RFC Service record Abbreviations

[Mike1]

I'm trying to decipher my great uncles RFC service record but can't establish the meaning of the first lines of the 'casualty etc' box.

 

In particular what does  1st Res BDs RFA (T)  represent ?? I understand RFA as Royal Field Artillery but unsure of the BDs element. 

also No. Rec. o/s Serv. appears a couple of times and unsure of its meaning .... 

 

Any help gratefully received

 

Mike

 

[DavidOwen]

There are a number of possibilities

Base Depot(s)

Bomb Disposal School

Battle Drill School

 

I suspect the (T) may mean Training.

 

The other phrase may well be "No record of overseas service"

 

Regards

 

David

 

PS - Welcome to the forum, better experts than me will be along shortly. For a useful abbreviations website see this one http://cmhs.ca/index.php/leftmenu-abbreviations

Edited 17 July , 2018 by DavidOwen

[pierssc]

Looks to me as if he was originally with a Territorial unit of the Royal Field Artillery, maybe 1st Reserve Brigade(?) (and possibly with the regimental number 191658); he then transferred to the Royal Engineers, railway operating division, both at home; he then transferred to the RFC in September 1917 and served in France as a 2nd Class Air Mechanic from 10 December 1917 (possibly with the number 104195) until 3 March 1919 by which time he was an AC1 in the RAF.  This entitled him to the British War and Victory Medals.  A name would enable this hypothesis to be checked further.... searching Ancestry with just the numbers and no surname doesn't give me any obvious hits.   Like David I'm sure someone else will be along to fill in the gaps or put me right, but if not, do consider putting a link to this thread in "The War in the Air" section of the forum as it may be more visited!

 

Cheers

Piers

[Mike1]

Thank you David, The No record of Overseas service may well fit as he enlisted in October 1918 but wasn't sent to France until late 1917. 

I'll look up the website, 

 

Kind regards

Mike

 

 

FYI The other side of the document is below...

 

 

 

[Mike1]

Piers, Thank you for your help,

It is a bit of a mystery as like you mention, he doesn't appear in Ancestry.

I'll heed your advice and try and repost it 

 

Many thanks again, its greatly appreciated.

 

Mike

 

As a side note (and according to my mother), he served with the 'big guns' in the field and eventually left the RAF deaf in one ear, apparently the result of catching Influenza. He is also reported to have thrown his medals away upon receipt as he was 'appalled with the inhumanity' he experienced.

As usual he spoke little of the war ...

Edited 17 July , 2018 by Mike1

[pierssc]

Yes, it seems to show what his initial service in the army was.  His civilian occupation as a telegraph clerk may explain his spell with the RE railway operating division - I think signal boxes communicated using morse code - it was called something like the single needle telegraph code - so in effect he was probably a trained (or mostly trained) morse signaller.  This in turn might throw light on what his role in the RFC was - I think the RFC had its own signallers with the artillery batteries to receive signals from the spotting aircraft and pass them on to the guns.

 

He's elusive on Ancestry though, isn't he!

Edited 17 July , 2018 by pierssc