Where to find British military records from before 1945?

+4 votes
165 views

So I'm working through the Welches listed on ThePeerage.com as part of the Welch Name Study. Right now, I'm working on Wing Commander Charles Donald Graham Welch. So far, I've managed to find more facts and sources for him than is available on his entry, but I figure there has to be more information about him than I have been able to uncover thus far. Is there someplace that lists who was assigned to specific squadrons in the RAF somewhere? I mean, he rose up to Squadron Leader, and somehow was given the rank of Wing Commander when he retired from the RAF, so it's not like he was some nebbish who flunked out of pilot school. (For that matter, he seems to have started out in the Territorial Army, but I don't know how to find a unit for him so I can apply the correct category for that.)

Can somebody with experience researching British Military records please give me some pointers?

WikiTree profile: Charles Welch
in The Tree House by Greg Slade G2G6 Pilot (669k points)

5 Answers

+6 votes
 
Best answer

I didn't find anything on his military record, but here are some other odds and ends that I found while looking that may be of interest (all are free-to-view images):

His aviators certificate, showing his precise date and place of birth: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/sharing/18402854?h=8df4d3

His photo from his aviators certificate: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/sharing/18402871?h=64c77f

His baptism record, showing his parents names: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/sharing/18402887?h=987a07

What I think is probably his probate entry, showing his precise date of death (in Spain): https://www.ancestry.co.uk/sharing/18402893?h=ddd037

by Paul Masini G2G6 Pilot (382k points)
selected by Stephen Norman Craig McCallum

Thanks, Paul, but I don't have an Ancestry.co.uk subscription. Could you please give his dates and places of birth, baptism and death?

They are all free-to-view images so you should be able to view them even without a subscription, but if you still have trouble seeing them let me know and I will transcribe them for you.

Oh, thank you, Paul! I've been able to source his father. Now to work on his mother...

+5 votes
by George Churchill G2G6 Mach 9 (96.0k points)

Thank you for that, George. However, I have a deal with my wife not to spend money on genealogy, and that site is behind a paywall.

+5 votes
Newspapers are sometimes useful for example The Scotsman Weds 18th August 1926 has: "Royal Air Force,  General Duties,.... The undermentioned Pilot Officers on probation are confirmed in rank 6th July 1926:....Charles Donald Graham Welch ( 2nd Lieut., H.A.C. Inly., T.A. )"
by Joe Farler G2G6 Pilot (150k points)

Where do you access The Scotsman? (I already know how to find The Gazette.)

Ah, sorry but it’s a paid site. I didn’t see any other reference to him on it at all.

https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

+5 votes
Forces War Records has info,helps too have his service

number.Also BOD, which is British Office of Defense.

If you do not have access,i will help,but need details,
by Wayne Morgan G2G Astronaut (1.0m points)
+6 votes

Some of the air force lists are at the National Library of Scotland  website.

They are not easy to navigate or interpret. I got my ex RAF officer husband to help because I couldn't find a name search.

This page has C D G Welch as a Sqn Ldr promoted to that rank on 23 March . 1941. He was in the admin and special duties branch ( ie not a pilot  or navigator).https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/96401874

(started from  alphabetical ndex; guesswork as to which page , index gives column number and service number. His was  72733.) A list prior to 1941 would show when promoted from Fg Off to Flt Lt. )

by Helen Ford G2G6 Pilot (462k points)
edited by Helen Ford

The Air Force lists are also on the internet archive at https://archive.org/search.php?query=air%20force%20list If you view them as pdfs, you can use the "search inside" box to search for a name.  He's in the April 1939 issue as a Pilot Officer (Volunteer Reserve) at https://archive.org/details/airforcelistapr1939grea/page/n457

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