Commissioning to the RFC -1916

[Snapper41]

Good morning all

 

i wonder if anyone can help? I am currently researching the story of a boy who graduated from Sandhurst in April 1916 and was commissioned into the Sherwood Foresters, but he never served with them, instead going straight to flying training from Sandhurst.

 

I’m puzzled by this - why go into an infantry regiment first? Could he not have gone direct to the RFC?

 

Any thoughts gratefully received 

 

Snapper

[Biggles]

Many Officers from Infantry, Artillery and especially Cavalry Regiments, transferred to the RFC.  Most, interestingly enough, retained their original Regiment's badges and identification.

He could have gone directly into the RFC if he wished, but obviously he intended to go into the Sherwood Foresters, and soon after decided to transfer to the RFC.  I can't say exactly what his reasons were, but it certainly wasn't a one off occurrence.

Hope this helps.

 

Cheerio,

Caleb

[Snapper41]

Thanks Caleb; it seems that his head was turned towards flying whilst at Sandhurst, rather than prior to it!

[MikeMeech]

3 hours ago, Snapper41 said:

Good morning all

 

i wonder if anyone can help? I am currently researching the story of a boy who graduated from Sandhurst in April 1916 and was commissioned into the Sherwood Foresters, but he never served with them, instead going straight to flying training from Sandhurst.

 

I’m puzzled by this - why go into an infantry regiment first? Could he not have gone direct to the RFC?

 

Any thoughts gratefully received 

 

Snapper

Hi

 

Interestingly Arthur Gould Lee in 'Open Cockpit', page 27, mentions that he could not get in the RFC in August 1914, in any capacity, so he joined a university OTC and in February 1915 was commissioned in the 13th Sherwood Foresters, so apparently did not go to Sandhurst.  He did manage to get a transfer to the RFC in May 1916 (there was a requirement for more pilots at this time and it was being 'encouraged' by higher authority) after several attempts.  There were various ways commissions were granted and how applicants could get into the RFC it could just depend on the circumstances at the time.

 

Mike

[pierssc]

In my grandfather's case, he attested for the TA in August 1914 and became a Gunner in the RFA defending the Firth of Forth.  He applied to become an officer in the RFC in July 1915; someone at the War Office crossed out RFC and scrawled "Infantry" on his application, so he was Commissioned into the Gordons in September 1915 and THEN attended  a training course at Edinburgh University OTC.  He joined the 11th Battalion in late October.  In January 1916 he reapplied for the RFC, was accepted, and sent to Reading to begin his instruction.... the point of all this is that it seems that his intention from at least the late summer of 1915 was to fly.  Before he could be considered for flying training, the first stage was to see whether he had what it took to become a regimental officer.  Having done that, he could be considered for flying training.  Had he failed at either point he would have been returned to his parent unit.
 

Similarly i imagine that in the case of the man you are researching they didn't want to accept him straight into the RFC - once accepted, if he was washed out he would have gone back to the Sherwood Foresters.

 

They do seem to have accepted applicants straight into the RFC - Cecil Lewis being a case in point, even though he could not fly.  How or why they decided on a particular route may have depended if they had a relative at the War Office (as in Lewis's case) or not!  I imagine he may have been in the OTC at school which may have helped.

[researchingreg]

You could join the RFC directly my uncle joined in Sep 1916, and was not in any other branch of the Army. He also became a pilot.