Royal Flying Corp

[DG1]

Hello,

I am looking for some help please, my great-grandfather was(according to his service record) a cook in the royal flying corp,i have a picture of him in uniform, but, he is holding a some sort of cane, I am wondering if it is some kind of Full Dress Uniform he is wearing?.

When I first saw the picture I naively thought he was an officer, since then I have learnt he was a cook, what puzzles me is, I thought it was only officers that had canes(or sticks)to walk around with.

I have been searching the net for months trying to find the answer.

Is there a good book I can purchase off the internet that can help me?

Thanks

[DG1]

Just read some other posts(should of done that before I posted really, but hey ho, never mind), could the stick my great grandfather be carrying be a "Swagger stick"?

[Bombadier]

Swagger sticks were often kept as photographers props and didn't necessarily have anything to do with the uniform the subject is wearing. They were used to "improve" the picture .

Nigel

[Sepoy]

DG1

The cap badge being worn is that of the Devonshire Regiment and not the Royal Flying Corps, so your Great Great Grandfather probably transferred units at some point.

Swagger sticks were basically carried when "walking out" ie leaving the Barracks and going into town. Many Regimental Standing Orders stipulated that they should be carried when out of Barracks. They were designed to hold so Soldiers did not place their hands in pockets!

These were normally Private Purchase items, rather than issued, and carried the Regimental Badge on the end cap.

I have attached a photograph of a Royal Flying Corps Swagger Stick.

Sepoy

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Sepay,

What an great ' RFC ' bamboo swagger stick.

Regards,

LF

[DG1]

Sepoy

Thanks for the information, very much appreciated and very interesting, it gives me another avenue to go down in regards to family history.

Am I right in thinking that the Royal Flying Corp was linked to the Army for a while until they joined with the Navy to become the Royal Air force?.

Out of interest, Can I ask how you know its the Devonshire Regiment?, I know I am going to be asked this when I tell my father and Auntie this information.

I ask because I have just looked at cap badges on the internet and some look(to my untrained eye) similar to each other, and the photo isn't very clear when zoomed in.

Thanks

[RaySearching]

DG1

As Sepoy has pointed out "The cap badge being worn in the photo is that of the Devonshire Regiment"

although there is the possibility that this may be a red herring, as this is a studio portrait, The cap being worn may be a studio prop

You may be able to find out if he served in the Devonshire Regiment by looking at his medal index card ( if he has one)

It may also help if you could post your Great Grandfathers name

regards Ray

[Sepoy]

I know he is in the Devonshire Regiment from the design of the cap badge ie an 8 point star with the top point surmounted by a King's Crown. Other badges such as the Army Service Corps are similar but the points on the star are less pronounced. The East Surrey Regiment and the 23rd Battalion, London Regiment had a similar star with a scroll underneath.

His rank is a Private as he is not wearing any rank insignia. The uniform is typical of that being worn during World War One by "Rank and File" - Officer uniforms were quite different.

An example of the Devonshire Regiment cap badge can be seen here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devonshire_Regiment

Cheers

Sepoy

[DG1]

Sepoy,

Once again, many thanks for your help.

and Raysearcher thanks for the tip, will be looking online to see if I can find him in the Devonshire Regiment.

Many thanks.

[feisty70]

We have found an Aunty who served in The Flying Corp 1945, (has oak leaf pins to denote Mentioned in Dispatches) is my only route to see as to why she received this award, to visit The Nat Archives, or any easy route, Forces War Record site, have given us her Service No 488492 ,Whichelow can anyone advise, us please.

Many thanks.

[Sepoy]

We have found an Aunty who served in The Flying Corp 1945, (has oak leaf pins to denote Mentioned in Dispatches) is my only route to see as to why she received this award, to visit The Nat Archives, or any easy route, Forces War Record site, have given us her Service No 488492 ,Whichelow can anyone advise, us please.

Many thanks.

Cinabar

The Royal Flying Corps ceased to exist on 1st April, 1918 when it amalgamated with the Royal Naval Air Service to form the Royal Air Force.

Regretfully, your Aunt's service in the Women's Royal Air Force during 1945 is outside the coverage of this forum.

Her Mention in Despatch would have been announced in the London Gazette, which can be searched on line at http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/ or their new portal https://www.thegazette.co.uk/

As you have her service number it may also be worth trying to obtain a copy of her Service Papers. This can be obtained (at a cost and about a year long wait) here

https://www.gov.uk/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records

It may also be worthwhile joining http://ww2talk.com who specialise in World War Two matters.

Hope this helps

Sepoy