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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Ronald George St. John, RNAS and RAF


MikeW

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I am having trouble finding a date of birth and place of birth for Ronald George St. John, an Observer with Naval 5, Naval 6 and with 206 Squadron RAF. There are no details on his RNAS paperwork and I have been unable to get “hits” on the 1901 census or on www.freebmd databases.

Was his father the diplomat Sir Frederick St. John KCMG? If so, he was probably born abroad – possibly Switzerland.

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Guest Pete Wood

If you go to www.ancestry.com and tap in Ronald George St.John it shows that there is one result (on the 1901 UK census).

I no longer have an account, so I can't access the record.

The thing about this surname, when using the 1901 census is that you should not use the full stop after the saint.

In other words, look at 'St John'. But even using this method I can't see the result, as shown on Ancestry.

Strange.

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Guest Pete Wood

Solved it. I think you got the info for his name from the London Gazette when it announced his DSC. They got his forenames back-to-front.

I think he should be George Ronald St. John.

Do I get a mention in your book, for supplying his obit?

:D

post-25-1106063770.jpg

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Pete,

of course you can have a mention - already had the obit from the Times though.

I think the obit gets the name the wrong way round, it's definitely Ronald George in his Admiralty paperwork.

Mike

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The plot thickens - whilst every naval reference I can find labels Obs.Lt St John as "RG", every genealogy reference I can find states "GR".

I feel sure from what I have read, that his preferred name was Ronald.

I am also sure that he was born abroad, very likely in Switzerland.

I now have a partial date - 1888.

This is making my brain hurt!

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So it was Shanklin!

I assume then that his mother came home for her "internment".

I've just been going over his RNAS and RAF paperwork again, definitely RG on everthing that I have. He was originally a pilot but unfortunately didn't take his RAeC Certificate - that would have had his date of birth on it!

The cheque is in the post!

Cheers,

Mike

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