Test Pilot killed Reading 1930

[DevonJewel]

Hi,
I'm trying to find information on Samuel Wilfred Giddy aged 28 who was killed testing a plane at Reading on 24 August 1930 - please can anyone suggest where I can find more info, sorry I don't know whether he was in the RAF or not.

Many thanks
DJ

[cath151]

Hi,
There is a S W Giddy in the RAF Officers Service Records available on National Archives Online. Not sure if he is your Samuuel or how much info there is but only £3.50 to download if you think it might be him.

Cathy

[DevonJewel]

Hi cathy,
Thanks for yor reply, it sounds very promising.
I'm struggling a bit here.  I've gone on Nat Archives/Documentsonline selected Air Force and put in S W Giddy and selected 1900-1949 and a whole list of things come up labelled family history followed by Other Records but I can't see RAF Officers Service Records - what am I doing wrong please?
DJ

[HeatherLynne]

There's a chance the Museum of Berkshire Aviation might have some information.  There was an airfield at Woodley (a couple of miles from Reading) where Miles and Handley Page aircraft were manufactured.  It's where Douglas Bader lost his legs.  Nowadays there's a housing estate on the old airfield but there's a small museum.  Could this have been where Samuel Giddy flew from?

http://home.comcast.net/~aero51/html/

Heather

[cath151]

Hi,
If you go onto documents online and put Giddy(no dates) in search box, top left, you ll come up with a list of several records.
Click on results for RAF Officers Service Records and that should bring you to S W Giddy.
Cathy

[DevonJewel]

Hi Heather,
Thanks for that suggestion.  I've been on their website and sent an email asking if they might have any info or suggestions.
Will let you know if anything comes of it.
Many thanks DJ

[DevonJewel]

Cathy,
I'm embarassingly thick and can only see records for WWI
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/search-results-summary.asp?searchType=quicksearch&pagenumber=1&queryType=1&catid=*&query=S%20W%20Giddy
am I on the right page/area?
   DJ

[HeatherLynne]

From FreeBMD it seems he was born Q1 1902 at St Germans, Cornwall - if this agrees with what you know then it's possible he was old enough to have served in the RAF towards the end of WW1, particularly if he lied about his age 

Heather

[cath151]

Right page, just enter Giddy and a search summary comes up,I think youre on the right track, he s under RAF Officers Service Records 1918-1919, my fault not specifying dates, Take no notice of the dates, I think possibly these are dates between which he might have joined (not sure) and he is definately there.
I had a terrible job finding everything  when they changed the format a while ago lol so don t be embarrassed

Cathy