National Servicemen in the Royal Air Force: Formal group portrait of RAF national servicemen during their basic training course at RAF Bridgnorth (John McGuire, back row, 2nd from right).

Use this guide for advice on how to find records of airmen and officers of the Royal Air Force (RAF). These are predominantly records of service prior to 1939. RAF service records created...

The variety of the work, travel, social life and enjoyment of National Service in the RAF (1952-55) and the usefulness of its training in health care

Dec 20, 2023 · Just like researching your ancestors who served in WWI and WWII, a service record is the ultimate source for researching National Servicemen. It is the most complete record of your ancestor’s service, allowing you to build a timeline of …

Feb 21, 2018 · History of National Service Recruiting of regulars and National Servicemen into the RAF in the early days of the Cold War was really massive. The Army recruited far more, of course, but recruits went to individual regiments for training while in …

From 1 January 1949, all fit young men between 17 and 21 years of age were required to serve in the armed forces for 18 months, and remain on the reserve list for four years. In October 1950, in response to the British involvement in the Korean War, the service period was extended to two years. Some National Service had been illegal!

Royal Air Force (RAF) Regiment, National Service 1954–1956 Basic training was one of the most difficult experiences for many, with conscripts recalling memories of endless drills, uniform checks and boot polishing.

When National Service began the Labour Administration insisted that it should be universal for all able-bodied men. However, although there was no official ban, very few Black conscripts and no non-European officers were recruited despite high levels of immigration in the mid-1950s.

The National Service years spanned from 1947 until 1963, and in that time more than two million men were conscripted into the British Army, Royal Navy or the Royal Air Force. National Service was mandatory. Generally all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 30 were called up.

After the War, the Military Recruitment Department took over the remaining work of the National Service Department (which had been set up in 1939 to supervise the national service scheme...