ORBS at kew ?

Hi, I'm visiting London next week and am looking for a little help. I would like to visit the national archives at kew as I would like to search the ORBs for squadron 44 and 50 for the year 1945 and possibly 1946. I would like to know what is the code for these records. Should I book in advance? I have the orbs for 1944 and found information on my grandfather for that year but after a crash he was incapacitated and returned to duty in December . 1944 but that's where it ends.. I have reason to believe he flew in more missions. Your advice is appreciated.'

 

Ross, Check out the NA website:

The National Archives | Search results: (44 Squadron)

The National Archives | Search results: (50 Squadron)

You may find they are available on line.

They are kept on mircrofiche(?), and from the comments on the forum they seem to get booked up. The TNA website will tell you how to go about things. There is also a TNA tips thread here on the forum.

Mark

 

Some of the ORBs above you can download for £3.36 each

 

To be honest, if those squadron ORBs have been digitised then you're wasting your time visiting Kew. It will be easier to get them online direct from their website.

Once the records have been digitised then you can't usually order the originals at Kew and have to look at the digitised copies on their closed system.

 

Thanks, I looked up online and found some information as to where
he was posted, Thanks Drew, I hadn't noticed the messages you left, I generally use a not so smart phone to access the site so sometimes I don't see these things. There is no need for me to go to Kew now, however I had a look at he orbs for for that year and noticed they are missing some days, this was a date that my grandfather would have been posted?? Is this unusual to have 4 days not included in the ORBS for that date 11/6/1945? Also the orbs are written differently for this time. There seems to be information on when and where he was posted but no details on day to day raids? Then on the 13/9/1945 he was posted to RAF Burn??? But would he have still been in squadron 50 as it does not say in his his service record???? Am I missing the right ORBs? where would be a good place to look about RAF Burn? I've reason to believe he flew in raids to Germany? He also went to Bombay India in 1946, I have a photo album with pictures of him at various locations such as cypress, Alexandria, Qatar, Bombay. It seems he worked in postal here?? He was a flight engineer? He survived one plane crash once 20th may 1944. And returned to flying in raids that December, but it's trying to find out what happened ? Would itself helpful to upload a photo of the service record? Maybe someone could steer me in the right direction?

 

Can anyone tell me the difference between the ORB Summary of Events and the ORB Record of Events. I'm looking for the ORB's of some of the Kittyhawk squadrons that operated over the Salerno beachhead and can find them online for @ £3 but don't really want to get both if they contain very similar information or if one is more detailed and the other just a very brief overview. All advice gratefully received.

Regards

Tom

 

If you do a search on the squadrons you are interested in on the National Archives (Discovery) site, it will bring up a listing of all the summaries and records available. If you select one, and then click on "view before you buy" you will be able to see the content of the record (albeit heavily watermarked) .... this should enable you to decide which type meets your needs

Regards

Pete

 

Tom

One will have the war diary on a day to day basis as in what they were doing, the other will list each aircraft, its pilot/crew, time up/down, and mission

If you can get to Kew, use their wifi, you can download them all for free - shame I didn't see this before yesterday as I was up there and downloaded 227 Air 27 files all free, work out what that would cost at £3.50 a time!

I am not likely to be up there for some time, hopefully moving house in the next 2/3 weeks, possibly next year so cannot assist.
If you still need them by the next time I go, let me know the references etc and I can put aside some time to get them
Regards

Andy

 

Andy,

Many thanks for the advice and the offer. I'm hoping to go back in November and will give the wifi a go while I'm there. I think the Summary should be enough for what I'm looking for.

By the way, kudos over your mega download session - it makes my photographing efforts seem very slow.

Regards

Tom