Royal Flying Corps, Aircraft Mechanic 2, Number 126450. How to establish which Squadron?

[Paul Milne]

Hi,

Really struggling to find my great uncles RFC (then RAF) Squadron number.  He was Richard Mathew Milne, Royal Flying Corps, Aircraft Mechanic 2, SN 126450, born January 2nd 1883 in Forfar.  Transferred from the Royal Engineers, was a Sapper SN 49403, to the RFC on Jan 5th 1918 following being wounded in France July 1917.  He was probably valuable to the RFC as his previous occupation was engine fitter, and this was a period of huge growth in the air war.  I believe he worked as an engine mechanic on the SE5a aircraft.  Been reading the Haynes SE5 Workshop Manual and it would be fantastic to map him onto the events described therein.

[quemerford]

He served with 74 TS and 26 TDS. References to Hazebrouck and Dannes - Camiers point to Western Front service, likely at (for example) St Omer or Candas.

 

point to 

[Keith_history_buff]

Regarding being wounded in July, transfer to Hazebrouck, Camiers, then Leicester - as stated above, his wounding was eventually documented in War Office Daily List No. 5351 dated 30 Aug 1917, stating his service number rank and regiment, and that his Next of Kin were in Glasgow.

[Keith_history_buff]

I see the second page tells us his service as a fitter was in the UK only - 'No O/S S'.

It also tells us what his wound was.

Image courtesy FindMyPast

[quemerford]

RE sapper until Jan 1918 it seems. So not at an RFC Depot with the BEF.

[Paul Milne]

Many thanks for the quick responses, very interesting.  I can now see No O/S-S means no overseas service.  Seems No 26 TDS 20 (Training) Group North Western Edzell (Scotland), so that means that he maintained aircraft (engines) at RFC/RAF Training facilities in the UK.  Seems unlikely that it was SE5a aircraft he was working on.

Wikipedia has RAF Edzell originating during WW2, so must be wrong.

[Paul Milne]

Medal Record Card has him in Egypt 4/6/15, so another area to investigate.  

[quemerford]

74 TS was disbanded 15 July 1918 into 26 TDS at Edzell. No reason that a TS or TDS wouldn't have SE.5as.

[Paul Milne]

Wikipedia wrong.  The Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust states "Flying began at Edzell in July 1918, just north of the much better known Second World War site, with the formation of No 26 Training Depot Station. Training was carried out using a variety of aircraft, including Avro 504s and Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2Bs and SE5as. After the war, training was scaled down and the school disbanded in April 1919. The original Edzell soon closed and has now all but completely disappeared."  So SE5as were definitely there and I believe Richard worked on them.

[Keith_history_buff]

Based upon service records of men with similar numbers, it looks like they were posted to Aldershot on 8 September 1914.

49401 William McGuinness enlisted at Glasgow, and was posted to 89 Field Company, associated with 14th (Light) Division. Discharged unlikely to become an efficient soldier on health grounds.

49399 Alfred Stanley Gladding was posted to 89 Field Company, discharged unlikely to become an efficient soldier on health grounds.

49398 Leonard Dibben has an incomplete record, disembarked in France 17 Jul 1915, was with 19 Signal Coy in 1916

[donald69]

Hi

I have a similar issue. I am trying to make sense of a "homemade" ID tag belonging to Albert Edward Watson 36451 who was a first class air mechanic. I have found a pension record which says that he died 30th April 1920 ref 11/Pp/4615/D/15 .  I gather from the information here that it should be possible to narrow down where he might have worked. I would be really grateful for any help with that. The tag has another number on it which is 01791 or 01797. Military Service Region given only as Eastern/London/Southeast