This has been discussed before here – but can I find it? No.
I understand the MRES (Missing Research Enquiry Service) records are still under official secrets act or something similar and will not be available for a few years yet. I have this vague idea that its records are held for 60 years after the service concluded it’s WWII investigations – or something like that. And that means they’re not available for few more years yet. I have 2015 or thereabouts in my mind.
Can anybody please comment on or provide the actual position?
Many thanks in advance, cheers Don
By: Atcham Tower - 3rd November 2006 at 16:33
Stuart, there is a current thread on the US Army Air Forces Forum about MARIO – the Missing Aircraft Research Investigation Office. This was the equivalent of our MRES and probably there was a lot of overlap. If you know all about this, forget what I have written!
By: Smith - 2nd November 2006 at 22:05
Stuart
I’m also chasing this down on the 12 O’clock High forum (where my id is smidon as they won’t accept names under 6 characters … grrrr … I’ve become rather fond of being gnome – same avatar though!)
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=4212
And many thanks for the offer, I will pm you. cheers Don
By: StuartH - 2nd November 2006 at 09:24
Hi Don
I’m afraid the short answer is that they won’t be. I’ve been chasing MRES files for sometime now (I’m working on a book about their work for Pen and Sword Aviation) and have been using various insider contacts in the RAF and MoD to trace what happened to all of the paperwork. Although I have no direct evidence, it appears that the bulk of it went up in smoke in about 1952/3.
If you could let me have your uncle’s details, I’ll check and see if I’ve come across anything that mentions him.
All the best
Stuart
By: Smith - 1st November 2006 at 21:23
Many thanks Stuart ~ appreciate your help.
I hold a copy of an original MRES document ( it’s what i would call a loss summaruy or precis, very brief structured form). I located it in my Uncle’s file at RNZAF. This suggests your point about Commonwealth personnel records being sent to the Parent Air force. But that one pager is tantalising as it refers to original German documents “in our [ie. MRES] files” that tell of, or in some way illuminate, the circumstances of the aircraft’s demise. It’s those records I want, but I have no idea how, where or when they might be available for perusal.
Many thanks, Don
By: StuartH - 1st November 2006 at 09:01
MRES
Hi Don
There are several files on the MRES on open access at The National Archives. These mostly cover operational details rather than specific cases, although there are a handful of these in there. Most of the information relating to the individual cases was either destroyed once a case was solved, or is held within the Service Record of the individual. These are still restricted, and will be until at least 2015, I think. Where cases related to Commonwealth personnel, copies of reports were sent to the parent Air Force, and these countries often have far laxer rules. You can view quite a few reports on Australian air crew on line at the Australian War Memorial, for example.
Hope that this helps.
Stuart
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November 1, 2006 at 4:46 am