Air Force Lookups - if you need help

[annsa]

Hi,

Harry Selman may have filed a PoW debriefing report. If it has survived with all it's appendices it may hold some interesting info, relating to the downing of the plane and his time spent as a PoW. Unfortunately not all bits and pieces are there in the reports but some make very interesting reading.
The reports are held at the National Archives at Kew.
As there was an Aussie who was a PoW, you could ask the National Archives of Australia to digitise his personnel file. Unfortunately they have now started to charge for this service, previously it was done for free. The Aussie record may well have interesting info in it as well. Someone of the RAF Commands site  (ot someone else) may have already applied to have the record digitised and if so it will be free to view, best way to find it is to search on the service number.

Regards,

Ann

[kyt]

Frisby's files have already been digitised - both service and casualty

http://naa12.naa.gov.au/Login.htm

Click Guest and enter his service number 416421 The last two files are accessible

K

[IainK]

This is truely incredible. Yesterday I find this forum and mention Harry, then within 24hrs I'm reading (and seeing) a hand written account, of his plane being shot down over Germany and his capture, by his Captain. Breathtaking. And it all tallies with the stories I have carried with me since childhood of this family Hero.

When you mention "Kew" in regard to Harry's own service records I presume these to be the official RAF records? Why then are our records not public like the Australian one's? I will have to contact Harry's twin sister, my Great Aunt, to request these files I presume.

Thanks to everyone who has helped me out with this.

[annsa]

Hi Ian,

You ask:
'When you mention "Kew" in regard to Harry's own service records I presume these to be the official RAF records? Why then are our records not public like the Australian one's? '
ErrorSPAM REPORT THIS POST AS SPAM (Use 'Report to Moderator'). DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINKS IN THIS POST. DO NOT REPLY TO THIS PERSON.][/color]Good question! I, and many others, cannot understand why the records can't be released as the Aussie, New Zealand and Canadian records are. In the past, with the help of a Canadian friend who was able to view a personnel file at Ottawa,I helped someone find out how their brother's life was lost and was able to put them in touch with family members of the other crew of the aircraft. Something they were extremely grateful for but only possible due to the fact that the Canadian records were open.
The RAF service files are available to next of kin (cost £30 now I believe), but you will only get 2 sheets of A4 and minimum info, all postings will be in that file but things such as letters, debriefing reports etc are not included. The PoW debriefing reports are held at the National Archives at Kew. You can find and view them free of charge, however you will have to search to find the right file to look at. I have looked at the Evasion and Escaping reports as well as Liberation reports. However, I am having a 'blonde' day and am unsure of the series number, it may be in the WO208 series, however, Kyt who is very likely more on the ball than I am will no doubt be able to point you in the right direction! WO208 series are the Evasion and Escaping files, if your relative managed to evade capture for a few days there might be something in those.
WO344 reports are what are known as the Liberation reports, he might have a file in that series.
There is a card index to most of the files held at the NA, however, some of the later series of the WO208 files, however some of the latter series of files do not (or didn't have) an index and therefore you just have to trawl through tons of paper.
Get the service record from the MoD, that will give you all his postings and if you get the chance go to the NA and see if there is a debriefing report lodged by him.

All the best,

Ann

[kyt]

The RAF service files are available to next of kin (cost £30 now I believe), but you will only get 2 sheets of A4 and minimum info, all postings will be in that file but things such as letters, debriefing reports etc are not included.

Which is why I always say when posting, in response to a query about service records, that people should specifically ask for photocopies of the original file. Though one doesn't get as much info as the Australian records it is better than the default typed summaries one gets.

The WO 208 files are the reports filed those involved in Escapes and Evasions - collected to glean what information the escaper can provide on conditions, methods used, routes etc

The WO 344 files are the Liberated Prisoner of War Interrogation Questionnaires. They are subdivided into alphabetical groups:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/browser.asp?CATLN=3&CATID=13403&GPE=False&MARKER=0

K

[IainK]

It's a real shame we don't get to see the full files.

BTW in the book "Last Take Off" which has been mentioned, will the full co ordinates of the crash be given? Thanks to Milly I now know the name of the wood, but looking on Google Earth it is a large area. I'd like to visit the site at some stage to pay my respects. I also wonder if there is anything in the local press archive about the crash.

I suppose this can take on a slightly macabre fasination but the driving factor is not morbid curiosity but respect for a young man who lost his life in the line of duty, and the pride associated in my being related to him.

[brushbroomstick]

My cousin William Emmerson Metcalfe 620395, 208 Squadron was an aerial photographer in the desert in North Africa where he contaracted TB and died in Engalne on 13 April 1945 , aged 25.

Is there any way I can find out about his time in the RAF?

[David Layne]

Kyt wrote................

"The WO 208 files are the reports filed those involved in Escapes and Evasions - collected to glean what information the escaper can provide on conditions, methods used, routes etc

The WO 344 files are the Liberated Prisoner of War Interrogation Questionnaires. They are subdivided into alphabetical groups:"

My father evaded for 10 days before capture, would he have filled in a WO 208?

I have a copy of his WO 344 which is disappointingly brief. 

[annsa]

Hi David,
I suppose it is possible. The latter files in the 'Liberation' series were not indexed unfortunately. I did a partial index of some of the files, but I was mainly looking for Canadian references for Hugh Halliday. I posted on the RAF Commands site (the old board) with the names of the files that I had noted, can't remember a Layneamongst the ones I looked at, but it was near the end of the day and I was scanning through stuff as quickly as possible. I have an excell file from Joss as he also ws trying to do some sort of index, will look and see if there is a Layne on either his or my notes. If I don't have the name, it doesn't mean that he isn't there though.

Regards,

Ann