Mother's WAAF service

Discussion in 'The Women of WW2' started by J Fox, Dec 3, 2019.

  1. J Fox

    J Fox Member

    Hi my mother was a WAAF during the second world war she was stationed around different bases in lincolnshire scampton swinderby and one she seemed fond of Syerston she said her job title was charge board operater I cant find much about Syerston I wondered if anybody could tell me how to trace her service record and anything about RAF SYERSTON
    thankyou
    Jeff
     
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  2. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

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  3. J Fox

    J Fox Member

    thanks for that she passed away in the 80s so I will get a death certificate and see what I can find thanks for the warning about paying bogus sites for the information
    Cheers Jeff
     
  4. TriciaF

    TriciaF Junior Member

    We visit a lady in an old age home, 94, whose main memory is "I was a WAAF". She seems to have enjoyed it, as she says "We were young."
    I get the impression they never left the country.
     
  5. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

    Most did not but some went to France in 1944
     
  6. J Fox

    J Fox Member

    my mum certainly enjoyed herself she never seemed to have many unhappy memories
    Jeff
     
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  7. James Harvey

    James Harvey Senior Member

    Depending when called up entitled to war medal for 28 days service
    Defence medal for 3 years service

    if never claimed then fill in the form on the .gov site and claim them

    regards

    james
     
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  8. Red Goblin

    Red Goblin Senior Member

    Please also be aware of the relative brevity of WAAF service records likely to disappoint anyone seeking anything beyond basic rank progression. Reacting to a shortage of storage space, in the '60s IIRC, the RAF essentially transcribed the gist of all their personnel records onto 1x double-sided orange A3 card per person, where possible, and transferred a supposedly-representative minority of their personal aircrew logbook holdings to the RAF Museum's DoRIS at Hendon. The RAF's various station ORBs, of course, all went to TNA at Kew and that's where you may stand to learn more about RAF Syerston than may have been posted online by other interested parties such as revealed by a basic web search like this.

    My mum, for instance made a lifelong friend at RAF Portreath where she served most of her wartime stint as an accounting clerk and was therefore probably involved in the work contracts for their various upgrades going on in relation to our ever-longer allied sorties into far-flung parts of the world. Much else of what I know came through my dad, who thankfully applied for both his & her records and medal entitlements after she died in 2007, so it pays not to pin all your hopes on one source of info. Many questions still remain, nevertheless, but that's the way the proverbial cookie often crumbles.

    Re TNA and arguably-overzealous post-war documentary weeding, BTW, I was happily amazed to find one of my granddads' physical WW1 pension file still being held at Kew - albeit also weeded but a golden photo-opportunity if ever there was one! Just keep turning over every stone in sight and you, too, may be similarly rewarded against expectation but, equally, please don't be so unwise as to hold your breath in doing so ...

    Steve
     
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  9. J Fox

    J Fox Member

    Thanks steve
    thanks for warning me not to expect too much will keep digging and hopefully I might turn something up not holding my breath though

    cheers
    Jeff
     
  10. TriciaF

    TriciaF Junior Member

    Thanks to James Harvey - I'll have to speak to her family and see if they want to apply for medals :)
    But her memory is so bad now, I doubt it will appeal to her. Not even sure of her maiden name.
     
  11. Red Goblin

    Red Goblin Senior Member

    @ Jeff:
    On a whim, I tried tuning my earlier example search by adding your surname - thus - but Fox News swamps that ploy. If, however, your mum had a different/maiden surname at the time, I suggest you try that in there instead.

    @ Tricia:
    Many veterans simply weren't interested in gongs - even to the occasional extent of returning any unilaterally sent to them. My dad only eventually applied for his family's sake off the back of his interest in family history which I was aiding & abetting to combat his s suicidal depression at the time. And I might add that he only managed to get his Defence Medal on the strength of an official letter he'd luckily kept to prove the Army's negligence in making stupid assumptions after not keeping proper track of his atypical case. The sad fact is that thick-headed bureaucracy too often wins out against those who don't hang on to such trivia. Oh look, now you've effectively got me railing against over-zealous weeding again !

    Steve
     
  12. J Fox

    J Fox Member

    Hi steve thanks for that tip her maiden name while she was serving was EARLE I have tried it in a couple of sites but drawn a blank I think she reached the rank of lance corporal and if I remember right was discharged because she injured her arm at the end of her service will keep looking
    cheers
    Jeff
     
  13. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

    Whilst the rank of corporal was introduced into the WAAF in 1940 there was no rank of Lance Corporal. Possibly Leading Aircraft Woman or acting Corporal?
     
  14. J Fox

    J Fox Member

    Hi robert she was probably a acting corporal then she did say it was just 1 stripe she had my mistake
    Jeff
     
  15. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

    I think one stripe was Leading Aircraftwoman which was the equivalent of LCorp.
     
  16. J Fox

    J Fox Member

    Thanks for that
    Jeff
     
  17. James Harvey

    James Harvey Senior Member

    Leading aircraft woman (LACW) was a propeller blade

    raf did not have lance corporals
     
  18. James Harvey

    James Harvey Senior Member

    I applied for my nans WAAF records

    I got 4 pages which confirmed postings and promotions she was balloon command and was stationed in Dover approx 2 miles from where I work

    I applied for her medals approx 14 years ago
     
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  19. Red Goblin

    Red Goblin Senior Member

    @ Jeff:
    I was mainly thinking of possible reunion outreaches and it later occurred to me to add a -"Fox News" filter - thus - with some tantalizing results. Also, if you switch from "Earle" to +Earle, that will widen the gateway to include common variants like Earl (though probably not Eorl as too different).

    Well, her service record should cite the official "KR & AC." reason clause but that may prove unimaginatively ambiguous if anything like my married mum's case where her "Para. 652. Clause.11" lamely translates to "Free on compassionate grounds" - a sadly-OTT cop-out given that she was merely pregnant at the time - so about as daft as a Xmas card offering commiserations to anyone but Scrooge !

    @ Robert:
    The distinguishing mark of an LACW was a 2-bladed propeller - radar example here.
     
  20. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

    I was speaking metaphorically. My Uncle who rose from aircraftman to squadron leader would refer to "earning one's stripes"

    However there are accounts of women in the balloon crews passing through Acting Corporal, Temporary Corporal, Corporal to Sergeant. The RAF Regiment did have a single stripe so possibly so may the balloon girls.
     
    Last edited: Dec 8, 2019

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