End of an era at Rolls-Royce Hillington
Friday the 12th of August 2005 at 1900hrs saw the end of an era at Rolls-Royce Hillington as No. 2175 (Rolls-Royce) Squadron Air Training Corps shut down its Hillington Headquarters and moves into temporary accommodation on Glasgow Road, Paisley.
The Rolls-Royce Hillington facility was constructed during World War II as a manufacturing plant for the Merlin engine, which powered Battle of Britain Spitfires and Hurricanes. The facility is re-locating to Inchinnan, a move which will safeguard around 1000 jobs for the community, however, the squadron will have to vacate its current premises and find a new location as Inchinnan will be too far away for our cadets to travel. Until a new location is found the squadron will temporarily be housed in Paisley.
The squadron has existed since 1947 at which time all the staff and cadets were employees of Rolls-Royce, compared to the "open to all" policy we have now. The squadron was created to improve the environment and well being of the community, and represents the Rolls-Royce Company’s enduring commitment to supporting education. Rolls-Royce has supplied the squadron with the resources to equip young people with the skills and abilities to succeed in life.
The squadron’s achievements at Hillington include the construction of the 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron Royal Auxilliary Air Force Museum, wining the Scotland & Northern Ireland Regional Drill Competition and Best Training Results award, and most importantly producing hundreds of young people with the skills and abilities to succeed in life.
The squadron’s ties with Rolls-Royce are as strong today as ever. The factory still binds the community together with many members of the cadets’ families working there and today ex-cadets Steven Sim, Neil Surgenor and Ian Shields have progressed through apprentiships to join the Rolls-Royce workforce. The continuous co-operation, support and assistance the squadron receives from Rolls-Royce contributes greatly to the success of the squadron.
It was an emotional event for the many ex staff members, cadets and their families as they gathered at the closing ceremony on Friday at 1900hrs. The squadron was inspected by Wing Commander George Campbell RAF VR(T) and then the guests retired to the main building to view photographic displays from the squadrons many successful years in partnership with Rolls-Royce Hillington. There were a lot of ex staff members and cadets who turned out for the ceremony at the old Headquarters to say goodbye. Thanks to everyone who came.