11 Squad, RAF Uxbridge 1938

[Andy J2022]

You will probably get a much better reply from Ross (RAFCommands) or someone else who served in the RAF, but my guess would be that the numbers were issued centrally. However what may account for discrepancies is that in some cases the date the airman enlisted may have much earlier than when he was called forward to attend his basic training, for all sorts of reasons, perhaps due to his age or family circumstances.  Sorry I can't be of more help.

Afternote. Kiltpin makes a good point.

[martin hooper]

Hi Kiltpin

No, he signs himself as Cpl Murray. Pity there's no initial.

Thanks

Martin

[martin hooper]

Andy thanks. I'll wait and see what RAF specialists might say. But you've made me realise that if I find possible candidates with higher numbers they're unlikely to be correct. I have a number of possibles for the Brown signature and I think I might be able to reduce them on the basis of the higher numbers.

Martin

[martin hooper]

I have found an interesting document which lists all the blocks of RAF serial numbers from 1917 onwards. Somebody did a fair amount of work to produce it, so I don't think I should post a link to it. I've no idea how accurate it is but for my purposes I'll assume it's good enough.

The block of numbers that my airmen are in is the 610000 - 654720 block started in March 1938. My father enlisted in September 1938 as 621812. So in about 6 months they used nearly 12000 numbers. Which equates to a rate of about 2000 per month,  or 100 per day (assuming 5 days a week).

So if I have an earlier number than the ranges I'm interested in I can make a rough estimate of how many days or weeks earlier that man enlisted. Does that make sense? Or am I on a flight of fancy?

So on that basis my two main blocks of numbers are only about 3 or 4 days apart. The early number that I was concerned about is about 12 days earlier.

Martin

[Andy J2022]

Martin,

 Just one small factor to add to the mix. In 1938 the Air Defence Cadet Corps (ADCC) was set up by Air Commodore John Chamie RAF. This would later become the Air Training Corps and later still, the Air Cadets. Apparently thousands of cadets joined in the first year, and if they were allocated numbers from the overall RAF pool of numbers (I don't know if this was the case), then that would seriously distort the adult recruit numbers based on your calculation.

[martin hooper]

Andy

Yes I agree that my rough calculations could be seriously distorted if the ADCC service numbers were from the same pool. So you set me off on another avenue of research. The ADCC published a Gazette every two months from June 1939 to July 1940, nine in all. I have found images of all 9 Gazettes online and the first one contains a brief history of the formation of the ADCC. The first two squadrons were formed in July 1938. The next two squadrons were formed in September 1938. So I would think that any distortion of my calculations would be minimal for the period I'm looking at.

I have yet to read all of the ADCC Gazettes but I will do so with interest since I was a member of the Air Training Corps myself in the 1960s. So thanks for raising the point.

All the best

Martin

[martin hooper]

Hello

With help from others on the handwriting forum I've finally found what I think is all the men - see the image below in service number order. All of the service numbers are within the two ranges I mentioned before, with one midway between the two.

So far this has been an absorbing project just identifying all the names and service numbers - now the fun starts!

All the best

Martin

[Andy J2022]

Great work Martin,
Glad you were able to assemble the pieces of the jigsaw.  I hope you will keep us updated with the next phase. Perhaps if you are able to identify where they all ended up, it will throw some light on the reason for the two groups of numbers; or not!
Andy

[SMJ]

Worth remembering that some course members may have non-consecutive numbers due to previous enlistment or after being re-coursed or moving trade - a few examples...

Illness or injury requiring a break in training
Failing to pass an examination or test needing a resit (re-course) onto a later intake.
Moving from another trade, very common in flying training schools moving from ground to aircrew  roles. e.g. Ground Engineer to Flight Engineer.

When I went through OCTU Henlow in the 1970s, the service numbers were all over the place with senior NCOs receiving commissions, other trades trying for aircrew selection, University Air Squadron direct entries and so on.