James Herbert Craig, Lt, 2/3 Scottish Horse attd? RAF. Help deciphering/ interpreting RAF record please.

[rolt968]

James Herbert Craig was the son of the minister of the United Free Church at Menmuir (north of Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland). He is commemorated on the church's war memorial. But not by CWGC. He died in 1920 in Bedford where he was working as a journalist ( From newspapers for which I will give the refernces in later post.).

He was commissioned (2/Lt, TF, Yeomanry) on 16 September 1917 (various Army Lists). (I have a number of questions about other documents, but will put them in later posts.)

He has an RAF Officer's Record (FmP and ancestry). There is very little information. This is all that relates to service.

• What was 1 S of A (or is it I S of A?)?
• (Does it have something to do with an RAF School of something? I see in the London Gazette that a number Army officers were appointed to RAF Schools of ..... in 1918.)
• Can anyone please confirm the two entries under Special Qualifications:

"1st Class Signalling Certificate Alford Lancs (?) Jan 1917"

"10 days Lewis Hotchkiss Gun Course Feb 1918"

• Does the course or location of course in Jan 1917 give any clue to the unit in which he was serving at the time (before he was commissioned)?

Thank you

RM

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rolt968]

Interesting. I see that 2/3 Scottish Horse were at Alford, Lincolnshire in 1916-17. (Wikipedia, I'm afraid)

[kenf48]

Is that an 'A' or a 'G'? - if the latter then probably No 1 School of (Aerial)Gunnery.

Though why he should qualify in February 1918 and be posted in November I don't know unless he became an instructor.

 

[Matlock1418]

2 hours ago, rolt968 said:

1 S of A (or is it I S of A?)?

School of Aeronautics I would suspect.  ???

M

[rolt968]

8 minutes ago, Matlock1418 said:

School of Aeronautics I would suspect.  ???

M

 

34 minutes ago, kenf48 said:

Is that an 'A' or a 'G'? - if the latter then probably No 1 School of (Aerial)Gunnery.

Though why he should qualify in February 1918 and be posted in November I don't know unless he became an instructor.

 

Thank you both.  At least we know it was a school of something.

I am not 100% convinced that he really was posted in November 1918. It is an interesting coincidence that his date of appintment matches the date of the "Census" (left hand column of the first page) and is the only date for which there is any detail of service. (Also why an RAF record for an army officer?}

Unfortunately this means I have to back to the Gazettes looking for J. H. Craig appointed to an RAF school. (The OCR is not very helpful with J. H. Craig giving me Craigs with almost any combinations of two initials!)

Also back to the Army Lists. I was initially looking for when he relinquished his commission (if he did), so once I found him in the August 1918 edition did not look at the rest of 1918 but went to January 1919.

Incidentally he was promoted lieutenant with effect from 16 March 1919 but that only appeared in the LG of 29 October 1919.

RM