Genealogy Chat

my OH was doing an engineering apprenticeship and went in as an airframe mechanic

Aha!!! Thanks everyone for your replies and your RAF expertise, that seems to explain a lot - I wonder if there is any way of finding out what if any apprenticeship he was doing....hmmm!

Thanks for all the help x

OMG

DONT WORRY IF YOU GET ODD PM;S

THATS MY OTHER NME LOL

STILL ON HISTORY & SEARCHES

DIZZU AKA GWEN

Hope this helps in clearing things up a bit.

1939 Military Training Act introduced where all men aged 20 and 21 were conscripted to undertake military training.

On outbreak of WW2 the National Service (Armed Forces Act) introduced conscription for all men aged 18 to 41. Conscription was on sliding scale dependant on age. So first in 1939 it was 18 to 21 year olds and by 1941 they were taking those aged 40.

At 18 years of age or over men had to register for National Service under requirements of this Armed Forces Act. However, if someone was doing an appreticeship or any sort of training for a recognised career they could defer their service until they were 21.

So what I think has happened here is that your grandfather has enlisted to join the RAF but deferred doing so because he is doing some from of career training. As he was 20 in 1941 when he married this is probably why the entry states Deferred Service.

The reason for the ARP uniform in the wedding photo, and this is only a guess, is probably a roll he took up during the time when he was not training (ie evening & weekends). This roll would have ceased when he joined the RAF fulltime in 1942 as a Cadet.

That hadn't occurred to me...thanks for that .Why would he have had deferred service during the war? Would he have got a commission in just over 2 years? Any ideas as to what sort of role he had...mechanic - as in engineer? Sorry 20 questions !!

Claire

The different numbers may be related to the fact he took a commission ie. became an Officer. Flight Sergeant is a Senior Non Commissioned Officer SNCO or 'Snecko' as they were known. Pilot Officer is a junior Commissioned rank. I think Commissioned Officers may have had a different number format.

David (Ex-RAF regular oik)

I did wonder if he was doing some kind of apprentice - would that give him a different RAF number til he was qualified? Why the RAF number but the ARP uniform??!! Would they have done this in 1941 while we were actually at war? Anyone else come across it?

Hi
My brother had his national service in the RAF deferred until he was 22 in 1958. He had to finish his higher national diploma which the firm where he was apprenticed ( ICI) had funded.-J Le

my husband had his National Service in the RAF deferred because he was needed in his engineering job and had yet to finish his apprenticeship - as soon as it was finished, in he went!

Hi Everyone,

My grandfather was in the RAF during the war...

1941 - listed as G/WO RAF Deferred Service (Receptionist Motor Garage)
1942 - listed as Cadet RAF (Receptionist Motor Garage)

By April 1944 he is listed as Flight Seargent (Receptionist Garage) and in August 1944 he is listed as Pilot Officer (Motor Mechanic) - the last entry has a different RAF number to the first 3.

Does anyone know why someone would have deferred service?
Receptionist? The 1941 entry is on his wedding certificate he's aged 20 so he's old enough and the wedding photo show he's wearing an ARP not RAF uniform! All the accompanying addresses are in Chatham Kent. Could anyone shed any light on this please?!!

Many Thanks Claire