359991 Edwin WOODGER, MID, RAF : Help Decypher a list of Postings

Discussion in 'Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy' started by Shiny, Feb 25, 2020.

  1. Shiny

    Shiny Well-Known Member

    Hi All,

    I'm trying to work out these postings on a service record so I can try and get war diaries for a relative, 359991 Cpl Edwin Woodger RAF, can anyone help explain what they are please?

    I'm particularly interested in the last one as he was gazetted for an MID on the 2nd of June 1943 and I'd love to see if there's any detail in the diary.

    I believe he was a driver and may have been involved in removing ammo from a crash landed aircraft but I'm not certain.

    Thanks for the help,

    Michael
     

    Attached Files:

  2. wibs12

    wibs12 Well-Known Member

    Hi Michael,

    Whenever I've posted inserts from service records in the past, the folk on here have tended to ask for sight of the full page so as to see the information in context..... might be why there's be no comments as yet.... post the full page and see how that goes.

    Wibs
     
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  3. Shiny

    Shiny Well-Known Member

    Hi Wibbs,

    I'll add it now, I wasn't sure I was allowed to.

    Michael
     
  4. Shiny

    Shiny Well-Known Member

    This is the full page. It has a lot of pre war postings, but as I'm trying to work out the story of his MID it's only the war time units I want to work out.

    Thanks for the help,

    Michael
     

    Attached Files:

  5. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Hi,

    Sorry I can’t help as know nothing about RAF Regiment

    You might’ve attracted more attention from
    the experts if you’d posted in the RAF sub forum - Harry Ree - or included RAF Regiment in the topic title.

    Steve
     
  6. Shiny

    Shiny Well-Known Member

    Tullybrone

    Hi Steve,

    You've thrown me completely, are you saying he was RAF Regiment?

    I thought he was part of the ground crew.

    Michael
     
  7. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Hi Michael,

    I’ve had another look at his record - sorry about mention of RAF Regiment - just an example of my limited knowledge:banghead:

    Steve

    PS

    Pleased to see topic title has been editted.
     
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  8. Shiny

    Shiny Well-Known Member

    No problem Steve, I didn't edit it but thank you whoever did.

    Michael
     
  9. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Michael

    Re his MiD - my assumption, as he was a driver of petrol vehicles around the airfields for most of his time and the fact that his 'character' was always VG, then this is what I suspect the MiD was for.
    MiD's were often awarded for something that happened over time as in this case I believe. Other medals were awarded for valour in a specific instance, or for being in a specific area for a period of time, but for someone who has been outstanding over months or years there is nothing except an MiD

    Thats what I thunk

    TD
     
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  10. RAFCommands

    RAFCommands Senior Member

    Last edited: Mar 1, 2020
  11. Shiny

    Shiny Well-Known Member

    Thanks a lot for the help everyone.

    His son thinks he can remember being told it was something to do with removing ammo from a crash landed aircraft or towing a crash landed aircraft away from ammo at the airfield, however we all know how stories change over time. It would be great to find something in writing to confirm the real story.

    Michael
     
  12. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    What you say you be true and was possibly the act that determined the command to issue an MiD having also checked back over his record, as with many of these cases we will never actually know until someone invents a time machine. There are now so many questions I would like to ask my father and also my cousin-in-law but........................................

    TD
     
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  13. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    I have found his service record difficult to read but have attempted to highlight the main events.

    The service record shows that Corporal Woodger joined the RAF on 18 June 1925. It is not known what his service commitment was but he was subject to E Reserve, which was a concept first introduced by the RAF when it was formed in 1918.When established,Trenchard envisaged a reserve of two sections ,one of 700 officers who be designated as Reserve of Air Officers and 12000 airmen who would be designated as Men of the Royal Air Force.

    The E Reserve commitment was put into effect in 1923 and required an ex regular airman to attend annual training of up to 14 days/year,if required.Pilots were required to put in 12 hours of flying/ year at an appropriate RAF station.This is clearly shown in Airman Woodger's attendance as a Reservist at the RAF Stations of Farnborough and Odiham.

    His regular service records him at Larkhill which one of the oldest locations associated with military flying before the the formation of the RFC.During the interwar years,it was used as a base in association with annual exercises held by the Army on Salisbury Plain.The other base of note in his early career was a posting to Leuchars in Scotland in March 1926 which at the time was the home of specialist flying training...three Flights...training of fighter pilots,spotter pilots and reconnaissance pilots.His posting to Leuchars was from "?-down" which I cannot read. There is a reference to what looks like Winchester for a school,possibly a training school.

    His regular service saw him in Iraq and India,both difficult postings to maintain the British presence during the interwar years.

    Moving to the period of international tension over Hitler's policies,LAC Woodger is required to attend annual training at RAF Odiham between 15-26 August 1938 with No 53 Squadron which had been relocated there in April 1938 after reforming at Farnborough with Hectors in late June 1937.

    Almost a year later on 25 August 1939,LAC Woodger is recalled from the Reserve (cannot make out the abbreviation) to the Filton Pool which possibly refers to a pool of reservists who would be ready to to be posted to operational bases in accordance with the military response to the ongoing critical international situation. Filton,Bristol was one of the five locations of elementary flying training for RAF pilots,a training scheme implemented during the early 1920s and undertaken by A.M civilian contractors,the one at Filton being delivered by the Bristol Aeroplane Company which also used the site to manufacture Blenheim aircraft.I would think that there were other "Pools"recorded from other other flying schools....Stag Lane...Coventry...Brough and Renfrew

    Then on the following day LAC Woodger was posted to No 72 Wing at RAF Harwell (later to become Britain's first nuclear research centre and later still for research programmes) and the station where the Battle was being worked up for a potential war.On 2 September,Battle squadrons which formed the No 72 Wing of the AASF left for France.No 105 Squadron was one of 10 Battle squadrons which formed the AASF. LAC Woodger is shown leaving for France with No 73 Wing,then posted to No 105 Squadron on 7 February 1940 during this time of the phoney war. Looking into his service record at the end of the phoney war from 10 May 1940,it reflects the chaos that endured with the Dunkirk BEF withdrawal.The remnants and survivors of the AASF (10 original Battle equipped squadrons) and Air Components (two squadrons of Blenheims ) were withdrawn at the same time with No 114 Squadron being the last squadron to leave for home on 31 May 1940 (a replacement squadron for the AASF already converted from the Battle to the Blenheim)

    It would appear that Corporal Woodger survived the war and it would be interesting to know the details of his evacuation from France.

    No 21 AD being at Bouguenais was situated on the south bank of the Loire within the Nantes suburbs and conveniently situated virtually next to the Chateau Bougon,a main airfield used by the RAF while in France during 1939 and 1940 (now Nantes Atlantique Airport)
     
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2020
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  14. Shiny

    Shiny Well-Known Member

    Harry Ree Thank you so much for that really detailed explanation, I really appreciate it. Edwin did survive the war and as I mentioned earlier I have spoken to him a few times, these are some brief notes I have from my conversations with him:

    He said his dad wanted to be a pilot but that he was too old to do it. He thought his dad had been an armourer but knew he had driving licences for everything that could be driven.

    He said he got his MID because he had driven a crane out to a bomber that had crashed. It was coming back from a mission on a wing and a prayer and still had bombs on board and he must have helped recover it.

    He said his dad was in Dunkirk and that he had to E&E through Spain to get home. He said his RAF blue uniform was mistaken for German field grey and that is how he didn't get shot at.

    I am very conscious that time changes stories which is why I haven't been specific about what I have been told about his MID, I would much rather see something in a writing from the time.

    I would love to hear something about his E&E through Spain but wouldn't know where to start looking for that.

    I am attaching the first page of his record with his children's names and DOB's removed, hopefully this is allowed and may help.

    Thank you again for the information and for putting it all in context.

    Michael
     

    Attached Files:

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