AirMinistry,

Brilliant find. We (the Met Team) may be in contact with you for any more pix of this stuff that you may have!

Tks
Resmoroh

But at least when he was digging up Spits he had something to dig up – and, even possibly, the remains of somebody. The rellies could then draw a line under that life and know where/when to pay respects, etc.
We had a number of members of the Met Office staff who went into uniform in WW1. 5 were killed in action. ALL – 100% – have No Known Grave – nothing recognisable ever recovered!!!
A few years ago I took a young American rellie around a number of UK small villages. Each had its War Memorial. Each had a long list of names from WW1 – sometimes amounting to more than 50% of the male population of the village!!
Andy is to be congratulated on bringing this small, but important, episode into the public domain!
Resmoroh

These dredgers may not find too many aircraft carriers – but they may find the remains of the Ward Room piano which was “fired” from the steam catapult by some aircraft carrier just before it Paid Off. I was always told that the Captain – in full gold-braid uniform, and complete with sword – brought the sword down with a flourish. The steam catapult was fired, and the piano arced up into the air and then fell into the Oggin. There is, I believe, some footage somewhere of this Fishead tribal ceremony!
HTH
Resmoroh

PS Just “aviation” in that the piano was actually airborne – but nobody was ‘flying’ it.

Something does not quite fit together here? If ‘They’ are trying to stop people asking for this information then is it reasonable to suggest that it is largely on the grounds of cost? The fewer people who ask for this info then the fewer people will have to be employed to copy/send it?
But I would think that it takes considerably more time/effort to take the black relt-tipped pen to whole chunks of the record before copying/sending. Or is there an extra charge for carrying out the redaction?
Can someone please enlighten me?
HTH
Resmoroh

Try putting his name on Rafcommands.com. Lots of experts there who might know of him – or where to go to find out about him.
HTH
Resmoroh

I suspect that there is nothing new in the way of legislation. It’s just that some mandarin has discovered that some obscure, and arcane, para in the DPA means they don’t have to tell you anything – FOI or not. It’s just a smoke & mirrors ruse to reduce staff/costs – which is what the game is all about! I very much doubt if they are trying to restrict seeing data, as such – it’s all about money!
Your Brass Hat’s inability to see certain data may be a bit of ‘Red Herring’. He’s probably just been removed from the indoctrination list of some TS Codeword project? Or de-indoctrinated as we used to say in the trade!!
HTH
Resmoroh

Creaking Door, Hi,
Think BIG.
Shut/Sell Kidlington.
Shut/Sell Chalgrove.
Extend Benson 02 to make it capable of taking A380’s (or whatever). Give Martin-Baker’s a patch to play their games. Make the whole enlarged Benson complex a multi-user Regional airfield. A few roads will need to be re-routed – not a problem. There will be complaints from (a) the Good & Great with expensive properties in the area, and (b) the local citizenry. But these can be dealt with by either offering money, or using mounted police and/or water-cannon.
All these airfields were, originally, acquired by Govt force in a National Emergency (i.e. WW2!). We’ve got another National Emergency at the moment – or have you not noticed?!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is not meant to be helpful – but it is practical and – probably – very effective.
Rgds
Resmoroh
PS I have no, rpt no, financial interest.

Just to tidy-up a few loose ends on this one.
R A Curle Commissioned 30 Jan 42 from Sgt (so he was already a Sgt Pilot when Commissioned as a Plt Off in the RAFVR GD Branch).
Promoted from Plt Off to Fg Off on 1 Oct 42.
At some stage he was Promoted Acting/Flt Lt (these ‘Acting’ ranks are not normally Gazetted) which means he wore the ‘2 rings’ of a Flt Lt but was probably only being paid as a Fg Off when he was KIA (this was quite normal).
The photograph was probably taken on the occasion of his Commissioning. The brass VT collar tabs ceased to be worn at some time in 1943 (best Malcolm on Rafweb can come up with – tks Malcolm!).
HTH
Resmoroh