Researching Aircrew From WWII? Do This First!
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- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- I've been asked by a few people recently how they can research their RAF relatives. In this video I've put together my best tips for getting started and some ways to speed up the process.
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The Air Historic Branch at Northolt is another great resource. I’ve emailed them many times personnel and squadron related stuff over the years.
The National Archives are also wonderful but having written a fair few F540 entries myself over the years I still have a nervous tick from seeing them 😂
Keep up the great work Phil!
Thanks for the tip!
A great research tool. Thank you. Most of the sites mentioned, I have used during the research of my Father, Tom Penn, who was with 487 RAF (NZ) Squadron. Living in New Zealand, this information is invaluable. Unfortunately, 487 seems to have been the 'forgotten' squadron even here in New Zealand. This all changed when David Palmer wrote "Through to the End" in conjunction with Aad Neeven. Keep up the good work. Geoff Penn
Thanks Geoff. I will put that book recommendation on my list. I'm obviously aware of another famous NZ squadron, No. 75, but don't know much about No. 487. Now I can keep an eye out for your Father in the book and records.
Picked up a great lead here in New Zealand about 487 Squadron, through your suggestions. Thanks
Glad to hear it Geoff!
AirCrewRemembered is brilliant in my experience.
Thank you , I will have a look there also !
Hi from Australia..! I have a unique story as told to me by my dear mother shortly before her death in 2009 about an Aussie pilot who she was almost engaged in 1938 and whose christian name ( Philip ) I was given in his memory ! Unfortunately I was either not told or didn't remember his surname but the apparent uniqueness of the story would be worth the research ! And it goes like this.... Philip traveled to UK in 1938 and joined the RAF as a pilot of some sort ! He supposedly flew many combat missions and almost miraculously survived the European theater unscathed ! He sent a telegram to his mother in Australia and my mum saying he would be heading back very soon ! His mum and mine were anxiously awaiting his return when a telegram arrived from ADF that a cargo plane he had hitched a ride with was shot down over the pacific by the Japanese and he was MIA but likely dead ! My mother and his were devastated by this tragic turn of events and hence I was named in his honor and my father ( a veteran himself ) was fine with that decision ! I would have got more details but mum passed away before I could ask her ! Wondering if you have any thoughts ! There can't be many Aussie pilots named Philip who joined the RAF in !938 !
Hello to a fellow Philip!
It's certainly not an easy task but you've enough reference points to be able to quickly eliminate candidates.
I'd assume that Philip came from the same place as your Mum, so this might help you narrow down the most likely port of embarkation. You can look through the ship's passenger lists (use a genealogy site) for likely candidates. It's unlikely that you'd get more than an initial and a family name, but it may help you match up surnames in the next step.
Unfortunately 1938-1939 is a period where the RAF was rapidly expanding, so it's going to take a bit of work finding him. It also sounds like Philip joined the RAF proper, so there won't be any distinction in the London Gazette concerning his nationality. However, if you can create a list of 'P somethings' who travelled from Australia to Britain in 1938-1939 you will be able to eventually find matches in the RAF records.
I'd guess that his name won't appear with the RAF until at least 1939 if he left Oz the year before. We also don't know for sure that he was a pilot, so make sure you extend your search to all trades with the RAF. Again, using Findmypast with probably help you get through the personnel records much faster.
The fact that he was killed while returning is also going to make it a little easier to track him down as this gives you another document to look for. If he really was shot down by the Japanese (I'd be surprised if this information was released to the family) this would limit the time frame. The Japanese would not have been that active in the south Pacific after 1943/44. However, I'd also assume that the cause of his loss may not be due to combat, meaning you'd have to expand the search to 1945.
This also means you can narrow your search down to memorials/cemeteries in the Pacific.
Have a look through the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website and put in the name Philip. This will give you a full list of any Air Force member killed with that name, then you have to narrow the results down to those killed in the Pacific. Unfortunately you have to do this manually.
So, certainly not an easy task but perhaps by working backwards from the memorials to the ship of embarkation, you can find your namesake. (www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/search-results/?Surname=&Forename=Philip&Initials=&ServiceNum=&Regiment=&ServedIn=Air+Force&WarSelect=2&CountryCommemoratedIn=null&Cemetery=&Unit=&Rank=&SecondaryRegiment=&SecondaryUnit=&AgeOfDeath=0&DateDeathFromDay=1&DateDeathFromMonth=January&DateDeathFromYear=&DateDeathToDay=1&DateDeathToMonth=January&DateDeathToYear=&DateOfDeath=&Honours=null&AdditionalInfo=Australia&Size=100&Page=1)
Thanks for sharing the story, I hope you make some headway.
@@CalibanRising The London Gazette only covers Commissioned Officers, it does not cover NCO Aircrew, bar award of decorations.
@@richardvernon317 I stand corrected. In this case we'd have to narrow down the search enough to request the service record or go through the entries for RAF personnel in the archive.
@@CalibanRising I know, I knew somebody who claimed to have been a Navigator on Lancaster's 40 plus years ago. Never thought to ask which squadron he was on. Searches of the London Gazette came up with nothing.
What confirmed it was when I looked up the history of the senior Air Officers in charge of the RAF in 1982 who got bad mouthed by a rather famous RAF pilot who flew Sea Harriers in the Falklands War. The Sea Harrier pilot had major issues with a Mate of his being basically LMF'ed during the war and that his mate had done more in a few days than anybody in the upper echelons of the RAF had done in their careers.
This was actually a load of hogwash as the Chief of the Air Staff at the time had done one tour in Bomber Command in 1943/44 with 10 trips to the Big City and another 10 to other places deep into Germany. Two AIR 50 combat reports to boot from when his gunners fired on German Nightfighters, the first being as part of a corkscrew when the Lancaster was attacked from the rear, which resulted in damage to the Lanc and the other was when the night fighter entered the stream above and in front of him and both his Mid Upper and Nose Turret opened up on the German. They didn't see it crash so only claimed a damaged.
Couple of other senior officers in the Air Staff had done some combat as well, one flying Canberra's during Suez and another had done Korea in Meteors with the RAAF.
However, in Charge of the Task Force Air Force side of things was Sir John Curtiss at Norwood. He flew as a Navigator in Halifax's and he is listed as getting a Commission in late 1944 in the London Gazette. However, he started combat operations well before that as his squadron ORB lists his posting into the unit as a Sgt Navigator a few months before he got the Commission and he had done around 10 Ops before going off to do his Officer course.
@@richardvernon317my Uncle, a Gunner was listed in the London Gazette when he was awarded the Dutch Bronze Cross.
Hold up.
So by taking part in the lottery, people are funding such a website?
I am torn between my loathing of gambling or anything related and the amazement of the idea. ;D
Anyway, amazing material! Kew's additional reason to visit are the royal gardens nearby. ; )
True. Originally I was going to go up to Kew with my Mum and Dad so they could visit the gardens, but Mum isn't as mobile as she once was.
A lot of things in the UK like this are funded by the Lottery.