Can I Get a Copy of an RAF Service Record?

First checks before you go further

Copies depend on the holder, the date of service, and the rules that apply to records of deceased persons, including proof of death where the holder asks for it. This site does not request records for you: it explains how the holder's process works so you can approach the holder directly.

A record set arranged by unit will not yield to a surname search, and a record set arranged by date will not yield to a unit search. Learn the arrangement first. Where the clue is thin, say so in your notes. A thin clue handled honestly leads to a careful search; a thin clue dressed up as a fact leads to a wrong person.

The order to work in

Opening several records at once is how two people with the same name get merged into one timeline, so keep the work sequential and deliberate. If you are unsure which step comes first, choose the step that fixes a date. Dates order everything else, and an unfixed date disorders everything else. If a step produces nothing, record that nothing. A documented negative result is part of the research, and it stops the same step being repeated blindly.

• Fix the service dates first, so you know which holder is likely to hold the file.
• Note the service number exactly, including any change after remustering or re-enlistment.
• List postings in date order, and treat each posting as a separate check against unit records.
• Test every later record, medal or casualty entry, against the personal file before adding it to the timeline.

Reading what the record actually says

When a record and a published history disagree, the record written at the time wins, and the history becomes a question, not an answer. A name entered in a different hand, or in different ink, may have been added later, for a later purpose. Ask when an entry was made, not only what it says. A place name followed by a question mark, a correction, or a second spelling is the record telling you it is unsure. Carry that uncertainty into your notes.

Common traps in this record type

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. If a name appears with different initials in different records, treat initials as a filter to test, not as proof of two people or of one.

• A variant spelling of the surname, or initials used instead of a full name.
• A second service number after remustering or a break in service.
• A file for later dates that has not yet transferred holder.
• A reserve or auxiliary period filed apart from the regular file.

What to open after this one

Use the pillar guide for this section as a map, and the neighbouring guides as the detail for the exact point you have reached. Do not collect records for their own sake. Each new record should earn its place by answering a question the timeline actually asks. When the trail goes cold, note where, and when, it went cold. That note is the starting point of the next session, not a reason to stop.