Question about the archives at Kew.
 

Quick question for those of you with expert knowledge:

I'm keen to research the service records of a particular Halifax. An RAAF aeroplane.

Will any information on that machine be available at Kew, or would it have gone to Australia?

Who flew it, when they flew it, how often it flew, what raids, what battle damage it received and so on are the details I'm after. At present I'm limited to its serial number, squadron and base.

Not having been to the national archives, I'd appreciate any advice from those of you who are "in the know"

Cheers all,

BSD.

p.s. Presently abroad, limited wi-if, so if I don't respond immediately do accept my apologies in advance. Home next week.

do a quick search (as below)and see if your aircraft/squadron etc is mentioned - if not, you will need to add more specific data to the search facility.


The National Archives | Search results:RAAF


when you go to TNA you will be able to see documents which have been digitally copied without the need to request documents to be brought in specially - if you need to see original Ops Books, records etc, then you will need a Reader's Ticket, which is issued at TNA. Its free, but before you go, def check their website for the bits you need to take to avoid a wasted journey. Nice café there, too!

Presumably you know which Squadron the Halifax flew with; if you only have the serial number drop an email to [email protected]

The squadron ORBs are now available online Royal Air Force operations record books 1939-1945 | The National Archives although it can be rather expensive, as you download them a month at a time. They are free to view at Kew, and you don't need a reader's ticket to see online records there. On the other hand, you will need a ticket to see records from OTUs etc., as they have not yet been digitised.

Bomber squadron ORBs are usually relatively informative, listing the crews for each night's operations, with a brief summary of each crew's report, or - in many cases - "Failed to Return".

Gentlemen,

Thank you very much for your replies. I have a few days off next week, I'll try visiting TNA.

Are copying facilities available? Any other tips you'd pass on?

Once again, many thanks indeed. PPRUNE at its best - informative, quick responses. I appreciate your help and time.

BSD.

BSD my wife and son recently went to do historical research for a university dissertation and offer the following advice and tips:

1. Check on line for the documentation you will need to produce to become a 'member' - passport, utility bill etc.
2. There are copying facilities, but if you propose to copy a lot of pages, take an iPad or iPhone with Scanner Pro installed and take photos which come out as PDFs.
3. It is quite a beaurocratic process; you will need time and patience. It's best to get there early - it can get quite busy which slows the process down.

Good luck.
mcdhu

You are required to lock all of your valuables in a locker and only pencils without erasers are allowed. Cameras or other electronic equipment plus chargers are allowed. Register on their website and pre-order what you want to look at. I tryand get a spot by one of the windows and just photograph everything for study at home.

best thing to do is spend some time going through the website for TNA - all you need to know is there.


The National Archives


as for travelling, there is a car park, but the Tube (District Line to Kew Gardens) is an easy option, with a 5 minute walk from the station (well signposted) and no parking/driving issues. If you can, go on the late-opening day - you may be glad of the extra couple of hours if the research is going well.

I believe these ORBs are on microfilm and therefore, apart from getting a readers ticket, you can just look at the these films in the microfilm room. All the post war ones that I've looked at were on microfilm.


They contain so much material most of which will not be relevant for you that it will likely be prohibitive to copy the pages, therefore for making notes is the best way. You'll need pencils and paper for this. It's important you read the advice for visitors for The National Archives as they are pretty strict.


As well as the info you have, some dates would obviously be useful. Looking through these ORBs is tedious work, especially if your Halifax had a long life.


There are ORBs for stations as well as squadrons. Theses are in AIR28 and may have additional information.


I would guess you have already typed in the serial number in Google. That may produce something. In addition there may be a squadron association or even published sources so it might be worth putting the details that you know on here as there's a vast knowledge that can be tapped.

"...An RAAF aeroplane.

Will any information on that machine be available at Kew, or would it have gone to Australia?"
No, the aircraft records will be in the UK. If it was an RAAF Squadron's aircraft, then the Australian War Memorial will have (copy) ORBs for the unit, available for research, I believe, but originals as you've found in the UK. Interesting results from the general search on the AWM website: Search | Australian War Memorial And: 466 Squadron RAAF | Australian War Memorial

Personnel records will be available for RAAF Personnel through the Australian W.W.II Nominal Roll. Hope that helps.

If you have not already done so, you could find some details in the National Archives of Australia. They have online details of RAAF squadron ops - I managed to trace my father's missions, obviously with aircraft serials as well.
(Coincidentally in a Halifax in the Middle East!)
Homepage ? National Archives of Australia

Goodness me, what fantastic responses.

I hugely appreciate the time and trouble you have all taken to help my novice attempt at researching my pet project.

Thank you all very much indeed. I hope to get down to Kew in the next couple of weeks.

BSD.

Question about the Archives at Kew
 

BSD,
In your first post you said you were interested in the the records of a particular Halifax.

If by that you wish to access a copy of a particular aircraft's record card and any related accident record card you will not find them at Kew. Such records are held at the RAF Museum Archive at Hendon. You will need an appointment to visit the archive, though they will provide a record card copy by post.
You might like to check the RAF Museum website for more details and contacts.

As advised the National Archive hold such as the Squadron and organisational records, but by and large the surviving records of the hardware are at Hendon.
M-62A3