Hey!
Hope you guys are well
I've had my great-grandfather's service record for a while now having requested it from the MoD, and I've been trying to work out what is all means. Like many people's family from the war, they never really spoke about it apart from bits and pieces, so while there's obviously stories and limited information trying to quantify that with what is on the service record has been a bit of a challenge. I've attached the photos of the service record and annotations (excuse the spelling) that I have made with what I think each thing says along with some questions below. Thanks again for anyone taking the time to have a look at this it means a lot!
Questions:
[First Page]
In the top right under, "Where Educational, Languages..." I'm unsure of what the word directly under "Civilian" says. I assumed that it's "Pilot" just based on the fact that was their rank at time this sheet was created i.e. Pilot Officer since they had joined the RAFVR prior to the war, but it could also be another occupation as I'm not sure the RAFVR was full time.
I've done some research into the "admin & special duties branch". Would educational instructors be part of this if not using the clues both in this sheet and the next, what would it be possible to determine what subsection of the A&SDB they might have been a part of?
I'm a bit confused as to why they were embodied then demobilised then remobilised then demobilised more than a few times. Would there be a reason for this especially considering that they were demobilised less than a month after the war started. I know that despite being demobilised he was still doing something do do with the air force - potentially the RAF Educational Service as there's a photo of him in a uniform in 1941 a time where was demobilised. There's a number (S.58164). Is that something I can use to look further into this, or was that just the I.D. of the person who put that information into the sheet? The same goes for the rest of the information in "Special Notations" I notice that the second set of mobilisations end in 44. Is this something I can use to research further?
The next question involves what the handwritten bit in the bottom might say. I can make out the final segment which says, "showing NIL vol admissible", but even this is a bit cryptic.
[Second Page]
Under date and place of board, I'm unable to make out exactly what that is although I know that they were at RAF Cosford with the No.2 School of Technical Training (this was part of or just is the No.1 School during the war I think which is at RAF Cosford)
According to the medical board, they were listed as A4h which according to a forum post I read meant Non-Combatant Passenger Duties and was the lowest level of fitness possible. Not really sure why this is, they didn't have glasses and had no long term illnesses and it was before the diagnosis of "Vertigo".
In the remarks section it is listed as R.T.4 I haven't been able to decode what this means.
Unsure of what "P.P." means to 13 ITW and while I think ITW stands for Internal Training Wing I'm unable to find any additional information.
If you guys have any suggestions on where I can find more information - having exhausted the normal stuff like requesting the service record from MoD and the Gazettes and all that would be wonderful!
