Researching a distant family member.

[Khloe]

Hi Everyone!

I am researching someone who is quite a distant family member that i found while researching my family. who i belive served in WW1 as the location, birthday and next of kin being his father all align on the family tree.

159174 Alfred George Ettridge  Royal Air Force born 1901.  he is on a muster roll for 1918

Thank you so much for reading

[Alan Bentley]

He was serving in the British expedition to Chad/Nigeria  in 1919 when the RAF supplied aircraft to bomb a Dervish rising in Nigeria.

Edited 11 August , 2023 by Alan Bentley

[Khloe]

12 minutes ago, Alan Bentley said:

He was serving in the British expedition to Chad/Nigeria  in 1919 when the RAF supplied aircraft to bomb a Dervish rising in Nigeria.

Wow That is Really amazing and intersting i never knew the RAF was sent to Nigeria in 1919

was he a pilot and is he entitled to any ww1 medals?

Thank you so much Alan!

[RussT]

He was born 18/01/1901 and enlisted as a boy entrant.

He didn't become a "man" until 18/01/1919.

He was a rigger - whatever that means 

His record does not show any medal entitlement.

Regards

Russ

British Royal Air Force, Airmen's service records 1912-1939 Image | findmypast.co.uk

 

[Alan Bentley]

2 hours ago, Khloe said:

Wow That is Really amazing and intersting i never knew the RAF was sent to Nigeria in 1919

was he a pilot and is he entitled to any ww1 medals?

Thank you so much Alan!

He rose to the rank of Flight Lieutenant in WW2 in the Equipment Branch of the RAF,so he was not aircrew. He would have qualified for the usual campaign medals in WW2, not in WW1.

Edited 11 August , 2023 by Alan Bentley

[Khloe]

9 hours ago, RussT said:

He was born 18/01/1901 and enlisted as a boy entrant.

He didn't become a "man" until 18/01/1919.

He was a rigger - whatever that means 

His record does not show any medal entitlement.

Regards

Russ

British Royal Air Force, Airmen's service records 1912-1939 Image | findmypast.co.uk

 

Thank you so much Russ!!

I had a feeling from his birth year that he did not serve soon enough for ww1 medal entitlement

Does it say where and how long he served for on his ww1 record or does it say he was discharged?

Many Many thanks

[Alan Bentley]

His service/promotion record reads;

Joined  18/01/1919

Acting Pilot Officer Equipment Branch  17/05/1938

Pilot Officer  21/01/1939

Flying Officer  17/11/1939

Flight Lieutenant  01/12/1940

No further info on his earlier service or discharge details.

He died in Norfolk in 1966.

[RussT]

10 hours ago, Khloe said:

Does it say where and how long he served for on his ww1 record or does it say he was discharged?

I can't make out anything with respect to where he served - it does mention the units in which he serves, with dates, but the units are abbreviated and I'm not sure what they mean - perhaps some experts here can decipher them for you.

He was discharged on 04/06/1921 upon termination of his period of engagement.

Regards

Russ

[Alan Bentley]

50 minutes ago, RussT said:

I can't make out anything with respect to where he served - it does mention the units in which he serves, with dates, but the units are abbreviated and I'm not sure what they mean - perhaps some experts here can decipher them for you.

He was discharged on 04/06/1921 upon termination of his period of engagement.

Regards

Russ

So he obviously joined the RAFVR when war was imminent. If you post his earlier record I will have a go at translating it.

[charlie962]

In the 1939 Register he was a Pilot Officer on Thorney Island. I think by 1942 he was a Squadron Leader. Exactly what was his work I'm not sure but  as a witness for one of his command who got into trouble postwar he refers to that man being involved in work of great secrecy??

Courtesy Findmypast newspapers 

Edited 12 August , 2023 by charlie962

[Khloe]

4 hours ago, Alan Bentley said:

His service/promotion record reads;

Joined  18/01/1919

Acting Pilot Officer Equipment Branch  17/05/1938

Pilot Officer  21/01/1939

Flying Officer  17/11/1939

Flight Lieutenant  01/12/1940

No further info on his earlier service or discharge details.

He died in Norfolk in 1966.

thank you so so much!!

2 hours ago, RussT said:

I can't make out anything with respect to where he served - it does mention the units in which he serves, with dates, but the units are abbreviated and I'm not sure what they mean - perhaps some experts here can decipher them for you.

He was discharged on 04/06/1921 upon termination of his period of engagement.

Regards

Russ

Thank you so much russ!

would it be okay to post some of the abreveations?

Thank you also for letting me know when he was discharged

Thank you so much

[Khloe]

32 minutes ago, charlie962 said:

In the 1939 Register he was a Pilot Officer on Thorney Island. I think by 1942 he was a Squadron Leader. Exactly what was his work I'm not sure but  a witness for one of his command who got into trouble postwar he refers to that man being involved in work of great secrecy??

Courtesy Findmypast newspapers 

wow that is really interesting.  i know on air force registers during ww2 he has an X distinction next to his name

Thank you so much this is amazing

[FROGSMILE]

On 11/08/2023 at 15:22, RussT said:

He was born 18/01/1901 and enlisted as a boy entrant.

He didn't become a "man" until 18/01/1919.

He was a rigger - whatever that means 

His record does not show any medal entitlement.

Regards

Russ

British Royal Air Force, Airmen's service records 1912-1939 Image | findmypast.co.uk

 

Aeroplane riggers were mechanics who specialised in assembling, maintaining and repairing aeroplane structures.  There were Riggers General (fabric, struts and wires) and Riggers Aeronautical Engineer (mechanics).

If he joined as an Enlisted Boy** it would have been with the Royal Flying Corps if after 1912.  Prior to that date it was a Royal Engineers trade for employment in their Balloon Section.  As an example Major McCudden VC RFC and his two brothers all enlisted as Boys in the Rigger trade.  Their father was a regular soldier in the Royal Engineers and they were raised in barracks.

Rigger was the most common RFC and then RAF ground-crew trade and, being a fairly stable role, it was realised towards the end of the war, when maintaining manpower (and finding sufficient men to sustain the infantry) became increasingly challenging, that training nimble fingered women in the trade was identified and pursued as a good fit.

** specifically and to this day aligned with the statutory school leaving age. 

Edited 13 August , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[Khloe]

2 hours ago, FROGSMILE said:

Aeroplane riggers were mechanics who specialised in assembling, maintaining and repairing aeroplane structures.  There were Riggers General (struts and wires) and Riggers Aeronautical Engineer (mechanics).

If he joined as an Enlisted Boy** it would have been with the Royal Flying Corps if after 1912.  Prior to that date it was a Royal Engineers trade for employment in their Balloon Section.  As an example Major McCudden VC and his two brothers all enlisted as Boys in the Fitter trade.  Their father was a regular soldier in the Royal Engineers and they were raised in barracks.

Rigger was the most common RFC and then RAF ground-crew trade and, being a fairly stable role, it was realised towards the end of the war, when maintaining manpower (and finding sufficient men to sustain the infantry) became increasingly challenging, that training nimble fingered women in the trade was identified and pursued as a good fit.

** specifically and to this day aligned with the statutory school leaving age. 

Thank you so much Frogsmile for clarifying what it meant haha

[RussT]

Here are his movements - perhaps others could let us know the meaning of the abbreviations:

Russ

[Buffnut453]

4 AP would be No.4 Aircraft Park.  Not sure where this was located but No.4 Aircraft Acceptance Park was in Lincoln.

1 ARD is probably No.1 Aircraft Repair Depot which, I believe, was Farnborough.

The CFS entry is odd.  CFS is the Central Flying School but that name was only re-established in April 1920.  Prior to that it was the Flying Instructors' School, which appears to be the acronym lower down in the document above "Upavon."

1 FTS is No.1 Flying Training School at Netheravon.  A number of buildings from the period 1914-1920 remain at Netheravon, although access is limited because it's still a military base and because the buildings are unsafe due to poor repair and the extensive presence of asbestos.  

 

Hope this helps a little.  

[Khloe]

1 hour ago, RussT said:

Here are his movements - perhaps others could let us know the meaning of the abbreviations:

Russ

Thank you so much Russ!!

Alan said earlier on the thread that he served in an expdition to chad/nigeria is that on this document?

 

[Khloe]

8 minutes ago, Buffnut453 said:

4 AP would be No.4 Aircraft Park.  Not sure where this was located but No.4 Aircraft Acceptance Park was in Lincoln.

1 ARD is probably No.1 Aircraft Repair Depot which, I believe, was Farnborough.

The CFS entry is odd.  CFS is the Central Flying School but that name was only re-established in April 1920.  Prior to that it was the Flying Instructors' School, which appears to be the acronym lower down in the document above "Upavon."

1 FTS is No.1 Flying Training School at Netheravon.  A number of buildings from the period 1914-1920 remain at Netheravon, although access is limited because it's still a military base and because the buildings are unsafe due to poor repair and the extensive presence of asbestos.  

 

Hope this helps a little.  

thank you so much for clarifying this helps alot !

 

[RussT]

53 minutes ago, Khloe said:

Alan said earlier on the thread that he served in an expdition to chad/nigeria is that on this document?

I can't see anything in his record that relates to that expedition - perhaps Alan can let us know his source @Alan Bentley

Regards

Russ