Hello everyone, I'm helping a friend look for any information on his grandfather who was in 224 Squadron. His name is William (unsure) Southard, he was not a casualty of the war. I've searched for hours online and his name is not coming up anywhere. I only know he was a crew member of a Liberator. I have pictures if need be. Many thanks, Vanth
There is a William Stanley Victor Southard (1322180) in the list of airman / airwoman that have served with the RAF, along with a number of other Southard's. Are you able to confirm his forename(s)? Regards Pete
First thing your friend needs to do,if they havn't already, is obtain his grandfathers service record from RAF. Second... not everything is on the internet! Paper needs scanning and then transcription. But if he was with 224 Sqn.. and what is that based upon? YOu can view a somewhat obscured version of the 224 SQn ORB on the UK national archives website http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_q="Squadron+number%3A+224" Set the "1 - 15 of 477 results Sorted by:" to "Date - Ascending" At the bottom of the page you can set the number of the links presented to 60 per page. Then click on the months which correspond to his GF posting or keep browsing till he is found. Assuming W Southard was aircrew. The TNA would like you to purchase and download the files but they recently were good enough to provide a slightly less invasion watermarking, such that, I myself at least, can read the files for maybe 90% of the content. YOu will see what I mean when you view them. To view the actual files, when you click into any month, scroll down to the link: Click on "Preview an image of this record." and a image viewer opens up.
And you can check for Southards in the AIR78 name index online. AIR 78 Reference – Index to Airmen and Air Women’s Service Record Find the files containing Southards This is what Pete is referring to above I imagine.
Hello, this post was made by my friend and I am the grandson of William Southard (and also named after him). Knowing that his information is out there somewhere is very encouraging however despite the links posted here, I am unable to find these records for myself. Do you have any more information or direct links to any information about him or the 224 Squadron? Many thanks, Will
Why not apply for his service records - link - Request records of deceased service personnel he may have flown with other squadrons Part of researching a relatives history is the joy of actually doing the search TD
I have tried to research for myself and have not found much, that is why I asked for some links. It may also be the case that others on here have access to more records than myself. I will at some point be applying for some records from the RAF but was hoping for something more immediate via this forum. Hopefully Pete T who posted above can share some more information with me as he is the only person to reply that has found records of my grandfather. Thanks, Will
Will, By applying for his service records you will have the skeleton of his RAF career, to which the flesh can be added by finding the right documents for the right units over the right time periods, its a lot easier than doing it the other way around, thats all I'm saying TD
Will, TD is right, the first port of call in research is to apply for your subjects service record. You won’t go far wrong in doing this.
Why do you believe he was with 224 Sqn... is there some record that states this? Any dates mentioned.? Which months of the 224 ORB did you look at? Can you confirm his full name... had he a middle name for example. You have been given all the advice you need to complete the task above. 1. Confirm full name 2. Why 224 Sqn. And if it is correct you have online access to the montly diaries. Assuming he was aircrew. If he was ground crew then your not likely to find mention of him anywhere. 3. Get service record. PeteT asked you to confirm his name which you haven't.
Thank you for your further responses. Yes the name given above (William Stanley Victor Southard) (1322180) is correct and I know that he was in the 224 squadron based on the photographs of his that I have of which he took during war/the writing on the back of them. Also based on what my dad knows of him and from what he told my dad, he was not ground crew. I have not had much luck on the National Archive website as I don't know the exact years or months that he was in 224 but I will give it another go. In regard to the AIR 78 database I was unable to find anything. Thanks again for the advice given and links provided. I will be applying for his service records as soon as I get the chance. Will
His service record will tell you when he was with 224 - its part of the reason we always advise obtaining them, from this you will know what years/months he was with them hence you know which TNA records to order/copy TD
OK, getting somewhere now. Still, need to get the service record to get teh full picture. In these photos, is he clearly in flying gear next to aircraft with 224 Sqn codes? Are there others in the photos, and are they named? IN the photos, is his uniform chest visible and therefore, is he wearing RAF Pilots wings or the single wing badge of a Navigator/Observer/Bomb Aimer/Air Gunner etc?
Will, These are the forms you need to download (RAF) cost £30 and they take 4-6 weeks.Dont forget the death certificate. Good luck. Graham.
The website for obtaining details on getting the service file. Get a copy of military service records
