RAF Air 78 Index Card - Recently Deceased

Hi all,

After some help ... grandfather recently passed away he was a member of the Salvage & Repair Units of the RAF in India during the war. Used to St and talk about his time in India all the time but never bothered to ask what his Service Number was. Kicking myself now.

Obviously have yet to find any paperwork but just as a starter there are 2 men who are potential candidates. The 3rd at the bottom is a national serviceman so he's out the picture.

Have noticed one states PD on the bottom and the other CM ... does anybody know what PD or CM stands for?

Many thanks would be a great help especially to include in his information for his upcoming funeral.

Dan

 

Neither of the first two appear on the CWGC register, so both presumably survived the war. The third one, as you say, is out of the picture

 

Hi Dan,

Can't help with the initials. I, too, have seen them but as I am only looking for full names have never learned, what, if anything they mean.

From the two numbers issued you can get an approximate date and place of enlistment. If you have some idea where your grand dad lived at the time you may make a connection.

However as I look at them, both numbers were issued at Padgate between April and November 1941, so not much help, I'm afraid.

Regards,

Dave

 

If you are after his service records, you do not need a service number - Request records of deceased service personnel

TD

 

Hi Dave,

Yes Alan was a Liverpudlian so Padgate looks the closest which fits ... he passed away 3 days ago. But I too noticed both men are Padgate numbering at the same time ... he was born in June 1923.

I have noticed that the top man has a feint stamp saying militia would this open up anymore options as to which one is him or not?

What does the Militia stamp mean?

 

Hi,

Ross McNeill has posted an in depth explanation of recruiting and enlistment of men here:-

RAF Manpower and Deferred Service

Militia terminology is explained in post No. 4 and the bit you are interested in is;-
“but the term Militia was then extended to other service numbers from NSA and direct entry batches where the airman was on one of the prepared lists for those attaining 20 years old in 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942 and 1943.”

So if I understand it correctly, as your grandfather reached 20 in 1943 he can’t have been termed as Militia in 1941 when he enlisted as he was only 18 years old.

Although I can’t find his post on the subject Ross also explained that the letters seen stamped on some cards; PD and CM in this case, were simply a method for checking errors on the database and are not of any relevance to the man named on that card.