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General => Armed Forces => World War Two => Topic started by: stitchwitch on Tuesday 19 March 19 19:46 GMT (UK)
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Hi All
I'm trying to identify my late father's WW2 RAF service number in order to gain access to his service records. Drilling down through the personnel index I've arrived at AIR 78/75/9-3. Now I'm stuck.
There are three potential Ronald Heywoods: one with an F in a scircle stamped on it, one stamped "MILITIA", and one otherwise unadorned but so faded as to be barely legible. How do I know which is mine?
He was born 1924 near Chester, signed up (probably Ellesmere Port) before he was called up, trained at Yatesbury (and I *think* Brid) before going via ship to Cairo and on to somewhere north of Sorrento. He was WOP/AG in Wellingtons, and his final squadron was mainly South African. I'm particularly interested in which (if any) medals he was awarded and what happened to them as I'm fairly sure they were never actually in his possession.
I am in no position to visit TNA or Hendon, nor to pay anyone else to. I can avoid the £30 fee by sending off in my currently extant Mum's name but I will presumably have to scare up a copy of his death cert.
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Don't worry about the number. All the form asks is that you complete it as fully as possible, if you have his date of birth (and the other requirements) then the great minds at the MOD will find the right one.
Just to be sure as you mentioned Hendon, your forms are going to Sleaford
MaxD
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Cheers for that, Max. Do you know if they'll accept a print of a downloaded death cert or does it have to be the "real" thing? It seems my cousin has charge of aall Mum's paperwork and, although there must have been about ten copies purchased,getting one divvied up would appear to be going to require forceps. The £7 I can (just about) run to LOL.
Best
Stitch
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The three are:
1) Ronald Haywood 975977 (965000 to 1149977 Sep 1939 Padgate)
2) Ronald Haywood 3059191 (3055001 to 3061579 Dec 1944 Ex ATC Cadets Cardington )
3) Ronald Haywood 2209142 (2200000 to 2212749 2212224 Oct 1942 Padgate)
The first Ronald would have made him 15 at time of enlistment
The second would have made him 20 but taking into account training etc it is unlikely this Ronald would have had seen any operational flying by the time the war ended in Europe in May 1945
The third Ronald's age and year of enlistment sounds about right for the info you provided.
EDIT: They should all be HEywood, not HAywood as written above. Sorry
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I too doubt the middle one: I'm 99% sure he was never in the ATC, and Cardington is in Bedfordshire.
For the other two, would Padgate (which is Warrington) have been sending out recruitment teams over a wider area? He lived in Ellesmere Port.
I do know that he went and signed up with two school friends rather than be drafted, and then had to carry on doing whatever until they had their call-up. He had left school to work in the oil industry by then, but one of the others had already been called up, trained and shot down over the North Sea.
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Do you know the name of the friends? Or just the one who was shotdown?
Unless he used a forged birth certificate he wouldnt have been allowed to enlist at 15, even if it was a deferred enlistment.
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As for enlisting in Padgate, it's only 30 odd miles from Ellesmere Port, so well within the admin area for the recruitment centre.
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Do you know the name of the friends? Or just the one who was shotdown?
Unless he used a forged birth certificate he wouldnt have been allowed to enlist at 15, even if it was a deferred enlistment.
The friends were Phil Roberts (shot down, on CWWG site) and (I'm fairly sure) Joe Isaacs (also survived).
He wouldn't have forged a birth cert. Third one it is! Thank you!
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Ronald Heywood 2209142
Philip Grenville Roberts 2209068
Joseph Isaacs 2209130
The numbers are all very close...close enough for them to have enlisted together.
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Do you know if they'll accept a print of a downloaded death cert or does it have to be the "real" thing?
The forms refer only to "a copy of the death certificate" which in my opinion is what a £7 pdf is.
A word of caution. If you quote a number and date of birth and they don't match, the disclosures people don't know which one to go for and the process halts. It is not up to them to do any research to clarify which man is meant. I would telephone the RAF Disclosures people first and ask for advice. The main switchboard is 01400 268163.
MaxD
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Would it be safest to just give your father's name, date and place of birth and leave it to the MOD to find the correct service record? If there are any anomalies they will let you know and will (I presume) return your £30.
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Both ways would work equally well and would avoid a "no compute" answer.
MaxD
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Ronald Heywood 2209142
Philip Grenville Roberts 2209068
Joseph Isaacs 2209130
The numbers are all very close...close enough for them to have enlisted together.
I reckon that's them. Thank you!
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Do you know if they'll accept a print of a downloaded death cert or does it have to be the "real" thing?
The forms refer only to "a copy of the death certificate" which in my opinion is what a £7 pdf is.
A word of caution. If you quote a number and date of birth and they don't match, the disclosures people don't know which one to go for and the process halts. It is not up to them to do any research to clarify which man is meant. I would telephone the RAF Disclosures people first and ask for advice. The main switchboard is 01400 268163.
MaxD
Good point, thanks Max.
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Would it be safest to just give your father's name, date and place of birth and leave it to the MOD to find the correct service record? If there are any anomalies they will let you know and will (I presume) return your £30.
Sounds like a plan. I'll be sending off on behalf of my Mum so that'll save £30 :P
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Would it be safest to just give your father's name, date and place of birth and leave it to the MOD to find the correct service record? If there are any anomalies they will let you know and will (I presume) return your £30.
Sounds like a plan. I'll be sending off on behalf of my Mum so that'll save £30 :P
Even better!
Good luck. :)