nealsmerdon Posted 1 July , 2020 Share Posted 1 July , 2020 I am presently searching my Family Tree and by Grand Father Frederick P R Smerdon (Birth 1/2/1895) enlisted in 1916 and I have found the following: Enlisted 1916 (Source 6667640) Employment - Cinema Operator, Service - Air Forse (RAF/FRC) Service No. 215636, Rank Private, Rank (2nd) Labourer, Service from 3/08/1917. before Transfer to RAF from RNAS or RFC - Rank A.C. 1, Trade-Labourer I also came across Service No. F15636 - Royal Navy. Can anyone explain why there are two references for my Grand father. Also I have been told he work at the HMS President II, believe a building not a ship. !!!! Any assistance in above appreciated and where I can find more information as to where he was stationed and how long he served, etc. Many thanks, Neal Smerdon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 1 July , 2020 Share Posted 1 July , 2020 (edited) Hi Neal Welcome to the Forum Prior to the formation of the Royal Air Force (RAF) on 1 April 1918 flying operations were carried out by the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and the Royal Flying Corps (RFC an Army unit) with each having its own ground and technical support. The RAF was formed by the amalgamation of these two flying arms. Your Grandfather was originally serving with the RNAS and transferred into the newly formed RAF, hence two records and two service numbers. President II was the accounting base for the RNAS at the Crystal Place used to pay men who were stationed in places where there was no Paymaster to undertake the task. Such men were recorded as serving on "HMS President" whilst they were “in between” ships, or serving at an external base too small to have its own Paymaster. Dave Edited 1 July , 2020 by HERITAGE PLUS Added info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horatio2 Posted 1 July , 2020 Share Posted 1 July , 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, nealsmerdon said: Also I have been told he work at the HMS President II, believe a building not a ship. As explained by Dave, HMS PRESIDENT II was purely an acoounting base with offices in central London.. It is highly unlikely that he ever set foot in the place. The locations that he was physically serving at are in brackets (HOWDEN) , BARROW) and (CRYSTAL PALACE) on his RNAS record https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D6813810 He claimed, and was issued with, just the British War Medal. Here is a link to his RAF record which is on Findmypast. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C12257404 He was probably demobilised in 1919. RAF Muster Roll 1918 is here -- http://www.rafmuseumstoryvault.org.uk/archive/smerdon-f.p.r Edited 1 July , 2020 by horatio2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nealsmerdon Posted 1 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 1 July , 2020 Thank you Dave & Heritage plus, The information supplied has been very interesting and informative. One obscure question, his initials are F P R Smerdon (Frederick Partridge Romveau) and he has NO brokthers or sisters, but on his Mothers Death Certificate it sates C F Smerdon, would he of change rank by the time he left the RAF? does 'C' mean anything to you? Many thanks, Neal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 1 July , 2020 Share Posted 1 July , 2020 Neal From 1 April 1918 to 1 January 1919 C1, C2 and C3 stood for Clerk 1st Class etc. Thereafter Mechanical, Technical & Service Lower Ranks are rationalised to a common - Leading Aircraftman (LAC) and Aircraftman First Class (AC1) and Second Class (AC2) Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nealsmerdon Posted 1 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 1 July , 2020 Dave, Many thanks again. Regards, Neal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horatio2 Posted 1 July , 2020 Share Posted 1 July , 2020 What date was his mother's death? I assume his name is on her certificate as having reported or been present at the death. Is there any evidence in his record that he was an RAF Clerk? He was transferred into the RAF trade of labourer (Private 1st Class). It could just be an error on the certificate - or does C = child? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nealsmerdon Posted 1 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 1 July , 2020 She died 11th Jan 1922. Under signature, description and residence of informant: C. F. Smerdon, son, living in Kent. So not sure why whoever filled out the Certificate at time would use C. Plus we have no idea why he was living in Kent. Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horatio2 Posted 1 July , 2020 Share Posted 1 July , 2020 Looks like an error. I doubt that he was in the RAF in 1922, his enlistment having been for duration of the war (D.W.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nealsmerdon Posted 1 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 1 July , 2020 Thanks. Will keep digging, as spotted C F Smerdon at an address in 1930 where we believe he did live, well same road. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadbrewer Posted 1 July , 2020 Share Posted 1 July , 2020 I've a bit of a side interest in early British Cinema, have you any idea exactly where he was living, occasionally its possible to track cinema staff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nealsmerdon Posted 2 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 2 July , 2020 Hi there, He was living in Southend on Sea. Neal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nealsmerdon Posted 2 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 2 July , 2020 Heritage plus, When it says Labourer, what jobs' would that entail? Neal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadbrewer Posted 4 July , 2020 Share Posted 4 July , 2020 (edited) On 02/07/2020 at 09:14, nealsmerdon said: Hi there, He was living in Southend on Sea. Neal Hi Neal I've put quite a bit of time into looking for interesting info for you and to be honest it's quite thin on the ground, There is quite a number of references to Smerdon's in the Essex area in Findmypast's newspaper archive , but nothing on Frederick himself. There is a tree on Ancestry (assuming it isn't yours) that you might find helpful on your genealogy search... https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/53078771/person/13453291447/facts The one and only thing I have is that at the time of Fredericks birth his parents were tenants of The Bell Inn, Sible Hedingham. FP senior is described as new landlord in the article below from October 1893, but he appears to leave the pub in December of 1894. Edited 4 July , 2020 by sadbrewer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nealsmerdon Posted 4 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 4 July , 2020 Hi sadbrewer, First of all many many thanks for looking into my Grand Father (F P R SMERDON) you didn’t have too. Thank you for the news article, which I hadn’t come across, which also shows F P Smerdon’S father Thomas Wharton Smerdon, who was either visiting or living with his son. One thing I notice as you say article from October 1893, I have only found him there from 1895 to possibly 1898, so this I will have to investigate. My wife and I are only amateur researches and have not found F P Smerdon from 1898 till his death in 1908 in Rochford, Southend on Sea. We have had luck thou in finding his burial and headstone with Charlotte his wife (death 1922) In regards to the Ancestry link this is not mine as you say and at present I cannot get to see as we are only using free search sites until we have exhausted all avenues before we sign up to find my past etc. Further to F P R Smerdon (son) ( death 1951) after WW1 in either 1918/1919 when her would of left the RAF we have no idea what happened to him until 1926 when he married in Southend, the only thing on his mother’s death certificate shows him living in Crawford, Kent (1922) But I have had no luck tracing him. I you happen to know of any other free sites I could use for now this would be most useful. once again thank you so much for your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadbrewer Posted 4 July , 2020 Share Posted 4 July , 2020 (edited) Something for you to look at in reference to the missing 1901 census record for the family...I wonder if FP senior, joins the Forces sometime after the pub, or perhaps even before and after....the reason I mention it is that FPR's sister, Lottie Edith has a British Armed Forces consular wedding in Egypt in 1900...the text suggest her mother may have have been a witness. Also a free Smerdon message board that may be useful. http://www.begent.org/sforum.htm Edited 4 July , 2020 by sadbrewer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nealsmerdon Posted 6 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 6 July , 2020 Good morning, I have to thank you once again for spending your time on this research, which is greatly appreciated. I have now joined Find my Past to assist in my research. I have to ask where you found the Marriage with Charlotte S Smerdon as witness, if on Find my Past, what do I look for?? This has thrown up something we had dismissed, as we had info that the Smerdon's went to Cairo in 1899 and where still there until poss 1901. So thank you once again, you time researching has be valuable. Kind regards, Neal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadbrewer Posted 6 July , 2020 Share Posted 6 July , 2020 13 hours ago, nealsmerdon said: Good morning, I have to thank you once again for spending your time on this research, which is greatly appreciated. I have now joined Find my Past to assist in my research. I have to ask where you found the Marriage with Charlotte S Smerdon as witness, if on Find my Past, what do I look for?? This has thrown up something we had dismissed, as we had info that the Smerdon's went to Cairo in 1899 and where still there until poss 1901. So thank you once again, you time researching has be valuable. Kind regards, Neal Here you go Neal....makes interesting reading. https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=gbm%2fwo363-4%2f007266812%2f01362&parentid=gbm%2fwo363-4%2f7266812%2f108%2f1356 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nealsmerdon Posted 7 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 7 July , 2020 Thank you so much for the link. (I obviously need more time on 'Find My Past' to know the in's and out's to find stuff like this). This throws more into the mix, as cannot find as of yet when/how Charlotte S Smerdon got to Cairo, as can only find Frederick Smerdon and 3 children in 1899. Many thanks again for your searching it means a lot. Let you get back to your own research Neal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now