Where was my mother during WW2

[AniMac]

During the War, Mum was in the RAF.  On her marriage Cert it says “typist, Ministry of Labour’.  Now I know she was based on at a Camp but the RAF can’t trace either her or my stepmother to link them to where my father was based.  I even sent the RAF a copy of her photo in uniform, but got the answer some records are not that great.  However, mum should still have appeared somewhere!

They all met at the same place, Dad was a Dentist, stepmother a Dental Nurse (became an honorary aunt until Mum died).  The Camp must have been active as they were often bombed, Mum used to have two bits of shrapnel, one landed on her pillow, the other where her head would have been, if she had hidden under the bed during the raid, luckily she was on duty.

Names:  Joan Holliday Forsyth (my mother)
Flight Lieutenant William Douglas Sincliar (father)
Stepmum was: Dorothy Wood.

Unfortunately all are now dead - pity I did not start tracing the family before my stepmother died !!

If anyone has any idea how I can pinpoint where they were in the War it would be a nice addition to the history.

Thanks
Annie

[casalguidi]

Hi Annie

I don't know if you already have this notice from the archive of the London Gazette - bit later than WW2

24 Oct 1947

Dental Branch - appointment to commission:

(As Flight Lieutenant - permanent)

William Douglas SINCLAIR LDS (88376) 1st July 1946 (seniority 26 Nov 1941)

http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/index.asp?webType=0

Casalguidi

[AniMac]

Thanks for this.  The RAF did send me a copy of Dad;s Service record, unfortunately a lot of the places he was posted to are just numbers or Unit ** so not really that much help.

Annie

[UKfamilyrecords]

Hi Annie,
             It is possible to find out the places where a RAF officer was posted to at a given time if you consult the Operational Records Books at the National Archives, but you need to know the Squadron's they were attached to in the first place so I don't know if that's any help to you.

Michelle

[AniMac]

Unfortunately Dad was not in a 'squadron' as he was part of the Dental Corp, which is sort of septerate from the rest of the RAF, just as the Doctors are.  A real pain really.  Is that a pun? 

Thanks though, any thoughts are welcome.
Annie

[UKfamilyrecords]

Hi Annie,
             Operational Books for the main medical units survive - does not appear to be a separate set of books for the Dental Corp. So you could try:

Central Medical Establishment: http://tinyurl.com/82fxt
Central Medical Establishment Halton: http://tinyurl.com/c9yn9
Ditto 1940-42: http://tinyurl.com/a7jyh

Air 29 is the class you need. Try searching the catalogue at the National Archives using 'Medical' in the word phrase box and Air 29 in the class box.

Michelle

PS. I should have added that the main RAF Medical centre appears to have been at Halton, Aylesbury.

[AniMac]

Thanks Michelle,

Will give that a go. 

I think though as I am really trying to find my mother I also need to see where the records could be, when you were a WAAF as a typist, during those years.

Probably will never find out in reality but perhaps one day!

Annie