Nature of Source
Service records of airmen attached to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), established 1912, who served in WWI and/or survived to receive a pension. The records comprise of attestation papers, discharge papers, medical records and casualty forms as well as pension claims.
The RFC was a corps of the British Army, therefore the service records form part of the Army records. For RFC airmen service records see:
Army – Soldier’s Documents (Pension & Service Records) – Other Ranks before 1914
Army – Soldiers’ (Service) Documents (‘Burnt Documents’), Other Ranks WWI
Army – Soldiers’ Documents (Service Records) from Pension Claims (‘Unburnt Collection’), Other Ranks, WWI
For records of airmen who served with the Royal Air Force after 1918 see:
Royal Air Force – Service Records, Airmen
The Royal Flying Corps was established in 1912 coming under the control of the War Office. The RFC included the Military Wing and Naval Wing, the latter becoming the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) in July 1914 under the control of the Admiralty. The Royal Air Force was founded on 1 April 1918 following the amalgamation of the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps coming under control of the newly created Air Ministry. The RFC and RNAS and the RAF are and were organised into squadrons (roughly equivalent of an army regiment), wings and groups, although confusingly for RNAS research a number of different squadrons and wings were assigned the same number.
During WWI, the RFC was deployed over the battlefields performing aerial reconnaissance trips and bombing missions whilst the RNAS was also deployed for home defence against enemy attack and overseas.
Service records for all deceased service personnel who served after 1920 remain with the Ministry of Defence with each military service maintaining its own record office. See the MOD detailed guide ‘Requests for personal data and service records: How to apply for access to personal data held by the Ministry of Defence’. You can apply for Royal Air Force (RAF) records online if you’re the person’s immediate next of kin, the person died more than 25 years ago or the person died less than 25 years ago but you only want basic information about them.
Where Found
The National Archives
Royal Air Force Museum Archive & Library (The collection comprises several hundred thousand objects ranging in size from aircraft to lapel badges. The Museum’s library and archives collections include items such as First World War Casualty Cards, fine art, medals and uniforms, film and sound, memoirs, historical studies, ephemera, technical manuals, magazines and periodicals, RAF Historical Society Journals Personal papers, aircrew logbooks, casualty cards and aircraft records. The website has a number of online exhibitions and information leaflets to help researching RAF personnel and RAF units and stations)
Period Covered
1912 – 1918
Genealogical Value
- Name and dates of service.
- Date and place of birth.
- Address (place) and age at time of enlistment.
- Military career/occupation and reasons for discharge.
- Physical description.
Further References
- Bevan, Amanda. Tracing Your Ancestors in the National Archives: The National Archives, 2006
- Cooksley, Peter G. & Batchelor, Peter F. VCs of the First World War The Air VCs: The History Press, 2014
- Cooksley, Peter G. The Royal Flying Corps 1914-1918: The History Press, 2014
- Fowler, Simon. A Guide to Military History on the Internet: Pen & Sword, 2007
- Fowler, Simon. Tracing Your First World War Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen & Sword, 2013
- Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918-1988: Air Britain Historians, 1989
- Hobart, Malcolm. Badges And Uniforms of The RAF: Pen and Sword Books, 2013
- Hobson, Chris. Airmen Died in the Great War, 1914-18: The Roll of Honour of the British and Commonwealth Air Services of the First World War: Hayward, 1995
- Lee, Arthur Gould. Open Cockpit: Grub Street, 2012
- Ingham, Mary. Tracing Your Service Women Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen and Sword Books 2012
- Levine, Joshua. Fighter Heroes of WWI: The Extraordinary Story of the Pioneering Airmen of the Great War: Collins, 2011
- McConnell, James. Recollections of the Great War in the Air: Pen & Sword Aviation, 2013
- McInnes, I & Webb, J. V. A Contemptible Little Flying Corps: Naval and Military Press, 2001 (Includes brief biographies of all non-commissioned airmen who joined the RFC between 1922 and 1914)
- Mackersey, Ian. No Empty Chairs: The Short and Heroic Lives of the Young Aviators Who Fought and Died in the First World War: Phoenix, 2013
- Philpott, Ian, The Birth of the Royal Air Force: Pen and Sword Books 2014
- Spencer, William. Air Force Records: A Guide for Family Historians: The National Archives, 2008
- Spencer, William. Family History in the Wars: The National Archives, 2007
- Spencer, William. Air Force Records: The National Archives, 2008
- Storey, Neil. Military Photographs and How to Date Them: Countryside Books, 2009
- Tomaselli, Phil. Tracing Your Air Force Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen & Sword Books, 2014
- Tomaselli, Phil. Air Force Lives: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen and Sword Books, 2013
- Tracing Your Family History: Royal Air Force: Imperial War Museum, 2006
- Usher, George. Dictionary of British Military History: A&C Black Publishers, 2006
- Yeates, V.M. Winged Victory: Grub Street, 2004
Websites
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/royalflyingcorpsairmen.htm (TNA Guide: Looking for records of an airman in the Royal Flying Corps)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Flying_Corps (Wikipedia: Royal Flying Corps)
www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/service_records.html (Veterans UK)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/?research-category=military-and-maritime (TNA Research Guide Military and Maritime)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-subject (TNA guide: Looking for records of a Royal Air Force squadron)
www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/squadrons (Royal Air Force Squadrons. Active squadrons are the full and part-time units of personnel and equipment that carry out the RAF’s mission)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Royal_Air_Force_aircraft_squadrons (From Wikipedia: List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons)
www.historyofwar.org/subject_RAF_units.html (Military History Encyclopedia on the Web: RAF Sqwaafuadrons, Second World War)
www.iwm.org.uk/research/tracing-your-family-history/tracing-your-army-history (Imperial War Museum Research Guide: Tracing Your Family History. Guides to help you start your research into your army family history explaining what records you will need and where to find them. Subject areas include: Service records; Casualty information; Medal records; Unit and operational histories)
www.forces-war-records.co.uk/free-tutorials (Forces War Records Research Guides: These guides will help you understand how you can find as much out about your ancestors past as possible and include: ‘Getting Started Guide: Your complete guide to researching your military ancestor’ and ‘Understanding your ancestor’s military record’)
https://spartacus-educational.com/FWWRFC.htm (Spartacus Educational: Royal Flying Corps)
www.ukmfh.org.uk (UK Military Family History Online: Links to web sites with online data and information to aid in military family history research)
www.militaryarchiveresearch.com (Military Archive Research, by Dr Stuart C Blank)
www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/our-history (Royal Air Force: Our History)
www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/research-enquiries (Royal Air Force Museum Information Leaflets including Researching First World War personnel, Researching Royal Air Force unit records and Researching Royal Air Force stations)
www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/research-enquiries/history-of-aviation-timeline (Royal Air Force Museum: History of Aviation Timeline)
www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/lest-we-forget (Royal Air Force Museum Online Exhibition: Lest We Forget)
www.genuki.org.uk/big/MilitaryRecords (GENUKI Guide: UK and Ireland: Military Records)
www.genuki.org.uk/big/BritMilRecs (GENUKI: British Military Records by Jay Hall)
www.waafassociation.org.uk (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force Association. In dedication to all past and serving airwomen of the RAF who served at home and abroad, we pledge our friendship; and to those who lost their lives, remembrance)
www.associations.rafinfo.org.uk/acronyms.htm (Royal Air Force Acronyms and Abbreviations)
www.raf-ff.org.uk (RAF Families Federation: Service personnel: Abbreviations & Acronyms)
www.rafaberporth.org.uk/page25.html (Royal Air Force Aberporth. RAF Slang and Acronyms)
https://war.web.ox.ac.uk/great-war-archive (Oxford University: The Great War Archive: WWI digital photographs, audio, film, documents, and stories submitted by the general public. The initiative was run by Oxford University between the 3rd March and the 30th June 2008. Users can share First World War objects on the The Great War Archive Flickr Group)
www.europeana.eu/portal/en/collections/world-war-I (Europeana 1914-1918. Explore the untold stories and official histories of World War I in items from across Europe including postcards, letters, diaries, images and other memorabilia)
Online Databases
RAF Museum Storyvault
The site is a digital archive dedicated to preserving and sharing the history and stories of the Royal Air Force. The site hosts a searchable digital archive consisting of:
- Muster Roll, 1918. The Muster Roll lists NCOs and men who were serving in the ranks who were transferred to the RAF when it was formed on 1 April 1918. Officers are not included.
- Casualty Cards. The Royal Flying Corps and from April 1918 the Royal Air Force kept detailed records of men who were killed, wounded or reported missing. The collection of casualty cards starts around 1915 and runs into the 1920s. They deal primarily with officers, although there are some cards for Non-Commissioned Officers and Men.
- Air Force List. Search the names of officers of the Army and Navy. List corrected to 1st February 1918.
- Roll of Honour 1911-1918.
www.ancestry.co.uk (UK, WWI Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923. Search military and military-related personnel who filed for a pension after World War One if injured or, if killed, details of their widow and/or other dependents or their next of kin if they were unmarried and had no children. The records include PRC Ledgers comprisng ledgers for over 1.5 million men who served in the British Army, Royal Navy, and RFC/RAF during the Great War and claimed a pension or, if they were killed in the conflict, the relatives that claimed)
See also:
Army – Soldier’s Documents (Pension & Service Records) – Other Ranks before 1914
Army – Soldiers’ (Service) Documents (‘Burnt Documents’), Other Ranks WWI
Army – Soldiers’ Documents (Service Records) from Pension Claims (‘Unburnt Collection’), Other Ranks, WWI
Royal Air Force – Service Records, Airmen
CD Roms
Surrey History Trust (Surrey Recruitment Register, 1908-1933. details of about 85,000 men who signed up for service in Surrey between 1908 and 1933, including volunteers and conscripts in World War I)
Manchester and Lancashire FHS (Oldham Chronicle Index of Service Personnel 1914-1919: Details of service personnel mentioned in the Saturday editions of the Oldham Chronicle1914 to the end of December 1919)
