Flying Corps Personnel 1914/18

[geoffs17]

Looking for information about my grandfather, who may have served in the royal observation corps, or the Flying Corp. 1914-1918 He took aerial photographs from an open cockpit.

His name was Arthur Ernest Stockhall and he was born in Birmingham

Please can anyone advise/help me where to start my search.

Regards

Geoff

[Verrico2009]

Hi Geoff - this looks the likeliest candidate for the the details you've given:-

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...Edoc_Id=5596946

Are you aware of your grandfather having any service in the Army too (though I believe the RFC was Army-based)?

The only other A E Stockhall I've found was Albert of the 3rd Dragoon Guards.

Louise

[geoffs17]

Hi Geoff - this looks the likeliest candidate for the the details you've given:-

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...Edoc_Id=5596946

Are you aware of your grandfather having any service in the Army too (though I believe the RFC was Army-based)?

The only other A E Stockhall I've found was Albert of the 3rd Dragoon Guards.

Louise

Thanks Louise for your info. referring to A E Stockhall. From the little knowledge that I have regarding my grandfather, I understood that he served initially with the Observation Corp, which was the Army and later was changed to the Royal Air Force.

thanks again,

regards Geoff

[john-g]

Hi Geoff

I have checked my Air Force List's for 1918 and 1919 and I cannot find him listed, assuming he served after April 1918 if he was an Officer he is not listed and I therefore think he must have been an other rank.

You will probably have to do a standard army search for him at the National Archives and the check out AIR78 which is the index for the other ranks records held in AIR79.

I would also look through the medal cards to see if you can find an A E Stockhall who served in the RFC/RAF and hope they have included his service number if he was an other rank, then you can look up his RAF record, which might have some RFC information as well.

Not sure about this Observation Corps, I have never heard of such an organisation in WW1, there was a Royal Observer Corps in WW2 and many men who served in WW1 did their bit in the ROC in WW2.

john_g

www.66squadron.co.uk

[per ardua per mare per terram]

...The only other A E Stockhall I've found was Albert of the 3rd Dragoon Guards...

Name: STOCKHALL, ALBERT EDWARD

Initials: A E

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Corporal

Regiment/Service: 3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales' Own)

Age: 38

Date of Death: 13/05/1915

Service No: 4486

Additional information: Brother of Mr. H. E. Stockhall, of Nigel House, Balden Rd., Harborne, Birmingham.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 3.

Memorial: YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL

[per ardua per mare per terram]

The Royal Flying Corps was a corps of the British Army, like the Royal Engineers or Army Service Corps. Other ranks could enter the RFC directly or transfer in from other parts of the Army. On 1st April 1918 the RFC ceased to exist, it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service to become the Royal Air Force. There was not a seperate corps for observers or aerial photographers, they were part of the RFC and then the RAF. Almost all operated from an open cockpit.

The online Army medal index cards cover only a tiny percentage of RFC/ RAF personnel. The RAF's own MICs have yet to be released to the public. The RAF service records are held in service number order; the alphabetical index to service numbers in AIR 78, at the UK National Archives, Kew is very poor: it mostly covers personnel wh served long after WWI.