Help with the Airmen service record - photographer

[Noor]

Hi all,

I am trying to understand more where this person served and what was his main duties as a photographer during the war? Did they were flying personnel to make a photos of the enemy trenches, etc or anything else? 

The person in question is James Clarke, service number 77891 with RAF. He was from Dublin and 1911 Census already lists him as photographer. He served first in France with the Irish Guards (8464) but was transferred to RFC 21-Mar-1917.

Here are his units and deployments, any help to "read" these would be greatly appreciated.

 

[quemerford]

BEF to Recruits Depot 07May18

To School of Photography 22May18

To No.1 School of Navigation & Bomb Dropping 19Jun18

To Recruits Depot 25Sep18

To EEF (Egypt?) 05Nov18

(to B Dpt E [not known]) 21Nov18

To 32 Training Wing 25Nov18

To Demob Camp Kantara 13May19

[charlie962]

14 hours ago, quemerford said:

EEF

Normally Egyptian Expeditionary Force 

14 hours ago, quemerford said:

B Dpt E

Perhaps Base Depot Egypt ?

[Noor]

Many thanks! So most likely he was a flying enlisted men.

[quemerford]

Doubtful he'd have been flying, and not part of his regular duties. The crews who took the photographs would have been Observers or sometimes, Gunners.

[hmsk212]

His role would have mainly been developing the photographs taken by the aircrew, enlarging them and generally preparing them for examination.

[Noor]

Thanks for clarification. Pretty unusual specific role still then. Taken he was a photographer prior to the war, I have a look from local library, can I locate more info of him.

[hmsk212]

In addition to my earlier post about his duties as a photographer, he, along with Instrument Repair staff, would have been responsible for the maintenance and setting up of the cameras.

[Noor]

Thank you! Still interesting and slightly less common trade. Something to dig more now.

 

Thanks again!