Author Topic: Help with RAF Record?  (Read 506 times)

Offline AmyDurdin

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Help with RAF Record?
« on: Wednesday 03 May 23 14:17 BST (UK) »
Hi I've got my family's RAF record from WW2. We don't know anything about what he had done, the document is a bit hard to understand there's lots of different squadron numbers.

Is it possible to tell from this what sort of role/job he had during the war?

Is it possible to see if he was overseas at any point? We believe he mentioned Belgium but we're not sure.

There's some special qualifications on there but its hard to read what they say.

There's dates on it from 1946 too, is there any clues what he would of been doing after the war?

thanks

Offline q98

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Re: Help with RAF Record?
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 03 May 23 15:19 BST (UK) »
The Squadrons "Sqdn" were Airfield Construction Squadrons.
Entry dated Sep 1945 "AOSEA" = Air Operations South East Asia.
For further, see https://ww2memories.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/common-abbreviations-on-ww2-raf-records-as/

q98
32.04'.04"S 115.48'.30"E
Hamilton, Kennedy, Lovell, McCreadie, Murray, Workman - Ayrshire, Scotland
Lovell - Texas, USA
McCreadie - Dunedin, NZ
Boyle - Eire
McCreadie, Wills, Wyatt - Queensland
Tait/Tate - Toronto, Canada
Workman, McEwan - OFS, South Africa

Online AlanBoyd

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Re: Help with RAF Record?
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 03 May 23 15:44 BST (UK) »
from National Archives
5011 Airfield Construction Squadron, based in Southern England
5012 Airfield Construction Squadron, based in South-West England
5017 Airfield Construction Squadron, based in the U.K. then Germany
(records are not available online)
Boyd, Dove, Blakey, Burdon

Offline AmyDurdin

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Re: Help with RAF Record?
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 03 May 23 16:35 BST (UK) »
The Squadrons "Sqdn" were Airfield Construction Squadrons.
Entry dated Sep 1945 "AOSEA" = Air Operations South East Asia.
For further, see https://ww2memories.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/common-abbreviations-on-ww2-raf-records-as/

South east Asia is completely new to us, he never mentioned this before. I see the date is after ww2 had offically ended. Is it possible this is to do with the Indonesian revolution/operations in Vietnam [45/46] which British forces were involved in?


Offline q98

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Re: Help with RAF Record?
« Reply #4 on: Wednesday 03 May 23 21:59 BST (UK) »
Unlikely.
q98
32.04'.04"S 115.48'.30"E
Hamilton, Kennedy, Lovell, McCreadie, Murray, Workman - Ayrshire, Scotland
Lovell - Texas, USA
McCreadie - Dunedin, NZ
Boyle - Eire
McCreadie, Wills, Wyatt - Queensland
Tait/Tate - Toronto, Canada
Workman, McEwan - OFS, South Africa

Offline AmyDurdin

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Re: Help with RAF Record?
« Reply #5 on: Thursday 04 May 23 10:40 BST (UK) »
Unlikely.

Thanks for the reply.

I'm just wondering the record on 19/10/42 "11 wks sqdn 112 flt" what this means? I looked up 11 squadron which came up as a fighter squadron in Sri lanka. I'm not sure this would be right

Offline Crumblie

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Re: Help with RAF Record?
« Reply #6 on: Thursday 04 May 23 11:08 BST (UK) »
I think 11 wks Sqdn refers to RAF airfield constructiion services rather than a flying squadron, if you look under mustering wks also appears there.

Offline AmyDurdin

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Re: Help with RAF Record?
« Reply #7 on: Thursday 04 May 23 15:03 BST (UK) »
Okay sure that makes sense.

Does anyone know where I could find information on the locations/activities of these squadrons? Maybe a FOI request to MOD? I'm not sure how to find the information. thanks

Online AlanBoyd

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Re: Help with RAF Record?
« Reply #8 on: Thursday 04 May 23 15:37 BST (UK) »
Here is a link to National Archives entry for 5012 as an example. There are details there of how to proceed. I have never done this myself so I can’t tell you exactly what to do or how much it might cost.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7161677
Boyd, Dove, Blakey, Burdon