According to the RAF website (
http://www.raf.mod.uk/ahb/) the 5th bullet point of the "What we do" section states:
•We have the responsibility within the RAF to respond to historical RAF casualty enquiries made by members of the public.
The AHB do respond to enquiries on casualties but sadly they seldom provide the information the enquirer is after. The Data Protection Act (and perversely the Freedom of Information Act) are used as an excuse not to answer the questions asked.
So unfortunately cynicism is totally warranted.
Best Regards
Andy Fletcher