The Unaccounted Project - Final Stretch Updates by Jon Heyworth

[paulmcmillan]

There are a lot of local Singapore enlistments in the 785nnn range which are unknown and they are not (as far as I can see) in Air 78 either

Looked into this today... I think he was maybe a very early member of Special/Asiatic Technical Corps

I wonder if Service numbers started 785700.. for these....

785000 to 786999
786379
Jiy 1940
Local enlistments in Far East

Another early number is

Aircraftman 2nd Class ABDUL KARIM BIN YOUN (785709) RAF 1943-01-26 also unaccounted


OTHMAN BIN MUHAMMAD HASHIM,
A.C.2, 785703. R.A.F. (V.R.). 12th September,
1940. Column 410.

Pinang gazette and Straits chronicle, 19 September 1940, Page 4

Already 49 third-year students and
graduates of the Singapore Government
Trade School have been accepted by the
R.A.F. and are working as Aircraftman
Second Class, at $1.70 a day.


Special Technical Corps
Introduced in Malay in August 1940 as the Asiatic Technical Corps, the plan was to
recruit locals for service with the Royal Air Force. When Singapore fell to the Japanese in February 1942,
many of the personnel dispersed to their homes. Others followed the RAF to Java where they were captured and interned.


The Sydney Morning Herald
14 Feb 1941


I visited an R.A.F. station "somewhere in
Malaya." Its workshops, hangars, powerhouses, and barrack blocks are scattered over
a large area, so that they are not vulnerable to air attack, but they are accessible to each
other. Every building is specially protected against air attack, and all important points
are considered proof against a direct hit by a heavy bomb. Every part of the station has
an air-raid shelter for personnel.
The torpedo section of this R.A.F. station was interesting. It is one of the many responsible for maintaining, repairing, and storing
the hundreds of torpedoes required by the
squadrons of torpedo bombers operating from
bases throughout Malaya. These aircraft
are flown by men from all parts of the Empire. If used against an enemy fleet or
transports moving to attack any British or
allied possessions in the Far East, they would
prove to be one of the most deadly striking
forces with which the attackers would have
to contend.
The workshop equipment includes facilities
for the complete overhaul and repair of the
largest and most modern types of aircraft.
In these workshops, all metal main planes,
fuselages, aircraft instruments, aero engines,
and armament can be repaired. Hundreds of
skilled men are employed.
Some technical work is carried out by the
Asiatic Technical Corps under the supervision of R.A.F. personnel. Experienced R.A.F.
technical officers speak highly of the skill of
these Asiatic mechanics, and say that they
compare favorably with R.A.F. tradesmen.
Some of the Asiatics have been appointed
sergeants.


Flight June 5, 1941
GREAT BRITAIN
Air Force Bases in Malaya
High praise has been given to the Asiatic Technical Corps, formed in September 1939 (sic), of specially selected skilled Asiatic craftsmen from
the technical trade schools under contract to the Airforce for training in aircraft repair and construction.


Malaya Tribune, 28 December 1940, Page 3 confirms formed "3 months ago"



Successful applicants will be
required to serve in any part of
Malaya on appointment, and
commencing as aircraftsmen
class two will be paid $1.70 a
day, with increments corresponding to the rise in rank.
Clothes and quarters will all be
provided.

The special technical corps for
which the applications are now sought, was formed some three
months ago, but more hands are required.

The Straits Times, 16 September 1940, Page 10

Technical Corps
Men Interviewed
APPLICANTS for entry into the
" Special Technical Corps" of the
R.A.F. in Singapore are being inter-
viewed to-day at the Singapore Trade
School.
The Corps comprise the ground crews of
stations here. and the successful applicants
will work as artisans, motor transport
drivers, motor boat crews, electricians, wireless electrical mechanics and the various
other trades of the Royal Air Force.
This important branch ot the R.A.F. is
open to British non-Europeans, particularly
past and present pupils ot the four trade
schools in Malaya.
Several hundred applications have been
received, and a week has been set aside to
interview the candidates.
The Corps will not be called upon to fight
The scheme is the result of a decision to
absorb into the RAF, the ground employees
at the Aircraft Depot, Far East, and it
probable that more than 300 extra men will
be required the Special Technical
Corps.
The period of engagement tor the duration of the war.

CWGC
AIRCRAFTMAN 11.
OTHMAN bin MAHUMMAD HASHIM 'son of' MAHUMMAD HASHIM so OTHMAN HASHIM

[Jagan]

122,433 casualty records in this database.
119,635 records (97.71%) are "Accounted for".
99,925 are aviation. 19,710 are non-aviation deaths.
2,798 are still unaccounted.

[paulmcmillan]

Wow 200 knocked off in just under a two months! Well done Jon... (and others)

[jonheyworth]

Frens Smit 13135 , attached to 321 Dutch Squadron, died in Number 55 Indian General hospital, Columbo, of acute appendicitis

[Jagan]

2,798 are still unaccounted.

119,755 records (97.81%) are "Accounted for".
2,678 are still unaccounted.

About a 120 Unaccounted knocked off!

[paulmcmillan]

Wow only another 180
To get below 2500 well done Jon and anyone else who has contributed recently like Norfolk John

[jonheyworth]

Outside the U.K. in the whole of the world, the RAF Unaccounted ( there are some poorly accounted in addition ) currently are down to :

India 76
Egypt 21
Singapore local enlistment 36

Out of 44,118

[jonheyworth]

P/784873 Antoni Tabaczynski was taken dangerously ill on 17 May, dying of pneumonia secondary to tuberculosis of both lungs

[paulmcmillan]

EXCEPT for 1017102 John Henry Young of whom no trace, not even an official GRO reference, can be found

Need someone with ScotlandsPeople credits to check these 1947 deaths

YOUNG
JOHN
31
M
1947
644 / 14 / 392
PARTICK

YOUNG
JOHN
25
M
1947
503 / 88
ROW OR RHU

YOUNG
JOHN
50
M
1947
899 / 97
STRANRAER
YOUNG
JOHN
30
M
1947
573 / 1 / 248
PAISLEY

YOUNG
JOHN
52
M
1947
644 / 17 / 622
GOVAN

YOUNG
JOHN
42
M
1947
672 / 41
UPHALL

YOUNG
JOHN
40
M
1947
644 / 6 / 1050
TOWNHEAD

[jonheyworth]

Birth wise there are 4 x John Henry Young born in Scotland between 1900 and 1930, 1917, 1919 x 2 , 1920