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General => Armed Forces => World War Two => Topic started by: KathrynBryant1 on Sunday 12 May 24 14:34 BST (UK)
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Good afternoon,
I have my Father's WW2 RAF Service Record (two pages) and wonder if there is someone out there that can please explain to me where my Father was and what the different codes mean? I am particularly interested in 1942 through to the end of 1943. Any help in locating where he was at any given time would also be very much appreciated, if possible.
TRYING TO ATTACH THE TWO PAGES, IT'S TELLING ME THAT THE FILE IS TOO LARGE. EVEN ONE PAGE IS TOO LARGE SO NOT SURE HOW I CAN GET THE RECORD TO YOU, ANY IDEAS PLEASE?
Thanking you in advance.
Kathryn
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Have you tried cropping it to only show the portions you are querying :-\
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Yes I have, it's still saying that it's too large. Thanks for your response.
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Oh dear it will have to be as small a bit as you can manage, a piece from 1942/43 perhaps if that is the period you are most interested in.
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Thank you, I'll see what I can do and attach the same if possible.
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Am still trying. I've taken photos of parts but it's still saying it's too large.
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No joy I'm afraid. I've tried various options and am still informed that the files are too large. Not sure what else I can do.
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Try emailing the photo to yourself and selecting a small version for the email
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Kathryn, have you seen this thread on how to resize images: https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,130922.0.html
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Thank you Andy. I will give this a go tomorrow and keep everything crossed that it will be successful. Getting a little tired now.
Regards,
Kathryn
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Hi Kathryn
i always use the Snipping tool to just send sections of an image. Its great and really easy to use.
https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9mz95kl8mr0l?hl=en-gb&gl=US
Laurie
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Hope this works?
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Hope this works?
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Hi all. Am starting again as I made a real pigs ear of it earlier. Am still going to have to send the images one by one.
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2nd one.
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3rd one.
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4th one.
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5th and final one. Again, apologies for having to send one by one. I do hope that they are legible?
Thanks in advance of any help that someone may be able to provide.
Regards,
Kathryn
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The first image shows his postings/employment and the second has his movement details.
Image One.
16 RC - Recruit centre. At RAF Ouston
116 Squadron This was an anti-aircraft calibration unit. They flew sorties to allow the Army's ground based anti-aircaft gunners to calibrate their guns for various altitudes and speed of aircraft. The Sqdn was split up across the country, but he appears to have been based at RAF Digby.
No 2 School of Technical Training. From image 2 we know that his trade was Flight Mechanic (Aircraft) (FMA).
He was then posted to 41 Squadron which was part of Fighter Command and equipped in Spitfires. The Squadron was then based an RAF Llanbedr, in Wales.
5 PDC Personnel Distribution Centre. A place where service men were brought together prior to moving by sea on overseas postings.
He then served in 322 Maintenance Unit (Cawnpore, Uttar Pradesh, India) and 12 General Mainenance Unit
117 Sqdn, also in India and supporting operations in Burma.
3 REC - not sure but seems to be an embarkation centre ready for his return to the UK
104 Personnel Distribution Centre for final administrative details prior to being demobbed.
The Qualifications section shows the aircraft he was qualified to work on. I can't make out the first entry. The next is Hurricane, and the last is the (Douglas) Dakota.
Finally for the first image, his ranks.
AC 2 is Aircraftman class 2 (lowest rank), LAC is leading aircraftman and then he reverts to AC1 Aircraftman class 1, followed by another stint as an LAC.
I have to go out now and so unless someone else does the second image in the mean time, I'll do that later. However you should be able to make sense of it based on the contents of image one.
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Andy, thanks a million, you're an absolute star. It will take a bit of time for me to digest all of this. It's great to see what Dad was up to. He sadly passed away in early 1961. I was quite young then and have, after all these years, only just applied for his Service Record. I am trying to decipher where he would have been in the late 1942's up to at least August of 1943. Apart from those years it's really good to know what he was doing for the rest of his Service.
No rush for the remainder, as and when you have time.
Once again, thank you.
At least now I know how to minimise pictures if, in the future, I find the need to upload some to a post!!!
Regards,
Kathryn
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I think it might be best if you say which bits you would like explaining. I may be able to do most of the abbreviations, but that doesn't necessarily mean you understand the full version.
Just for starters, on the image ending 2836, your dad was awarded the Burma Star (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma_Star) (for his time with 117 Sqdn I'm guessing), and the 1939/45 Star (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1939%E2%80%931945_Star) which was awarded to all servicemen/women who served in an operational theatre of war for 180 days. Then in the centre of the image he was awarded the War Service Increment (WSI) initially for 3 years when he was on active service, which was then increased to 5 years (ie from 1940 to 1945) to also cover his time on the reserve. This was cash gratuity, in part to help service personnel resettle into civilian life and pick up their old job etc.
Then on image ending 3348, you will know most of the details anyway. ACSB in the centre bottom is the Aircrew Selection Board.
Let me know if you want anything else explaining.
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No 2 School of Technical Training in WW2 was at RAF Cosford, Shropshire:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Cosford
Tony
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Morning Tony. Thank you for the information you provided. You'll have to excuse my ignorance but do you know when Dad was at this place please?
Regards,
Kathryn
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Morning Andy. Once again, thank you for the information you have provided me. My brain is trying to understand everything and it's really helpful to have an insight of my Dad's movements. The one thing that I am more interested in at the moment is where was Dad was based etc between July and September 1943. I don't know if there would be another Record held anywhere that might be more specific or whether my query can actually be deciphered from the Record I uploaded?
Please excuse my ignorance.
Kind regards,
Kathryn
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Morning Tony. Thank you for the information you provided. You'll have to excuse my ignorance but do you know when Dad was at this place please?
Regards,
Kathryn
Abbreviated as 2 S of T. T. on the records.
Two postings on 17/2/42 and then 16/12/42 (if read correctly)
Tony
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Thank you Tony, much appreciated.
Regards,
Kathryn
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Sorry if I'm becoming a pain, but what does D2E mean against 41 Squadron on Dad's Record in 1943 please?
Regards,
Kathryn
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Sorry if I'm becoming a pain, but what does D2E mean against 41 Squadron on Dad's Record in 1943 please?
Sorry, I don't know that one. It's not a medical category.
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Thanks Andy, no worries.
Regards,
Kathryn
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what does D2E mean?
Below are discussions from other forums, there is not a straightforward answer:
https://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/raf-form-543-help-needed-please.83417/
https://forum.rafcommands.com/forum/general-category/18716-reason-auth-columns-on-raf-service-records?18837-Reason-Auth-Columns-on-RAF-Service-Records=
Tony
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Thank you Tony. The links provided are most informative but obviously doesn't cover my query, perhaps one day it will come to light. Nevertheless the rest of the information is valuable for future reference.
One last thing.
Is there anywhere that I can look up where the Personnel Distribution Centres were located please?
Kind regards,
Kathryn
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5 Personnel Dispatch Centre:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4100808
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padgate
Tony
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104 Personnel Dispatch Centre:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7162600
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Hednesford
Tony
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What knowledge you have as to where queries can be researched. Obviously I don't have a clue hence my asking for help. Thank you for the further information provided.
I don't want to go into great detail on here but I have been told that my Father had a liaison with someone (long since deceased) who worked at RAF Hornchuch at some point in 1943, this is why I am trying to determine where he was around that time. Although all of the information provided is of a great help with the insight to my Father's movements, am eager to find out if what I've been told could be true.
Kind regards,
Kathryn
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41 Squadron was at a number of different locations in 1943:
October 1942-March 1943: Llanbedr
March-April 1943: High Ercall
April-May 1943: Hawkinge
May 1943: Biggin Hill
May-June 1943: Friston
June-October 1943: Westhampnett
October 1943-February 1944: Tangmere
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/41_wwII.html#google_vignette
RAF Friston in Suffolk is probably the closest to RAF Hornchurch in Essex.
Tony
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Hi Tony. Thank you so much for this further information. It is very useful and very much appreciated.
Regards,
Kathryn