…”He’s a very naughty boy”

sorry couldn’t resist.

Dammit I was going to say that!

You mean the 6 pages I mentioned in the PM I just sent you? Fine!

Yes – hence my comment in post #9 above!

See email I have just sent, including a photo of your man, just in case you don’t have it.

Only one query remains: I doubt he learnt to fly with 98/198 Depot Sqn, and so there would appear to be a bit missing from his record, circa June 1917 to show elementary flight training (on Maurice Farman, Avro 504 or possibly DH.6 – the latter just being introduced at that time).

12 Training Depot Station (TDS rather than JDS): at that time it was based at Netheravon. TDS were usually formed by combining two TS (Training Squadron), to achieve economies of scale in training.

I’d be happy to translate his RFC record if you need it. Sometimes they can be confusing to the uninitiated!

T-33 and F-100 being prepared for return to USAF and an uncertain future.

According to a copy of the list I have the following are owned by the NMUSAF and on loan to the IWM

AIRCRAFT, A‐10A, 77‐0259
AIRCRAFT, F‐100D, 54‐2165
AIRCRAFT, F‐111E, 67‐0120
AIRCRAFT, F‐15A, 76‐0020
AIRCRAFT, HUNTER MK 6, XE627
AIRCRAFT, SR‐71A, 61‐7962
AIRCRAFT, T‐33A, 51‐4286
AIRCRAFT, U‐2CT, 56‐6692

Yeesh. That’s not happy reading, bearing in mind the great restoration done to the F-100 and T-33 and what’s occurred recently.

Couple more bits:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]244119[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]244120[/ATTACH]

I am sure there will also be an accident report at the National Archives, but from experience it will likely be buried in a casualty file and not individually referenced.

Papers are Framlingham Weekly News of 12th March and Western Times (Exeter) of 12th March, respectively.

Looking again, there are indeed two ‘HW Gardner’ airmen (please ignore the link I sent: this man can be discounted as he was discharged an invalid in 1916!): one, a Canadian with s/n 273242 (or 272242?), who was discharged in Canada in December 1918, and not relevant.

‘Your’ man is Harold William Gardner, born 11Jan94, and indeed ex-London Scottish (private, s/n 4413). His RFC record gives ‘MK Crockford’ of Croydon as his sister.

CWGC luckily goes up to 1921 and a search of the CWGC site provides grave and next-of-kin details for the Gardner killed in the DH.10 crash:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]244118[/ATTACH]

This ties your man to the RFC record, and also gives a dob. He’s in the 1911 Census with sister May Kathleen (see above (Crockford is her married name)), and he’s listed as born in (Eanston?) Rd – London (not Canada).

Hope this helps.