RAF Squadron Leader

[Gardengirl]

Can you be an RAF Squadron Leader in the accounts branch? I have a death cert of my great uncle which says he was a Squadron Leader RAF (retired) which was a big surprise because I don't think my Dad ever mentioned that his uncle was a squadron leader. Something to be proud of surely?

In clearing out masses of old paper notebooks from my earliest researches, I have just found a page dated 1989, headed PRO Kew - looking for Charles Henry Goodall.

Underneath I have a long lists headed Date, Personal Number and Rank. Mainly the entries are personal number 43761 starting May 1940 Flying Officer then subsequent dates in 1944 give rank Accountant Branch Squadron Leader, then from 1948 F L Secretarial Branch until 1952.

Does this mean that he never was a Squadron Leader in the heroic sense but was in fact a team leader of some kind with a desk job?

[cbcarolyn]

Just googling the title and it brings up this PDF

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/33400/page/4502/data.pdf

The only ranks in the airforce seem to be flying officer, squadron leader etc so it does seem so who knew.....well guess if you are in the airforce you know as looks as though no change.

hopefully someone with proper knowledge will confirm

[merleyone]

Squadron Leader in the RAF is the equivalent rank to a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy and a Major in the Army and it never meant that it involved flying exclusively. In the Services, there are many roles which generally do not involve personal involvement in battle but are highly responsible roles which require people with the right qualities and abilities to fill them.

merleyone

[Gardengirl]

Thank you, merleyone. So he could have been a senior person in the accounts / admin department?

[grumpy]

It is just a rank, nothing to do with flying or commanding a squadron. Military forces are made up of many occupations/trades and

they all have their officer structures as deemed fit.

[Gardengirl]

Thank you, that’s really helpful and certainly explains why my Dad never mentioned it. Maybe whoever registered the death just wanted to big him up a bit

[grumpy]

No shame in being a squadron leader either flying or non flying.

[Gardengirl]

I didn’t mean to imply shame in it! Just that average non RAF citizens would probably assume he was a flyer but I fully appreciate that every cog in the wheel is as valuable as each other.

[Janet in Yorkshire]

My friend's father was a squadron leader and he had nothing to do with planes or flying. He qualified firstly as a teacher and then joined the RAF. He served in the education department, teaching the new entrants to improve their basic literacy and numeracy skills.

[brentor boy]

I was in the R A F and flew a desk!

[Gardengirl]

I love learning all these little snippets about aspects of life that I knew nothing about.

Isn’t family history research fascinating? And so good for our ageing brain cells

[cbcarolyn]

I love learning all these little snippets about aspects of life that I knew nothing about.

Isn’t family history research fascinating? And so good for our ageing brain cells

yes absolutely