No birth registration

[Elwyn Soutter]

To have left India to come to Britain, Alan would have needed a passport, which in turn would have required a birth certificate, or failing that an awful lot of paperwork establishing his entitlement to British citizenship. If you haven't already done so try the India Office records in the British Library. The BL is still not fully back online after the cyber attack 2 years ago, so if you can't visit St Pancras in person, it might be worth a phone call to see what records are available online.

I am sorry I can't immediately supply an authoritative source but I am pretty sure that it wasn't until 1948 that it was obligatory to provide a birth certificate to get a British Passport (or to add a child to an existing parent's British passport). So it may not have been necessary for him to have a birth certificate.

[BushInn1746]

Acting Flight Lieutenant Alan Christopher Dowden, R.A.F.V.R, No. 78 Squadron. This officer now on

... operational duty, has participated in numerous operational sorties. On all occasiong he has shown coolness and efficiency and exceptional fearlessness in the face of danger. A./Fit. Lt. Dowden was born in 1913 at Bombay, India, and was educated at St. Joseph's College Calcutta, India. He enlisted in RAFVR in 1940, was commissioned in 1942 and reached his present rank in 1943 ...

Published: Friday 15 October 1943
Newspaper: Bournemouth Times and Directory
County: Hampshire, England

My Grandfather was with a Yorkshire RAF Bomber Squadron.

On his WW2 Certificate of Discharge from the RAFVR (sent to us a few months after his death in a Flying Accident) was, his:-

Units (including Training Schools - named with Unit Numbers)
Birth Place (Town), also Parish Name, County and Full Date of Birth.
Marriage Place (Town) and full Marriage Date.
Religion.
His Next of Kin are named:-
Wife - full name and address.
His Brother and his address.
His Father and his address.

Ministry of Defence Record (Scan Purchased previously from the RAF Personnel & Management Agency)

Just looked at our Record from the Ministry of Defence, which holds similar information, except his home address had changed on the 'Next of Kin or Person to be Notified of Casualties' (to their temporary home address).

Also the Forenames and date of birth of Children.

Pension Award Number [Widows Pension].

I suppose if he had survived the war their address would have been changed back to their home address, or showing last change of address.

Although my Father knew virtually all of the information, it usually gives all the basic information for the Family Historian.

AIR 81 Air Ministry Casualty Files - TNA, Kew
If he was involved in an injury accident, especially where one or another crew member was killed or hospitalised, you may sometimes find (sometimes also handwritten on the back of the Casualty Signal) the next of kins of the crew, e.g. Wife, or person appointed and being notified, who may be related?

Some notes on the back of Casualty Signals (sometimes handwritten on the back) include basic information re Birth Date and Birth Place (probably so that a Clerk could ring RAF Records, so that Casualty Branch could obtain their address to send Telegrams or Letters to notify NoK that an accident had occurred).

Mark

[grahamm684]

Well, thankyou very much, i have ordered marriage and death certificates and i would like to get this service record. But will i be able to as i have no proof of being related to him or can anybody obtain a copy?
Cheers.

[Andy J2022]

I am sorry I can't immediately supply an authoritative source but I am pretty sure that it wasn't until 1948 that it was obligatory to provide a birth certificate to get a British Passport (or to add a child to an existing parent's British passport). So it may not have been necessary for him to have a birth certificate.

Elwyn, You may well be right. I had misremembered some research I did on another family some time ago. The bit I was thinking about was the letter below. However on rereading it now I see that the birth certificate was needed for some purpose in England, and not specifically for a passport.

[BushInn1746]

Well, thankyou very much, i have ordered marriage and death certificates and i would like to get this service record. But will i be able to as i have no proof of being related to him or can anybody obtain a copy?
Cheers.

You will have to ask that question and the questions you want answers to, to the current holder of the Service Records, because their Polices have changed over the years.

[ruth52]

My mother was born in India in 1919. She only had a baptismal certificate, no birth registration. Have you looked for baptism records? Apologies if you have already gone down this route.