RAF Wittering bomb squad warrant officer retires after 35 years of service

Mr Hunt joined the RAF in 1984 as a weapons mechanic at the age of 16. Like every airman of his generation, basic training was completed at RAF Swinderby before trade training at RAF Cosford.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) has been a feature of Mr Hunt’s career since the very beginning. Once qualified, his first posting was to RAF Waddington as a weapons mechanic. Bomb disposal was part of the job, as was the maintenance and preparation of missiles, ejection seats, aircraft cannon and on-board fire extinguishers.

Speaking in 2018, Mr Hunt said: “At its most fundamental level, what we do is engineering. It’s a very specific field; but all the basics in terms of understanding electronics, mechanics, mathematics, hand skills and safety are just as important.”