Like their counterparts in the army, the RAF’s airmen were issued with a book recording their service and confirming that they had now left the service and could return to civilian life at the end of their enlistments. In a time when references were essential to securing employment, these books prevented the RAF from being inundated by requests for information and clearly showed a prospective employer what the ex-serviceman in front of them was qualified for. The Service and Release book was RAF Form 2520A and was a pocket sized publication with a light blue cover with room for the airman’s details to be recorded:

Inside was space to detail the airman’s release, this book showing that Leading Aircraftsman Clements was released back into civilian life on 18th October 1946, but he would remain in the reserve and liable to be called up after that:

Further on in the book is space to record comments about the man, his medals and his service. LAC Clements was a clerk and was rated as ‘exceptional’. Despite that assessment, this officer’s comments are less effusive:

The officer writes:

This airman has given satisfactory and commendable service. He has been carrying out NCO’s duties and is thoroughly reliable. Recommended

A good reference was essential to securing employment in the tumultuous employment market of post war Britain, and these books were an essential document to all airmen being demobbed in the latter half of the 1940s.