Licensed Ground Engineer / Civilian Repair Or

[golfersa]

My grandfather worked as Chief Inspector with Jersey Air Ways, arriving there in 1937 and leaving the Channel Islands 10 days ahead of the German invasion and occupation on June 1940. Upon arrival in Southampton he "was posted*to Air Service Training at Hamble on the repair and maintenance of Spitfires, owing to my position of Chief Inspector with Jersey Airways, and to my being*the holder of a Ground Engineer Aircraft license." While at Hamble he trained busmen in the repair of aircraft.

He went on to repair RAF planes at Chivenor, working for Atlantic Coast Air Lines, also as part of the CRO. I assume he transferred there as his only son was killed flying a Beaufighter out of RAF station Chivenor in January 1943. My mother met my father there, an American GI training for D-Day at the Assault Training Center in Braunton.

My question is "who would have issued the Ground Engineer Aircraft license to him, and where would he have picked up those skills ?" All the records I have end in 1922 with the birth of my mother, and they all show his occupation as 'apprentice pattern maker' and his father as 'pattern maker.'

I realize this question is a little out of context for this forum, but hoping some of the more tenured folks may have some history on the CRO and RAF affiliation, and who trained, certified and licensed the engineers, mechanics and the like?

Thanks in advance...

Odie Waters
Boerne Texas
USA

[Peter Goodey]

who would have issued the Ground Engineer Aircraft license to him

I would imagine it would have been the Air Registration Board, the forerunner of the Civil Aviation Authority.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.go...ails/c/F259294

[golfersa]

Thanks for the suggestion, however I have hit a dead end with the National Archives as well. I suppose I should hire a researcher there, or somebody to go there and do research.

[Pam Downes]

The guys (and/or girls) at ForcesReunited might know the answer.
I suspect that the majority of people are either serving, or former, personnel. https://www.
forcesreunited.co.uk

Pam

[Peter Goodey]

I suppose I should hire a researcher there, or somebody to go there and do research.

I would say so.