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Julie
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6 Jun 2014 09:06 |
I am trying to find out any information on my Great Granddad's military record.
His names is George Edwin Wickins. His date of birth was 06.08.1873. His soldier number was 48544. He was in the Royal Air Force Muster Roll 1918.
Please is there anyone who can help me with this. I have been trying for ages and all that I had to go on was a photograph taken on his 30th birthday in full uniform.
Julie Hill
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Kucinta
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6 Jun 2014 11:12 |
He appears on the Surrey recrument registers, but no extra info really, other than he originally enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps.
Note a different soldier number:
First Name G E Last Name Wickins Age 38 Years 0 Months<<<<<<<<<<<< Birth Place Year 1916 Occupation Publisher<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Unit Or Regiment Royal Flying Corps Regiment Royal Flying Corps Soldier Number 11818 Attestation Place London Attestation Date 11 January 1916 Service - Height - Complexion - Hair Colour Chest Expansion Inches Distinctive Marks Chest Size Inches Eye Colour Weight in Pounds Remarks
Royal Air Force Muster Roll 1918
First name(s) G E Last name Wickins Service number 48544 Enlisted 1916/09/01 Category Military, armed forces & conflict Record collection First World War Collections from Great Britain
This showed he had been a Fitter (Gen) in the Royal Flying Corps and was remustered to the same occupation in the Royal Airforce.
His date of joining recorded as 29/9/16.
EDIT: AS he didn't enlist until 1916 , at the age of 38,in the Flying Corps, I'm confused by the photo of him in full uniform on his 30th birthday - did you mean 40th, or was he a soldier previously?
Also, aged 38 in 1916, doesn't quite tally with an 1873 birth ( he would have been 40 in 1913), although he may have lopped a few years off in order to enlist.
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Chris Ho :)
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6 Jun 2014 11:31 |
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=C11625268
Air Ministry: Air Member for Personnel and predecessors: Airmen's Records. George Ernest Wickins
(above from National Archives, Kew)
Chris :)
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Kucinta
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6 Jun 2014 11:46 |
So was he George EDWIN Wickins, or George ERNEST Wickins?
The George Ernest Wickins whose record that Chris found has the same number 48544 as the G E Wickins on the 1918 Royal Airforce Muster Roll.
EDIT:
Looks like Julie's George was baptised George Edwin, so is the name George Ernest in the records at the National Archives a mistake, or has Julie latched on to the wrong G E Wickins?
Name: George Edwin Wickins Birth Date: 6 Aug 1873<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Baptism Date: 25 Oct 1874 Parish: Liverpool, St Peter Father's Name: Cradock Wickins Mother's name: Caroline Blagden Wickins Reference Number: 283 PET/2/71
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Chris Ho :)
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6 Jun 2014 11:57 |
Relation Name: George Wickins Date of Birth: 1873 Place of Birth: LIVERPOOL Merseyside England
(as above from GR 'Search All Member Trees' also shared by others)
Chris :)
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Kucinta
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6 Jun 2014 12:09 |
I think this chap is far more likely to be the chap in the RAF/RFC
Census 1911:
Name: George Ernest Wickins<<<<<<<<<<<<< Age in 1911: 33<<<<<<<<<< Estimated Birth Year: abt 1878 Relation to Head: Son Gender: Male Birth Place: Dulwich, Surrey Civil Parish: Wadhurst County/Island: Sussex Country: England Street address: Brockfield Wadhurst Sussex Marital Status: Single Occupation: Music Publishers Manager<<<<<<<<<<< Registration district: Ticehurst Registration District Number: 73 Sub-registration district: Wadhurst ED, institution, or vessel: 7 Household schedule number: 9 Piece: 4914
Household Members: Name Age Helena Wickins 66 Helena Florence Wickins 45 Mary Beatrice Wickins 35 George Ernest Wickins 33 Jane Maria Hammond 33 May Bourne 21
Name tallies with the NA record Chris found, age and occupation tally reasonaly well with the Surrey recruitment register details I posted, and the G E Wickins on the 1918 muster roll had the same service number as the George Ernest Wickins whose records are held at the National Archives., as posted by Chris.
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Julie
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6 Jun 2014 12:13 |
Thank you both for the information. Kucinta you were correct George Edwin Wickins. Father Craddock, mother Caroline. Over the photpgraph, I only have family stories to go by. If you would like to see it, it may be of some help to you, I can send it to you.
Julie
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Kucinta
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6 Jun 2014 12:20 |
I'm not an expert on uniforms, so the photo would be no help to me, but maybe to others?
I can only say that on balance the only records we can find online of a G E Wickins in the RAF or RFC, including the 1918 muster roll you mention, would seem to be for a George Ernest Wickins a few years younger than your relative, who worked in publishing before he enlisted in the RFC in London.
The 1918 muster roll confirms that G E Wickins no 48544 was in the Royal Flying Corps before the RAF was set up.
You could follow up the link Chris posted and get a quote on the cost of obtaining a copy of the record for George ERNEST Wickins no 48544, who seems to be the only G E Wickins on record, to see if some mistake has been made with the second name, but my gut feeling is that it's unlikely.
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Kucinta
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6 Jun 2014 12:32 |
Your grandfather's 30th birthday would have been 1903 - you mentioned that's when the photo was taken - so long before WWI.
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