A Met wallah must have heard this phrase countless times in his service career.

Haven’t you read the ammendments to the S.O.s on the clipboard?

In this case a new model scheme of publication was released in 2009 for Local and Central Gov.

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FreedomOfInformation/PublicationScheme/AboutPublicationScheme/

The MoD scheme details AHB/RAF holdings and how they are handled.

http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/CBECA978-035F-4A75-930A-394CDC111479/0/mod_ps_guide_to_information_nov09.pdf

Tunbridge Well was the paper age now with the internet and email it’s been relocated on cost grounds to GCHQ.

Regards
Ross

Before firing off “Disgusted of Cheltenham” emails and FoI take a bit of time to actually read what the AHB/MoD Disclosures have publically said they will and will not do.

Records of Service

The Air Historical Branch does not hold Records of Service although we can assist members of the public with understanding of the content of RAF Records of Service.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is the custodian of the Records of Service of Service personnel until they are opened to general public access at The National Archives. Subject to the payment of a search fee of £30 per record and provision of a death certificate (except where death was in service), certain information can be provided from these records on request under the MOD’s publication scheme. The scheme allows for information in these records to be exempt from the general provisions of the Freedom of Information Act by virtue of section 21(1) of the Act (Information accessible to an applicant by other means).

Under the scheme, and in recognition of the duty of care owed to the family of the deceased subject, for a period of 25 years following the date of death of the subject and without the consent of the Next of Kin, MOD will disclose only:

■Surname
■Forename
■Rank
■Service number
■Regiment/Corps
■Place of birth
■Age
■Date of birth
■Date of death where this occurred in Service
■Date an individual joined the Service
■Date of leaving the Service
■Good conduct medals (i.e. Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (LS&GCM))
■Any orders of chivalry and gallantry medals (decorations of valour) awarded, some of which may have been announced in the London Gazette.

After this period, and if it is held, in addition MOD will disclose without the requirement for Next of Kin consent: the units in which he/she served; the dates of this service and the locations of those units; the ranks in which the service was carried out and details of WWII campaign medals.

The search fee of £30 will be waived for requests from those who were the spouse or civil partner of the subject at the time of death (or parent if there was no spouse or civil partner).

Where the consent of the immediate next of kin has been given for its release to a third party, the 25 year threshold will not apply allowing the release of all the information available under the publication scheme at any time, subject to the payment of a search fee of £30 per record and the provision of a death certificate (except where death was in service).

So FoI will be met with answer – exempt.

Was your request for details on Raw upto 25 years after death?
Was request for details on Raw upto 25 year after death with consent of NOK for release to third party?

If not the above case, then I cannot see any heavy deletion in the chronology of units by MoD.

They said they will provide:
the units in which he/she served; the dates of this service and the locations of those units; the ranks in which the service was carried out and details of WWII campaign medals.

All I can see missing is campaign medals as the locations of units can be found from other published sources.

By all means send your emails if they have not done what they have committed to but give them a break if they have not done what want regardless.

Regards
Ross

Looked into the seat construction process a few years ago and found that rather than being lost technology it had jumped industries and now was being pushed as a “green process”

The resin/paper fibre was laid up between mould sections then pressed and baked to form the plastic like compound.

Post war it was used in marine industry prior to the introduction of ready use of GRP composites.

Now it is used for kitchen worktops by a number of manufacturers.

This is the engineering guide from one such manufacturer.

http://www.richlite.com/assets/resources/resource-files/fabrication-manuals/A5%20UK%20Richlite%20Fabricator%20Survival%20Guide%20V06152011_36.pdf

Remanufacture of seats is possible according to the manufacturers if moulds are produced but as Bruce suggests the production method is nearly identical to carbon fibre and there are many more small production companies that can do that at lower cost.

Regards
Ross

AVIA 5/21 is the AIB accident reports at The National Archive and contains the pages for these accidents. I sent a copy of the Exeter loss to Ian from an earlier AVIA 5 file.

The accident cards at Hendon are Form1188/Form1180 but they may also have AIB reports held seperately.

AIB file reference is shown on the Form1180 in the AIB box but not attached to the Form 1180.

Regards
Ross

What aircraft serial are you looking at?

There may be other sources for some of the unreadable info.

I must admit that I have had a better success rate saying what I have/deduced from a card or accident and asking for confirmation yes or no.

Seems that if I show I have put work into exhausting other sources then the limited remaining work for AHB is acceptable.

I do not know about photos or other documents listed by Andy so cannot comment on how to go about obtaining AHB access.

One thing that I have become aware of is a growing trend by family/part time researchers to bang out an inquiry to AHB before expending time on other sources which may be causing the policy shift.

A quick look at most web sites usually shows a post from a bod advising “contact the AHB” regardless of suitability.

Regards
Ross

Yup.

There are a few more reported at Rock.

On the other side of the road from the safari park is a Javelin raydome.

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=77608&page=4

Regards
Ross

Valiant

Discussed and pictured before
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?p=1778156

Regards
Ross

The vultures had well picked that D4 corpse before it was born again Dave.

Apart from the wooden fuselage and butchered panel you would be hard pushed to find any original fittings/flight gear in that.

Ross