I was told by my father that my grandfather Charles Ernest Humble Anderson from Sunderland served in the Royal Flying Corp. I purchased his service record from the National Archives and discovered that before that he enlisted in the British Army and served in France. It states he was gassed on 17th September 1917. However, I cannot find out what regiment he served in. I am guessing that it was the Durham Light Infantry but not sure. Can anyone tell me what other regiments did Sunderland men serve or be able to access records to find out?
My father also told me that he served in India. I am assuming this was with the R.A.F which he joined in April 1918. I can't seem to find out what the Units he served were. Movements read: I think - 2AD to 2AW, 1AD to 10AP, 10AP to 20 Squadron, 20 Squadron to 'Dealali'? Then I can't read where his documents were sent to but the date is 5th August 1920 after his discharge which was 30th April 1920.
I work for Forces War Records, and am happy to help, this is from the site:
First Name:
C.E.A.
Surname:
Anderson
Nationality:
British
Information:
Before Transfer to R.A.F. from R.N.A.S. or R.F.C. - Rank:- A. Mech. 3, Trade:- Carp. (Lnr.)
More Information:
Airforce Pay:- 1s. 6d. Terms of Enlistment:- Duration of War
Rank:
Private
Rank (2nd):
Carp Lnr
Service Number:
144528
Campaign Medals:
Victory Medal
victory medalLike many service personnel of World War One, C.E.A. Anderson was entitled to the Victory medal, also called the Inter Allied Victory Medal. This medal was awarded to all who received the 1914 Star or 1914-15 Star and, with certain exceptions, to those who received the British War Medal. It was never awarded alone. These three medals were sometimes irreverently referred to as Pip, Squeak and Wilfred.
Eligibility for this award consisted of having been mobilised, fighting, having served in any of the theatres of operations, or at sea, between midnight 4th/5th August, 1914, and midnight, 11th/12th November, 1918. Women who served in any of the various military organisations in a theatre of operations were also eligible.
British War Medal
british war medalAs with many Armed Forces personnel, C.E.A. Anderson was entitled to the British War Medal for service in World War One. This British Empire campaign medal was issued for services between 5th August 1914 and 11th November 1918.
The medal was automatically awarded in the event of death on active service before the completion of this period.
Service:
Royal Air Force
Unit:
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force during World War 1
Royal Air Force
More information about Royal Air Force
Formed: 1918
While the British were not the first to make use of heavier-than-air military aircraft, the RAF is the world's oldest independent air force: that is, the first air force to become independent of army or navy control. It was founded on 1 April 1918, with headquarters located in the former Hotel Cecil, during the First World War, by the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). After the war, the service was drastically cut and its inter-war years were relatively quiet, with the RAF taking responsibility for the control of Iraq and executing a number of minor actions in other parts of the British Empire. Naval aviation in the form of the RAF's Fleet Air Arm was returned to Admiralty control on 24 May 1939.
The RAF developed its doctrine of Strategic bombing which led to the construction of long-range bombers and became the basic philosophy in the Second World War.
The RAF underwent rapid expansion prior to and during the Second World War. Under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan of December 1939, the air forces of British Commonwealth countries trained and formed "Article XV squadrons" for service with RAF formations. Many individual personnel from these countries, and exiles from occupied Europe, also served with RAF squadrons.
In the Battle of Britain, in the late summer of 1940, the RAF (supplemented by 2 Fleet Air Arm Squadrons, Polish, Czechoslovakian and other multinational pilots and ground personnel) defended the skies over Britain against the German Luftwaffe, helping foil Hitler's plans for an invasion of the United Kingdom, and prompting Prime Minister Winston Churchill to say in the House of Commons on 20 August, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few".
The largest RAF effort during the war was the strategic bombing campaign against Germany by Bomber Command. While RAF bombing of Germany began almost immediately upon the outbreak of war, under the leadership of Air Chief Marshal Harris, these attacks became increasingly devastating from 1942 onward as new technology and greater numbers of superior aircraft became available. The RAF adopted night-time area bombing on German cities such as Hamburg and Dresden, and developed precision bombing techniques for specific operations, such as the "Dambusters" raid by No. 617 Squadron, or the Amiens prison raid known as Operation Jericho.
Click here for more information on Royal Air Force
Seniority Date:
20/02/18
