I need help in deciphering my late father's WW2 RAF record. I especially would like to know what squadron he was assigned to. My father never talked about the war. If it wasen't for the picture of him sitting on the wing along with 23 members of his crew I would never know that he was in the war. He only talked about the bombings in London. That is where he met my mother. I do know that the picture that I have can't be the only one taken. It is of such high quality that I can zoon in and clearly see the faces of everyone in that picture. That's why I think it must have been taken by a staff RAF photographer. I am sure that everyone in that photo has a copy of the picture. My father kept it as something very special and passed it onto me just before he passed at 98. Rich
Trained as Fitter, Mechanical, Engines at No.2 School of Technical Training. Passed out and was part of central (station) aircraft ground crew servicing at a couple of training units and then, after refresher course, for Polish operational squadron using RAF Kirknewton in West Lothian, Scotland as satellite base. Time as mechanic at Maintenance Unit before moving to Servicing Echelon associated with No.129 Squadron where the Spitfire picture was taken. Ross
Ross, Thank for deciphering my father's RAF record. The more I tried to figure it out the more confused I got. My father never talked much about the war other that the bombing of London. He said his only involvement with the war was he tried shooting down a doodlebug and the anti-aircraft gun jammed. It means quite a bit what you did. I guess what they say is true. My mechanical aptitude does appear to be inherited. My grandfather was a cobbler in Belfast and I worked as a Division Project Engineer. My father tinkered his whole life until he passed at 98. Rich
Ross, What you said about my dad being attached to RAF 129 Squadron was right on the money. I pulled out my father’s shadow box that had his squadron patch. I discounted the patch because I didn't understand the Indian connection. Was the 129 that you refer to an English squadron associated in name only? India just supplied the funds? Rich
The squadron was reformed as part of the Royal Air Force establishment. To recognise the contribution of India in buying war bonds several RAF squadrons were given secondary titles that honoured Indian cities or provinces. No.129 was named after a Southern Indian province and the badge created to include the Gandaberunda two headed bird of Hindu myth. The 2nd TAF squadrons were part of the mobile field force of the RAF and as such needed a servicing arm that was also self contained and easily relocated to newly captured aerodromes. The traditional squadron line mechanics supported by central base servicing personnel method was not used for the 2nd TAF units in the field. Servicing Echelons were formed that could provide all the functions associated with a permanent base and would be co-located with particular squadrons as they moved in theatre. 6129 Servicing Echelon was the unit that followed No.129 Squadron (the clue is in the SE number eg 6 - 129). In the case of your father he joined 6129 just before/after (I cannot make out the date in the service record scan) No.129 Squadron was converting from Mustang to Spitfire in June 1945. Since you have mentioned V1 operations I assume that he was with the unit in Kent before it moved to Norway in June 45 after converting to Spitfire in May. No.129 Squadron returned from Norway in Nov 1945 and this is mirrored with his demob date and location in the UK. Ross
28 March 1945 was the last recorded V1 over England, hitting Swanscombe. So your fathers story has to be between 12 June 1944 (1st V1) and March 1945. Allowing time for organising an effective AA belt, then it would likely be late summer or early autumn through the winter of 1944/45 Trawling through various internet sites (Wiki, MoD and PPRuNe) I've cobbled together some info which you may already have but just in case... On 16 June 1941, No. 129 reformed at Leconfield as a fighter Squadron and its Spitfires became operational on 24 July. In August it moved south to provide escorts for day bombers and in December began taking part in offensive operations over France. The Squadron moved to the Orkneys in September 1942 for local air defence, returning in February 1943 to south coast airfields for escort and anti-shipping missions. In June 1943 the Squadron joined Second TAF and converted to Mustangs in April 1944. After covering the D-Day landings the Squadron was given the task of intercepting flying bombs in July for two months before moving to East Anglia to provide long-range escorts for Bomber Command's daylight raids. In June 1945 No. 129 moved to Norway with Spitfires, returning to the UK in November. On 1 September 1946, the Squadron was renumbered 257 Squadron at Church Fenton. 129 Squadron became part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force in June 1943 converting to the P-51 Mustang in April 1944 in time for Operation Overlord. After forming part of the 133 (Polish) Wing for D-Day the squadron returned to RAF Romney Marsh where it undertook anti V-1 activities No. 129 (Mysore) Squadron RAF Group Squadron Base County Arrived Comments 13 129 Leconfield Yorkshire 16/06/41 Reformed. Spitfire I, 06/41. Spitfire IIa, 08/41. 11 129 Westhampnett Sussex 29/08/41 Spitfire Vb, 08/41. 11 129 Debden Essex 01/11/41 11 129 Westhampnett Sussex 22/12/41 10 129 Thorney Island Hampshire 06/07/42 14 129 Grimsetter Orkney 25/09/42 Spitfire VI, 12/42. 13 129 Skeabrae Orkney 19/01/43 10 129 Ibsley Hampshire 13/02/43 11 129 Tangmere Sussex 28/02/43 10 129 Ibsley Hampshire 13/03/43 Spitfire IX, 06/43. 11 129 Hornchurch Essex 28/06/43 14 129 Peterhead Aberdeenshire 17/01/44 11 129 Heston Middlesex 16/03/44 9 129 Llanbedr Merioneth 30/03/44 2TAF 129 Coolham Sussex 03/04/44 Mustang III, 04/44. 2TAF 129 Holmsley South Hampshire 22/06/44 2TAF 129 Ford Sussex 24/06/44 2TAF 129 Brenzett Kent 08/07/44 11 129 Andrew's Field Essex 11/10/44 11 129 Bentwaters Suffolk 11/12/44 Moved 26/05/45. Then to Norway and back to Spitfires in June 1945 (post WW2) The Squadron Code was DV@ with individual aircraft ID letter following such as DV@A; DV@B etc) should you ever be tempted to make up a model of "his" Squadron aircraft The landscape in the photo doesn't look Norwegian, but as they are Spitfires then it is possibly before April 1944 when they flew Mustangs until June 1945....
If you use my copyright work as a cut and paste in your post then please have the grace to credit it. http://www.rafcommands.com/Ross/Fighter/129F.html Ross
No matter where you lifted it from - you are web publishing my text, word for word and comma for comma without permission or credit. Reasonable request from me - Please delete this section from your post. Ross
... sigh "apparently" the information about 129 Squadron locations in WW2 was originally published on another website which I obviously had no idea was taken from it. http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-354626.html This also seem to want to be acknowledged as the source, too.. http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/129_wwII.html How to cite this article: Rickard, J (13 December 2010), No. 129 Squadron (RAF): Second World War, and that's in a book Now I wonder where HE got the info from? Take this as acknowledgement.of the original source (unless the RAF/MoD Uncle Tom Cobbly etc etc claims it was theirs....) Quite how listing of an RAF stations locations 70 odd years ago is the sole preserve of one website eludes me, but perhaps it's still covered by the Official Secrets Act. See also: Queen Gertrude, Hamlet Act III, Scene II.
I remember my dad telling me that on the day before D-day on 6 June 1944 he could see boats in the water as far as the eye could see. Left quite the impression on a young mind. Rich
Ross, Please accept my apologies at not giving you credit for the information that you supplied me out of the goodness of your heart. I had copied it without giving credit. It will not happen again. Rich
Ross, Thats what I get for copying all of this information into a Word file. Now as I copy and paste I am giving full credit to all of my posts. Rich
During my search I contacted Nina Hadaway Curator of Documents Royal Air Force Museum London Her response is outlined below, Your father’s trade appears to have been Aircrafthand and he trained as a Flight Mechanic – Engine. (FME) He undertook training and courses relevant to this trade. He began service as Aircraftman I being promoted to Leading Aircraftman and temporarily as Corporal. His postings include: 3 Recruitment Centre at Padgate then he was placed on reserve 2 School of Technical Training 15 Service Flying Training School? 15 Pilot’s Advanced Flying Unit Refresher School ? 13 Maintenance Unit Admitted to Medical Rehabilitation Unit Loughborough ? Servicing Echelon 6129 Servicing Echelon – I am attaching a scanned page from one of our Library books which provides a list of airfields to where the unit was posted. 100 Personnel Dispatch/Dispersal Centre I hope this information is helpful. Thank you for contacting the RAF Museum. Yours sincerely, Nina Hadaway Curator of Documents Royal Air Force Museum London T: 020 8358 4888 Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Archive & Library RAF Museum Grahame Park Way London NW9 5LL
