Records - Interpretation 5

 

PROMOTIONS, RECLASSIFICATIONS,

REVERSIONS.

Description (Ranks)

AC 2= Aircraftman 2 nd Class.

A C I = Aircraftman 1 st Class.

A C I - F M E – AC2 - F 2 E = in the rank of Aircraftman 1 st Class whilst serving as a Flight Mechanic

{Engines}, 

then (a usual process) reverted to the Rank of Aircraftman 2 nd Class upon qualifying in a

different Trade (Fitter Grade {Engines}).

Note: N. E. = Non-Effective, which would have been stamped anywhere on the record once the

individual had left the RAF.

SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS.

Exams., Courses, Engines, etc.

Description and Degree of Proficiency or Assessment.

Att Course F M E 19. 12 45. Obt 47% = Attended Flight Mechanic {Engines} Course. 

Obtained 47%.

Ex Remust Obtained 60% 

1-6-46 = Exam. Re-mustered from the Trade of Flight Mechanic {Engines} under training to Fitter Grade 2 {Engines}.

Ex Henlow 3/12/46 52% = Exam. No. 14 School of Technical Training, RAF Station Henlow,

Bedfordshire, No. 24 Group, Technical Training Command.

Note: ‘P. O. R’ = Personnel Occurrence Report. 

Entries such as ‘16/46’, ‘271/45’, ‘114/45’, ‘142/46’,

and ‘135/46’ are a document reference and the year.

Records - Interpretation 4

 

MUSTERING.

Description and Date of Effect.

ACH/F. M. {E} = Aircrafthand {general duties}, 

to be trained as a Flight Mechanic {Engines}.

F M E = Flight Mechanic {Engines}.

F. M. E UT/F. II E = Flight Mechanic {Engines} Under Training Fitter Grade 2 {Engines}.

AC2 F2E = Aircraftman 2 nd Class (Rank). Fitter Grade 2 {Engines} (Trade).

Rank.

A C 2 (2 entries) = Aircraftman 2 nd Class.

Character.

This column contains one or more of the following: ‘V G’ - Very Good, ‘Gd’ - Good, Fair,

‘Ind’ - Indifferent, Bad. Each one could be recorded one or more times, or there could be a

combination (for instance: ‘Gd’, ‘Gd’, or ‘Gd’, ‘VG’ etc).

Trade (job).

U/T F M E = Under Training Flight Mechanic {Engines}.

F. 2. E. = Fitter Grade 2 {Engines}.

Proficiency.

A = Skill in Trade.

B = Ability as a Supervisor.

C = Administrative Ability.

Apart from u /t (under training), any of the following could be recorded under A, B or C:

Ex - Exceptional, Supr - Superior, Sat - Satisfactory, Mod - Moderate, Inf - Inferior.

Records - Interpretation 3

 

Bottom page.

Unit From/Unit To

2 RC = No. 2 Recruits’ Centre, RAF Station Cardington, Bedfordshire.
At that time, No. 2 RC was one of several units within No. 22 Group, under Technical Training Command.

2 S of T. T. = No. 2 School of Technical Training, RAF Station Cosford, Shropshire,
No. 24 Group, Technical Training Command. Flight Mechanics and Flight Riggers undertook training courses at No. 2 S of TT at that time.

11 S of T T = No. 11 School of Technical Training, RAF Station Hereford
(a Station in No. 22 Group, Technical Training Command, at that time),

No. 24 Group, Technical Training Command.

24 M U = No. 24 Maintenance Unit (a Repair Depot), RAF Station Ternhill
(a Station in No. 21 Group, Flying Training Command at that time), Shropshire,
No. 43 Group, Maintenance Command.

14 S of T. T. = No. 14 School of Technical Training, RAF Station Henlow, Bedfordshire,
No. 24vGroup, Technical Training Command.

Netherlands [..?..] Dutch

Directorate {for Discharge} - no details.

Discharged (from the Royal Air Force) - no further details.

We do not know the meaning of entries – in this instance ‘HHH’, ‘1/6’,’2D2’, and ‘D2F’ (2 entries) in

the Reason column.

Records - Interpretation 2

 

Top page:

DISCHARGE.

Date 4.12.46.
Para. 652.22.
K R & 

ACI - “The King’s Regulations and Air Council Instructions for the Royal Air Force”,

Chapter 10;
Airmen-Entry, Advancement, Reduction, Drafting, Engagements,

Discharge and Transfer to the Reserve,
Section 8-Discharge and Transfer to the Reserve,

Paragraph 652: Discharge Headings, Cause of Discharge:
Clause {22}: Services no longer required.

.

.

Records - Interpretation 1

RAF Record of Service – 2795320 Aircraftman 2 nd Class Johannes Gerardus Geertsen

DPE = for the Duration of the Present Emergency (i. e. ‘the war’).

MISCELLANEOUS.

NATIONAL REGISTRATION

IDENTIFICATION LETTER & No. (blank) - this was always a combination of 4 letters (different on

each RAF Service Record), followed by either 1, 2 or 3 numbers and a single number after the

‘slash’ (for example: ‘ABCD 2/9’, ‘ABMN 12/7’, TYFG 123/5’ etc), although we do not hold any

further information on these entries.

CARD SENT TO

CENTRAL INDEX DEPARTMENT ON (no date entered) -

The National Registration Card was an Identity Card introduced during the Second World War under the National Registration Act 1939.

Everyone, including children, had to always carry one to show who they were and where they lived.

It no longer became necessary to carry an ID Card from 21 st February 1952, and the National

Registration Act 1939 was repealed on 22 nd May 1952.

Med[ical] cat[egory] grade (blanked out - usually ‘1’, ‘2’ or ‘3’. No further details).

pencil entries ‘A65/306’ and ‘A65/6’ - not known.

Records received

Today I got my dad's records...
Part of it, I assume.

I immediately saw there was no mention of place or squadron.
From some educational services the location can be deducted.

The date of joining the RAF is different from other paperwork.
Of course privacy related info was taped. I am OK with that.
But it looks like whole areas were erased, and I wonder why. Tried to enhance it, but it wasn't possible to get something useful.

When I'm back from England I will have a close look at every detail.

Because of the discrepancy in dates and the questions I have, I've sent all documentation and everything I know to the supportdesk.

When I have the official reaction back, I'll see what the researchgroups I'm a member of can do.

A second request...MOD again

Requested the records at the MOD (Ministery of Defense)...again!
Did that a couple of years ago. Got no reply at all.

Now the process is a lot simpeler, I submitted a request again.

Might take ages!

A reply, but not the one I wanted

Got a reply from the British National Archives.
His records haven't been transferred yet.

So I have to direct my request to the MOD.

Glad they looked things up so fast and replied within days, instead of months.

Pre-covid request. Post-covid question

Son 2 arranged to get Dad's death certificate.
We filled in the request form for Dad's records.
As we couldn't send the needed money, because the MOD requested to send it through a payment system we don't have, and none answered my mails, it was carefully enclosed with the request.

We checked the address several times and sent it.

Then the wait started.

It was well before the pandemic hit us, undermined a lot of societal functions, and made us want everybody to be well and happy again.

But we now have Dad's death certificate.

But the records????

We don't have them.





                                                             

.

.

Proof

 

To become a member of the Victory Services Club I needed proof that dad served in the RAF.
Just that.
It's not important what he did.

As everything of him was destroyed I had no proof.

I told Sarah what I needed and she had a look through the archives which were not digitalised yet.

And came up with this.

And then it turend out the rules for membership had changed....