This photograph was sent to my Grandad who was a POW by his brother Joseph Kelly who was in the RAF. It says, in rather faded in pencil, on the back: No 354 wing Bomber Command. Can anyone shed any light other than this info here No. 354 Squadron RAF - Wikipedia
Quite a bit of confusion here - Wing and Squadron are different formations in RAF terms. The picture is from from what looks like an Initial Training Wing - no one in it has any aircrew indications as either trained or under training. You have not shown the back of the photograph so we can try to unravel the 354 Ross
Thanks Ross - Very helpful. I'll get my sister to photograph the back and post it. Hopefully later today. Unfortunately it is very faded. It says No 354 Wing Bomber Command With best wishes Yours Joe A little more info that may, or may not, be helpful. Joseph Kelly was born in 1903 in Leeds which would mean he was 36 (relatively old) at the outbreak of WW2.
Wing numbers listed do not contain that number. Browse records of other archives | The National Archives Ross
Thanks for the reply Ross. What does that indicate - i.e. the non existence of the Wing- that the training Wing never formed an actual Wing?
Suggests that 354 was not an established wing in the sense that it controlled a group of like role squadrons. Where a large number of Recuits passed through an establishment they split the intakes into number wings/flights for internal recording purposes eg 3 Wing, D Squadron, 54 Flight. The background seems to show a pebbledash house that is not the usual coastal hotel/guest house which was a regular backdrop for intake formal photos. No white cap flashes so not aviation candidates, no range of shoulder classification badges that suggest a post recruit unit photo. So looking like a ground trade induction group. All this is a shotgun scatter attempt - quickest and easiest way to get a suggestion of where is to apply for his service record - currently running at about a month for return from online application. Ross
No - RAF records from 1940s have not yet been transferred - this is the link to .Gov Select the service - Apply for a deceased person's military record - GOV.UK You will need his year of birth and an electronic copy eg pdf/jpg of his death certificate if he did not die in service. Ross
It is possible that the unit served in was within the RAF Bomb Disposal Squadrons. The service was founded by the Air Ministry early in the war from NCO Armourers and initially were designated as Demolition Squads. Training consisted of a 5 day course at the RAF Armament School at Manby.,some training apparently was at RAF Melksham. Operations were directly controlled by the Air Ministry to deal with unexploded ordnance on RAF assets and by September 1940 had a total of nearly 200 NCOs trained for the purpose. This arrangement was replaced by a formal structure in April 1943 when a Wing was established, commanding up to 6 Bomb Disposal Squadrons which were responsible for up to 6 Bomb Disposal Flights giving a total of 29 Bomb Disposal Flights. The photograph caption might be misleading as to confuse the enemy. One would have thought that correspondence to a POW would have been subject government censor screening for intelligence reasons. As said, the service record is the key to reveal the mystery of Joseph Kelly's service...may have been a prewar regular
