help transcribing service record

[alison300]

Private G/5172 M.J. Purcell, 2nd Bn., Queen's Own (Royal West Kent) Regiment was charged i think with desertion but I don't understand the full description or the dates.  Can anyone help?
*sorry, can't seem to upload jpg file*

[Andy J2022]

It looks like there were two separate offences, the first starting on 9 May 1915 for which he was originally charged with being absent without leave. His company commander remanded him to be dealt with by the commanding officer. The charge was changed to desertion because he had been missing from 9 May until he was arrested by the civil police on 22 July. He was also charged with losing his equipment. This was usually taken as evidence that he had no intention of returning, hence the charge of desertion. His commanding officer awarded the punishment of 112 days detention (that is to say, 16 weeks) and £1 10s 0d stoppages from his pay (in addition he wouldn't have been paid while undergoing detention).

So he would have completed his detention around the first week of November 1915.  He then went absent from 14 to 15 November 1915, but presumably he returned of his own accord so was not charged with desertion a second time. He received the much more lenient sentence of 5 days stoppages of pay, plus he forfeited 2 more days pay for the time he was absent. I imagine he went on a bender after completing his first detention. As you can see, the witnesses for the two offences were different, confirming that these were two different events.

He was lucky that his battalion was at Fort Darland in Chatham at the time. Had he been in France and on operations 'in the presence of the enemy', he might well have been sentenced to death by firing squad for desertion. Either way he didn't live to see the end of the war, poor chap.

[alison300]

Thank you Andy for taking the time to transcribe this for me; i found it very confusing.  Like most, a very sad story.  Thanks again.