RAF No. 1 Cadet Wing, Aug 1918?

[Guest sberkshire]

Hello, I wonder if someone can advise me on researching my grandfather, Sidney Edwin Tunn. Please excuse my ignorance - this is all new to me!

From his medal rolls, I discovered that in 1913 he joined the Army Service Corps. and was a lance corporal by 1914 (service. no. M32126). He must have gone to France soon afterwards because he was awarded the 1914 star.

It then appears he joined the RAF (service no. 317914) in August 1918 and was assigned to No. 1 Cadet Wing. I managed to find his RAF transfer page in the National Archives but I presume his army service records were destroyed alongside many others. Under Trade classification it reads "Pilot Lnr" with authority signed by DRO/162. Does anyone know what this means? Again, I wonder if this is familiar - under Promotions it reads "Trans. RAF A/CSM". Unfortunately this one page record gives no place to lead me to a training college.

His medal roll also shows he was an Acting Warrant Officer Class II, but I have no idea where. Is this what A/CSM represents?

There are some roll and page numbers on the medal card and I wonder if these will give me any further clues (RAF/101 B17) for VM and BWM and ASC/13 for the 1914 star.

Thankfully Sidney survived the war and spent ten years in Baroda, India. I think he was too old for WW2, but he was an aircraft inspector when he died in 1958 so I wonder whether he was involved in aircraft in India in the 1920s (I have a picture of him in Baroda, sadly not in uniform, when he was about 25 years)

I am desperating trying to find an RAF company or squadron that he would have belonged to so that I can trace more; does anyone know anything about No. 1 Cadet Wing?

Many thanks in advance.

[Dolphin]

This won't help you very much, but perhaps it's better than nothing.

No 1 Cadet Wing, along with Nos 2, 5, 6 and 8 Cadet Wings, was a Ground Training Unit (as opposed to a Flying Training Unit) based at Shorncliffe. It was part of the RAF's South Eastern Area.

So it appears that your grandfather was training RAF groundstaff.

I hope that this is useful.

Gareth