RAF Units - help please

[MaxD]

Attached is part of the sparse record of a Boy transferred from the RFC to the RAF on 1 Apr 1918.  He was discharged in December 1918.  I'd be grateful for an interpretation of the units shown on his record.  He has no trade other than Boy recorded.

 

Max

[charlie2]

Max,

i‘ve been searching for the definitive meaning of the acronym STHC for over 20 years, without success. The best I can come up with is School of Training Halton Camp. He was transferred from STHC to Cranwell Station. 

Charlie  

[MaxD]

Thanks Charlie - I certainly had no success on a couple of well known RAF info sites. 

 

Max

 

PS the answer may lie in this highlighted on a related thread by Black Maria

 :

If anyone is interested in the subject of boy service in the RFC/RAF i came across a book called 'The Royal Flying Corps Boy Service' the other day .

It's the memoir of John Ross who joined the RFC aged sixteen and a half in 1917 . Published by Regency Press in 1990 .

 

Bingo - following a hunch, I looked for John Ross's record.  His first "real" posting is given as STT then to Cran Stn.  Looking at No 1 School of Technical Training and RAF Halton the 1918 time frame is just before the 1919 date for the foundation of the School and there was a move to Cranwell .  My bet is that these boys were right at the beginning of the apprentices programme and that the ST is wrongly recorded,  Have a look at 83445 John Ross in the RAF records and see what you think.

 

Max

 

 

Edited 4 March , 2020 by MaxD
PS added

[Black Maria]

John Ross was posted to RFC School of Technical Training, Halton on 20.6.17 and was one of the first entrants of boys to the camp and left Halton for Cranwell 

on 6.4 1918 . I don't know if any of this helps or if you want me to look up to see if his name appears in the book .

[MaxD]

Yes thank you.  Your pointer to the book led me to look at his record and to compare it with the chap I was looking at.  My man joined the RFC as a boy on 15 Nov 1917 so a little behind Ross.  His first posting is recorded as S T HC which I now reckon was STT.  The next one is from S T HC to Cranwell Station 9 May 1918 so a similar start to his service.  The listing in the RAF Muster roll of pages of Boys transferring from RFC to RAF would seem to confirm that these were listings of what were to become RAF apprentices.

 

His name was Thomas William Tincombe and if you are able to find him in the book then the news will be gratefully received in New Zealand!

 

And thank you for taking the trouble to look at this thread.

 

Max

[Black Maria]

1 hour ago, MaxD said:

Yes thank you.  Your pointer to the book led me to look at his record and to compare it with the chap I was looking at.  My man joined the RFC as a boy on 15 Nov 1917 so a little behind Ross.  His first posting is recorded as S T HC which I now reckon was STT.  The next one is from S T HC to Cranwell Station 9 May 1918 so a similar start to his service.  The listing in the RAF Muster roll of pages of Boys transferring from RFC to RAF would seem to confirm that these were listings of what were to become RAF apprentices.

 

His name was Thomas William Tincombe and if you are able to find him in the book then the news will be gratefully received in New Zealand!

 

And thank you for taking the trouble to look at this thread.

 

Max

Sorry Max , cant see his name mentioned (not in the index or group photos) ,  he does list a minimum roll of ex-boys of the RFC ( many taken from those who attended 

reunion dinners after the war  )with some of their serial numbers ( nearest is 157151) . It's a good book if they want to find out what sort of life he must have led in the service , 

i see copies over here are selling for about £25 at the moment . I bought my copy on Amazon for £8 a few weeks ago , there was a copy on e-bay at the same time that sold 

for about the same price , so worth them keeping an eye out over there .

Cheers ,

John.

[MaxD]

John

 

Thank you very much indeed, more v useful info to pass on to NZ.    

 

Best

 

Max