How to trace Irish RAF Airman?

Requesting Records

Military service records from prior to 1920 are available through the British National Archives, specifically for World War I service, and for service through 1913. Much of the information is accessible online through Ancestry.co.uk or FindMyPast.co.uk, which do involve fees, although the sites offer free trial periods and periodically make military records free to everyone for certain holidays. Documents can be accessed free of charge by visiting the Archives, but copies do cost money, whether done in person or by request Be aware that some records may have been destroyed by during the bombings of London in World War II.

Post-1920 records are requested from the UK Government https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records/overview , and can be requested by the next of kin. The spouse of a service member may request the records if they are deceased (and the service member themselves), but all other persons pay a £30 fee.

In the case of a person killed in action, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission includes a searchable database of all persons killed in action in the various British and Commonwealth forces during the World Wars, which includes some information.

The Red Cross files for the WWI prisoners are available on the ICRC.

In addition to these, for officers, the National Library of Scotland has digitised the Army http://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/pageturner.cfm?id=88735803 , Navy and Air Force Lists for the First and Second World Wars. These include lists of officers by seniority and alphabetically, with some further details, especially for senior officers. The Navy List includes a ship-by-ship listing of officers, but the Army and Air Force Lists do not have similar unit listings.