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General => Armed Forces => World War Two => Topic started by: Lizalex on Wednesday 23 May 18 18:04 BST (UK)
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Hello again everyone,
Many thanks to all the good people who helped me to decipher the hyeropglyphs of the RAF on my father's RAF war record. Now I am working on my mother's WAAF record. As an LACW, she saw many technical postings also. Please can anyone help me with them? Three of them are obvious. The others need some inside knowledge.
Many thanks in advance.
Liz
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If the dates for the postings are available it would be very hyelpful to have them because units coul;d be moved around and have differing functions at different times.
For example, 13 Base was at Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire in 1944, but I don't know if this ties in with your mother's service:
https://www.northlincsweb.net/RAFElshamWolds/
https://www.facebook.com/pg/13BaseRAF/posts/
105PDC was in Wythall (Worcestershire?). PDC stands for Personnel Dispatch Centre. If this was your mum's final posting she may have been sent there to wait for demobilisation.
OTU stands for Operational Training Unti. Wiki might help:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Royal_Air_Force_Operational_Training_Units
Philip
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Hello Philip,
Many thanks for your reply. I tried to include the dates, but even at a much lower resolution, the file was too large to attach to this post. I have scanned the list of dates, which are alongside the postings in hope that it is helpful.
Liz
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UPDATED
STIRLING
RES
(Reserve?)
INNSWORTH
See https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/607/raf-innsworth/
31 RC 16.2.43
31 Reception Centre ?
24 OTU 11.3.43
24 Operational Training Unit. Wiki might help:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Royal_Air_Force_Operational_Training_Units
5 S of TT 24.6.43
5 School of Technical Training (perhaps RAF Locking near Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset)
19 OTU 4.11.43
19 Operational Training Unit. Wiki might help:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Royal_Air_Force_Operational_Training_Units
13 Base 25.10.44
13 Base was at Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire
https://www.northlincsweb.net/RAFElshamWolds/
http://www.rafweb.org/Organsation/Bases.htm
Hornchurch 30.8.45
Fighter airfield in Essex
13 Base 25.9.45
see above
Binbrook 13.12.45
Bomber airfield in Lincolnshire
105PDC 26.3.46
105 Personnel Dispatch Centre, was in Wythall (Worcestershire?).
If this was your mum's final posting she may have been sent there to wait for demobilisation.
Philip
[/quote]
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Thank you, Philip,
You have my most sincere appreciation. That is really wonderful,
Liz
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The typed bit at the top looks as if it is one complete sentence stretching over more than one column and line - or am I seeing things?
MaxD
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Hello Max, I have tried several methods of copying the part that you think is all in one sentence, but could not find a way of making it a small enough file, which was still legible enough to read.
Liz
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So we (that is Philip!) haven't quite got it all yet or are you content with what the first 3 lines say in toto? While each visible word may be legible, what they say in entirety isn't clear.
MaxD
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The last posting, RAF Wythall, was certainly in Worcestershire - about seven miles due south of Birmingham city centre.
The site is now occupied by the Birmingham Transport Museum.
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Thank you everyone who helped me with this. I think I have it all worked out now. I still have not been able to upload a smaller file showing the header on the document, but it is typed and I can decipher it. I’ve been having some broadband problems and sincerely apologise for not replying sooner to Max and Henry. Thank you both.
Liz
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Stirling
Res
Innsworth
was a standard sequence you find in most war time records.
Stirling was where she was attested - in this case probably a combined recruitment centre (CRC). At this point she has officially entered service but had to await an entry course starting at the Recruit Centre (Innsworth - WAAF Depot) so she was placed onto the Reserve List to wait.
Ross
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Many, many thanks, Ross. You have completed the last part of the list and I really appreciate it.
Liz
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I am researching my mother's war service in the WAAFs. I have her service records and can interpret most of these but I am having trouble with two what appear to be personal designations - "SEW" and "SEA". She worked on barrage balloons and parachute packing and also had a posting to "9076 SE" on 8 December 1943, which I cannot identify. Can anyone help?
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No.9076 Servicing Echelon - this was a formation that provided 2nd and 3rd line servicing facilities for a number of squadrons on a main aerodrome and it's associated satellites.
If the SEW and SEA are circa 1943 then it usually demotes Stores Equipment Worker and Stores Equipment Assistant
If later when the above trade descriptions were declared obsolete then it could be Safety Equipment Worker and Safety Equipment Assistant but these were more post war.
Ross
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Thanks very much for your speedy response. The acronyms make sense as mum was a parachute packer after working on barrage balloon.
Thanks also for the info on 9076. Did this have a location? Mum's is designated 9076 SE. She was based at RAF Blackbushe just before this and then moved to RAF Holme in Yorkshire.
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Ok - the servicing echelons complied with a standard numbering system.
the 9000 series was associated with Bomber Command and 9076 was associated with No.76 Squadron Bomber Command
From June 1943 this was based at RAF Station Holme-on-Spalding Moor with surrounding Satellites.
http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?3546-Ground-service-support-and-base-units
http://www.rafcommands.com/Ross/Bomber/76B.html
Ross
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Thanks very much, Ross. That's the final piece in the jigsaw and makes absolute sense as the mother, Ruby, then served at Base 44 (Holme) and then Base 43 (Driffield), before being posted to RAF Kemble, then being discharged at RAF Wythall.
I really am very grateful for your help.
Thanks once again
Bob
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Ross
Sorry - one more query.
On 10 September 1943, Ruby was posted to "No. 11 school of technical training" for 1 month (probably parachute packing) and her service record possibly suggests this was at RAF West Raynham, Norfolk. However, I have also seen references to Hereford. Can you help?
Thanks
Bob
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No.11 SofTT was notionally based at RAF Station Hereford. RAF Station West Raynham circa Sept 1943 was non flying due to reconstruction works.
Without sight of the service record context I'm only guessing on your interpretation but is it possible that the entries in question contain an A?
This means attached to the unit but not on the posted strength - the inference is she was posted to West Raynham and remained on the unit strength but was attached to No.11 SofTT Hereford for the month duration of course.
Ross
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Good morning Ross
Thanks again. Yes, this is a very strange entry. I give details below plus the 3 prior entries as these link in, I think.
82/43 - Swanton Morley H ? 23.04.43 (date of movement)
222/43 - West Raynham (9) - - 10.09.43
/ - Swanton Morley - - -
184/43 - 11s of TT H B 09.10. 43
On the last entry, overwritten faintly (pencil?) in the first 2 columns is "W RAYNHAM PORS"
In the mustering column are the following related entries.
ut Inst. Rpn. 23.06.43
U/T SEW (2) 7.10.43
SEA (5) 28.10.43
Again any help would be much appreciated.
Subject to any further feedback from you, I have now written up my mum's war service, including details of RAF stations served at and with supplementary information and photographs. It is a 23-page WORD document so can be transferred electronically. Is there anywhere that this can be posted on line for historical purposes?
Happy to send you a personal copy if you let me have your email. My email is bob.young@y-c-s.co.uk.
Thanks again for your help, Ross. Very much appreciated.
Bob