raf help

[rafcommands]

Between the wars the RAF shrank to minimum levels, Uk was really only a training and admin force to supply the minimum staff requirements of the Middle East.

When the expansion period from 1935 started the lean years had caused a shortage of experienced men and these were exactly the guys that were needed to train the new recruits.

This situation continued into the Munich crisis of 1938 where the RAF struggled to train the men now coming forward into the part time RAFVR.

With 10 years service post WW1 your relative would have been highly desirable as a trade instructor for the new RAFVR and I suspect when you get his WW2 service record you will find a return to some type of RAF service 1938/1939.

On outbreak of war reserves of men who had recently left the service would be called up to embody the cadre units and release trained instructors to deal with the influx of war service volunteers enrolling.

Class F reserve was one of categories (Class A being men who had just left service and needed no new training down to Class D who had been out of service for a few years and needed a few weeks retraining before reaching unit. Class E was specialist civilian staff eg Met Men, Airline Radio Operators/Pilots and Class F prewar trained staff).

A similar situation is happening today where the Regular Army needs Territorial men to carry out active service to meet the manpower demands of tasking.

Did you realise that the whole Royal Navy currently employs less staff than the Metropolitan Police Force.

Regards
Ross

[Shirleyjjj]

just reading out what you may find in the RAF serviceman booklet 1940s

theres really not that much -

issued with SML rifle  no 40l9690 g23
roll through sling bayonet  in 1944
bandolin 50 rounds
seaboot socks dec 1944
winter vests dec 1944
i pari garters
dirty flea label ? £4
afs £8
pullover
scarf

sorry to jump on the post like that but i just got the picture out and started looking throught the things to see if there was anything to help

[sandi15]

Many many thanks for all the info you have given me.I'm so glad I came on this site else i'd still be looking!! Will be checking them out tomorrow, and now i'm off to find out about my other granddad who was a japenese pow during WW11. I'll be in touch..

[DeeBoneham]

Hi Sandy
It may be that they mean a Ground Gunner in which case he could well have been RAF Regiment.  It will really help you getting his service record as that will tell you what Sqn's he was on.  If he was an RAF Regiment Ground Gunner there is an RAF Regiment Museum based at RAF Honington, which is the training depot for the Regiment of today. It is open the first Saturday of the month although it may well be closed over the winter period.  It might be worth writing to the archivist there when you know which Sqn he was on if it was RAF Regiment.

Reference your other grandfather there is a guy who handle is ADM199 who has a lot of POW records who might be able to check if there is repatriation report for him.  You might also like to look up the FEPOW Association.  They have an annual service I believe in Wymondham, Norfolk that you might want to go to. You might also want to go to the National Memorial Arboretum and look at their Far East Area.

Good luck and keep us informed
Dee

[sandi15]

Sorry I haven't been in touch  . I have been asking my elder sisters what they can remember and looking through my late mothers personel papers but no luck there. It does seem however that the "medal" was what all recruits got when they done their training as my brother has this! As for my grandfathers service no, I can find no trace of that!!  As I have some holidays coming up, i'm going to spend more time searching to see what I come up with. I did find out quite a lot about my other grandfather who was in the Med Core and i'll be chasing that as well. Many many thanks for all the information. If I do find him, i'll be sure to let you all know!

Sandi

[Glyn Jones]

MOVIESNAPS (RE ROBERTS)
birnbeck Chalfont Road
Milton Weston -s-Mare

Hi sorry to butt in but here is a photograph of my father Alun Jones as a young man and his colleagues with the same details on the back with order No 196 I guess it would be 1941/2, my mother says he was stationed in Weston S.M. It also has signatures of I assume the others in the Photograph.
Reg Swallow,J Valentine,Joe Payne,G W Farnsworth,Mickey Hayden,H Gower, Colin West, ? Hawkins,J Pardoe and others not so clear it's not in brilliant condition but I have scanned the photograph and attached it.

[Shirleyjjj]

glyn -
lovely pic - just dont want you to get into trouble with the powers that be if any of the gents arre still alive though - im going to compair it to the pics i have of my father as he has written names of the people on the back of his pics i have here and one of the men (botton left) looks familiar - ill have to dig them out so might take a couple days -

hes written MR jones - on the back of one of the pics but dont build your hopes up - theere were so many jones es !!!

[Glyn Jones]

Thanks andreajjj I must admit that after sending it I had a feeling that I shouldn't have attached photo or written the names on the back.Should I remove the attachment or edit out the names ?,just thought it might help some one.
Rgds oldgit

[Shirleyjjj]

hi Glyn,

i would try not to worry too much about it - ive written down the names anyway - the man who looks familiar on one of my dads pics is top right (sorry got mixed up)-   in my dads reg (my dad was in the RAF slightly alfter the date of your pic here ) but this is purley specualtion as my dad pics are tiny tiny you need magnifying glass and are not good.

He posted the originals to the RAF museum and said 'would you like these?' and they kept them !!! these were the originals with the names on the back - now my dad did more fore the negatives donkeys years back now and i recently called the RAF museum who dug them out for me and told me who was written on the back and i wrote them on a seperate piece of paper (so this is why i may have to dig a bit) but i do rememebr mr jones as one of the people -

so this may take a bit of a dig -
all the pics I have are not like this they are working on the aircraft and capturing German equipment and the men are shirtless and capless and longer hair , they are all smoking cigarettes (so obviously look different than these)

I would keep the pic on here as its so nice unless the moderators remove it , but nice to find someone whos relative had their pic taken in the same photo place if anything