Help with Fleet Air Arm - Penguin location

[Greybeard53]

Hello, I'm new to this forum, and hope someone can help me.

I'm tracing a relative who was in the Fleet Air Arm during WW2. The family joke is he 'never flew, never sailed'.

I believe I have found some details: these suggest he was a 'warrant writer' and was stationed at 'Penguin'. The Warrant Writer would make sense, but I can't find any trace of a shore establishment named Penguin. Makes me question if Penguin was a place or not.

Data is from the UK Navy List February 1942. Sadly, no service number.

Any help or suggestions most welcome - thank you.

[simmo1]

Hi

Could it be this - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMAS_Penguin

regards

Robert

[Pam Downes]

Hi

Could it be this - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMAS_Penguin

regards

Robert

That's all I could find, too. Problem is that it's the Australian Navy, rather than UK.
Also a lot of those Australian shore bases were renamed in the early 40s.

Greybeard53 - Welcome to British-Genealogy.

I'm far from a military expert, so the only question I can ask is - did your relative appear in any other Navy Lists?

There is a similar forum to BG called Forces Reunited, which is purely military. Might be worth trying there unless anyone else can come up with any further suggestions.

[Greybeard53]

Hello Robert, many thanks for taking the time to reply.

I had come across this shore base, but as the person in question had not (to my knowledge) been stationed in Australia, I'd discounted this.

Cheers,

Ian

[Greybeard53]

Hello Pam, many thanks for your help and input. I'm still looking at various Navy Lists, and I'll try the Forces Reunited forum you mention. Thanks again.

[simmo1]

Hi

Have you got his service records?
Answer may be in them.

regards

Robert

[Greybeard53]

Hello,

No, All I have is a photo, his cap badge and other domestic family history details.

Is this a Kentigern House enquiry?

Cheers,

Ian

[Pam Downes]

Hello,

No, All I have is a photo, his cap badge and other domestic family history details.

Is this a Kentigern House enquiry?

Cheers,

Ian

I'm going 'what?' till the brain cell kicked in and I remembered that's the address for army service records applications.
From what I can find out, the Fleet Air Arm is the navy-in-the-skies, so you probably need the navy address which according to this form is Whale Island, Portsmouth.
https://assets.publishing.service.go...inal_2__1_.pdf

I know that prior to 1972 naval personnel were given their records when they left the service, and so only limited information is held by the MoD. Scroll down to the Royal Navy section -
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/tutorials

However, I've found that there is a Fleet Arm Museum.
https://www.nmrn.org.uk/visit-us/fleet-air-arm-museum
Which claims it holds two million records. Scroll down the page for a link to their collections. Don't think it will include service records though.
However, worth an email enquiry re Penguin, and where exactly to apply for service records. .

For more details re applying for service records see
https://www.british-genealogy.com/fo...757#post585757

[Greybeard53]

Hello Pam, many thanks for your suggestions, I'm on the case now. I have an aquaintance who is ex FAA so may ask him if he knows, as well.

Thanks again,

Ian