Royston - Where's Jack!

[GAYNORI]

Thanks you two
Small town Girl - yes that did cross my mind (more hair pulling!) but I will nee to check all the Jack's first. Also John is Giovanni in Italian so will need to check that too aaggh I will be 90 before I complete this task.

medpat - do you think that she would have been in the RAF before the war or just called up/volunteered.If she was an officer does that mean she would have worked her way up the ladder? Sorry to be a bore but I really don't know anythink about uniforms etc. I presume the picture of the unknown girl would be same?

[medpat]

On Ancestry I put Jack born 1944 - or + 1 yr born Hertfordshire and only 3 MMN same as child's surname. One born maybe too early as 1943.

Do you have any idea where the child was born. As soon as the pregnancy was known by the RAF she would have had to leave.

[medpat]

Paddy wasn't an officer. I can't tell you what rank she was as I can't see her enough of her arm all I can tell you is she was medical branch. Wrong hat and hat badge for an officer or warrant officer.

The second girl has no badges other than the RAF eagle so may have only just joined being in basic training or trade training. I'm not sure how they got their ranks in WW2 though but she is as low as they come I'm afraid. With her jacket that creased she'd be in trouble with WAAF admin.  The flash on her arm is in the wrong place to be a badge so must be a mark on the photo.

Asked OH's opinion and he agrees it's a mark on photo, he did 25 yrs RAF.

[GAYNORI]

Thanks for all that info. I have just found a site where you can ask for help re RAF etc so once I get Outlook up & running I'll post these 2 photos on to see if anyone recognises them.

Medpat Thanks for that I'm not sure about that but I think it was in the vicinity as Ildebrando got to meet his son and he was at Royston POW camp, unless she went home & came back. I will ask Guiseppe if he knows where his Uncle was born.

[LizzieL]

On Ancestry I put Jack born 1944 - or + 1 yr born Hertfordshire and only 3 MMN same as child's surname. One born maybe too early as 1943.

Do you have any idea where the child was born. As soon as the pregnancy was known by the RAF she would have had to leave.

She could have come from anywhere in the country and gone back to her parent's home to give birth. The photo on reply #3 looks like it was taken in the summer, so if anyone can estimate how old the baby was in the photo it might narrow down the time of year Jack was born.

Do you know where the photo was taken? Don't recognise anything of Royston in the background, but it would have changed in 60 years.

[LizzieL]

Interesting article here.

http://www.royston-crow.co.uk/news/german-pow-peter-recounts-gaining-festive-freedom-in-royston-after-second-world-war-1-5313274

might be worth contacting the Crow, they might do an article on Jack. It has a print copy as well as online version, so gets a good readership locally.

[LizzieL]

This article is mainly about Dunstable POW camp, but does mention Royston and there is an email link to get in touch if you are related to anyone in one the camps in Beds, Herts and Bucks.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/peoples_war/gliding_club_dunstable.shtml

[GAYNORI]

Hi thanks for that. Have been in touch with the CROW and they are doing an editorial on this. Hope this will give it a wider audience.

[GAYNORI]

Hi LizzieL
Thanks  I've sent all the details  I have onto them  to them who knows it might do some good