§ 71 and 72. Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on what date Aircraftman James Valentine Twitchell entered the Royal Air Force; what theatres of operation he has served in, and when; what experience of firearms he obtained during service with the Royal Air Force; and between what dates he served in the armoury department of the Royal Air Force;
(2) on what date Aircraftman James Valentine Twitchell transferred to or joined the Army; on what date he was commissioned as a capitain; and what service he had in the armoury section.
§ Mr. ReynoldsI assume, since there is no record of a James Valentine Twitchell having served in the Royal Air Force, that my hon. Friend is referring to Mr. William James Twitchell who enlisted in the Royal Air Force on 18th April, 1941, and was discharged from Air Force service on 22nd March, 1944.
Mr. Twitchell served in the United Kingdom and in India but I regret that the records available do not indicate the precise duties on which he was engaged. I cannot trace that anyone of his name, as I have explained to my hon. Friend in a letter, nor anyone called James Valentine Twitchell, was ever commissioned in the Army or served in the ranks of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps or the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.