RAF World War II

[jpiercy]

Can you help with any of the following

- Return to sender Airgraph to RAF Templeton with cachet 'RAF Records/Ruislip, Middlesex/England' - I thought the RAF records office was at Gloucester??

- do you know where the UK Canadian Overseas Depot was in WWII? Was the 'Post Office/RCAF "R" Depot' in the same place and do you have any other information?

- where was the Canadian Postal Training Section C.M.H.Q. based?

- Where was APO 1435 RAF H/Q (d/s of April 1942) - Cairo? Bombay?

- do you know what the RAF cachet 'Not Con Dep(ot)' stands for (CON) and where it was?

- was there an RAF presence in Rhodesia in WWII? If so where and when, any other info?

- I have 2 1941 covers addressed to RAF personnel in Blackpool with cachets 'Return to sender VIDE A.M.O.A. 486/40' what does VIDE O.M.A. stand for/mean?

if you can help with only one of these questions, I would be very grateful.

thanks, Jeremy (Piercy)

[Nick Colley]

Hi, Jeremy,

I THINK that the 'R' Depot was in Bournemouth, but I may be mistaken, there. Others may have sounder knowledge/memory than I.

There was a large training Group in Rhodesia during WW2. I have a map somewhere showing the locations of the various establishments: I'll try and dig it out.

VIDE A.M.O.A: Vide is Latin for see (as in the sense of an instruction to see something). That something here is Air Ministry (Order ?) 486/40, but I am unable to hazard a guess as to what the second 'A' stands for.

chrs
N

[Nick Colley]

You're in luck, Jeremy: rarely has anything been 'found' so quickly in this house.

Be that as it may, map attached, as promised.

chrs
N

[Michael Dobbs]

A.M.O.A relates to Air Ministry Orders - Administrative or Standing Orders

Air Ministry Orders (The National Archives series AIR72) states from 1933 split into four series:
A - administrative or standing orders
N - temporary orders
E - equipment orders
B - (discontinued in 1943)

With the creation of the Ministry of Defence in 1964 AMOs were replaced by Defence Council Instructions (RAF).

As regards RCAF R Depot - I hope to post my researches made several years ago at The TNA once I get my computer back later today!

The same for APO 1435 - although I have very little information on that.

Mike  :)

[Michael Dobbs]

Sorry - one other response:

I think NOT CON DEP may stand for Not Convalescent Depot.

Mike

[Michael Dobbs]

And another response which I hope to expand on later:

I don't think Canadian Postal Training Section C.M.H.Q is correct - I feel sure it must be Canadian Postal Tracing Section.

Mike

[Michael Dobbs]

I now back up and running on my computer (the internal battery had gone funny and needed replacing).  I can provide more  information as follows:

APO 1435:
The only information I have is a reference to: GTGT HQ RAF - I don't know what the code letters mean
It [u][i]does not [/i][/u]appear to have been listed in the Post Office Circulars as an APO number to which EFM telegrams could be sent
I would like further information on your cover please - exact wording and date of the datestamp and what was it on - cover, postcard, etc.  A scan would be appreciated.

RCAF 'R' Depot - please see attached document which I compiled many years ago now from the various reference at The National Archives.

As you will see it was not located with the "Canadian Overseas Depot" - do you mean Canadian Overseas Postal Depot?
It was originally established alongside the Home Depot Royal Engineers in Bournemouth - at that time it was known as Canadian Section, Home Depot.  Later it became known as Canadian Base Post Office Overseas No 1.  It moved to Mills Garage, Hyde Road, Ardwick, Manchester in July 1941 and stayed in Manchester until August 1943 when it moved to London.

Thats as far as I can go at present - my researches into the Canadians in the UK during WW2 lapsed some years ago, but I would like to re-start again soon but my wide interests in post-war British FPOs and services prevent me at present.

Regards, Mike  :)