Filed under RAF Service Records: A Method Guide
What to check first in this record
Casualty records confirm the fact, date and place of death or injury, but they do not replace the service record. Use them to anchor the end of a timeline, then work backwards through postings to see where the person served before that date.
Do not let the first record you find set the shape of the research. The first record is a starting point, and starting points are often unrepresentative. Two people with the same name in the same unit are not an edge case. In large units they are the normal case, and the number is what separates them.
Reading what the record actually says
If a word is illegible, look at the same word elsewhere in the file. Clerks repeat words, and a clear instance elsewhere can unlock an unclear one. A word that looks familiar may have meant something narrower, or something entirely different, when the record was written. A careful reading ends with questions, not with certainty. If a file leaves you with no questions at all, you probably read it too fast.
Dead ends to expect here
A record that is closed, a record that is withheld in part, and a record that is lost are different outcomes with different remedies. The holder reply says which. A search that works for one service may fail for another, because services filed differently. A method that fits the Army may mislead in the Navy, and vice versa.
The most expensive dead end is a wrong person adopted early. Everything after that looks consistent, because it was built on the wrong foundation. A gap of a few weeks in a diary, a log, or a file is normal. A gap of months, in the same record, is a question. Learn the normal gap size for the record type.
How do you work through it step by step?
The steps below assume you have already fixed the person, the number, and the dates as far as you can. If you have not, do that first, and then return. Treat each step as a test with a possible negative result. A step that can only confirm is not a test, and a research plan made of confirmations is a story, not a timeline.
| 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. |
The next record in the chain
A next step chosen from curiosity will entertain you. A next step chosen from the timeline will advance it. Prefer the timeline. A session that ends with three referenced facts and one named next step has succeeded, even if the story feels shorter than you hoped. Leave the timeline in a state a stranger could retrace. That stranger, in six months, may well be you.
Primary sources for this guide
Everything here is kept general and tied to official holders, so check the current position with the holder for your own case. The guide is educational information only: it is not personal professional advice, it is not a lookup service, and it settles nothing about any one person's service.