AIR 76 RAF OFFICERS PAPERS

  Late last year the RAF officers papers were released on microfilm. These haven't been heralded as much as the WW1 other ranks papers but are still valueble research material. As the RAF was formed in April 1918 these papers commence from then, so if you are looking for aces killed before then they are not there but men who were in the RAF as an officer in April 1918 , there is a 90% chance of finding them. The files are stored on microfilm and kept at the PRO with the WW1 soldiers papers. On these reels they are in name order, alphebetically. There is a register of what name is on which reel so this must be consulted first. This will tell you the reel, you then load it up and wind through until you reach your man. The obscure thing about it iss when you are looking at the papers one would be one way up and the next would be upside down and so on with every alternate page upside down!!. The example I use is J.S.H Willis. I have his medals, he enlisted in the 9th HLI and was commissioned into the E.Kent.R, the strange thing is that in the battalion war diary of 3rd May 1917 he is posted wounded and missing when the 6th Bttn got wiped out, then on his medal index card he pops up in the RAF. I did find his papers which form 3 sheets as below.