Hello Stuart, thanks for getting in touch.  Yes we have been in touch with Wendy Rothery some weeks ago.

I appreciate your kind comments on the information published, it was originally intended to be a book but we have so much information to be loaded up that it would have run into multiple volumes and publishers were wary, probably because they were always more interested in their profit margin than the subject.

Thanks for the details which need updating, we’ll get that checked against the documents and done.  Some of the “credit” references for official bodies/archives were held in a different file and some did not survive the “upload” to the internet and are being manually corrected.   Corrections which we have made on our background data records do get mentioned in the text if they appear there, ie instances where the Air27 shows 2 different crews operating the same aircraft simultaneously.  Corrections to names and initials in our background database (all aircraft/crews/etc operating each night) and our central register of aircrew are updated based on postwar documentary evidence,  the other operational data sources, contacts from the chaps themselves, log books, service records, family providing material, etc.

We’re delighted to hear from you

kind regards PeterS

The records of the RAF Museum can be viewed in the reading room there.

Hi Stuart,

we have used the Movement Cards and Aircraft Loss Cards and actually one of my colleagues is part way transcribing these onto the website as you’ll see from the aircraft at the top of the list. We also had extremely valuable access to primary source material at Air Historical Branch, AR9a, AR8b and S10j for over a decade.

Yes we have identified incorrect serial numbers (and aircraft codes as well) where wartime clerks keeping the ORB’s had made typo’s – we did it using the alternative sources such as Air50’s and copies of Battle Orders, supplemented by log books and the record materials explained in the Sources sub-section on the website – source notes are maintained on our background system.   RAF Lists and London Gazettes have been used to correct names and initials on some occasions, Log books have also been used sometimes to verify who flew as have Air2’s.

Please feel free to contact us on        research630@btinternet.com

kind regards PeterS

Hi Stuart

I’m sorry I dont do French, but I hope that this helps as an example – if the Air27 records one particular aircraft serial flown by 2 different crews on the same Op, we check against the different sources available and any copies of log books held, etc, and identify which crew flew which aircraft.

If we have a serial number for an aircraft which is wrong, nonexistent, a different aircraft type or not a 630 Squadron aircraft we check to see if it was borrowed (ie: 57, 207, 619 or similar) and/or check the alternative sources to identify which is the correct serial based on the other sources agreeing.

The basis of our corrections (and there are not that many) is that if the ORB is incorrect but an alternative serial is supplied by logbooks/RAF Museum 630 Ops log or RAF Museum 630 Bombing logs, etc, then we remove the obviously incorrect serial and we use the one which is supported by contemporary documentary evidence.

I noted your point above on Max Whiting’s promotion and did reply but cant see my reply now – maybe I didnt hit SUBMIT properly ?    Our list of aircrew is driven by our Central Registry of 630 aircrew and currently (because none of us are experts with WordPress as yet) we are limited by the number of fields we can display on that published list, so we could either show the rank on joining the squadron or the final rank with the squadron. We chose the rank on joining.  An awkwardness with the final rank is that a chap may have FTR from Ops as a Sergt but could have had a posthumous promotion or commissioning (many RCAF and RAAF lads did) or if POW he was also likely to have been promoted later.  It is a development thing which we’ll get to when we have time.  Sadly all but one of us is still in full time work of the mortgage paying type.

Kind regards Peter