On Thursday 19 November 2026 at 12pm, Stuart Hadaway and Emily Walton will share information about the AIR 81 series files. This lecture will be hosted virtually via Crowdcast and livestreamed from the RAF Museum's Midlands site.

In 2014, the process of transferring the P4(Cas) Files to The National Archives began into a new series, AIR 81. The P4(Cas) Files, known informally as Casualty Files, contain the records of the investigations made by the Air Ministry to trace, record and understand all RAF losses from the Second World War. They contain vast swathes of information on the fates of thousands of aircrew and hold insights into the human tragedy and grief each left behind. But without an understanding of the processes that are behind each page or specific form, it is easy for misunderstanding to occur. Often these misunderstandings formed at the time of compilation and were not highlighted or corrected until the present day. Most, however, are made today through common misunderstandings of relationships and developments.

Each file had the potential to be identical with the same forms and the same information sought. Naturally though, this was not the case as each loss was unique in timings, personnel and fate. Each investigation was different, and each family reacted in their own way. This makes reading each one unique and unexpected, especially regarding the personal correspondences with families and how they reacted to the news. Some seemed to accept the news and were grateful for all the RAF did, others sought to find blame or refused to accept the heart-breaking loss. Each letter and reaction adds to our understanding of RAF losses and more generally, reminds us of the human cost of war.

This paper aims to highlight not only the work that went into searching for RAF casualties but also the common areas within the AIR 81 files that can be most easily misunderstood by researchers. It will also highlight how the files are an under-appreciated resource for the study of human emotion and the cost of war.

Stuart Hadaway is one of the Historians at the Air Historical Branch (RAF), and a leading expert on the RAF Missing Research and Enquiry Service (MRES) and the Air Ministry Casualty Branch. His book “Missing Believed Killed: The RAF and the Search for Missing Aircrew, 1939-53” (2008) remains the standard text on the subject, and he has been involved in casualty identification work for the RAF since 2009. He is an Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and on the committee of the Royal Air Force Historical Society.

After graduating from Kings College London, Emily now works at the Air Historical Branch as the Senior Researcher with a focus on historic casualty identification. In the past, she has volunteered with the International Bomber Command Memorial, RAF College Cranwell and Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre (old RAF Woodhall Spa).

Lunchtime Lecture (Midlands): The Air Ministry Regrets: Facts, fiction, and emotional truths in the AIR 81 series