Looking for grandfather 13 Air Formation Signals

[Patrick Horgan]

Hi all, I m looking for information on my grandfather WILLIAM HENRY GREY. Do not know much about his war service but we believed he was in the 13th Air Formation Signals, which I understand was part of the RE. He landed in France D Day plus 3 and I know he served in France and Holland. As far as I am aware he did not do any actual fighting being in his forties, left hand and flat footed.
Can anyone help please ?

Patrick

[dbf]

Hello Patrick,
Welcome.

Have you applied for his records yet?
Diane

[von Poop]

Welcome Patrick.

Says here they supported 84 Group.
The Royal Corps of Signals: Unit ... - Google Book Search

Very brief people's war entry:
BBC - WW2 People's War - berlin 1945

There is apparently an Air formation signals Association, though it looks like their scope may be more postwar:
Air Formation Signals Association

Good Luck,
Adam.

[dbf]

A little more


D Day: Assembling the Allied Tactical Air Forces
Britain's 2 TAF consisted of four RAF Groups:
No. 2 Group, No. 83 Group, No. 84 Group, and No. 85 Group.
Of these four, only the first three were really available for the air-land battle in Normandy;
85 Group was under the temporary operational control of No. 11 Group, attached to an RAF home defense command.
No. 2 Group consisted of four wings of Boston, Mitchell, and Mosquito light and medium bombers.
No. 83 Group, exclusive of a reconnaissance wing and some light aircraft used for artillery spotting, contained one Mustang wing, four Spitfire wings, and four Typhoon wings. No. 84 Group, again exclusive of recce and spotting aircraft, consisted of one Mustang wing, five Spitfire wings, and three Typhoon wings.
As the campaign progressed, 2 TAF's subordinate units directly supported units of the 21st Army Group.
Thus, the British Second Army could rely upon 83 Group, and 84 Group supported the First Canadian Army.

BBC - WW2 People's War - Recollections of Service with the RAF

d

[Rich Payne]

Hello Patrick,
My Dad was 11 Air Formation Signals and I think followed a similar campaign. Having landed in Normandy and travelling through Belgium, he was at Eindhoven in January 1945 and finished the war in Schleswig Holstein. As a Signaller, I believe his duties were mainly the transmission of coded signals (he'll never forget his morse).

I'm seeing him next week so if you're interested in general information about duties etc., I can ask him.

Rich