Help please.

[sean buckley]

Sorry if I’ve posted this in the wrong section,
Looking for information on my grandad, Sergeant 1181515 Francis Charles Buckley.
All I know is that he had some connection with the Lancaster bomber, and possibly training.
Unfortunately he lost his life through shrapnel wound and eventually died on the 30th April 1946, laid to rest at Church Eaton, Staffordshire, England
My Nan is no longer with us and my father doesn’t want to talk about it.
Very interested to find what squadron and where he may have been based, but can’t find any information on any web sites.
I would appreciate any information or leads that my head me in the right direction.

Kind Regards,
Sean.

[Oldduffer]

Sean,

You need your grandfather's Record of Service - it is the key to everything else, if you are starting from scratch and have no other information. You might also want to obtain from the appropriate Register Office, your grandparents' marriage certificate because that might show where he was based at the time of marriage and your father's place of birth might also give a clue, so get his birth certificate as well.

The Record of Service can be obtained from the RAF and somebody else will tell you the precise rules and how much it costs, as these things seem to change.

Have you searched for photograph albums, your granfather's war medals, his certificate of discharge etc and anything else which might pin down something about him.

Being very blunt about it, if my father was being difficult about telling me anything, I would be very caustic with him and tell him I wanted to know and resented him trying to prevent me finding out. What does your mother say about it?

From the date of death and the fact that your grandfather was still serving and appears in the CWGC registers, suggests that he might have been injured in an accident of some sort after the end of the war in Europe and subsequently died of his injuries. However, as I said get the Record of Service.

Good Luck and I'm sure others here will help you with their advice.

Colin Cummings

[colinpateman]

Following on from the excellent advice, I can only add that the service number puts your grandfather as enlisting in the RAF during mid 1940.

[dennis_burke]

His name appears to be here in this 1946 official Air Ministry Casulty list

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1946/1946%20-%201950.html?search=F.%20C.%20Buckley

As Died on Active Service.
This we have found normakly refers to deaths from illness or accident.

A death from injuries would expect to be
Died of injuries recieved in action OR on active service.

From freebmd.org.uk you can find a 1946 death of a Francis C Buckley born 1921 in Stafford district.

You should start by getting his death cert from gro.gov.uk

[jonny]

I am not sure where you live, but if you need any photos taken, I am approx 10 mins drive from Church Eaton.

Rgds

Jonny

[sean buckley]

thanks guys,
You have been most helpful.
thankyou for the offer Jonny, i have visited his grave and taken a few pictures.
once again thankyou all.

Kind regards,
sean.

[David Rogers]

Sorry if I’ve posted this in the wrong section,
Looking for information on my grandad, Sergeant 1181515 Francis Charles Buckley.
All I know is that he had some connection with the Lancaster bomber, and possibly training.
Unfortunately he lost his life through shrapnel wound and eventually died on the 30th April 1946, laid to rest at Church Eaton, Staffordshire, England
My Nan is no longer with us and my father doesn’t want to talk about it.
Very interested to find what squadron and where he may have been based, but can’t find any information on any web sites.
I would appreciate any information or leads that my head me in the right direction.

Kind Regards,
Sean.

Sean
I am involved with St Edithas Church Church Eaton and am doing some research on residents killed in the second world war, so that a memorial can be erected.
I have obviously seen your grandfathers grave and would like some more details as to where he was born and where he lived, which regiment he served with etc.
Regards
David Rogers

[dennis_burke]

Sean has not visited the forum since May 2013 so you might want to click on his name to send him a Private message which might in turn send him an email to prompt him back.

Failing that you would need to order his service record from the RAF to get anything of use.