Grandad WW2 India RAF

[anonymous-user]

Hi, i researching my now deceased granddad who served in the WW2 in the Raf in India from what i can gather.

I have found two mentions in the gazette of him and found out he was on the new years honour list in 01/01/1946.

Also it says he was mentioned in dispatches.

I want to find out more about the mention in dispatches and news year honour list but not sure where to start any help?

Is there a place to see what medals he was awarded?

[rev-erend]

Try:

https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/search-milita...

[anonymous-user]

rev-erend said:

Try:

https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/search-milita...

Yes already, hat is where i got the information. But it stops at that.

Is it worth a trip to national archives after lockdown?

[shed driver]

You could try the RAF themselves - if you know which squadron he was with and his service number they may have some records.

https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-recor...

Good luck.

SD.

[gareth h]

I got all my grandfathers records through the RAF (I think at Innsworth), he was out that way serving at RAF Chittagong, I seem to remember the form needed to be signed by next of kin, which was my father at the time, took a few months to come through but had details of all postings, medals etc

[Simpo Two]

The Spruce Goose said:

rev-erend said:

Try:

https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/search-milita...

Yes already, hat is where i got the information. But it stops at that.

You said you found it in the 'gazette' (presumably London).

Probably too obvious but have you tried typing his full name into Google?

[anonymous-user]

Simpo Two said:

You said you found it in the 'gazette' (presumably London).

Probably too obvious but have you tried typing his full name into Google?

Yes.

I will get his death certificate and request records from mod seems best option.

[Siko]

The Spruce Goose said:

Hi, i researching my now deceased granddad who served in the WW2 in the Raf in India from what i can gather.

I have found two mentions in the gazette of him and found out he was on the new years honour list in 01/01/1946.

Also it says he was mentioned in dispatches.

I want to find out more about the mention in dispatches and news year honour list but not sure where to start any help?

Is there a place to see what medals he was awarded?

Hi mate,

Do you know if he was aircrew or not? The National Archives are currently offering 50 free downloads during the lockdown which is a great opportunity to get some records for free. I collect pilot logboks and it's been great for reseaching their respective careers during the war using the Squadron 540/541s. Depending on what unit your grandad was in there should be some records even if it's a humble maintenance unit rather than an active squadron. You may be able to get the recommendation for his MiD....I was awarded a MiD in a past life and have the paperwork bigging me up by my boss, so it is out there somewhere, although the far east records didn't always survive. One of my previous squadrons was a Hurricane Squadron in India and they literally had no history prior to about 1944 as everything had been lost.

I got my grandad's records back recently, who was just humble groundcrew and they are only a single page of A3, cost £30 (iirc). Not massive detail and mainly list units, courses and dates, but its a good starting point to delve into the National Archives. Link here for RAF Records:

https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-recor...

...and here for national Archives registration:

https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/Regis...

If he was on a Squadron and it is an active one there will be Squadron associations that have photo albums etc.....will be fun researching it, good luck. I don't often visit PH so feel free to DM if you need advice.

Edited by Siko on Thursday 14th May 13:07

[anonymous-user]

He was a acting flight sergeant I think fully promoted in 1947 as a Gazette notice.

Unfortunately he never spoke much about it and my family don't know much besides serving in India or Burma in the RAF.

I think I will request death certificate and request mod records seems best bet.

[rev-erend]

My granddad was in the army.

Canadian voluntary conscript in 1939 and came across to the UK and on to europe in various places.

We obtained his army records.. intestering reading.

So what is jankers and why did my granddad spend so much time there.

[anonymous-user]

Well it seems my auntie has now found some documents after saying she had none, unfortunately it is what I already knew and adds no more information, which unit he served in etc to help me.

[Simpo Two]

A distant relo of mine was MID and the London Gazette had the citation. But I can't find anyone called Dougan having a MID in the London Gazette.

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/awards-and-accreditat...

It's very complex, maybe I'm not doing it right.

[anonymous-user]

yes i searched on that not on that one, but is on force war records search. My brother found it recorded.

[Simpo Two]

It seems odd that Forces War Records would have a record from the Gazette that the Gazette itself doesn't...! Magic, that's what.

But I did see somewhere that most MIDs don't have a citation, or it's been lost.

[anonymous-user]

These are the extracts, two mentions.

The 5 number in the second one, 58962, not sure what that is if anyone knows?

[V8FGO]

Similar entry in the 1946 NYHL.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1946_New_Year_Honour...

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[dmsims]

Bit late but my experience of researching MiD (my late father had 3) is that you won't find any detail.

The MOD Medal office and the persons service records have nothing

[DJFish]

If you have a couple of years to spare you should read this thread: https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/329990-ga...

[hidetheelephants]

rev-erend said:

My granddad was in the army.

Canadian voluntary conscript in 1939 and came across to the UK and on to europe in various places.

We obtained his army records.. intestering reading.

So what is jankers and why did my granddad spend so much time there.

Assuming you're serious jankers is slang for punishment duty; in WW2 could be anything from painting rocks white to peeling spuds, scrubbing the parade ground with your toothbrush to walking the CO's dog. Have a read of Spike Milligan's war memoirs, he did his fair share of jankers. Also read "Brasso, Blanco and Bull".