Early military aviation was the responsibility of the army who established the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in 1912. The naval wing moved to the control of the Admiralty when the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was formed in 1914. The two organisations combined to create the independent Royal Air Force (RAF) on 1 April 1918. Those who served in the RFC or RNAS and then the RAF may have records in more than one place.
Our RAF, RFC and RNAS research guide
We have created the below guide which signposts you to resources you can use when conducting research on individuals who served with the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), or the Royal Air Force (RAF).
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IWM (Q 12260B)RFC/RAF Service Records
Discover how to locate and access service records for individuals who served with the Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service, or Royal Air Force.
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IWM (CH 13816)Casualty Records
Casualty records may list those missing, wounded, taken prisoner, killed in action or died as a result of their war service. Learn more about how to locate casualty records of an individual who served with the RCF, RNAS, and/or RAF.
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IWM (TR 1673)Medal Records
Medal Records are another useful resource when conducting research on an individual. This page explains how to trace Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service, and Royal Air Force medal records.
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IWM (A 34882)Unit and operational histories
This page explains how to trace unit and operational histories. Official operation records can contain daily accounts of squadrons on active service, and squadron histories are a useful secondary source.
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IWM (CF 1010)Additional sources
This page provides a list of additional resources you can use when tracing Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service, and Royal Air Force history.
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IWM (CF 1003)Contact addresses
We have compiled a list of useful contact addresses and websites for tracing Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service, and Royal Air Force history.
