war. Having then come full circle, he was serving as an Instructor at Halton when he was appointed a Member of the Military Division of the Order of the British Empire in June 1950, and he then continued in service through to April 1964, having gained a second award bar to his long service medal in the meantime.
Group of 6: The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Member, M.B.E., 2nd type, Military Division; Burma Star; Defence Medal; War Medal; Coronation Medal 1953; Royal Air Force Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, GVI 1st type bust, with Second Award Bar; (364930 F/SGT. A.P. PONTING. R.A.F.)
Condition: Good Very Fine.
Together with an original copy of the Supplement to The London Gazette for 2nd June 1950, in which Ponting’s Order of the British Empire appointment is published.
Arthur Percival Ponting was born on 6th October 1908 in Fulham, London, and originally enlisted into the Royal Air Force on 21st January 1924 as a Boy Apprentice with R.A.F. Halton when posted to No.1 Wing. On completion of his time as a Halton Apprentice, he was appointed an Air Craftsman 2nd Class (No.364930) in December 1926 and posted to No.7 Bomber Squadron, As a Leading Air Craftsman he qualified as an Air Gunner, and was posted out to Iraq in December 1929 where he joined No.84 Bomber Squadron, being then posted with it out to India in December 1930, and there joined No.2 Squadron in December 1931.
Posted home in December 1936 as a recently promoted Corporal and having remustered as an Aircraft Rigger, he then joined No.25 Fighter Squadron in December 1937, before being posted to No.4 Flying Training School in December 1938, and was posted to R.A.F. Mansion shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War. By late 1942 he was with No.2 School of Army Co-Operation at Andover in Hampshire, before being posted out to India and Burma just before the Second World War came to an end. by which time he held the rank of Warrant Officer from May 1944.
In December 1946 he was posted to Canada, and after this his movements become obscured. Having been awarded the Royal Air Force Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on 21st January 1942, in addition to the Burma Star, Defence Medal and War Medal for his war service, Ponting went on to be appointed a Member of the Military Division of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the King’s Birthday Honours List as published in the London Gazette for 8th June 1950, when serving with R.A.F. Halton, his career having come full circle.
The recommendation reads as follows: ‘Warrant Officer Ponting is Warrant Officer in charge Fitter II Airframe Workshops. By his exceptional zeal, energy and personal example he has caused a marked improvement in the standard of training achieved by Aircraft Apprentices. He has been a member of Instructional Staff in the Fitter IIA workshops since December, 1947, first aa a Phase Supervisor and then in complete charge since January 1949. During the whole period he has given his utmost effort to the cause of increased efficiency and, by his tact and firm handling of all matters, he has greatly improved the harmony between the Service and Civilian Instructors, and the relations between Instructors and Apprentices.’
Promoted fully to the rank of Warrant Officer and Air Frame Fitter on 1st January 1951, Pointing was awarded the Coronation Medal 1953, and ultimately received the award of a Second Award Bar to his Royal Air Force Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on 1st March 1960, he having mustered with the Aircraft Fitter’s Branch since November 1953. From September 1957 he had been employed with the RAF Element to the Army Air Corps at Ruislip, working on helicopters, and from February 1963 was with the Aircraft Maintenance Unit at Kenley, being discharged in April 1964.