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General => Armed Forces => World War Two => Topic started by: sarahkitchen on Thursday 28 September 17 20:59 BST (UK)
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Hello there,
I have recently obtained my grandfathers RAF service records 1935-1947. There are some parts we are struggling to decipher. I wondered if anyone knew what any of the abbreviations mean and also where any of these mobile units were, we think some are in France. Thanks in advance, Sarah
Units as written on the record (as I've interpreted)
T Depot Sq
3 FTS
No 3 S H TT (m) (a)
5 mobile base unit RDF
14 G Isp (I think)
45 MU
S1 Gr Pool for 28 E7ls
99 MU
8 RC
28 MU
100 P D6 (A Release)
BRU
SPU West Drayton
101 PDC (A) release
Good conduct section
What do 1st 2nd 3rd and A D R mean?
Special qualifications section
Ath C of I at 8RC
It 5.75% 'B'
Promotions
flight Sgt (supe)
ACH - GD
Also some 'annual filming' stamps. What do these mean?
Thank you very much in advance.
Sarah
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Hi,
T Depot Sq
3 FTS (Flying Training School)
No 3 S H TT (m) (a)
5 mobile base unit RDF
14 G Isp (I think)
45 MU (Maintenance Unit)
S1 Gr Pool for 28 E7ls
99 MU (Maintenance Unit)
8 RC (Recruits Centre?)
28 MU (Maintenance Unit)
100 P D6 (A Release) (*)
BRU
SPU West Drayton
101 PDC (A) release (Personnel Despatch/Dispersal Centre)
Good conduct section
What do 1st 2nd 3rd and A D R mean?
Special qualifications section
Ath C of I at 8RC
It 5.75% 'B'
Promotions
flight Sgt (supe)
ACH - GD
Also some 'annual filming' stamps. What do these mean?
I have typed up those that I can decode thus far in bold above.
Info re no3 Flying Training School here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._3_Flying_Training_School_RAF#Second_formation
List of Maintenance Units & info for each here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Royal_Air_Force_Maintenance_units
You would need to see which dates your grandfather was at each unit to determine as to which base etc he was at. These dates will also be within his service records.
(*) I suspect that this is actually 100 PDC, which is Personnel Despatch/Dispersal Centre. No 100 PDC was based at RAF Uxbridge in Middlesex. Oddly enough it is the same Despatch/Dispersal centre that my grandfather was sent to in September 1946!
I will see if I can decode some more for you.
Hope this helps.
Kind regards
David
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David thank you so so much for this information. I am trying to upload the scans but the files are too big. Once I have done this I will send them over. Thank you again, Sarah
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Hi Sarah,
Your very welcome!
Are you trying to upload scans of the full pages of the document? If so just snip out from the scans the 3 or 4 sections that you mentioned above & post those only. They shouldn't be to big then hopefully!
Hope this helps.
Kind regards
David
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Hoping this works!
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Photo 2
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P3
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P4
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P5
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Anything you can decipher from these I would be forever grateful. Thanks, Sarah
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Hi Sarah,
Page 1.
T Depot Sq (Squadron?)
3 F T S (Flying Training School)
Admitted Hosp Cranwell (Date July 1935?)
3 F T S to No3 S of TT (M) (a) (School of Technical Training) (Date May? 1936)
No3 S of TT (M) (a) to 3 F T S
Admitted Hospital Cranwell (Date July? 1936)
Discharged Hospital Cranwell
Admitted RAF Hospital Cranwell (Date ? 1936)
Discharged RAF Hospital Cranwell
3 F T S to Station Grantham (Date July? 1937)
Stn (Station) Grantham to 77 Sq (Squadron) at Driffield (Date Nov? 1938)
77 Sqn to 5 Mobile Base Unit RDF (Date Nov 1939)
14 Grp (Group)
45 M U (Maintenance Unit)
Stn (Station) Rollestone (A) (Date May 1940)
45 M U (Maintenance Unit)
51 Gp (Group) Pool for 28 EFFS (Possibly EFTS) (Elementary Flying Training School)
Here's the first page to start you off! The dates are unfortunately a little unclear, but have done the best that I can.
Just to help geographically speaking both Cranwell & Grantham are in Lincolnshire & Driffield is in East Yorkshire.
Hope this helps
Kind regards
David
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Brilliant David thanks again for all your help! My grandfather was originally from Doncaster so makes sense that he was at local-ish airbases. My dad remembers him saying he was posted to France but not sure I can find any reference to that on here.
Thanks, Sarah
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Hi Sarah,
Page 2.
99 M U (Maintenance Unit)
8 R C (Recruits Centre?) (Date 1942)
99 M U (Maintenance Unit)
28 M U (Maintenance Unit) (Date 1944)
99 M U (Maintenance Unit)
28 M U (Maintenance Unit) (Date 1944)
100 PDC (Personnel Despatch/Dispersal Centre) (Date June 1945)
B R U or V (B Reserve?) Basically put on a reserves list (B list) for a time if I’m right!
S D U West Drayton (Date Feb 1947)
101 PDC (Personnel Despatch/Dispersal Centre) (Date Oct 1947) (Kirkham, Lancs)
Your page 5 shows a postponement of release of 6 months dated 1st Oct 1945 & confirmed in Dec 1945 which would tend to confirm my guess re the reserves list idea & final release from the RAF in October 1947. The Dispatch/Dispersal centre was basically the place that your grandfather would have been demobbed from.
Also forgot to add in my previous post that Rollestone is in Wiltshire.
Hope this all helps.
Kind regards
David
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Thank you again David. With regards to the good service awards, do you know what A,D and R stand for and also what 1st 2nd and 3rd mean?
Thanks again, Sarah
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Hi Sarah,
With regards to the good service awards, do you know what A,D and R stand for and also what 1st 2nd and 3rd mean?
Unfortunately, I don't I'm afraid, possibly where the A, D & R are concerned perhaps grades of conduct. The 1st, 2nd & 3rd could perhaps be a way of classing them as in 1st class, 2nd class etc, but this is just a guess to be honest. There are one or two others on RootsChat who would perhaps have more knowledge of that side of things than me. Hopefully they may be able to add more.
If I am able to decode anymore & I shall continue try to do so, I will let you know.
Kind regards
David
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Brilliant thank you again! Sarah
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No. 3 School of Technical Training was at RAF Manston in Kent at this period of time (from 1st July 1935).
http://www.manstonhistory.org.uk/timeline/
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5 Mobile Base Unit RDF
RDF could mean Radio Direction Finder
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28 EFTS was at Pendeford Airfield, Wolverhampton from September 1941.
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7160952?descriptiontype=Full&ref=AIR+29/622
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/45/a2234945.shtml
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Thank you very much for that information :)
Sarah
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Would anyone have any idea where maintenance unit 99 was during ww2 as Wikipedia only has later dates. Thank you
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Also, we are u sure where he joined at, does anyone know how we would be able find that out? Thanks
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No 99 MU was at Curzon Lane, Alvaston, Derby.
Annual filming was of the records and not the man.
A D R is awarded deprived restored. 1st 2nd etc denotes the number of times the man attained the standard for the A D or R
Ross
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Thank you Ross, so in relation to the above photo he was 'awarded' 4 times over the years for 3 different Instances, would this correct? Is there any way of finding out what these were for? Thanks again for all your help, Sarah
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good conduct badge was awarded after x years for good character service (of undetected crime - some said). You needed specific years of service before being eligible for additional badge awards.
the badge(s) could be taken away for demeritous service - deprived, but could then be restored if you subsequently were a reformed character.
Not unusual to see a couple of award/deprivarion and restoration sequence on service records.
The "brownie badge" had a lesser meaning to the service man than the fortnightly pay bounty that accompanied it.
ross
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From Wikipedia: just as a small contribution to this thread.
"Introduced in the 1920s, the RAF granted Good Conduct Badges for 3, 8, or 13 years' good service in the Royal Air Force."
RRTB