What does the R prefix to a service number mean

**Don Clark** · 5th January 2021, 00:03

You've not mentioned if you've looked at the 218 Squadron Operations Record Book.
The National Archives UK has, under pandemic restrictions, made digitised Squadron ORBs free to view on-line as PDFs.

In case you've not had time, here's the 218 Squadron 1943 set, both monthly Summary of Events and daily Record of Events.
Follow your nose down the AIR 27/1351 RHS table/list: https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...e/r/h/C2503991

Along with the AIR 27/1356 Appendix set of 1942 & 1943 night target photos, various.
https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...ils/r/C2503996

View watermarked copies on line, or reg with email to download unmarked PDFs free of charge.

**cozzy711** · 5th January 2021, 07:57

Ian,

A Google search on "Geoffrey Donovan Knight" leads to:-

https://75nzsquadron.wordpress.com/s...r-crew-4-4-45/

Three of this crew are
F/O William Henry Conrad Rhodes, RAFVR 1390369/ 170865 – Air Bomber (Presumably Nav.B)
W/O P. Fenner, RAFVR – Wireless Operator
F/O Geoffrey Donovan Knight, RAFVR 573958/ 54659 – Flight Engineer

A search of Forces War Records shows

Phillip Bernard Fenner 1295240 RAFVR

These men were serving on No. 75 (New Zealand) Squadron in April to June 1945

Chris

**Ian Lauder** · 5th January 2021, 09:44

Chris
Thank you once again. Your help is amazing.
Ian

**Don Clark** · 5th January 2021, 10:11

"F/O William Henry Conrad Rhodes, RAFVR 1390369/ 170865 – Air Bomber (Presumably Nav.B)" (cozzy711 above)

Don't think so, Cozzy.

From July 1942, a lot of discussion (Ottawa Air Training Conf eg) resulted in the dropping of the previous Observer title (with it's winged O badge, & responsible for both navigation and bomb aiming) as part of a wholesale restructure of non-pilot aircrew, especially navigation and related tasks.

One of these was the new category, Air Bomber, with the winged B badge.

Give me a moment and I'll sort out a copy of the table from Jeff Jefford's marvellous Observer's & Navigators 2nd Edn Grub Street (p221)

Blimey! The table layout totally routed my OCR, usually a happy & simple little gizmo.
Resorted to an image therefore....& hosted on my site (as I cannae get the engines here to load her, Capn!)

Anyway helpful for now, I hope.
Take a copy if you like, I'd like to take the image down in a week or so. Here 'tis:
1942 aircrew categories

Thanks Ian, good luck with the project.

**Ian Lauder** · 5th January 2021, 10:41

So thanks to you, from the photo (I wish I could insert it here) of 7 men (one of whom did not sign the back for some reason) if I have understood the info, we have
Pilot Lauder
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner Gowland
Flight Engineer Knight
Air Bomber / Navigator? Rhodes
Air Gunner McCool
Wireless Operator Fenner
That's 2 Wireless operators
We need 3 gunners for a Stirling
What remaining task would the 7th member have done?
Is there any way that we can find when these men were together ?

**cozzy711** · 5th January 2021, 11:57

Ian

F/Lt Peryer and his crew (including Rhodes, Fenner and Knight) were posted to 75 (NZ) Squadron from 1651 Conversion Unit arriving on 31st March 1945, although by that stage of the war it was technically called 1651 Heavy Conversion Unit.
https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...ils/r/D8453929

The ORB for 1651 CU is not available on line so if you so desire a visit to The National Archives will be needed to view the file. (There is a good chance that someone on here has a copy)
https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...ils/r/C7160901

I do not know if the details of posting in and out of trainee crews are included in these but they may assist in working out where this crew came from. (Many unfortunately don't)

The photograph you have was clearly taken before November 1943 as McCool (the first to be commissioned) signed it with his NCO service number. I would suggest it was probably taken on the Operational Training Unit your father attended prior to posting to 218 Squadron.

As it would appear that Rhodes was the Air Bomber the seventh missing name would likely be the Navigator (The confusion over Rhodes exact trade was in some way caused by the RAF not distinguishing between Air Bomber and Navigator trades on commissioning, showing all as General Duties - Navigators).

If you want to email me the photograph I should be able to put a link to it on this thread. You should be able to see my email address on my profile. I have had a brief look at the 218 Squadron ORBs but did not find any of the names from your list so they were likely posted elsewhere.

Cheers
Chris

**cozzy711** · 5th January 2021, 17:05

Ian has kindly sent me the photograph which should hopefully be viewable here

https://imgur.com/a/mbAjuey

Chris

**Don Clark** · 5th January 2021, 19:31

James Lauder, pilot, is front, 3rd from the right, thumb in belt.

A careful blow-up at high res might show that the figure last on the right, hands clasped, is wearing the B badge of the air bomber.
At least, that's what I see with modest enlargement

Between them, rear, 2nd from the R, the tallest man looks pretty certainly to be wearing the O badge of the Observer - that is, the Navigator in 1943 terms.

Observers had qualified for the winged O badge in both Nav and bomb aiming. After 1942, as the N men qualified in duties as the table I linked above records, those who had qualified earlier as Observers were most most reluctant to give their badge up for the N of the varied types of navigator, and wearing of their original O badge was permitted long long after the winged N badge was issued...

These marks of qualification are sometimes, and quite incorrectly, called "brevets", as Jeff Jefford once remarked to me. They are correctly indeed badges.
My father, who qualified as an Observer in May 1940, kept the O badge on his tunic to the end of his RAF service in 1946.

**David Duxbury** · 5th January 2021, 21:07

I remember seeing an airman (probably trade of General Service Hand, which was a so-called trade in the 1980s in RNZAF, probably similar to the wartime ACH/General Duties) on duty as a guard at the guardhouse at the RNZAF Museum, Wigram (New Zealand) still wearing his wartime "O" badge in about 1987, so I presume he was legit! He looked about the right age too!
David D