The records of thousands of men (and women) who served in the RAF and its. Browse AIR 21 for courts martial records from 1918 to 1965. Please note that this series is still accruing and currently only goes up to August 1940. Some files may contain information from the Second World War but service records for the Second World War are still with the RAF (see section 3.2). The records are available in the National Archives as “AIR 78” and served as an index to the full service records under “AIR 79”. Aircraft were very basic, made from stretched canvas, wood and wires. For additional material on awards and promotions, as well as officers’ correspondence, browse or search the Air Historical Branch (AHB) papers in AIR 1. Search the Royal Air Force officers’ service records 1918-1919 (£) online for officers who served in the Royal Air Force during the First World War (AIR 76). Archives, Open Government Licence Photos, obituaries and short service records all available to view and download. These are predominantly records of service prior to 1939. The records began with the inception of the RAF on 1 April, 1918, but they include retrospective details of earlier service in the Royal Flying Corps or Royal Naval Air Service. Some records are touching by their lack of information. . It was formed on 1 April 1918 by merging the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service, as a response to the events of the First World War. 4180. 1.1. It covers not only documents relating to the RAF and the WRAF but also the Royal Flying Corps, the Fleet Air Arm, the Royal Naval Air Service and also the Royal Engineers' balloonists. The Royal Air Force was founded on 1 April 1918 following the amalgamation of the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps coming under control of the newly created Air Ministry. Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force, Women's Royal Air Force WW1 Service Records. This collection comprises records of Airmen serving in the Royal Air Force during the years 1918 up to, and including, 1940. Royal Air Force Service Records The Royal Air Force (RAF) was created on 1st April 1918. It received its Royal Warrant just over two months later. Search the RAF service records (AIR 79) on findmypast (£). Consult our Royal Air Force operations guide for detailed advice. The Royal Air Force (RAF) was founded in 1918, after the uniting of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). For records of airmen who served with the Royal Air Force after 1918 see: Royal Air Force – Service Records, Airmen. Officers and men from both of these organisations were transferred to the new service and the were joined by new entrants. your own service records if you are, or have been, a member of the armed forces the records of someone who’s deceased if you’re eligible, for example you’re their immediate next of kin … 5 Group in Bomber Command. These are records of airmen with service numbers from 1 to 562875. 54th Infantry Brigade Group Company, Royal Army Service Corps; 61st Air Supply Company, R.A.S.C. 09:00 to 17:00. Website: www.nationalarchives.gov.ukRoyal Air Force Officers' Service Records 1918-1919 Air Force: Manitoba. Officers and men from both of these organisations were transferred to the new service and the were joined by new entrants. This collection comprises records of Airmen serving in the Royal Air Force during the years 1918 up to, and including, 1940. On 1 April 1918 the two services were merged again to form the Royal Air Force (RAF). Some records are free to view but others are available on either a subscription or pay per view basis (£). Look at AIR 14/2091, the Roll of Honour for No. Airman is a generic term for anybody in the RAF, whether they flew or not. The second series of AHB records, in AIR 5, contains little on individuals. Officers and men of both services who continued service after this date transferred into the newly formed RAF and were joined by new entrants. By the end of 1919, 26,000 of the 27,000 serving RAF officers had been discharged, and it is largely their service details which are held in this series. You need to know which squadron a serviceman or woman served with to locate these records. The records of thousands of men (and women) who served in the RAF and its predecessors during the … You may find abbreviations on a roll entry – some of these abbreviations are explained on our army medal index card guide (see section above). The Royal Flying Corps was formed in 1912 and the Royal Naval Air Service just before the outbreak of war. The following record types may prove useful when tracing the career of an officer: You can trace the commissions and promotions of an RAF officer’s career from March 1919 in the Air Force List, available at The National Archives at Kew and other specialist libraries and archives (see section 11). 09:00 to 17:00. The Royal Flying Corps was established … The National Archives holds RAAF service records from this year onward. No. Records are held in series WO 398. Search the National Archives Catalog for Air Force Records Search Air Force Records in the Access to Archival Databases (AAD) Unidentified Flying Objects - Project BLUE BOOK Air Force links provided by the Archives Library Information Center (ALIC) Research in Military Records at the National Archives Finding Aids These are two versions of the same filing manual. If you are looking for the service record of a woman you should start by consulting our guide to records of Women’s Royal Air Force personnel. Visit The National Archives’ bookshop for a range of publications on the Royal Flying Corps and the associated records. They often contain vital information that is sometimes hard to find from other sources, and they can help you to make important connections to build up your family tree. Military and marine records provide interesting information about an ancestor’s life and any wars in which he … Where two names are given the first named is the pilot and second the observer or aerial gunner. Canadian Military Service Records Military service records are incredibly useful documents when you start to research your family tree. The book explains how to use the wealth of records held at The National Archives to trace the careers of both officers and other ranks within these services. When going through the records of your ancestors this remembrance week, you may uncover one or two who were serving in the Royal Flying Corps during WW1 . RFC airmen who served overseas in 1916 or later had their medals issued by the Air Ministry, not the War Office. If you do not know his number, browse through the name indexes in AIR 78 to find it. The Central Band of the Royal Air Force was established in 1920 and since its formation has played an integral and unique role in military life and in the musical world. These give: Click on AIR 18 and use the search box to search by surname to find the proceedings of district, general and field courts martial of officers and men from 1941 to 1986. Find out about the aircraft record cards, personal papers and other records kept by the Royal Air Force Museum. Royal Air Force – For those officers serving in the RFC & RNAS at the formation of the RAF on 1st April 1918 a further record is usually available if service did not continue after c1920. The U.S. Air Force was part of the Army during World War II, and was also called the Army Air Forces or the Air Corps. Air Force Heritage Museum. Records of officers are usually held in separate sets of files to those of ordinary airmen. The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the oldest independent air force in the world – the first air force to become independent of army or navy control. If an RFC airman continued to serve in the RAF after April 1918, his record would be kept with RAF service records. Our main duties are to preserve Government records and to set standards in information management and re-use. We have listed the main sources but there may be others. From this date onwards the RFC and RNAS ceased to exist. Sometimes individuals are mentioned by name, though often it is just the activities of the unit as a whole which are recorded. Always open. This list of former RAF stations includes most of the stations, airfields and administrative headquarters previously used by the Royal Air Force.. Web: UK, Recommendations for Honours and Awards Index, 1935-1990, ($), index/images Look in PMG 43 for supplementary payments to RAF officers and their dependents from 1916 to 1920. Over 99,000 Service Records for Royal Air Force officers who served during the First World War are currently held at the National Archives in Kew, Surrey, England. 61 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force.It was first formed as a fighter squadron of the British Royal Flying Corps during the First World War.It was reformed in 1937 as a bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force and served in the Second World War and after, until disbanded in 1958. Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events.Sign up, All content is available under the Open Government Licence The record set comprises more than 342,820 records of airmen from over 30 countries, including 18 who were born in Germany. This wonderful collection contains records of almost 343,000 airmen from over 30 countries. Depending on when an airman served his records may be among the records of the British Army or the Royal Air Force. The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was formed on 13 April 1912 to satisfy Britain's need for a military presence in the expanding field of aviation.An RFC training program in Canada produced more than 10,000 pilots, mechanics and aircraftmen during the First World War.. RFC Comes to Canada . The records also include the service of officers who served in the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service. Last year saw the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the Royal Air Force. v3.0, except where otherwise stated, 4. In 1922 they were the first military band to broadcast on the BBC. Indexes and keys to AIR 1 are available with the printed version of our catalogue at The National Archives at Kew. Douglas. v3.0, except where otherwise stated, publications on the Royal Flying Corps and the associated records, Friends of The National Discovery is a catalogue of archival records across the UK and beyond, from which you can search 32 million records. Royal Army Service Corps; 63rd Coy, Royal Army Service Corps; 73rd General Transport Company, Royal Army Service Corps; 83rd Mobile Field Bakery, Royal Army Service Corps; 84th Field Institute Company, Royal Army Service Corps The records began with the inception of the RAF on 1 April 1918, but they include retrospective details of earlier service in the Royal Flying Corps or Royal Naval Air Service. Operations Record Books and Combat Reports, Royal Air Force officers’ service records 1918-1919, British prisoners of the Second World War and the Korean War, publications on Royal Air Force personnel and the associated records, The Distinguished Flying Medal register for the Second World War: With Official Recommendation details, Honour the Air Forces: Honours and awards to the RAF and Dominion Air Forces during the Second World War, The Distinguished Flying Cross and how it was won 1918-1995, Friends of The National Phone: 204-833-2500 ext. Personnel Records of the First World War 1.2. Consult GOV.UK to find out more. Royal Air Force Ministry of Defence (PM(AR)1c(RAF) INNSWORTH, Gloucester England G13 1EZ: Royal Navy - Officers Naval Secretary (OmobS) Room 2111, Archway Block S Old Admiralty Building Spring Gardens LONDON, England SW1A 2BE . Search it in the following sets of documents: Look in PMG 42/13-16 to find payments made to invalided RAF officers from 1917 to 1920. The British Royal Air Force service records, 1912 - 1939 Discover your heroic ancestors who served as noncommissioned officers in the Royal Air Force (RAF) between 1912 and 1939. RAF service records created since the beginning of the Second World War remain in the custody of the Ministry of Defence and are accessible only to the service personnel themselves or their next of kin. Archives, Open Government Licence The records. Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events.Sign up, All content is available under the Open Government Licence As a professional researcher and World War II historian, Bill Beigel provides research services to genealogists, historians, authors, and civilians who are looking for information found in WW2 military unit records. For information on gallantry medals awarded to RAF personnel, read our British military gallantry medals guide. An online name index is now available for the service records of 320,000 WWI airmen in Britain’s Royal Air Force (formed in 1918) and its forebears, the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. Search the surviving service records (WO 363), pension records (WO 364) and medal index cards (WO 372) for soldiers in the British army in the First World War on the Ancestry (£) website. In 1856, Queen Victoria laid a Victoria Cross beneath the foundation stone of the Royal Victoria Military Hospital, Netley. The amount of information contained in the records varies and copies may not be made due to the fragile nature of the originals. The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the oldest independent air force in the world – the first air force to become independent of army or navy control. Records of RAF officers who served after 1922 are still with the RAF. Records of the Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force Many family historians find that an ancestor who served in the armed forces or at sea is of special interest. Each service record documents an individual's career with the RAAF. We do not provide copies of online records – please download to view, Visit us in Kew to see original documents or view online records for free, Consider paying for Between them they had less than 200 planes. It was the product of the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). Web: United Kingdom, Women's Royal Air Force Index, 1918-1920, index; British Women's Royal Air Force Service Records 1918-1920, ($), index; British Women's Royal Naval Service Ratings' Service Registers 1918-1919, ($), index; World War II . The major collections of RFC airmen records held by The National Archives are available online (see above). 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