Help needed in interpreting RAF WWII record

[Jim Jarron]

My father was a wireless operator (LAC) in India and Burma during WWII and I have obtained a copy of his record and am trying to work out what I can from it. I am taking it a bit at a time and have a list of common abbreviations, which I received with the record, but there are a couple of abbreviations that are not listed and appear on the record. Can someone please tell me what IGH and WU mean?

Also, there is a column headed Dep. P.O.R. and another headed P.O.R. Confirming Arrival. This abbreviation, being printed on the form, was obviously in common use, but what does P.O.R. stand for?

After I have answers, I am sure it will lead to more questions but, as I said, I'll take it one step at a time.

[Lesley Robertson]

Welcome to the British Genealogy Forum, Jim.

I thought that my collection of RAF abbreviations was extensive, but yours do not appear.
Looking at the context on my Dad's forms, it looks to refer to his movements between units or bases, with codes rather than dates. I must admit that I have always assumed that it meant Person of Record, but that is just an assumption. I expect that someone will come up with a definite answer.
Interestingly, that abbreviation is only on his form from the 1950s. The same columns (with similar codes, etc) on his 1940s forms are headed "Dip (or Dep, there's sticky tape there) Cas Form" and "Cas Form confirming arrival". Forms after the mid '50s are completely different.

BTW Do you have your Father's service number? Nothing to do with your query - my Dad was also Signals and part of a group whose numbers began "55".

[Pam Downes]

Hello Jim,

Welcome to British-Genealogy.

I'm afraid I can't answer your questions, but I have one for you.
As you live in Australia, can you confirm that you're talking about a British service record, rather than an Australian one?

Pam

[Jim Jarron]

I must admit that I have always assumed that it meant Person of Record, but that is just an assumption. I expect that someone will come up with a definite answer.

Thanks for that. Your suggestion that P.O.R. probably means "Person Of Record" makes sense in the context that it is used. Until someone comes up with a definitive answer, I will treat it as meaning that.

Do you have your Father's service number? Nothing to do with your query - my Dad was also Signals and part of a group whose numbers began "55".

I do have his Service Number, but it doesn't begin with 55. It is 1565779, and he enlisted (I think that's the right term) in Edinburgh on 20 December 1941.

[Jim Jarron]

I'm afraid I can't answer your questions, but I have one for you.
As you live in Australia, can you confirm that you're talking about a British service record, rather than an Australian one?

Pam

Yes, my father did serve in the RAF. We did not come to Australia until 1958.

[Lesley Robertson]

Ah, the "55" group were all signals Boy Entrants who joined up straight from school and studied and qualified at RAF Cranwell before WW2. He was the secretary of their Association and I inherited his databases. Every so often I can fill in a blank.

[keith9351]

IGH could be Indian General Hospital.

[Jim Jarron]

IGH could be Indian General Hospital.

Thanks for that. Now that could well be the case. I know that he was in hospital at one point during his service, although he never told me anything about how he came to be there, nor did he tell me whether it was in India or Burma.

The line where this abbreviation appears reads: "Dep. P.O.R. 21/44; Unit From adm; Unit To 02 I.G.H.; Date of Movemnt. 3/8/44; P.O.R. Confirming Arrival 21/44 (crossed out)".

There are also three subsequent entries that appear to be hospital related also. They are: 25/8/44 Disch: BMH (followed by an indistinct word that looks Shilloy); 16/4/45 Add 60 MFH; 3/5/45 Disch 10 MFH.

I believe that BMH stands for British Military Hospital and MFH stands for Mobile Field Hospital.

[Jim Jarron]

My father’s record shows him as having served in 385 MU (there is a possibility that this might be a badly written WU, but it looks more like an MU) and, after a spell in a Military Hospital (Shillong) he is shown as serving in 368 WU and 367 WU.

Can someone enlighten me as to how the tasks allocated to a Wireless Operator in a Mobile Unit would differ from those in a Wireless Unit?

I did come across a reference to 367 WU on a webpage, which described it as a “Y” service operation listening to Japanese aircraft communication and trying to protect the Royal Navy ships. Is this correct? And what is a “Y” service operation?

I do recall my father telling me that on one occasion, while monitoring radio messages, he transcribed one that, when it was referred to someone to interpret the code, turned out to be a conversation between the crews of two Japanese bombers en route to bomb Calcutta (or it may have been Bombay, as I was about 10 when he told me, and that was almost 60 years ago……). Almost immediately there was a flurry of activity as various personnel sprung into action to ensure that the bombers were intercepted before it was too late.

[Jim Jarron]

And one other thing. My father's record is endorsed "not rec. for trng in aircrew duties". In retrospect, a lucky decision, but why? There was nothing wrong with his eyesight, so what other reason could there be?