WW2 RAF Service Record - Interpretation Help

[Boongie Pam]

Good Morning Lovelies!

I received my Grandfather's RAF records last week and I have been building a timeline in order to match our family stories/memories/photos.

He was based in Nigeria for a while but it is the entries between them and the 69 squadron service echelon.

I know that he was in RAF Titchfiled in August 1944 (per his marriage cert) which would be aligned to to the entry BPSO/HS the move reason is "C" and I can't find what that would mean either.

So the codes I haven't been able to decode are:
BPSO/HS  C
84 GSO  is this 84 squadron?

Thanks for any help!

Pam
 

[Andy J2022]

BPSO is Base Personnel Staff Office (ie the department responsible for personal records, pay etc of the airmen and officers of the group it was supporting - Group is the level of command above Squadron) and the HS means held strength. This means that for some reason ('C') he was attached to this office for administrative purposes while on unspecified duties or leave of absence. It is possible that the C stands for Compassionate, ie some sort of personal or domestic problem. However 8 months (from 18/3/44 to 25/11/44) is a very long time to be on compassionate leave, so C may refer to something completely different.
And the other abbreviation is not GSO, but GSU, meaning Group Support Unit (their role is explained here).  84 GSU was part of Fighter Command and was based at RAF Aston Down in Gloucestershire at that time. 84 Sqdn was a Bomber Command Squadron.

[Boongie Pam]

Thanks Andy - that is really useful.

He was married during the months his record was attachd to BPSO. There are no stories of him taking leave for illness or other reasons. Curious!

Ah I see it as GSU now. I always wondered if he supported Fighter or Bomber Commands.

Thank you.

Can I ask your opinion on the 248 mentioned near the top - I have assumed it was an attachement to 248 squadron - is that incorrect?

[Andy J2022]

Yes I would agree that it's 248 Squadron, in which case he would probably have moved to Malta with them in July 1942, before going on to West Africa.

Do you know what his trade was? If he was a pilot, I would be somewhat surprised if he was flying operational sorties with 248 Sqdn, and then relegated to being a ferry pilot in 84 GSU. However if he was ground crew he could just as easily have been in either environment as the job would have been the same (maintaining/repairing/arming the planes). Obviously, in Fighter Command the only people who flew were the pilots and occasionally navigators, but they didn't need any aircrew such as gunners, bomb aimers or radio operators.

[Boongie Pam]

HI Andy,

Sorry for the delay in thanking you.

He was an airframe mechanic during and after the war when he joined up again.

Thanks!