Lieutenant Irving Paul Graeb

[force136]

I am trying to locate a photo of a Flying Officer / Lieutenant Irving Paul Graeb who joined the US Air Service at Cornell University and, I believe at Cornell opted to join the Canadian Royal Flying Corps. His record states US Air Service but its likely he was recruited into the RFC directly. He then went to Canada for training and then to the UK where he attended the School of Aerial Fighting? In April 1918 he joins 54 Squadron flying Camels. Three months later he gets sick and is returned to the US. There, from December 1918 to roughly April-May 1919 he is flying mail for the US AIR MAIL SERVICE. 

I have tried everything I can think of to locate a photo of Irving to include trying to contact family members. Its as though he is a ghost. He is one of only a few early US Air Mail pilots we do not have a photo of.  I was hoping you guys might have some ideas I had not thought of. For example are there any identified photos of members of 54 Squadron RFC/RAF for April-July 1918? 

Any help would be very much appreciated. 

 

 

[Tawhiri]

12 minutes ago, force136 said:

His record states US Air Service but its likely he was recruited into the RFC directly

His AIR 76 officer's personal record is available as a free download from the National Archives, after first registering for an account. There also appears to be an accompanying airman's service record for an Irving Paul Graeb, which should be available on FindmyPast, and an Army officer's personal record too, which is also at the National Archives, but which is undigitized.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8265573

He doesn't seem to have been awarded an RAeC certificate, which would have included a photo, so that also closes down another avenue of research.

Noting that he was a student at Cornell University, have you tried contacting them to see if they might have any class photos with him in it?

[force136]

Hi Tawhiri

Yes, I have all that material and did contact Cornell who confirmed his attendance but could find no class photo of him. They suspect he joined the RFC part way

through his program which makes sense as he returned to courses in New York City after the war. That school has no archives. I also tried newspapers and there are

short articles of a crash he was involved in as an Air Mail pilot but no photos.  Thanks for the info!

[force136]

Hi Again

I guess these are simple questions but I cant find exactly what an E03 is as far as rank/role? I have that in combination with the abbreviation

P.U.P.O. when referring to an officer photographer in RFC? 

Also what do they mean by "Y" Squadron in the Middle East. 

Also Tawhiri, do you have access to RAeC database if I give you a name or two to check? 

Thanks