I have a copy of my husband aunt's service record and would like some help in deciphering her various postings/units etc She enlisted Nov 1941 - Sep 1947 (Class a Release) Looks like she did basic training at Bridgnorth She served at Church Green as a morse code reader- corporal and in 1945 the Mediterian
MAAF is Mediterranean Allied Air Forces and it looks like she was posted to North Africa in August 45. Mediterranean Allied Air Forces - Wikipedia Andy
You might find this short article of interest: More memories of wartime life as a Morse code operator
She was at 372 Wireless Unit (or one of it's outstations) as a Wireless Operator from April 1943. This was near Bletchley Park but not part of its admin control. My understanding was that 372 provided a general service message communication facility for low grade signals to/from RAF signals net both on normal manual keying and tape high speed burst. 372 Wireless Unit (WU). Based at Church Green (near Station X, Buckinghamshire UK) with... | The National Archives In Feb of 1944 372 Wireless Unit was renamed RAF Church Green and became under the admin control of Station X she did not change location or function - it was just the formation title that changed By 31st Dec 1944 she is under training to be a Morse Skip Operator so she will not have been undertaking this function until passing trade training sometime in early 1945. It is as a Morse Skip Operator that in August 1945 she is posted to MAAF via No.1 Personnel Despatch Centre at Liverpool 1 Personnel Despatch Centre. Based at West Kirby (UK) from September 1941 to August 1946 | The National Archives Ross
Hi Ross Thank you for your reply A reply from Bletchley park volunteer suggests that as a Morse Slip Reader she would have been working in Block E in the Communications centre at Bletchley Her service record April 1943-Aug 1945 confirms she is eligible to be recorded on honours board as working for Bletchley but not sure this is strictly correct given your reply ? I am in NZ so unable to access the National Archive records o site. If I request the national archives copy of the 372 Wireless unit and the MAAF what information would i get from these links by way of example.
The honours board is coached as working for Bletchley rather than posted to. So I would have expected her to eligible. Your are entering the realm of the secret squirrels here and If there was a constant drip of "posted to Bletchley" in low grade orders that could be intercepted by the enemy (similar to what Bletchley was actioning on German radio traffic) then it would not be long before interest was aroused. If postings were to a number of different units that happened to be in the same location, working to a common goal and shared messing/admin/social then it was less likely to attract attention. MAAF is rather a high level formation and will devote very little to mentions of signal traffic, rather it will show how the information shaped responses and plans. No.372 wireless ORB on the other hand is effectively the day to day, month to month diary for the unit. It was supposed to record everything that was significant to the unit and in that respect you will not get anything better for understanding the events surrounding her service. I say supposed because each unit ORB is variable in information - depending on the diligence of the appointed scribe (or more correctly - what the unit OC was prepared to sign off!). So pot luck, as an LACW on finding her mentioned by name but the detail it does contain directly relates to a unit she was posted to. ORBs can run to quite a few pages and you usually find private researcher/copier cheaper than the TNA for the duplication. There are a few members on here that provide this service as well as the links provided on the TNA site. Ross
