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Thread: John Mumbray

  1. #1

    Default John Mumbray

    My father (1914-1995) was a boy entrant to the RAF, served in Egypt and Pakistan prewar and was mentioned in dispatches in June 1944(?). I would like to find out much more about his career and in particular what he did to win his medals & oak leaves, and why he was mentioned in dispatches. If anybody can offer me information or point me in the right direction to find out I would be very grateful as the family has just celebrated the centenary of his birth.

  2. #2
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    Hello leemumbray,

    Welcome to British-Genealogy.

    You can apply to the MoD for your father's service records. See this sticky for a little more information and a link to the forms you need to send. Although the link says WW2, it applies to service records 1921 onwards.

    Try thegazette.co.uk/ (copy-and-paste) for the mention in dispatches.

    Once you have the service records you can then find out further information about the bases he served at, etc. My military 'expertise' ends here, but with a bit of luck someone else will be able to give you the extra details you need.

    Forgot to add, that it's always worth trawling the local papers of the time, especially in connection with the mention in dispatches. My local one used to regularly print photos of servicemen in WW2.

    Pam

  3. #3
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    HI

    Pam is right, a local paper may have the story of the MID as the LG only has a list of names, although the beginning of the list usually has a discussion of where and when by a high ranking officer who is mentioning those people.
    Do you have his service number as it will make things easier to find?
    National Archives has documents on reports and records of the RAF, so if you find his squadron and dates you can read those-
    https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/r.../air-force.htm (first 2 there)

    regards

    Robert

  4. #4

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    Thanks Robert, the Gazette only offers names and there is no detail in the info supplied by a request to the RAF archives but the National Archives (Kew?) sounds like the next step. Dad would never discuss any of this with his wife or daughters - typical of men of the time, I think - but at the end of his life suggested to my sons that the MiD was to do with time at the Yalta conference so I am really curious...
    Best wishes, Lesley

  5. #5

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    Have you seen the RAF Boy Entrants Association site HERE. Most information is hidden in their Member's Area, but they do give an email address for their secretary.

    I've checked my Dad's database, and your Dad was not one of the Cranwell Electrical and Wireless Boy Entrants, but there were other trades they followed.

  6. #6

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    Thanks for the info Lesley. Dad trained at Halton, coincidentally very close to where I now live, I suspect originally as an aircraft engineer and later learned to fly though after an early crash when he was being flown by a pilot who flew into overhead cables and was killed, he left aircrew and during the war was a mechanicic on a Lancaster squadron before moving to administrative roles later. I have sent an email to the boy entrants site and hope that somebody may be able to offer me a lead!
    Best wishes, Lee

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