josquin Posted 18 January , 2009 Share Posted 18 January , 2009 Any biographical or service record information is requested for Capt. Frank Stafford Wilkins, Royal Garrison Artillery & RFC/RAF 19 & 79 Squadrons. Thank you in advance for any help. Trelawney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Inspector Posted 18 January , 2009 Share Posted 18 January , 2009 Hi Trelawney Have you tried the Aerodrome Forum? Just Google his name. He was an Air Ace with 79th Squadron. Regards Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Inspector Posted 18 January , 2009 Share Posted 18 January , 2009 Hi again His MIC is on Ancestry stating No Medals for Army service, 2nd.Lt RGA then Capt.RAF. Brit and Vic medals were applied for 20.9.20. Address given The Priory, Twyford, Portsmouth. Regards Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josquin Posted 18 January , 2009 Author Share Posted 18 January , 2009 Hi again His MIC is on Ancestry stating No Medals for Army service, 2nd.Lt RGA then Capt.RAF. Brit and Vic medals were applied for 20.9.20. Address given The Priory, Twyford, Portsmouth. Regards Barry Barry, Many thanks for the quick and informative response. I saw The Aerodrome Forum exchange about Wilkin-- including Norman Franks' acknowledgement that he was an ace and would be included in his next revision of ABOVE THE TRENCHES. regards Trelawney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
per ardua per mare per terram Posted 22 January , 2009 Share Posted 22 January , 2009 His Army records are a standard army search (see the Long Long Trail). There might be a data entry error for the online catalogue: AIR 76/547 (Names Wild, Arthur - Wilkenson, G M); AIR 76/548 (Names Wilkinson, George - Wilks, Thomas). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josquin Posted 23 January , 2009 Author Share Posted 23 January , 2009 His Army records are a standard army search (see the Long Long Trail). There might be a data entry error for the online catalogue: AIR 76/547 (Names Wild, Arthur - Wilkenson, G M); AIR 76/548 (Names Wilkinson, George - Wilks, Thomas). Per Ardua Thank you for the catalogue references for Captain Wilkins. I will put these to good use. regards Trelawney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john-g Posted 23 January , 2009 Share Posted 23 January , 2009 Capt Frank Stafford Wilkins (PI 3031) Living at Twyford Avenue, Portsmouth (no date) Royal Garrison Artillery. From his AIR76 01/05/16 Reading. 12/06/16 CFS. 18/08/16 66 Squadron , apponited Flying Officer. 24/10/16 Entered France 21? Squadron. ( Had a scrap on 10/11/16 whilst flying BE12 6174 with 21 Sqn). 26/01/17 19 Sqn. 15/05/17 H.E. 28/05/17 S. Group HQ ? H.Q 27 Wg. 10/08/17 EF 66 Sqn. 26/08/17 51 TS, appointed Instructor. 72 TS. 02/03/18 72 TS. 30/03/18 72 TS? Not clear 30/03/18 EF 70 Sqn. 03/05/18 79 Sqn Apptd Capt. HE Invalid back to England. 13/08/18 London Hospital. 27/08/18 S.E. Area. By 1933 he was with the the Accident Branch as an Investigation Officer, he is not in my 1936 AFL. 03/10/39 Granted Hon Commission as Wing Commander RAFVR Admin and Special duties branch. Preliquished commission on 30/06/42. john_g Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josquin Posted 23 January , 2009 Author Share Posted 23 January , 2009 Capt Frank Stafford Wilkins (PI 3031) Living at Twyford Avenue, Portsmouth (no date) Royal Garrison Artillery. From his AIR76 01/05/16 Reading. 12/06/16 CFS. 18/08/16 66 Squadron , apponited Flying Officer. 24/10/16 Entered France 21? Squadron. ( Had a scrap on 10/11/16 whilst flying BE12 6174 with 21 Sqn). 26/01/17 19 Sqn. 15/05/17 H.E. 28/05/17 S. Group HQ ? H.Q 27 Wg. 10/08/17 EF 66 Sqn. 26/08/17 51 TS, appointed Instructor. 72 TS. 02/03/18 72 TS. 30/03/18 72 TS? Not clear 30/03/18 EF 70 Sqn. 03/05/18 79 Sqn Apptd Capt. HE Invalid back to England. 13/08/18 London Hospital. 27/08/18 S.E. Area. By 1933 he was with the the Accident Branch as an Investigation Officer, he is not in my 1936 AFL. 03/10/39 Granted Hon Commission as Wing Commander RAFVR Admin and Special duties branch. Preliquished commission on 30/06/42. john_g John Thank you for the highly informative reply giving Wilkins's service record information. I got his birth information from your excellent 66 Squadron site. Graeme established that Wilkins had 5 confirmed victories, recently on The Aerodrome site, and Norman Franks responded to the thread by stating that Wilkins will appear in his next revision of ATT. The Medal Rolls Index gives a date for the address: The Priory, Twyford, Portsmouth; date 20 September 1920. Again, thank you. trelawney John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john-g Posted 24 January , 2009 Share Posted 24 January , 2009 trelawney After sorting out this information for you, I noticed that his date of death is more than suspect, on my notes I have it as 1900 but as he was flying in 1916 cannot be right, that is why I left it off my listing. And I will be removing from my listing on the next update, It may be that his d.o.b. should be 1890? john_g Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastair Wilkins Posted 18 October , 2017 Share Posted 18 October , 2017 Good day, My name is Alastair Gordon Stafford Wilkins the eldest son of the late John Stafford Wilkins who was the son of the late Captain Frank Stafford Wilkins. Cpt F. S. Wilkins left England in 1970 to move to Rhodesia but unfortunately he passed away on arrival in East London in 1970 and was cremated and his ashes are in the wall of remembrance in Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare, Zimbabwe along with his late wife Mrs. Edith F. Wilkins. As we do not know exactly what my grand father died of, he had similar symptoms to my father Franks son who died on the 23rd April 2017 of liver cancer. I will advise the exact date of Mr. F.S. Wilkins' death in another post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastair Wilkins Posted 19 October , 2017 Share Posted 19 October , 2017 Good morning, Regarding Cpt Frank S. Wilkins (my late paternal grandfather), his date of birth was 26/01/1890 and his date of death was the 20/11/1970. The cause of death was obstructive jaundice with cholaemia at the age of 80. he did have two children a daughter Patricia and a son John both of whom have passed away, the most recent being John Stafford Wilkins who did his national service in the Royal Air Force during the early part of the 1950's before he signed up in London with the Northern Rhodesia Police where he achieved the rank of Inspector before leaving in 1965 and going to Southern Rhodesia where he joined the British South Africa Police where a achieved the rank of inspector prior to resigning and moving to South Africa in 1981. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josquin Posted 19 October , 2017 Author Share Posted 19 October , 2017 Good Morning Alastair, Your post about Captain Wilkins and his family is appreciated greatly given that biographical information concerning him is scarce. Thank you for giving his birth and death dates and locations, as this was unavailable for researchers (as an example, his birth is registered for "Frank Wilkins" rather than Frank Stafford Wilkins for the 1st Quarter of 1890). I have located the following information from the 1891, 1901 and 1911 Census for England: birthplace: Tring, Hertfordshire (according to 1901 & 1911 Census, but another source gives Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire) parents: John and Emma Wilkins (father born in Hertfordshire; mother from Buckinghamshire); in 1901, he had 2 older brothers and a sister residence: in 1901, Tring, Hertfordshire; in 1911, living at St. Paul, Deptford, London, and employed as a police constable. I noticed that his son, John, also served with the Northern Rhodesia Police and the British South Africa Police. Any confirmations and corrections will be appreciated, and thank you again for the biographical details about your grandfather. Best regards, Trelawney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastair Wilkins Posted 20 October , 2017 Share Posted 20 October , 2017 Good day Trelawney, I will try and find out what further information I can obtain. I do know that my mother has his medals as well as his flying logbook. I also know that in about 1942 he went to Canada to the Royal Canadian Air Force as a crash investigator and from what I can remember about what my father told me the lived in Canada until the end of the war. My father did his national service in the Royal Air Force. After completing his national service he joined the Northern Rhodesia Police in about 1955 or 1956 and as he joined in the United Kingdom under the British Government he was seen as working for the British Government until he left the NRP in 1964 to move south to Southern Rhodesia where he joined the British South Africa Police. He attained the rank of inspector in both forces. His name was John Stafford Wilkins. He had an older sister name Patricia Wilkins but I am not certain if she had the family name Stafford. On our side I am the last member of the family to the have family name Stafford. My brother who now lives in Scotland is Kevin John and I am Alastair Gordon Stafford Wilkins. My late grandmother who was Frank Stafford Wilkins' widow was Edith Florence Wilkins (nee Appleby) passed on in 1994 two weeks before her 94th birthday and my grandfather Frank was 80 when he passed away. My late father had the same symptoms as his father when he passed so we believe that both my grandfather and father passed away from cancer. they both bore jaundice symptoms related to obstructive jaundice. My father was confirmed with cancer of the ampulla and I would suggest from the symptoms that my grandfather had pancreatic cancer. Both lost a lot of weight very quickly and from what my mother tells me my grandfather lost the weight very quickly and when he arrive in South Africa he did not want anyone to see him as a result. Just to correct his place of Death. Frank Stafford Wilkins passed away in Grahamstown after arriving by ship from Engalnd and land in East London. I trust that above will assist. Kindest regards, Alastair Wilkins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josquin Posted 21 October , 2017 Author Share Posted 21 October , 2017 Good Morning Alastair, Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed response to my enquiry about Captain Wilkins. As a physician, I concur with the likely diagnosis of hepatic cancer or pancreatic cancer based upon the clinical signs you indicated. If Captain Wilkins' log book is ever made available for researchers, I ask that you consider posting it on the Forum to make it available generally. His Second World War service was admirable: after serving with the RAF Volunteer Reserve as an Honorary Wing Commander in 1939-1942, he went to Canada and served with the RCAF as a crash investigator from 1942-1945. As John G. said in post #7 above, Captain Wilkins was a Crash Investigation Officer in the RAF after the First World War, as late as 1933 and possibly later, so he was highly qualified for his service with the RCAF subsequently. Any additional information you can provide will be appreciated greatly, and thank you again for adding so much to what we know about Captain Wilkins. Best regards, Trelawney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NRP.HKP Posted 9 November , 2017 Share Posted 9 November , 2017 The History of the Northern Rhodesia Police records J.S.WILKINS as having been born on the 8.01.1934,enlisting in the BSAP in 1953 and joining the NRP as an Assistant Inspector on the 2.08.1955. In June 1962 he was recorded as being on Vacation Leave. The nominal roll of the BSAP contains the following entries - Robert John Wilkins served as 4986 from 5.10.1952 to 23.10.1954,leaving as a Constable. Barry Maxwell Wilkins served as 5060 from 3.05.1953 to 1.12.1957,leaaving as a Constable. May be of interest,could also muddy the waters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NRP.HKP Posted 10 November , 2017 Share Posted 10 November , 2017 A little more. John Stafford WILKINS served in the BSAP as Field Reservist 14972 Y in the rank of Inspector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josquin Posted 11 November , 2017 Author Share Posted 11 November , 2017 NRP.HKP, Your posts are of substantial interest and are appreciated for the additional information concerning Captain Wilkins's family. The posts in this thread have established that Captain Wilkins was a constable in London prior to the Great War, and that John Wilkins served with the NRP and the BASP. The entries for Robert John Wilkins and Barry Maxwell Wilkins will require additional research, as I have no information clarifying whether they were related to John Stafford Wilkins. If Robert and Barry are related to Captain Wilkins, then service in the constabulary may have characterized three generations. Best regards, Josquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NRP.HKP Posted 11 November , 2017 Share Posted 11 November , 2017 A Frank WILKINS enlisted in the Metropolitan Police on the 12.1.1910 as a Constable holding Warrant Number 99501 and being posted to R Division (Greenwich).He was pensioned on the 14.12.1936 in the rank of Police Sergeant,then stationed at L Division (Lambeth).He received the 1911 Coronation Medal (Metropolitan Police Issue ). No record of Frank Stafford Wilkins. ??????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josquin Posted 12 November , 2017 Author Share Posted 12 November , 2017 (edited) 17 hours ago, NRP.HKP said: A Frank WILKINS enlisted in the Metropolitan Police on the 12.1.1910 as a Constable holding Warrant Number 99501 and being posted to R Division (Greenwich).He was pensioned on the 14.12.1936 in the rank of Police Sergeant,then stationed at L Division (Lambeth).He received the 1911 Coronation Medal (Metropolitan Police Issue ). No record of Frank Stafford Wilkins. ??????? NRP-HKP, John G. indicates in his first post on this thread that Frank Wilkins was serving with the RAF in 1933, but that he was not listed in the Air Force List for 1936. It is a possibility that he left the RAF in 1933 or 1934 and resumed work with the Metropolitan Police until his pensioning in 1936. The 1911 Census states clearly that Frank Wilkins, born in 1890 at Tring, Hertfordshire, was a residing in London and was employed as a Police Constable. The Census for both 1891 and 1901 state that Tring, Hertfordshire was the family residence, and the 1901 Census gives his birthplace as Tring and his parents as John & Emma Wilkins. His birth was registered for "Frank Wilkins" at Berkhampstead, Hertfordshire, during the 1st Quarter of 1890, which is consistent with a birth at Tring, Hertfordshire on 26 January 1890. I appreciate the important information you have contributed to what we know about Captain Wilkins, as well as calling attention to the need for additional knowledge about his life during the 1930s. Many of his records, such as birth registration and Census entries, are for "Frank Wilkins" rather than "Frank Stafford Wilkins," thus I do not expect to find many sources using the latter name and I suspect this may have reflected a personal preference. Josquin Edited 12 November , 2017 by josquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastair Wilkins Posted 17 August , 2018 Share Posted 17 August , 2018 NRP.HKP, Just to straighten the record on John Stafford Wilkins, he joined the BSAP as a Field Reservist Inspector and was made acting Inspector in charge of Field Reserve and then was made Inspector in Charge of Field Reserve in Rusape, Southern Rhodesia now Zimbabwe and was permanent force when from about 1970 until he left in in 1981. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josquin Posted 18 August , 2018 Author Share Posted 18 August , 2018 15 hours ago, Alastair Wilkins said: NRP.HKP, Just to straighten the record on John Stafford Wilkins, he joined the BSAP as a Field Reservist Inspector and was made acting Inspector in charge of Field Reserve and then was made Inspector in Charge of Field Reserve in Rusape, Southern Rhodesia now Zimbabwe and was permanent force when from about 1970 until he left in in 1981. Alastair, Thank you for the additional information. We now know much more about Captain Wilkins and his family because of your thoughtful posts. Best regards, Josquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john-g Posted 21 August , 2018 Share Posted 21 August , 2018 Hi, I hope you will find these files of use, please acknowledge - John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john-g Posted 21 August , 2018 Share Posted 21 August , 2018 https://s3.amazonaws.com/gwfattachments/monthly_2018_08/IMGP0105.jpg.JPG.14b8a36599eb2824fefaf62292e208ed.JPG Hi Sorry for the delay, it has taken me a while to find out how to use this facility. These are the pages from WO339-50366. I hope you find them of use. regards John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josquin Posted 23 August , 2018 Author Share Posted 23 August , 2018 John G, Many thanks for posting Captain Wilkins' WO 339 officer's service record. This provides a great deal of new information. Josquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 29 October , 2018 Share Posted 29 October , 2018 Thanks for the wonderful posts about Group Captain F.S. Wilkins. I am a former Director of Flight Safety in the RCAF (the equivalent position to that held by G/Capt Wilkins, and in my retirement I am researching the development of Flight Safety in the RCAF. I am currently reviewing accident reports from the war years, and G/Capt Wilkins as head of the Accident Investigation Branch commented on every report forwarded to the Chief of the Air Staff. I have it in mind to write an article about him, so after I have trawled through the information posted so kindly here, may be back looking for some more. He certainly appears to have been a straight-shooter and the RCAF benefited hugely from his RAF experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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