B Flight 20 Squadron RAF Quetta in 1924

[GerryS]

Hi, I have been lucky enough to come across a postcard that was sent to my great-uncle Sidney Marsland in Aug/Sep 1924. It is addressed to SW Marsland 347/07, B Flight 20 Squadron, RAF Quetta, India. I would be interested to know generally where I could find more about this squadron in India at this time. What were they doing there?
I would also love to know are service records for RAF personnel post WW1 available. Would 347/07 be a RAF or regimental type number? I have no idea what rank he was or even was he part of the RAF. Any help would be appreciated to put me on the right track.
Thanks
Gerry

[rafcommands]

Ok,

First step go to The National Archives Discovery Catalogue.

Download (not view unless you have a very powerful pc!) the free file AIR 78/103.

This is the card file index of RAF personnel 1918 to 1976 ish.

I think your man is Marsland S W.  The service number given is 347107 and the card is marked with a F in a circle stamp.

You now have the correct service number and the F stamp means that he was pre war and marked for return to service as Class F reservist on outbreak of war.

Putting "Marsland 347107" into discovery search bar brings up no hits so it suggests that his service record is still retained by the RAF.

See the Sticky message at the top of WW2 section of this forum on how to go about getting his service record from the RAF at Cranwell once you have found his date of death.

The service number is a valid one for RAF Other Ranks (ie not a commissioned officer) and is part of the block 340001 to 360000 started on Sep 1919 for Civilians entering the RAF and was completed 16.6.1925. This allows you to estimate the year he entered the service.

No hits on the OR service number and name in the Online London Gazette so unlikely he was commissioned pre or wartime.

Now back to the TNA web site.

For the price of a drink (£3.36) you can download the No.20 Squadron Operations Record Book for the inter war years.

AIR 27/258/1

This will answer your questions on what the unit was doing

Regards
Ross

[GerryS]

Thanks Ross for a very quick and clear response I will follow up with that shortly.
Gerry

[GerryS]

Hi again, I have a little follow on query. I managed to download the No.20 Squadron Operations Record Book for the inter war years and this ties in with the postcards I have from Quetta, then from Peshawar. The records give an excellent account of what the squadron were doing in India. However some period of years are missing "No records are available for the period 25.1.24 to 3.6.27" without any explanation. The only item mentioned in the side column is "5.1.25 Squadron moved to PESHAWAR". Now I wonder if is this usual for operation records to have gaps like this? Is it because these records just went missing or are they held separately i.e. maybe like war records rather than operations records? And if so where would I look (I couldn't find anything on TNA website, but I do find that difficult to find my way around).
Also does anyone know any good books that cover the RAF during this period (1920s) in the NWFP of India.?
Thanks again
Gerry

[rafcommands]

Between the wars ORBs usually contain only notable deviations so if the unit was carrying out normal tasking it was not expected to be recorded.

The record books of higher formations will include the general and sometimes specific tasking orders for the squadrons making up the wing/group/AHQ.

You would need to look to the ORBs for these formations for the missing dates but I suspect it will be "more of the same" for the daily tasking.

Dis-armament had reduced the home airforce to almost caretaker strength. The only area where Trenchard could provide a role was Empire Policing to replace extensive army garrisons and forts.

As a result the RAF had become almost exclusively a force based in the middle east, India and North West Frontier protecting land communications for British interests.

When a local war lord/tribe transgressed a flight would be arranged to overfly the encampment and warn that they were about to be bombed. The population would abandon the camp and the bombing would cause commercial damage with the minimum of fatalities.

At a recent talk by the last OC of Harrier Force he described tasking of destroying a remote drugs factory. As the Chinooks carrying the assault troop were inbound, special forces reported that the expected bods inside had increased to over 60.

Instead of calling off the assault the Harrier Force was tasked with a loud and low overflight but no weapons release authorised.

The camera pods showed a starburst effect of motorbikes/mopeds leaving the target so that when the Chinooks arrived there was minimal resistance and much intel evidence was taken intact.

Summing up the OC remarked on how he was still using the NWF policing tactics of the 1930s RAF with the equipment of today.

Regards
Ross

[GerryS]

Thanks again Ross for your quick response. The odd thing I find is that either side of the missing years 1924 - 1927 the squadron seemed very busy before with bombing and policing raids and afterwards with the "Mahmand" War, and more of the same.
Gerry

[rafcommands]

Quiet periods are usually re training and re equipping. Forces were moved in and out of the active areas but the local warlord may have gone quiet or pro British for a period.

A very good primer on the early RAF, equipment and living conditions is the following book.

It does not cover the day to day ops but does set out well the pay/conditions and politics of the time for the NWF

The Royal Air Force
An Encyclopedia of the Inter War Years
Volume 1
The Trenchard Years 1918 to 1929
Wing Commander Ian M Philpott
ISBN 1 84415 154 9

Vol 2 1930 to 1939 hits the spot as well if you want to extend.

Regards
Ross