Military Chat

Good morning

I am hoping someone will be able to help me I am looking for my grandads service records but don't know where to start, his name was

Leonard Harry Viall b 1906 woolwich died 1978 woolwich,,he married my nan Lilian rose boar in 1947 in Epping, I believe he was in the RAF , I found a love letter he wrote to my nan when he was way in which he was calling her his lily of the lamp light. Which I thought was so sweet.
I would really like to find out more about him as he died before I was born. So if anybody can help me I'd really appreciate it.

Trudy :-)

Airmen (not officers) 1918-1939 are on FindMyPast

Airmen (not officers) after 1939
Records of RAF airmen who served after 1939, and of men whose service numbers were above 562875 are still with the RAF. Look on the GOV.UK website to find out how to obtain service records.

It can be useful to know his service number. If you do not know his number, browse through the name indexes in AIR 78 to find it.
(edit - as long as you have his full dob, don't worry too much about his service number)

From http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/research-guides/raf-rfc-rnas.htm
............

He wasn't married before, was he?

Divorce Court File: 507. Appellant: May Edith Ann Viall. Respondent: Leonard Harry Viall. Type: Wife's ...

Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes, later Supreme Court of Judicature: Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Files. 1934-1936 Series. Divorce and matrimonial cause files, described at... Divorce Court File: 507. Appellant: May Edith Ann Viall. Respondent: Leonard Harry Viall. Type: Wife's petition for divorce [WD].
Held by: The National Archives - Supreme Court of Judicature
Date: 1934
Reference: J 77/3289/507

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_q=Leonard+Harry+Viall

Answer - unless he was named after his father or a different rellie had the same name, he might have
Marriages Jun 1931 (>99%)
Scoble May E A Viall Woolwich 1d 2301
Viall Leonard H Scoble Woolwich 1d 2301

A free search on FMP doesn't throw up his name - its likely that his records are still with the RAF

See this link on how to order at a cost of £30. Expect to wait for months and months!
https://www.gov.uk/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records

Hello detective

Thank you so much for that info,, I believe he was married before my nan as he also had a son before that marriage called ainslie Leonard Viall.

I will order his records thank you

Trudy :-)

Just a quick aside re RAF records

I sent off for my father's RAF record a year or so ago and it came through relatively (no pun intended) swiftly, and I live in Western Australia.

I did have his service number from his discharge certificate BUT the RAF had the wrong date of birth for him. Right year but wrong month

I had more hassle obtaining the thirty pound cheque from my Bank :-(

Hi Allan

Thank you, I know his date of birth but not his service number but will still give it a try, he can't be that hard to find with a surname like Viall surely lol.

Thank you
Trudy :-)

Hi detective

Am I reading your post right is that saying that Leonard and may divorced in 1934??

Only asking because my uncle ainslie was born in 1938 in woolwich to Leonard and may.

Trudy :-)

The implication is that May filed for Divorce and that date on the archive holdings is 1934.

Without you or an interested party purchasing the records, who knows if that is the year that a divorce was granted, or if it was the year that May first engaged legal representation. Probably the latter.

As Leonard acknowledged Ainslie as his child, one must assume that he and May were on friendly terms or where trying to ‘save’ their marriage.

If you were interested enough to pursue the records relating to the divorce, click on the link to the NA and ask them how much it would be to have the records copied.
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C8073772
Alternatively, if you can visit the Archives at Kew, you can view them for free.

You could undertake further research about the availability of Divorce through the English courts as the rules have changed in the last 100 years.
http://nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/atoz/d.htm#

Thank you detective I will take a trip up to Kew in the new year as there are other records I wish to have a look at..

Thank you for your help

Trudy :-)

It should be a good day out - enjoy! :-)

Thank you detective I'll post the results on here when I've been

Trudy :-)