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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: jaywit on Thursday 17 December 09 19:58 GMT (UK)

Title: Can anyone understand army speak please?
Post by: jaywit on Thursday 17 December 09 19:58 GMT (UK)
This comes from this thread in the Common Room.
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=424952.new

The problem is as follows.
Charles Young, his record is in WW1 Pension records on Ancestry with birth parish shown as Islington.
This man is an enigma, he attested in WW1 but was discharged after 3 months at home, he appears medically fit and we are trying to work out why he was sent home.
It says on the record something like
 'Discharge approved under Para 154(111) (c) SR?Regs
authority W O letter General Number 2559 (a?92b)'

Can anyone please explain what that may mean? Thank you
Title: Re: Can anyone understand army speak please?
Post by: jds1949 on Thursday 17 December 09 23:04 GMT (UK)
Soldiers who were discharged on medical or fitness grounds were discharged under Para 392, so clearly it wasn't that. Two possibilities spring to mind:
1. he was commissioned, in which case he would be discharged from his original unit to be sent elsewhere or
2. he was engaged in some form of essential war work.

You could try posting this query on the Great War Forum http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?

Lots of very knowledgeable and helpful people on that site.

jds1949
Title: Re: Can anyone understand army speak please?
Post by: liverpool annie on Friday 18 December 09 16:13 GMT (UK)

Lots of very knowledgeable and helpful people on this site too !!  ;) ;) ;)

What was his occupation Jaywit  ? ( I just looked at your reference but its 22 pages !!  :P )

Annie  :)
Title: Re: Can anyone understand army speak please?
Post by: jds1949 on Friday 18 December 09 16:19 GMT (UK)
That is very true and I would be very upset if anyone thought that I was suggesting otherwise,

jds1949
Title: Re: Can anyone understand army speak please?
Post by: forester on Saturday 19 December 09 18:56 GMT (UK)
Hello jaywit,

Charles Young was discharged "considered unfit for service within 3 months of enlistment"

This is the equivalent of King's Regulations Para 392 (iii) (c).

From what I can make out, in 1914 there were seperate Regulations for both the Territorial Force and Special Reservists. The reasons for discharge, however, are essentially tabulated in the same way.

Phil
Title: Re: Can anyone understand army speak please?
Post by: Daisypetal on Sunday 20 December 09 14:37 GMT (UK)

Hi,

Looking through Charles YOUNG'S pension records, his medical history gives his vision as 6/18 in both eyes. I think this is quite poor vision,

http://www.rootschat.com/links/07py/

I wonder if he didn't meet the minimum visual standards, these look like the current ones,

http://www.aop.org.uk/uploaded_files/army.pdf


Regards
Daisy



Title: Re: Can anyone understand army speak please?
Post by: km1971 on Monday 21 December 09 00:10 GMT (UK)
The answer to Question 11 is quite interesting - he had previous experience with the RWF and was discharged on 'termination of engagement'. If this was 1900 to 1913 (which is likely) there may be an original set of papers in Kew in WO97. If you cannot get to Kew Findmypast will be putting them online 'by 2011'. He may have only spent 7 years in uniform with the rest of his 12 years being in the 1st Class Army Reserve.

FindMyPast will also be putting Militia Attestation Papers (WO96) online after WO97. A high %age of men joined the Militia first before committing to 12 years as a Regular.

There were separate KRs covering Regulars, Special Reserve/Militia and Territorials. the 3rd Bn were SR hence the use of their regs.

Ken
Title: Re: Can anyone understand army speak please?
Post by: moogaloo on Tuesday 22 December 09 15:23 GMT (UK)

Hi,

Looking through Charles YOUNG'S pension records, his medical history gives his vision as 6/18 in both eyes. I think this is quite poor vision,

http://www.rootschat.com/links/07py/

I wonder if he didn't meet the minimum visual standards, these look like the current ones,

http://www.aop.org.uk/uploaded_files/army.pdf


Regards
Daisy


This would make sense, him having poor eyesight.  Two of my brothers had very poor eyesight too.  They never had to enlist though so it wouldn't be as crucial for them to have good eyesight.  x x
Title: Re: Can anyone understand army speak please?
Post by: moogaloo on Tuesday 22 December 09 15:26 GMT (UK)

Lots of very knowledgeable and helpful people on this site too !!  ;) ;) ;)

What was his occupation Jaywit  ? ( I just looked at your reference but its 22 pages !!  :P )

Annie  :)

His occupation was Journeyman Slater Annie.  x x
Title: Re: Can anyone understand army speak please?
Post by: moogaloo on Tuesday 22 December 09 15:29 GMT (UK)
Was just thinking.  What proof would I have to have to obtain Charles' army records.  All of them?  x x
Title: Re: Can anyone understand army speak please?
Post by: km1971 on Friday 01 January 10 16:36 GMT (UK)
Was just thinking.  What proof would I have to have to obtain Charles' army records.  All of them?  x x

As he served during WW1 any records that survive will be on Ancestry. These are scans of microfilms in Kew. Records for men discharged 1900 to 1913 are in Kew as original documents. You only need 'proof' that you are a close relative to order post 1920 records from the MOD.

Ken