98.5 percent Achieved. Where do we go from here ?

[paulmcmillan]

3# Aircraftwoman 1st Class Meri DIX (W/5565) 1944-11-22 New Zealand Wellington (Karori) CemeteryRef : 26. I/3. (S).

Discharged 18 Oct 1944 - So not in FYT

[paulmcmillan]

4#

Corporal Charles Arnold BEATTY (414163) RNZAF 1945-01-08 New Zealand Levin (Tiro Tiro Road) CemeterRef : 46. 29.
To Army from Air Force (Transferred Army 20 June 1943 and discharged) So not in FYT

[paulmcmillan]

5#
Corporal Charles Arnold BEATTY (414163) RNZAF 1945-01-08 New Zealand Levin (Tiro Tiro Road) CemeterRef : 46. 29.
To Army from Air Force (Transferred Army 20 June 1943 and discharged) So not in FYT

Leading Aircraftman George Charles ASLETT (44387) RNZAF 1946-06-02 New Zealand Invercargill (Eastern) CemeterRef : 2. 61. Soldiers' Plaque Area.

Enlisted Delta 28 Jan 1944 and employed there until posted Levin 9th May 1944
Early June 1944 proceeded to Wigram for duty, remaining there until embarking
overseas to No 14 Servicing Unit at Green Island and then Jacquinot Bay.
Returned NZ with Unit 30 Sept 1945 and was released to reserve on 26th Dec 1945
Died of natural causes at Invercargill Hospital on 2nd June 1946

Death not due to war service

[paulmcmillan]

6# Flying Officer Thomas Kenneth PARKER (416217) RNZAF 1947-04-03 New Zealand Wellington (Karori) CemeteryRef : 754. O. C.
Posted to reserve 5 Sept 1945 so not in FYT

[paulmcmillan]

7# Flight Sergeant Harry BUTTERWORTH (14641) RNZAF 1947-07-20 New Zealand Auckland (Waikumete) Crematori.
Army at time of death so not on FYT


14641 F/SGT BUTTERWORTH H (Harry)
Canteen Staff.
Awanutu 12/4/43. Swanson 1945. 20/7/47 whilst at Waiouru. Very little
info held. Honorary rank was given to canteen staff I understand
letter of 29.5.89 "No service number recrired Appeaars fran scant detailsl
on file that was a Honorary Sergent. Was serving with Army at date of death
so have not as presuambly held that rank in Army"

[Don Clark]

Further to my RAAF post at #5 above
https://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sh...388#post184388
and following my NAA notes here
https://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sh...391#post184391

Since my last NAA visit, pre-COVID, as a result of COVID and other NAA developments, the Record Search request system has changed, such that it is no longer possible to visit, search, print, lodge request, and get file retrieval same day. Indeed, while there is one working NAA Record Search terminal on site, it is not connected to a printer (so on-site lodgement is impossible).

The NAA now requires that all file requests be lodged remotely, via the Advance Request page.
A minimum of 5 (five) days notice is required, to view retrieved files by a pre-booked visit.
Visitors are limited to viewing 5 (five) files in any one visit.
In addition, while a file may be shown as Open in Record Search, the file may in fact be unavailable - sent elsewhere for digitising.
That is only checked when your remote request is lodged - if a not available advice is given, you have to start again at a later date.

So the notion of visiting the NAA Canberra Research Centre office to look at each of the multiple files for these 7 RAAF personnel "in an afternoon" is simply out of the question.

Further, these 7 (seven) deaths occurred post-war.
For deaths occurring after RAAF discharge, it is much less likely that an A9300 or A9301 service record will include cause of death.
Where an A13859 medical file exists, that may record actual cause of death: only three (Davies 100629, Hunt 128743, Liston 418439) of these seven cases include a medical file. All are Status: Not Yet Examined.
One other, Davis 89474, has an A705 casualty file which may help (and its Access: Open ).
It is possible if unlikely that an A8231 Graves reg card might record cause of death. These are all Open
I'm indebted to a kindly if pressed NAA person for explaining the new system.

I will continue with the search, first I'll lodge the several Request for Open access forms.
As I have other unavoidable commitments coming over the next 6 weeks or so, the Open files requests will now have to wait until August.

Notes
NAA refs
https://www.naa.gov.au/help-your-res...fore-you-visit
https://www.naa.gov.au/help-your-res...out-collection
https://reftracker.naa.gov.au/reft10...37073212184427
https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au

Update
A13859 medical files Davies 100629, Hunt 128743, Liston 418439:
Requests for Open access examination submitted.
The automated form response shows Date Application Due 26/10/2023.
That is, 90 working days from application

[Franek Grabowski]

Who are the Poles?

[jonheyworth]

Who are the Poles?

There are :

GAJEWSKI P/780790 Only listed as died in 3 Counties Hospital Arlesley ( Bedford archives will not allow access to the hospital Register of deaths )

KUBIAK P/783365 Only listed as Died at North Weald ( there is no entry in the North Weald ORB )

CZEPINSKI P/784744 Only listed as died in Long Grove hospital, Epsom ( he has no entry in the hospital Register of deaths in Surrey archives )

BARAN P/783720 Only listed as died as Stansfield Sanatorium Stoke

MACKOWIAK P/707245 Only listed as died in RAF Hospital Halton - but I've found no evidence whatsoever that he did die there or that he was still serving

GORSKI P/2452 Only listed as Died in a London Hospital

SUTERSKI P/784563 no entry whatsoever

POSZELUNZNY P/784076 Only listed as died in Long Grove hospital, Epsom ( he has no entry in the hospital death register )

BETLEJA P/784271 No entry whatsoever ( I have discovered he died in Number 4 Polish hospital but no WO177 or WO222 files seem to exist )

SZYMCZYK 20th November 1947 Only listed as died in Beverley EMS hospital

£70 on death certificates would fully account for the Polish Airforce

[Don Clark]

Further to earlier RAAF/NAA list posts, of these seven personnel, the following have now been assessed

W/O Brian Douglas Liston 418439 02/11/47 files Now assessed: Open
ACW4 Dorothy Francis Davies 100629 26/11/47 files Now assessed: Open with Exception (ie some folios within the disclosure period will be under seal)
LAC Fleming Ronald Hunt 128743 27/11/47 files Now assessed: Open

Assessment still pending:
AC2 Geoffrey Herbert Davis 89474 09/10/47 files

Already Open
AC1 James John WHALEY 151106 15/05/47 files
F/O Colin Douglas Kerr 132448 10/10/47 files
Cpl Jack Walters 64407 27/12/47 (See post 5 : suggest nothing further at NAA.

Following NAA post-COVID 5 items/visit, 5 days booked notice rules, I'll start looking at the Open files in the week 7 to 11 Aug and report back.

[jonheyworth]

Outstanding. Jagan has also identified a raft of poorly accounted earlier was Aussies too. I've done the open ones, but obviously not the still non digital ones