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Remembered Today:

Help with exact locations of RAF units please


Genie24

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I have been helped by someone with the interpretation of my Grandad Charles Ernest Humble Anderson's  RAF record for which I am extremely grateful as I do not have a militay background. I was unable to understand his movements and what the abbreviations meant. I have attached the  British Royal Airforce, Airmen's Service Records 1912-1939, Sick and Wounded NCOs and Men of the Expeditionary Force - France,  and UK, WW1 Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923.

 

This is my contact's interpretation:



His army service started on 19 Feb 1917.  Presumably he went back to UK when gassed until returning to France to the RFC in Feb 1918 (see below). N.B I have a Casualty list for him stating that he was transferred to No. 3 Rest Camp unfit, Ex.1 Con. Dep. Boulogne 2 Nov '17.

He transferred to the RFC on 20 Feb 1918.  With all the rest of the RFC (and the RNAS) he was transferred to the RAF on its formation on 1 April 1918.

His first RAF unit was No 2 Aircraft Depot (which may have been the same unit prior to that in the RFC). 

On 26 May 1918 he moved to No 1 Aircraft Depot and then on 28 May 1918 to No 10 Aircraft Park (another name for Aircraft Depot).

On 21 Feb 1919 he went to 20 Squadron.  From 20 Squadron he went to Deolali in India on 13 Jan 1920.  It doesn't say which unit he was with (it may have been 20 Sqn moving itself).

The next entries relate fo his documents going to the Ministry of Pensions on 5 August 1920 followed by a record of 12 shillings a week pension from 8 Mar 1920 to 22 Feb 1921.

His date to the RAF Reserve (prior to discharge) was 23 March 1920 (you have this date but it was not the date of transfer to the RA) and discharge followed on 30 April 1920. N.B I have recently found on Fold3,  his UK, WW1 Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923 which states that he was discharged as a result of Malaria on 23rd March 1920. The RAF record has this date as transfer to RAF REserve but there is  a stamp next to it saying 'Deemed to have been discharged and stamped 30th March 1920.

The record also has "wounded Gas France 26 Sep 1917" (you have this date) and "France from 20 Feb 1918" (presumably back to France)

There are papers at Kew for all these units but none digitised.  What I don't have is the exact locations of the units listed.  My suggestion would be to go on to greatwarforum.org where the real experts hang out and ask there for the locations.

Rgds

 

Can anyone help me to find out exactly where these units were located and what the entries on the pension  record mean?

 

Julie

Charles Ernest Humbel Anderson British Royal Airforce, Airmen's Service Records 1912-1939.jpg

Charles Ernest Humbel Anderson British Royal Airforce, Airmen's Service Records 1912-1939 reverse of record.jpg

Charles Ernest Humble Anderson Casualty List 1917.jpg

Charles Ernest Humble Anderson Pension Record 1920.JPG

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The entries on the pension card are the record of the offices/people to and from whom his file was passed during the process of determining his pension award, finally settled on 16 August 1922.  The WFA website has information on the cards but there is little, if nothing, more to learn from this card.

 

Max

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I can tentatively identify locations for 1 AD, 2 AD, and 10 AP, based on pp. 177-78 of Appendix B of Peter Dye's The Bridge to Airpower (2015).

 

"No. 2 AD Candas:  Relocated to Groffliers in March 1918, occupying disused farm buildings at Le Bahot (effective from 30 March 1918).  The depot had moved to Vron by the armistice (with an advanced section at Cambrai)."    I would guess your grandfather was initially at Groffliers, south of Boulogne

 

No. 1 Aircraft Depot, "remained at St.-Omer until the German offensive of March 1918, when, as a temporary measure, No. 1 AD Reserve was set up at Guines (effective 10 April 1918) and bulk stores at Desvres (effective 15 April 1918).  However, by 18 May 1918, these arrangements became permanent with the main depot at Guines and subsites at Desvres, No. 1 AD (D) , and Mottville, No. 1 AD (M), where they remained until the Armistice."   Again, a guess:  he probably went from Groffliers to Guines, northeast of Boulogne; I don't know whether the person recording the moves would have noted posting to one of the subsites.  

 

"No. 10 AP [aircraft park] Ouve-Wirquin:   Relocated to Faubourg-des-Postes ... by the armistice."  I haven't been able to decipher the relocation information.  Going on the assumption that the relocation happened late in the war, perhaps your grandfather went from Guines to Ouve-Wirquin, about 20 miles inland from Boulogne.  

 

20 Squadron did, indeed, go to India in June 1919, according to https://www.rafweb.org/Squadrons/Sqn016-20.htm  That's not an exact match for your dates, but perhaps not everyone connected with No. 20 went out at the same time.  

 

A very cursory web search suggests that No. 3 Rest Camp was at Folkestone.  

 

best,

---Marian 

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Great stuff Marian.  I agree with Folkestone for the location of No 3 Rest Camp (nice images on the net) which now makes sense of France from 20  Feb 1918 indicating when he returned to France after presumably convalescence,

 

Max 

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Thanks Marian for this. I am extremely grateful to you for taking the time to look into this for me.

I am so glad that I took Max's advice and registered on this forum. The expertise is invaluable.

I will look into the No. 3 Rest Camp at Folkestone.

I will be seeing my Dad (aged 90) today. He will be pleased with what I've discovered with the help from everyone on this forum and on Rootschat.

Grateful thanks.

Regards

Julie

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