134 (Bedford) Sqn Air Cadets |
(No Photo) | Sqn Ldr V.T. Norwood (1939-1940) |
(No Photo) | Sqn Ldr C.F Woodcock (1940-1945) |
(No Photo) | Flt Lt S.H Starey (1945-1946) |
(No Photo) | Flt Lt C. Robertson (1946-1947) |
(No Photo) | P.O. L Wallace (1947-1949) |
(No Photo) | Flt Lt Baines (1949-1956) |
Flt Lt Ron Turvey(1956 - 1981) | |
Flt Lt Alan Wiggins (1981-1996) | |
Flt Lt John Palmer (1996-1997) | |
Flt Lt Barry Testro (1997-1998) | |
Flt Lt Paul Sucksmith (1998-2002) | |
Flt Lt Darren Harbar (2002-2005) | |
Flt Lt Iain Whittaker (2005-2005) | |
Flt Lt Mark Robinson (2005-2009) | |
Flt Lt Paul Nelson (2009-2011) | |
Flt Lt Robert Kitchener (2011-2012) | |
Flt Lt Khalid Murad (Apr 2012-2013) | |
Flt Lt Lyndsey McGregor (2013-2014) | |
Flt Lt Matt Dolton(2014-2023) | |
Flt Lt Lyndon Llewellyn2023-Present) |
1939 - Ampthill Road, Hut Belonging to County School | |
1939 - 1946 Bedford School Gymnasium (For some of this period shared with Castle lane) Photo courtesy of Bedford School/ Old Bedfordians Club | |
1943 - 1947 11 Castle Lane, Bedford (for some of this period shared with Bedford School gymnasium) | |
1947 - 1949 Roise Street School house, Bedford | |
1949 - 1953 Kempston Barracks, Kempston | |
1953 - Moved to RAF Cardington, we have had at least 5 buildings on this site | |
(no photo) | c1965 - (Building number unknown) Building on road at back of station that ran down to Airship hangars |
View Building plan | c1976 - 1985 (Building number unknown) Building between building 388 and boiler house. |
View Building plan | c1985-1991 (Building number unknown) Building which stood on the site of the stations Cycle shelter |
View Building plan |
1991-1999 Building no 388 H Block at rear of RAF Cardington. |
Aug - Dec 1999 - the Squadron temporarily relocated to Simon Whitbread House, Bedford Hospital NHS Trust | |
2000-2008 - Building no 1024 RAF Cardington | |
2008-Present Day |
134 was officially opened on 2nd June 1939 as an Air Defence Cadet Corps squadron, we started with only a handful of cadets.
By 1941, the Air Defence Cadet Corps was reformed as the Air Training corps. by now, mainly due to increased interest in uniformed organisations due to the war, we had over 120 cadets.
We originally met for a time in a hut down Ampthill Road, the exact position of this hut is currently unknown but rumor is that this was on around about where Crayola & Box Clever is currently sited, before moving to the sports hall of Bedford School. later moving to places including a hut in castle lane, (now a car park by Bedford Museum). Later still, the schoolhouse in Roise Street (now where a block of flats stand).
After being based in several buildings in Bedford and Kempston the squadron moves to RAF Cardington in 1953. Which is where we remain to this day - despite a number of moves within the boundary.
The 1970's were a busy decade for the squadron. in our 40th year we won the Bedford river festival raft race although we never returned to defend our title.
During the 1980s our longest ever serving commanding Officer, Flt Lt Ron Turvey retires after an unprecedented 25 years in charge. Although he remained a civilian instructor on the squadron for several years after.
A decade which culminated in our 50th Anniversary Hangar Dance followed by our International Airshow.
In 1992, the squadron managed to get official permission to adopt the now disbanded 134 RAF's insignia as our own logo, which is where the red gauntlet comes from in our squadron logo.
By 1999 we where 60. This was marked by the squadron being awarded the freedom of the Borough of Bedford