OAG RAF Nickname ?

[greensteam]

My father was in the RAF as a radar operator from 1942-46. In 1945-6 he was with a small unit that travelled around the middle east setting up small radar units.
In my father's letters and sketches there is someone he only identifies as Oag. At first he had the name in quotes: "Oag", so that I wondered if it was a nickname. Then I wondered if it was an acronym or slang for a rank or trade in the RAF.

It is such an odd nickname that I cannot think what it could be short for, or if slang what it could be.

Any ideas?

[HeatherLynne]

I just asked my partner who was in the RAF during the 1990s and it's nothing recognisable to him - of course times have moved on since your photo.  I'll try and remember to ask my Dad who was in the RAF for National Service as that's closer to the time you're looking for.

Heather

p.s.  Just put Oag into the surname box for the 1901 census and there were 17 people registered with that name, so it seems to be a surname in its own right!

p.p.s.  Having checked on another site I got these results for Oag on various censuses

1841 Census    7 records
1851 Census    7 records
1861 Census    4 records
1871 Census    15 records
1881 Census    26 records
1891 Census    32 records
1901 Census    22 records
1911 Census    26 records

and there are three Oags listed on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site as casualties in WW2, but they are two Austrialians and one Canadian so perhaps not the Oag in your photo.

[greensteam]

Thanks for doing that check for me, Heather.

It was such an odd name that I wondered about it, especially as it initially appears in quotes, which I thought one wouldnt do if it was the guy's ordinary surname. Also everyone else is referred to by nicknames, so it seems to have been quite the culture in that group.

[HeatherLynne]

You're welcome.  Another thought occurred to me, perhaps the man's surname was Carmichael and got the nickname Hoagy which got shortened to Oag?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoagy_Carmichael

Bit of a long shot but it's the only origin of a nickname Oag I can come up with.

Intriguing!
Heather

[greensteam]

Good bit of sideways thinking! Ta

[greensteam]

I now think, from a later letter, that OAG, or O.A.G. was for something like Other Administrative Grade, as the man was a former bank clerk and the nickname is either given as OAG, "Oag" or O.A.G.