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Look on the In the absence of a service record, or perhaps to supplement one, Operations Record Books (ORBs) can prove very revealing.
At least until the 1950s, the service numbers of RFC and RAF personnel indicated the date and manner of joining the service. The band of the Royal Air Force Regiment wearing number 9 Service Dress, as now worn with a peaked cap, as worn since 2012. More than 1.25 million men and women served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. When the RAF was formed, RFC men kept their original service numbers. The following record types may prove useful when tracing the career of an officer:You can trace the commissions and promotions of an RAF officer’s career from March 1919 in the From 1939 there is also the Confidential Air Force List, similar to the standard Air Force List but often with slightly more detail on the specifics of an officer’s duties. Search the Royal Air Force officers’ service records 1918-1919 (charges apply) online for officers who served in the Royal Air Force during the First World War (AIR 76). From this date onwards the RFC and RNAS ceased to exist.Someone who served in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) or Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) as well as the RAF may have service records in more than one place and you may need to consult our guides to Search for a Royal Air Force airmans’ service records (AIR 79) on The records in AIR 79 usually contain the following information:RAF service numbers between 313001 and 316000 indicate that the airmen previously served with the Royal Navy and then subsequently the Royal Naval Air Service, before transferring to the RAF. Historic uniforms Initial uniform. We add around 200,000 new records each month. ORBs can also include:Along with combat reports, operations record books can help to tell a serviceman’s story.You need to know which squadron a serviceman or woman served with to locate these records. The band of the Royal Air Force wearing number 9 Service Dress, as worn with a busby before 2012.
Within the Royal Air Force these numbers were issued from blocks, from which we can deduce a range of information.
This collection is a transcription of the nominal roll of other ranks – both male and female who served in the The most important field on these records is the service number. The 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron Association does maintain a list of current members and associate members; however, it does not have a digitised database of all personnel who have previously served on the Squadron.
(RNAS squadrons had 200 added to their numbers). Original Source: National Archives reference AIR 78 series. RAF Aircraft Serial Numbers. There are often dozens of servicemen (and women) with the same name and so this number is the best way to distinguish them. Sometimes individuals are mentioned by name, though often it is just the activities of the unit as a whole which are recorded. Officers and men of both services who continued service after this date transferred into the newly formed RAF and were joined by new entrants. Search it in the following sets of documents:For additional material on awards and promotions, as well as officers’ correspondence, browse or search the Air Historical Branch (AHB) papers in For more information about the RAF, you may wish to:Visit The National Archives’ bookshop for a range of Find details of men who joined the RFC between its formation in 1912 and August 1914 (numbers 1-1400) by reading Jack V Webb and Ian McInnes, Discovery is a catalogue of archival records across the UK and beyond, from which you can search 32 million records.Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events. This is a database of all RAF aircraft serial numbers. Consult If you are looking for the service record of a woman you should start by consulting our guide to records of The Royal Air Force was formed on 1 April 1918 when the RFC and the RNAS were amalgamated.
some records will contain more information than that listed above. By creating an account you agree to us emailing you with newsletters and discounts, which you can switch off in your account at any time Following publication of the "Smuts report" prepared by Jan Smuts the RAF was founded on 1 April 1918, with headquarters located in the former Hotel Cecil, during the First World War, by the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service(RNAS). However, as the RNAS numbering system had also begun at 1, all RNAS men inherited by the RAF had 200000 added to their original numbers, and the prefix F was dropped.