J Lawson R.A.F

[kev1874]

Morning all,

 

 I'm wondering if anybody can help me find the MIC and Victory & War roll for 104517 J Lawson RAF. I've found his RAF service papers, pension and RAF muster roll from 1918 but no MIC or medal roll. His RAF papers have him in the RFA from 4/5/16 to 14/8/17 with the number P/136776 but I cant find anything under this number either.

 

Can anybody please help with his service in the RAF too, I'm a little unsure how to decipher some parts like what unit did he serve with?

 

Thanks for any help.

 

Kev

Edited 10 May , 2020 by kev1874

[hmsk212]

Hi

 

The Medal Index Cards were Army, the RAF did not have them.

 

Steve

[kev1874]

Oh ok thanks, I just assumed there would be one its the first time I'm researching RAF, is there no vic & war roll either?

[hmsk212]

Hi

 

There are some War & Victory Rolls for the RAF. The Officer Rolls go by rank and then alphabetically but the rolls for other ranks are listed by date of issue, vaguely alphabetically not at all numerically. They are also only for men that have served in other units prior to the RAF. These RAF rolls are not on Find my Past or Ancestry and are therefore not catalogued. On the back of an Air79 service sheet you sometimes get references to book numbers and page numbers with regard to medal issue but these bear no resemblance to the page numbers of the Rolls. Example of a page of Other Ranks War & Victory Medals issued in July 1925 is shown below :-

 

Steve

Edited 10 May , 2020 by hmsk212

[kev1874]

Ok thanks for the help

[hmsk212]

His service with E Battery 4th Res Bde RFA is shown in the " Prior Engagement in HM Forces " and not in the " Current Engagement in HM Forces" section of his Air79. This would mean that he had served in the RFA as P/136776 prior to joining the Army on 4th May 1916. I have no idea as to which Regiment or Corps he served before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps on 14th August 1917. 

Steve

[kev1874]

Cheers Steve I'd got it the wrong way round then, I thought he'd come from the RFA. Maybe TA or reservist?

 

Also I know its not great war but what was the  A.c.2F.A.E and L.A.C service in 1939? I'm guessing some kind of early home guard version for RAF?

[Tawhiri]

8 hours ago, kev1874 said:

Also I know its not great war but what was the  A.c.2F.A.E and L.A.C service in 1939? I'm guessing some kind of early home guard version for RAF?

 

Taking a guess AC2 is aircraftman 2nd class, and LAC is leading aircraftman.

[charlie962]

There is an interesting article about a crooked postman stealing soldiers parcels in 1917- including one containing a watch sent from Burnley to John Lawson by his wife Eve. See FindmyPast here but this is a snippet;

courtesy findmypastnewspapers

 

But that report of him being Gas Wounded in April 1917 (admitted StJohnsAmb Etaples 28/4/17 gassed shell severe) has me puzzled as it is before his RFC time. I've not yet traced it to a Casualty List ???? There are at least 30 J Lawsons wounded in 1917.

 

Charlie

Edited 10 May , 2020 by charlie962

[kev1874]

16 hours ago, Tawhiri said:

 

Taking a guess AC2 is aircraftman 2nd class, and LAC is leading aircraftman.

Thanks

 

Charlie, 

 

 I'd take a guess and say he was RFA before his transfer to the RFC. Hes got previous with them as stated in his form so I'd say he'd possibly signed back up with them, haven't found anything to prove my theory though. 

 

Thanks 

 

Kev

[MaxD]

There is something odd about the recorded RFA detail. 

 

P/ prefix isn't a prefix for RA numbers.  P/ is more usually found as an officer's (personal) number prefix and (I think) wasn't introduced until 1920.

 

E Bty and 4 Reserve Brigade don't go together http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-royal-artillery-in-the-first-world-war/royal-artillery-depots-training-and-home-defence-units/  RFA batteries were numbered not lettered

 

Not sure this helps at all.  I have noted more than once that the RAF seems to have disposed of earlier army records.

 

Max

[hmsk212]

Hi,

 

Given that his date of birth was 1887 his previous service with the RFA could well have been any time between 1905 to 1914 so the WW1 information gleaned from the Long Long Trail may not be necessarily be relevant.

 

Steve

[kev1874]

Thanks for the input guys, I'm thinking he signed up for a short spell with the artillery pre ww1 then volunteered for service with them again, got gassed April 1917 and transferred while convalescing, I don't know why he's not listed as being currently with any unit on the RAF form, was this the case if they were in a hospital? they were not official attached anywhere until recovered?  

Edited 11 May , 2020 by kev1874

[hmsk212]

2 hours ago, kev1874 said:

Thanks for the input guys, I'm thinking he signed up for a short spell with the artillery pre ww1 then volunteered for service with them again, got gassed April 1917 and transferred while convalescing, I don't know why he's not listed as being currently with any unit on the RAF form, was this the case if they were in a hospital? they were not official attached anywhere until recovered?  

A lot of the RAF papers just say Army or Navy as previous service in the " current engagement " section. 

Steve