R.A.F. SERVICE RECORD WW2

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by ALIBABA, Dec 25, 2017.

  1. ALIBABA

    ALIBABA Member

    I have recently received copies of two forms of my father's R.A.F. records. My father, William Peter Brown-Findlay's service number was 1561680 and I have deciphered some of the abbreviatios but I still don't know which squadron he was in. I know he was in Toronto, possibly Moncton shown as unit to 31 PR/PD 28/11/1943, & I think he may have been at Padgate, Cheshire, 5 p. d. c in July 44. Below is what I have so far.

    WH?? 01/04/42 (This was formed on 1 October 1940 at the Ballevista Hotel, Newquay and disbanded on 10 May 1944 into No 40 ITW.)

    (B) 51 GR. POOL 28 E.F.T.S REASON: H WH?? 14/07/42

    ACDC

    CR? 2A 07/10/42

    R.A.F. ???????? DATE OF MOVEMENT: ? CLOSE AIR SUPPORT FORM CONFIRMING ARRIVAL: 4/43?

    11/113? UNIT FROM: ADMITTED UNIT TO: ? HOSPITAL ?? DATE OF MOVEMENT: 08/01/43?

    UNIT FROM: DISCHARGED UNIT TO: RAF PGS? HOSPITAL DATE OF MOVEMENT: 22/01/43 CLOSE AIR SUPPORT FORM CONFIRMING ARRIVAL : 10/43?

    UNIT TO: PR? DEPOTTORONTO (MONCTON?)

    UNIT TO: 31 PR MONCTON, ONTARIO DATE OF MOVEMENT: 28/11/1943 CLOSE AIR SUPPORT FORM CONFIRMING ARRIVAL: ?

    UNIT TO: ? ? DATE OF MOVEMENT: 08/11/43 CLOSE AIR SUPPORT FORM CONFIRMING ARRIVAL: 26/04/43?

    DEP. CAS. FORM: 203/43 60 GP POOL DATE OF MOVEMENT: 20/11/1943

    DEP. CAS FORM: 142/43? UNIT TO: 21 O.T.U. (OPENED 1940 MORTON-IN-MARSH, GLOUCESTERSHIRE) DATE OF MOVEMENT: 11/12/43

    DEP. CAS. FORM: 140/44 UNIT TO: 5 P.D.C. PADGATE, CHESHIRE REASON: 63 ? ?: 7TH DATE OF MOVEMENT: 07/07/44

    UNIT TO: ? ? ? DATE OF MOVEMENT: 17/07/44?

    UNIT TO: 2 STATES ADMIN? ?: (u) DATE OF MOVEMENT: 22/09/44 CAS. FORM CONFIRMING ARRIVAL: 29/09/44

    UNIT TO: 12 F.C.S. DATE OF MOVEMENT: 24/09/44 CAS. FORM CONFIRMING ARRIVAL: 01/12/44

    UNIT TO: 23 A. V. DATE OF MOVEMENT: 11/04/45 CAS. FORM CONFIRMING ARRIVAL: 21/45

    DEP. CAS. FORM: 29/45 UNIT FROM: ADEN? UNIT TO: NO. 9 G. H. DATE OF MOVEMENT: 27/07/45

    UNIT TO: JODHPUR DATE OF MOVEMENT: 07/06/46 CAS. FORM CONFIRMING ARRIVAL: ?

    DEP. CAS. FORM: 143/46 UNIT TO: 101 PDC (PERSONNEL DESPATCH * CENTRE REASON: A ?: REL? DATE OF MOVEMENT: 23/09/46

    MUSTERING: AGTHY. C. FORM: ON ENTRY: DATE: 31/12/42

    DESCRIPTION AND DATE OF EFFECT: ACH/PILOT/OBS/RADIO RANK: LAC CHARACTER: VG TRADE: WG PILOT

    PROFICIENCY: A: 11/4?

    DESCRIPTION & DATE OF EFFECT: 24/09/41 DATE: 31/12/43? RANK: ? CHARACTER: VG TRADE: A.F.C. PROFICIENCY: A: ?

    DATE: ? RANK: SGT CHARACTER: VG TRADE: AFC? B: SUPE


    *POSSIBLY R.A.F. WARTON, LANCASHIRE
     
  2. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Alibaba

    It is often better to scan and upload the originals of documents so that members can decipher whats on the forms - it is unknown if you have transcribed them 100%, there may be errors in what you have written above

    TD
     
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  3. ALIBABA

    ALIBABA Member

    The copies of my late fathers service records were copied on to A3 paper and are too big. However i have found most of the information I was looking for except for a few. William Peter Brown-Findlay was discharged fro R.A.F. FGS Hospital, USA 22/01/1943 after being admitted 08/01/43 at Stn Hosp Fort??????. Unfortunately I don't know which part of the states he was in. Ten months later he was in Toronto and I don';'t know where he was in between. Can anyone give me a clue as to the hospitals?
     
  4. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

    How?

    The Arnold Scheme Arnold Scheme - Wikipedia had airmen training Bases, so trying to locate a hospital that you ID'd as "PGS Hospital" in your first post and "FGS Hospital" in your latest doesn't offer any clues. RAF airmen were also trained in Texas

    It might be possible to ID your "Fort ??????" if we could see what was written. Can you not use your phone to take a smaller version which could then be uploaded here?

    Regards,

    Dave
     
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  5. ozzy16

    ozzy16 Well-Known Member

    Alibaba,

    Most libraries have the machines that can scan A3 to A4.
    Think the last RAF record I had scanned to A4 cost just 50p (Oct 2017)

    Graham.
     
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  6. RAFCommands

    RAFCommands Senior Member

    As has been said without sight of the original it is nearly impossible to help.

    You have made some transcription errors and translated others incorrectly.

    eg Close Air Support Form is actally Casualty Form - abbreviated later correctly as CAS Form - it was just the generic title for a mechanism for reporting movement to RAF Records Section.

    H WH is actually H HH for Home Force Headquarters Holding.

    Ross
     
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  7. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    If you have a digital camera or phone camera
    Take photos and then upload

    Regards
    Clive
     
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  8. ALIBABA

    ALIBABA Member

    Thank you for your reply & I don't have a mobile phone but in spite of my best efforts it is not working on my camera (I need a new one) but it is definatlely FGS & 10 months later was in Toronto. Sorry, that is the best I can do at the moment.
     
  9. ALIBABA

    ALIBABA Member

    Someone on another site of which I was able to load an image said that the hospital he was admitted to was Station Hospital, Fort Meade, Maryland, USA, so possibly he was transferred to the RAF FGS Hospital from which he was released. As it was in the war the station hospital may have come under a number rather than by name. Thanks for your input.
     
  10. ALIBABA

    ALIBABA Member

    Thank you for the input. I now have found the following.
    1 Air Crew Reception Centre - ords Cricket Ground
    No. 6 Initial Training Wing - Aberystwyth
    Air Crew Despatch Centre, 51 Group Pool,28 Elementary Dlying Training School - Pendleford, Nottingham
    Air Crew Despatch Centre - Bridgenorth?
    USA RAF ???? Washington
    Station Hospital, Forte Mead, Maryland, USA
    RAF FGS Hospital
    PR? Depot Toronto
    31 Personal Depot
    50/60 Group Pool
    21 Operational Training Unit - Moreton-in-Marsh
    5 Personal Despatch Centre - Padgate, Warrington
    12 Fighter Control School
    2 I A V/ 21 A V
    aDEN nO. 9 G.H.
    JODHPUR
     
  11. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Copies of the documents will still help to decipher any outstanding requirements you may have, please list them below.

    On another thread the poster told us that they were 100% positive that the documents stated

    11AA Royal Artillery

    On seeing the documents it was possible to see that they actually read HAA - this is why we request posters to upload scans of documents they are looking for members to decipher

    TD
     
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  12. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

    Does "????" happen to say perhaps "attached" or "att."? Or, not a stretch as I know of a few other RAF airmen who trained in the US, perhaps "Emb." or "Embassy"?

    Your "31 Personal Depot": No.31 Personnel Depot, Moncton - and it's successors
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2018
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  13. Carol Johnson

    Carol Johnson Member

    I am having similar problems, having recently received my dad's records from RAF disclosures, he was a wireless operator/rear gunner in Wellingtons enlisting on 16th Jan 1942 but the only think I have found out about is the crash on take off from RAF Langham that he survived on 26th March 1945. I know that he contracted malaria somewhere and am guessing he must have served in the Middle East but I can't seem to find much more about him sadly. His name is Jack Marston and service number is 1622997. Most of the abbrieviations I have relate to RS which could be Radio School or Reserve Command, he may have been in 524 Sqn and 280 Sqn.

     
  14. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

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  15. Carol Johnson

    Carol Johnson Member

    Thanks TD, I have already tried to contact Pat Harris but sadly haven't heard anything from her or any of the others who probably won't be watching this thread as the memorial was in 2015 and I sadly had no idea, I would have loved to have been there to represent him. The black and white photo shows my dad bottom left but they have him as Sgt Laming, unless of course, he looks very similar!
     
  16. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Maybe you need to contact the actual site rather than Pat who provided some details for an update - the site is run by those mentioned in this link - Aircrew Remembered: How To Contact Us [info@aircrewremembered.com]

    TD
     
  17. Carol Johnson

    Carol Johnson Member

    I have done this already and I know that they have emailed Pat, she hasn't responded to mine or any other emails that Aircrew Remembered have sent her.
     
  18. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Hi Carol

    Thanks for the update, then I guess either she has 'lost' interest or perhaps is no longer with us. I would have thought the site themselves would still be interested in your information - anyway, was just trying to help out

    TD - this is short for Tatiana Desperado
     
  19. Carol Johnson

    Carol Johnson Member

    Thanks TD, any help is much appreciated
     

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