Military aviation and prisoner of war records can provide a fascinating insight into the life of a person that is largely unknown to many family members. These notes concentrate on that personal aspect of researching, but the records can also be used for compiling the history of squadrons, individual aircraft, aircraft types, etc.

Military Aviation Records

The records of military aviation start from late in the 19th Century and in the 1910s cover the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. Their successor, the Royal Air Force, was formed on 1st April 1918. These surviving early records cover a much wider range of topics than the records from later in the 20th Century. Most of these records are kept in the Greater London area.

The basis of most research is the Squadron, Flight or Unit record book. This can be called variously War Diary, Record Book, Operational Record Book etc. To avoid repetition, the records in these notes will be described as Squadron records. The word aircraft should also be taken to include lighter than air craft. In addition to the names of the crew, Record Books of the First World War include details of date, aircraft type and identity, duty, up and down times and remarks. Remarks would include notes of combats, results of bombing, observations during the flight etc. as appropriate to the type of duty. During the First World War, Record Books included non-operational as well as operational flights. Many Royal Naval Air Service records were based on locations rather than Squadrons.

The Army and Air Force Lists include details of commission and promotion dates. Service records state the squadrons with which a person served, but no other details apart from some limited medical information. In addition, the range of early records is very wide and it would be impossible to list them all. However, examples are; lists of squadron personnel with remarks on their performance; postings in and out of squadrons; honours and awards; combat, bombing, reconnaissance and photographic records; correspondence; Wing and Brigade records; routine orders; lists of aircraft allotted to squadrons; accident records; courts of enquiry; hospital records; orders of battle; histories of specific battles etc. There are records of higher authorities such as Wings and Brigades that summarise lower formations and these can be used where gaps occur. There are also records of Stations, Parks etc. Not all of the record types necessarily survive for any one squadron. Equally, people did not necessarily remain with one squadron throughout their service and, unless their duration of service was short, it would have been unusual for them to do so. During the First World War, balloons were very important and there are many records on that subject. In addition, there are many files of specific subjects with a very wide list of contents. Examples are parachutes; machine guns; wireless; aircraft performance; papers of individual personnel; maps and charts; but this list is far from exhaustive.

Most of the records apply to Northern Europe, but records exist of squadrons in Italy, the Balkans and the Middle East. There are records of these areas and the United Kingdom relating to anti-submarine activity. There are some records of training in Canada and the United Kingdom, although few of these have survived.

After the formation of the Royal Air Force, the types of records gradually changed. Records of the inter-war years (1920 to the late 1930s) are rather sparse, but once the Second World War became increasingly likely, the surviving records increase.

The Air Force List includes details of commission and promotion dates. Service records state the squadrons with which a person served, but no other details apart from some limited medical information. By the start of the Second World War, much of the correspondence has not survived from squadron level, although there is much correspondence, meeting minutes and reports etc. from higher authorities. The service records for people who continued to serve, or who joined the Royal Air Force after the early 1920s and up to date will not be available for many years. However, close relatives may obtain a copy of a service record from:

PMA (CS) 2a
RAF Personnel Management Agency
RAF Innsworth, Gloucester, GL3 1EZ
England

It should be noted that in cases where the person came from another country, service records were usually returned to the country of origin and application should be made to that country. In such cases, different rules of access may apply.

Squadron records of the Second World War contain a daily diary with information of historical interest. The daily diary includes name of Base and often includes records of postings in and out and of casualties. When the squadron was engaged on operations there is an Appendix that includes records of date; aircraft type and identity; crew; duty; up and down times and remarks. Remarks would include notes of impressions recorded by the crew of the flight and information about combats, bombing, reconnaissance etc as appropriate to the purpose of the flight.

Many different types of record have survived; again, the range is so great that it is impossible to list them all. However, some examples of the types of record available are combat, bombing, photographic and anti-submarine reports; individual aircraft records; accident and loss records; honours and awards; Station, Wing, Group and Command records; individual operation records; daily orders; results of operations and orders of battle etc. As the RAF became an increasingly technical service, organisations like the Operational Research Section had a profound influence on operations and many of their reports on the effectiveness of existing operations and practices and recommendations for improving operations and practices have survived. The activities of these and other technical organisations necessarily had an effect on the people serving with the Royal Air Force.

Prisoners of War

The phrase 'Prisoners of War' also covers Evaders, Escapers, Internees and the victims of War Crimes.

In general, records of prisoners of war fall into one of two categories: i) general with descriptions of camps, correspondence with and Camp records from international bodies such as the Red Cross etc and ii) individuals with records of their experiences of evasion; assistance rendered by local populations; capture; interrogation; camp life; escape attempts etc. No single authority was responsible for prisoners of war and there is a very wide range of sources of information on this subject. The most numerous records are those of the War Office. Conditions in POW Camps were rarely ideal and most prisoners suffered varying degrees of hardship, if only from lack of knowledge of the time of incarceration. Many prisoners suffered much worse up to and including death through lack of medical care, lack of food or hygiene or through causes that were more deliberate. On return to the UK, prisoners were debriefed on their experiences and many of those records have survived. Their descriptions were of experiences of capture and of camp life with additional information of assistance with escapes; intelligence gathering and writing in codes; particular positions of authority held in the camp hierarchy etc. As the result of those experiences, some POW were awarded honours. There are many other sources of information of individual reports and Richard S Robinson's database now extends to more than 2,200 entries from the First World War and 15,000 entries from the Second World War.

It should be noted that most records of any description are closed for thirty years, while others are closed for longer periods of up to 100 years.

Richard S Robinson is a professional researcher. He can be contacted by e-mail at . He also has web sites at http://na-searcher.co.uk and http://genealogyPro.com/rrobinson.html.