What does this section cover?
Start with the service record, not with a story. A Royal Air Force service record for a deceased person is the spine of the research: it should give service number, trade or mustering, postings, promotions and discharge or death details, and every other record you find should be tested against it. This section is organised as one pillar guide plus supporting guides that each answer one question about the same record type. Read the pillar first for the shape of the records, then follow the supporting guides for the detail that matches your case.
The records in this section are held principally by The National Archives and the Ministry of Defence, depending on service dates and transfer arrangements. Holdings change as transfer and digitisation programmes proceed, so the holder and coverage statements in each guide describe the general position and point you to the holder's current guidance for the exact position.
Starting here, in order
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. If any one of the four filters fails, name, number, unit, dates, stop and re-check before reading further into the record.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fix the person first: name, number, service and dates. |
| 2 | Fix the unit or ship, where the record allows it. |
| 3 | Open the record for those dates only, and note the reference. |
| 4 | Add dated facts only to the timeline, each with its source note. |
The organisation behind these records
A record that contradicts a family story is not necessarily wrong, and a story that contradicts a record is not necessarily false. Note both, and let dated entries decide, one at a time. A form filled in at enlistment and a form filled in at discharge describe the same person from opposite ends of a career, and they will disagree on details.
When is a match safe to use?
The quietest dead end is a record you never open because a search snippet looked irrelevant. Open the catalogue description, not just the snippet, before you dismiss it. Where a record set is arranged by unit rather than by surname, a surname search alone will miss it. Mirror the catalogue structure, and the record set opens up.
Where do you go next in this section?
Move from personal records to unit records, or from unit records back to personal ones, deliberately. Each direction answers a different kind of question. If this guide answered the question you brought to it, the next guide should start from a new question, not from the momentum of this one. If in doubt, re-check the filters before opening another record. Most wrong turns start with a filter, not with a record.
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.