RAF Volunteer Reserve / Aircraftman 1st Class

[Endsor]

Can anyone tell me what the duties of an Aircraftman 1st Class in RAF Volunteer Reserve would have been circa 1941? My (distant) cousin was one and he died at 27 on 18 April 1941, but I haven't been able to find out more about the circumstances surrounding his death - and I can't figure out if his role would have him found in a plane (pilot, gunner, etc.) or on the ground (mechanic, etc.).

[Geoffers]

Can anyone tell me what the duties of an Aircraftman 1st Class in RAF Volunteer Reserve would have been circa 1941? My (distant) cousin was one and he died at 27 on 18 April 1941, but I haven't been able to find out more about the circumstances surrounding his death
I don't know much of the RAF, but I would think that without much more detail, it would be difficult to suggest what his duties may have been. Have you found out anythnig useful from his death certificate which may give some clue? Is there anything on the CWGC website which helps? (Is he only recorded in a memorial abroad which may suggest air crew or is he on a memorial at a base or buried in a military cemetry?).

Geoffers

[coenmfam]

If the RNZAF is comparable to the RAF of the same period, then I think that Aircraftsman and Leading Aircraftsman ( LAC ) may have been more related to rank and payscale than doing a particular job.

My father was a medical orderly in the RNZAF during WW II in Fiji and later in the Solomons, his rank was Aircraftsman 1st class and was later promoted to LAC.

Perhaps you might try to find his military records, which may shed some light on what he actually did.

hope this helps
Neville

[Jenjen]

My father was also a LAC in WW11 and was in Rhodesia where they were training pilots. He worked primarily on maintenance of the planes. So I agree with what you say about rank.
Jen

[bchristi]

My uncle was an aircraftsman second class, voluntary reserve for the RAF. I do not know his particular duties but he died at the age of 20, on the 9th of December 1941 when the aircraft he was in was shot down. If anyone knows of any particulars on this mission, I would love to hear from you.

[coenmfam]

Just a few, not many, details might help in the quest for your answer
like
* What theatre was he in ?
* what air base was he based at ?
* What sqadron was he connected to ?
* and maybe you might want to tell us his name, that would help a lot
* a what kind of aircraft was it that he was killed in ?

The trouble is, that during WW II as a whole there were many missions being flown all over the place at any given time and by 1944 on a single day there could be up to 4,000 allied aircraft operating in the European theatre alone.

Nev

[bchristi]

Unfortunately, I have very few details. All of my mother's family is now deceased. My uncle, whom I never got to meet, was Arnold Charles Nixson. The story I remember hearing when I was younger was that he was flying on a mission I believe in the North Sea when his plane was shot down. I believe a few members of the crew survived long enough to be hospitalized, including him. My mother's family were notified of his death but were not told that he indeed had been hospitalized first. He had been born and raised in Derby. He is buried in a family plot in the Nottingham Road Cemetery.

[coenmfam]

OK - Lets see what we have here

Name .... check
Rank .... check
Serial Number .....

That's what you are going to need I think.
Maybe some of our English friends might be able to point you in the right direction to finding that out.

Once you have that you might be able to obtain a copy of his records, I was able to do that for my dad and his RNZAF records - very enlightening - busted twice for being a naughty boy.

Nev

[bchristi]

His service number was 1275795 and his 'casualty type' is listed as commonwealth war dead, according to the CWCG. Does anyone know of an avenue I can take via the internet to obtain his service record? I obviously can't go visit the archives. I'm not sure if the date of death does actually coincide with the date of a specific mission if this makes any sense, since he might have been hospitalized for an unknown period of time following being shot down. I do appreciate any help.

[Karen]

BChristi,

I think you'll find that your uncle Arnold Charles Nixson actually died on 12 Septemer 1941 - not 9th December. Being a British/Commonwealth run site, the dates on the CWGC site are in British format - so 12/09/1941is 12th December. The perils of using all numeric dates!

Karen