Genealogy Chat

Does anyone know if I can get info on my husbands grandfather. As far as I know he would of been at the college from abt 1928ish. When he was 17/18. I have found the college on the internet but can not see anything about getting hold of info. He was killed in 1941 aged 31. He was on the SS Almeda Star. I know that he did fly a swordfish byplane.
Harry Clifford Friday. I would really love to be able to find out about his raf background. As my f.i.l. is not well and was only 6 when his father died. So it would be great to be able to give him the information. So he may know a little more about what his father achieved.
Any ideas please. Thank you.
With kind regards Donna

If you want to try and get hold of his service record then you would have to go via the RAF records archive.

Officially the records can only be released to the next of kin.

You might find something for him via the national archives website, the documents onlne section might have something you could download but it wouldn't give you his complete military history.


Glen

Donna

This website has all the info and the relevant costs and forms that need to be completed

http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/raf.html

MB

if your f.i.l is well enough to write to the records office he can obtain his fathers records free as he is next of kin. it can all be done by post so you could help him fill in relevent forms. Good luck.
Hilary.

thank you both, I will check that site out MB. Cheers

That is great Hilary. He has just finished his radiotherapy, so he is not too bad right now. Fingers crossed it has worked. He will be so pleased to find that out.
Thank you. I knew if I posted on here someone would know what to do. Thanks to you all.
Happy New Year.

According to the CWGC website, Harry Friday was Fleet Air Arm (Royal Navy) and not RAF

Name: FRIDAY, HARRY CLIFFORD
Initials: H C
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Lieutenant (A)
Regiment/Service: Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: H.M.S. Goshawk
Age: 31
Date of Death: 17/01/1941
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Bay 2, Panel 6.
Memorial: LEE-ON-SOLENT MEMORIAL

Do you know that he did flying training at RAF College Cranwell?

SS ALMEDA STAR (January 17, 1941)

The 14,935 ton Blue Star Line passenger liner (Captain H.C. Howard) was sunk by the U-96 (Kptlt. Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock) while en route from Liverpool to the River Platte. The attack occurred about 250 miles west of the Island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. There were no survivors. A total of 166 crew and 194 passengers lost their lives. The U-96 was later bombed and sunk by US aircraft at Wilhelmshaven.

from http://members.iinet.net.au/~gduncan/maritime-1.html#maritime_disasters_1941

At the end of January 1941, fifty of us embarked on the liner Georgic at Liverpool and sailed to Bermuda where we transferred to a Canadian river steamer to take us to Trinidad to join HMS Goshawk for our flying training. On the airfield at Piarco we finally saw aeroplanes: Proctors, a Shark and a Swordfish. Over the next five months we developed the various skills we required in our roles as Observers.

sounds like H.M.S. Goshawk was a training ship

from http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/97/a5529297.shtml

Roy

See:

http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-4101-28JAN02.htm

"U.96 sank British steamer ALMEDA STAR (14,935grt) in 58-16N, 13-40W.

All crew, gunners, passengers were lost. The passengers included 142 Fleet Air Arm Royal Navy officers and ratings and thirty five other ratings en route to Piarco, Trinidad for duty in the Fleet Air Arm base HMS GOSHAWK. Lt Cdr N. G. R. Crawford, Lt J. C.B. Boucher, Lt A. W. N. Dayrell, DSC, of the Instructional Staff, Lt (A) G. V. Aylott and T/Lt (A) R. V. Wrightson RNVR, of 749 Squadron, T/Lt (A) G. A. Alderson RNVR, T/Lt (A) P. G. Aldrich-Blake RNVR, T/Lt (A) L. F. Findlay RNVR, T/Lt (A) G. Williamson RNVR, T/Sub Lt (A) C. J. Davis RNVR, T/Sub Lt (A) D. F. A. McBain RNVR, of 750 Squadron, Lt (A) M. D. Donati, Sub Lt (A) M. H. N. Allen, T/Lt (A) R. W. Anderson RNVR, T/Lt (A) J. Carr RNVR,

T/Lt (A) H. C. Friday RNVR,

T/Lt (A) E. M. Lamb RNVR, T/Lt (A) W. A. Richardson RNVR, T/Sub Lt (A) J. S. Rowson RNVR, P/T/Sub Lt (A) M. A. Manuel RNVR, P/T/Sub Lt (A) T. H. Trubridge RNVR, of 752 Squadron, eighty two ratings from GOSHAWK, including Chief Petty Officer Airman A. W. Dicks, Petty Officer Airmen S. E. Andrews, W. S. Bath, I. H. Cook,B. W. A. Evans, E. G. Paksell, thirty nine ratings, including Petty Officer Airman D. A. C. Wynell-Sutherland, from DAEDALUS were lost."

I believe the swordfish was a Fleet Air arm aircraft so that ties up with the information.

Ann
Glos

Thank you so much all of you, most interesting. I will print it all off to show my f.i.l
With kind regards Donna
Happy New Year.