pinetree_fella Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 (edited) Hi Folks Hopefully this is not in the wrong place, I am trying to find details of my wife's Uncle F/O William "Bill" Appleton who flew Spitfires in the war. He transferred to Australia and became the first British member of the "roo" club, parachuting from a Beaufighter in May 1944. Edit: I now know he was in 41 Squadron from 19 September 1941 until about 27 May 1942 I would like to build both a Spitfire and the Beaufighter to honor him, I have found details of the Beaufighter including serials and Squadron, but have not been able to find a good starting point for his records to locate the Spitfire details. Can any one point me in the right direction please? this has become more important as my darling wife is building a family tree and we have no details of Bill. Thanks in advance. Stewart Edited October 24, 2015 by pinetree_fella 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vince14 Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Start with the National Archives, especially if you know his Service Number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinetree_fella Posted October 24, 2015 Author Share Posted October 24, 2015 Thanks Vince, I have what I think is his service number, a quick search of the National Archives using this number 931847 didn't show anything useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Stewart,what was his full name?,this person seems to fit the dates but not the later Australian service, http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?12754-126776-Flt-Lt-William-Henry-APPLETON Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewerjerry Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 (edited) deleted by me Edited October 24, 2015 by brewerjerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinetree_fella Posted October 25, 2015 Author Share Posted October 25, 2015 Stewart,what was his full name?,this person seems to fit the dates but not the later Australian service, http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?12754-126776-Flt-Lt-William-Henry-APPLETON Thanks Steve, That is Uncle Bill, (the birth dates match) We know he was in Australia in May 1944, also according to what I have been able to find 54 Squadron was in Australia at that time. If he was in 54 Squadron until April 1944 and the crash occurred in May, he might have been transferring to another Squadron? I am truly grateful for your help and for the assistance from the other Forum, would you please pass on my extreme gratitude to those guys as well? Now I just need to work out which Spitfire type he flew in 41 Squadron (VB from what I have read but did they have clipped wings etc?) I can also look at the other Squadrons to see what he may have flown Again Steve thanks for your help 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicarage Vee Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Dear Stewart, the information on his postings will be in his RAF service record as will lots of other interesting background, and you can obtain a copy of this by following the procedure here https://www.gov.uk/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records. If you are not applying as, or with the signed consent of, the closest living next of kin be sure to make clear that your request is being made under The Freedom of Information Act, this is very important. There will be a fee and it will take a while, so be patient. His destination after posting out of 54 Squadron will most likely also be covered in the monthly summary in the Form 540 Operational record book which is held at The National Archive at Kew but also available online (for a fee). Document series AIR 27/514 pieces 5-10 should cover it. Some kind soul visiting Kew may be able to look it up for you. Good luck in your search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 (edited) 41 Squadron's ORBs are very useful for modelling purposes at the time Appleton was with them because they list individual aircraft serials and pilots' names. As an example here are the November ORB listings for Sergeant Appleton, as he was then. He flew operations in R7213 on 12th November 1941, AD135 on 15th and 27th November and R7254 on 25th November. The ORB doesn't list individual aircraft letters. Edit - I've found a code letter tie-up. He flew W3713, coded EB-T, on 18th December 1941. I've also found that, for the first time, I've had to use my magnifier to read the small print in my copy of "Spitfire The History". The years are catching up! Edited October 25, 2015 by Ivor Ramsden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Glad to help Stewart,as you have seen already those much more in the know will be along like Ivor with much more detail as to aircraft he would have flown and "googling" aircraft serials can sometimes lead to a photo with codes.someone with a knowledge of 54 SQN may be a long soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyL Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 If you wish to make contact with the 41 Squadron historian Steve Brew, drop me a line. He's a mate and I bet he would like get in touch. Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinetree_fella Posted October 26, 2015 Author Share Posted October 26, 2015 If you wish to make contact with the 41 Squadron historian Steve Brew, drop me a line. He's a mate and I bet he would like get in touch. Regards Andy PM sent, (I hope) thanks for the ongoing assistance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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