The Commonwealth War Graves Commission will usually provide this information if an individual died. As this also provides the date of death it is usually relatively simple to find out what the unit was doing at this time, or in the days or weeks before (for those who died of wounds). Flying was a dangerous business and many casualties occurred during training or were simply flying accidents. Of course, not all Royal Air Force personnel were pilots, and airfields were always a target for the enemy, with the threat of bombs, bullets and fire being ever present.
If an airman did survive, it can be more difficult to trace him. You need to know which unit he served with, and then you will be able to find out when it went overseas and what campaigns it fought in. It was not unusual for men to serve in more than one unit – if that is the case, you need to know the relevant dates he was with each unit. You may already know your relative’s unit, or you might have paperwork or information in your family that will uncover it. This information is crucial and you will need to find this out before you can proceed further. The easiest way is to obtain your relative’s personal service record, although not all records have survived. If this is the case there may be alternative ways of finding this information.
The basic RAF unit is the Squadron, and this could be either a flying or ground unit. Surviving squadron war diaries from the First World War for the Royal Naval Air Service, the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force are held by The National Archives in record class AIR 1. From the 1920s Operations Record Books replaced war diaries, and Second World War Operations Record Books can be found in AIR 27. The Operations Record Books of Commands, Groups, Wings, Squadrons, Stations and miscellaneous units can be found in other AIR record classes. Operations Record Books that are less than thirty years old are still restricted and are held by the Air Historical Branch.
You can find information about RAF Squadrons on the www.raf.mod.uk/history/ website.
The Museum has a number of published squadron histories, autobiographies, official and operational histories on Collections Online.
Some good reference books include:
The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force and Commonwealth, 1918-1988 by James J Halley (Air-Britain (Historians), Tonbridge, Kent, 1988)
ISBN 0-85130-164-9
R.A.F. squadrons: a comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912 by Wing Commander C.G. Jefford - 2nd ed. – (Shrewsbury: Airlife, 2001)
ISBN 1-84037-141-2
Bomber Squadrons of the R.A.F. and their Aircraft by Philip J R Moyes (Macdonald and Jane's, London, 1976)
Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft by John D R Rawlings (Jane's, London, 1982)
ISBN 0-7106-0187-5
Fighter Squadrons of the R.A.F. and their Aircraft by John D R Rawlings (Crecy, [Somerton], 1993)
ISBN 0-947554-24-6
Royal Air Force Flying Training and Support Units by Ray Sturtivant, John Hamlin and James J Halley (Air Britain (Historians), Tunbridge Wells, Kent, 1997)
ISBN 0-85130-252-1
Royal Flying Corps 1915-1916 edited by Christopher Cole (Kimber, London, 1969)
ISBN 0-7183-0261-3
Royal Flying Corps Communiqués 1917-1918 edited by Chaz Bowyer (Grub Street, London, 1998)
ISBN 1-898697-79-5
Royal Air Force 1918 edited by Christopher Cole (William Kimber, London, 1968)
The Fighter Command war diaries: the operational history of Fighter Command,
Second Tactical Air Force, 100 Group and Air Defence of Great Britain 1939-45 / by John Foreman (Walton-on-Thames, Surrey: Air Research Publications, 1996-2002)
ISBN 1-871187-44-3 Vol. 1 : September 1939 to September 1940
ISBN 1-871187-35-4. Vol. 2 : September 1940 to December 1941
ISBN 1-871187-39-7. Vol. 3 : January 1942 to June 1943
ISBN 1-871187-43-5. Vol. 4 : July 1943 to June 1944
Vol. 5 : July 1944 to May 1945
The Bomber Command War Diaries: an Operational Reference Book 1939-1945 by Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - Rev. ed. - Midland Publishing, Leicester, 1996.
ISBN 1-85780-033-8 (pbk.)
Royal Air Force 1939-1945. Volumes I-III by Denis Richards and Hilary St. George Saunders (HMSO, London, 1953-1954)
The Strategic Air Offensive against Germany 1939-1945: [4 volumes] by Sir Charles Webster and Noble Frankland (HMSO, London, 1961)
(History of the Second World War; United Kingdom Military Series).
There is plenty of information available about airfields. Some information can be found on the Royal Air Force website at www.raf.mod.uk/history/
An excellent series of books called Actions Stations provides potted histories of the various airfields in this country, and some overseas. The various volumes are:
Action Stations 1: Wartime Military Airfields of East Anglia, 1939-1945 by Michael J F Bowyer (Patrick Stephens, Cambridge, 1979)
ISBN 0-85059-335-2
Action Stations 2: Military Airfields of Lincolnshire and the East Midlands by Bruce Barrymore Halpenny - 2nd ed. – (Patrick Stephens, n.p., 1991)
ISBN 1-85260-405-0
Action Stations 3: Military Airfields of Wales and the North West by David J Smith. (Patrick Stephens, Cambridge, 1981)
ISBN 0-85059-485-5
Action Stations 4: Military Airfields of Yorkshire by Bruce Barrymore Halpenny (Patrick Stephens, Cambridge, 1982)
ISBN 0-85059-532-0
Action Stations 5: Military Airfields of the South-West by Chris Ashworth - 2nd ed. – (Patrick Stephens, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, 1990)
ISBN 1-85260-374-7
Action Stations 6: Military Airfields of the Cotswolds and the Central Midlands by Michael J.F. Bowyer (Patrick Stephens, Cambridge, 1983)
ISBN 0-85059-529-0
Action Stations 7: Military Airfields of Scotland, the North-East and Northern Ireland by David J. Smith (Patrick Stephens, Cambridge,1983)
ISBN 0-85059-563-0
Action Stations 8: Military Airfields of Greater London by Bruce Barrymore Halpenny (Patrick Stephens, Cambridge, 1984)
ISBN 0-85039-885-1
Action Stations 9: Military Airfields of the Central South and South-East by Chris Ashworth (Patrick Stephens, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, 1986)
ISBN 0-85059-608-4
Action Stations 10: Supplement and Index compiled and edited by Bruce Quarrie
(Patrick Stephens, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, 1987)
ISBN 0-85059-682-3
Action Stations Overseas by Sqn. Ldr. Tony Fairbairn (Patrick Stephens, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, 1991)
ISBN 1-85260-319-4
Action stations revisited: the complete history of Britain's military airfields. No. 1: Eastern England by Michael J.F. Bowyer (Manchester: Crécy Publishing, 2000)
ISBN 0-947554-79-3
Action stations revisited. Vol. 2. Central England and the London area by Michael J.F. Bowyer (Goodall Publications, 2003)
ISBN: 0-947554-94-7
You may also be able to find more information or photographs about different airfields by searching on Collections Online.
An Organisation called the Airfield Research Group may also be of interest to you – www.airfield-research-group.co.uk/ The Group produces a regular journal called Airfield Review and back copies of this can be consulted in the Imperial War Museum Reading Room.
A visit to Imperial War Museum Duxford will enable you to wander round an important former airfield that sometimes hosts flying displays, and view aircraft significant in RAF history as well as see traditional buildings such as the guardroom and chapel. Have a look at duxford.iwm.org.uk for more information.
The Royal Air Force Museum at Hendon – www.rafmuseum.org.uk/ - may also be able to help you.