Finding
Full Identification Details
Internet
searches are made much easier if you know the correct spelling and full name of
your research subject, and their service number. There are two primary online sources for
this information:
"World
War Two Nominal Roll"
To
trace men who served in WW2, your first stop should be the Department of
Veterans Affairs website:
http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/ . It is usually fairly simple to
track down all of the key identification details for any individual, even
starting with just a surname.
As
an example, the record for Bobby Gibbes can be seen by clicking below:
http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/script/veteran.asp?ServiceID=R&VeteranID=1204688
National
Archives of Australia
For
other 3 Squadron members who served outside the WW2 era, the National Archives
of Australia can often be used to track down further personnel details. Go to the NAA Search Page:
http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/recordsearch.aspx
Click
‘Search Now as a Guest’ and then type
in the surname or service number that you are seeking to trace. The information on these files is often
quite fascinating and some of them are already available online as glorious
colour scans. For example, the file
of a 3 Squadron veteran from World
War One , Alfred Boxall-Chapman
(who helped Neil
Smith’s dad recover the wreck of the Red Baron’s plane in 1918!), can be seen
at: http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imagine.asp?B=3231366&I=1
(It is possible to request a copy
of these service records, see
http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/explore/defence/service-records/raaf.aspx .)
Further
Research in the National Archives of Australia
The
NAA has many dozens of files that mention 3 Squadron. The most important of
these documents, the “Operations Record Books” can be viewed online, making it
possible to read impressive detail regarding every mission flown by each pilot in 3
Squadron.
Just
click the links below to go to these documents. Note that the pages are in date order.
It
is quickly possible to home in on a particular date; simply
type in a Page Number and hit the ENTER key to skip to that page.
On each page, an "Enlarge" button shows more detail of the text.
(Note:
For each month, there are usually two sets of
records, a shorter Administrative Summary, which briefly describes Operations
and also lists Personnel Movements, base relocations, etc., followed by a
day-by-day detailed description of each Operation flown.)
Operations Record Books:
1)
RAAF Unit History sheets (Form A50) Number 3 Squadron Jul 25 to Aug
43
http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imagine.asp?B=1158595&I=1
2)
RAAF Unit History sheets (Form A50) Number 3 Squadron Sep 43 to Jul
46
http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imagine.asp?B=1339854&I=1
3)
RAAF Unit History sheets (Form A50) Number 3 Squadron Mar 48 to Nov
61
http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imagine.asp?B=1339857&I=1
4)
RAAF Unit History sheets (Form A50) Number 3 Squadron Dec 61 to Nov 87
http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imagine.asp?B=1339857&I=1
Other Interesting Online NAA Files:
5)
RAAF No 3 (AC) [Army Co-operation] Squadron.
[Operations of 3 Squadron in the
Middle East – Air Ministry and RAAF Liaison London records]
http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imagine.asp?B=304297&I=1
6) No 3 Squadron -
Aircraft Flying Control.
[Contains various interesting reports of operations of
the Squadron - 1940-45. Includes, for example,
first-hand reports of pilots who evaded capture after being shot down in
1945 (p1), WW2 summary history up to mid-1944 (p21), African campaign summary (p26), and the 239 Wing report on "Operation
Bowler" the 1945 Wing attack on Venice Harbour - (p87) ]
http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imagine.asp?B=304301&I=1&SE=1
Worldwide
Internet Sources
Once
you have the full identification details of a 3 Squadron member, it is worth trying some general
("WWW") Google
searches to see what is available in the World-Wide Web. For example, try searching just the
service number, or the exact phrase of their name (indicated by using "quote
marks" in the search), such as:
"Bobby Gibbes" RAAF
"R. H.
Gibbes"
Gibbes "3 Squadron"
Important Note: Some
Internet Sources
Are Not Listed in Google Searches
It is important to realise that the content of some Internet sites will not
be picked up by Search Engines such as Google. You may
sometimes have to go to specific sites and use their internal Search Engines.
A very important example is the enormous online collection of the Australian War
Memorial:
Australian
War Memorial
For detailed instructions on finding AWM online photographs, interview
transcripts, memorabilia, artworks and documents concerning particular
individuals, aeroplanes or places, see our:
Guide to Researching the
Australian War Memorial Collection
Other significant sources are:
The Australians at War Film Archive
A huge project by the Australian Department of Veterans Affairs, running since
2002, has collected thousands of hours of videotape of the reminiscences
of Australian Defence Force Veterans. Many 3 Squadron personalities have been
included in the interviews. Veterans from many other units have also made
interesting mentions of 3 Squadron and its battles.
All of the interviews have been transcribed into a searchable
text database, which is
a fantastic resource.
Go to their search page
http://www.australiansatwarfilmarchive.gov.au/aawfa/search/search.aspx and
enter the Keywords:
"3 Squadron" RAAF
...(including quote marks) to see the range of interviews available. Many other
interesting references can be obtained by entering other
keywords, for example, the name of 3 Squadron's sister units [e.g.
"450 Squadron", "260 Squadron"] or particular placenames or people. (Note that
the surname of Squadron Leader Bobby Gibbes has unfortunately been incorrectly
transcribed as "Gibbs", but several references to him will come up if you search
"Bobby Gibbs".)
Commonwealth
War Graves
For
men who died in WW1 or WW2, the Commonwealth War Graves website provides
extensive commemorative information. The CWG website provides detailed
cemetery history and visitor access directions. Often, large colour photographs are
available showing the beautifully-maintained war cemeteries. Gravestone
inscriptions are often noted and an attractive memorial certificate for each
casualty can be printed.
To
search the CWG records click
http://www.cwgc.org/debt_of_honour.asp
(For help with any of the
fields to be filled in, hover your mouse pointer over the yellow Question Mark
icons on the CWGC page)
