Filed under RAF Service Records: A Method Guide
First checks before you go further
Work out the service dates first, then check whether the record is held by The National Archives or by the Ministry of Defence. Records move between holders by date and by transfer programme, so the holder is a date question before it is a search question.
A record you cannot place is not a wasted find. File it with its reference and its filters, and let a later record place it. Start from the person, not from the record type, and fix name, number, unit and dates as firmly as you can before you open anything.
The order to work in
Work one question at a time, and resist the urge to answer three questions from one record. A record that answers one question well beats a record stretched across three. Write down the step you are on, in plain words, before you take it. A step you cannot state plainly is a step you do not yet understand. Keep the original spelling of every name and place in your notes, even where you are confident of the modern form. Searches need originals.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fix the service dates first, so you know which holder is likely to hold the file. |
| 2 | Note the service number exactly, including any change after remustering or re-enlistment. |
| 3 | List postings in date order, and treat each posting as a separate check against unit records. |
| 4 | Test every later record, medal or casualty entry, against the personal file before adding it to the timeline. |
As an illustration only, suppose a posting entry names a station but no squadron: that points you to station records for those dates rather than to a squadron operations book, and the station record may explain why the person appears in no crew list.
Dead ends to expect here
The most expensive dead end is a wrong person adopted early. Everything after that looks consistent, because it was built on the wrong foundation. If the dates you have are approximate, say so, and search a range rather than a single year. A record filed under a neighbouring year is a common miss. Do not let a single failed search end the inquiry. Note what was searched, what filters were used, and what remains untried, and the next session starts from that list.
Making sense of what you find
Compare the entry with the next dated entry before you interpret either. Meaning in these records often sits in the change between two entries, not in one entry alone. Corrections, crossings out and later additions are part of the evidence, not damage to it. A record corrected at the time tells you something changed. Where a record uses code letters or numbers, find the key for that period and that service. A code read without its key is a guess dressed as a reading.
What should you check next?
The cluster around this guide is a chain, not a shelf. Reading it in chain order, following the links at the foot of each page, keeps the person in view. Where the next step involves a different holder, take the reference with you. A holder approached without a reference can only offer general guidance.
Do not collect records for their own sake. Each new record should earn its place by answering a question the timeline actually asks. Let the gaps stay visible. A timeline with visible gaps invites the next record; a timeline with hidden gaps misleads the next reader.
Primary sources for this guide
This guide keeps its claims general and points to the official holders, so the holder itself is the place to check the current position. It is general educational information only, not personal professional advice, and it offers no record lookup service and no determination of any individual's service.