Royal navy barracks chatham

[JMB1943]

When my grandfather joined the British Army in 1914, he was an older ex- Regular soldier and he was given a GSSR regimental number.

GSSR = General Service Special Reserve, so I wonder if your man is similarly Special Reserve
(Regular?).

Do you know his age, and if he had prior service in the RN or British Army?

Regards,
JMB

[ShaunJ]

Is it definitely SRR? Not SKR?

[tonepad]

c/mx647313 is a Royal Navy Service Number:

c = Chatham  home port
m = Others -Artificers, Electrical, Supply etc (trade)
x = engaged after the new pay code of the early 1930s was introduced
and a 4-6 figure number

Long Service (engagement)
12 years plus optional 10 years to qualify for pension


Tony

[macmoffat]

Definitely S.R.R. Born 1912 .On further reading of the diary H.M.S. Assistance is mentioned.

[ShaunJ]

There's a clue: HMS Assistance was a repair ship. "S.R.R. " could be Special Repair Rating. 

[macmoffat]

Thanks  Shaun J. Does this mean that he worked at repairing ships in some form, but as what?

[tonepad]

 Special Repair Ratings were created in June 1942 according to the following document:

https://hmsausonia.co.uk/history/the-history-of-the-royal-navys-fleet-repair-ship/


Tony

[macmoffat]

Thanks Tonepad. Interesting reading. Will carry on with the search. Much appreciated.

[ShaunJ]

On further reading of the diary H.M.S. Assistance is mentioned

When was that? The old repair ship HMS Assistance was paid off in 1930 and then sat at Portsmouth (used as a machinery store) until she was sold off for scrap in 1937. The Navy had another repair ship named Assistance in 1945/6 but none of this squares with your reference to Chatham dockyard in 1936.