Private to Wing Commander - EH Hereford

[HolymoleyRE]

Dear GWF Pals, 

 

I think I have found as much as I can on this man, whose group has come into my possesion.

 

But any other gems would be of interest, in particular any records that may exist im regard his IARO service as I cannot seem to find much other than his LG reference, annotations on his RAF casualty cards and a wounding entry in the WO's Casualty lists.

 

Assumption is Ernest Herbert Hereford was born India in December 1882, likely in Ootacamund, as a number of Herefords with close'ish connections crop up from there.  A pre war Mechanical Engineer on Internal Combustion Engines (and an aviator according to his pre 1920 RAF Officer file), worked in Bucharest from 1910 to 14 as a Works Manager under a Dr Porn of the Ministry of War.  Porn is likely to have been Marcel Porn another Mechanical Engineer, who ran a Works repairing military vehicle from the Balkan Wars during that period.

 

July 1915 sees him joing the ASC with the unsual rank of Private (Acting M/SSjt), serving with the 22nd Division, assumption as a Workshop SNCO, recorded as contracting Malaria on/returning from Salonika.

 

Commissioning into IARO in July 1917, then attached to the RFC, has intruction with 23rd Training Squadron in Eygpt ....then it goes cold a little, wounded in Jan 1918, ditched in the sea suffering concussion..

 

Spends time in and out of the RFC's Eaton Hospital in London, then the Unemployed List in 1919.  He has the ISM with Afghanistan NWF 1919 clasp name to him but with 22nd Sqn RAF...who never served there....assumption is he was 114th Squadron in Aden, then Afghanistan then assigned to 22nd Sqn for admin whilst admitted to Eaton again in 1919...bout of Malaria perhaps?

 

He then leaves in 1922/24 and enters service in 1939, awarded a MID (Kings commendation) in 1941, appears to have served in Africa (Malta?) Italy, retiring as a Wing Commander in the 50s.

 

Various newspaper articles and a photo him and Effie Grace his wife, show he was involved with Biggleswade Angling Club (Chairman) and the Royal British Legion in Beeston (President), Beds. Dying in 1960.

 

He appears to have two files at MoD, save pulling this file, I may have found all there is..but any other bits most are welcome.

 

Andy

 

Edited 4 February by HolymoleyRE