Service Record help please...

Discussion in 'Royal Signals' started by kevparker, Mar 24, 2011.

  1. DoctorD

    DoctorD WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Entry in army record says "leave in Egypt with HRM @ 77d per day". Wot does HRM stand for?
    Elsewhere it seems to be able to have leave without HRM, and in another case "HRM at 69d per day POL". POL I recognise as Petrol Oil & Lubricants, so was wondering, since the unit was a Motor Transport Supply Centre, whether he was provided with some sort of vehicle (HRM?) for his leave and was charged at 69 old pence (or perhaps piastas?) per day for fuel.
    Les
     
  2. kopite

    kopite Member

    Entry in army record says "leave in Egypt with HRM @ 77d per day". Wot does HRM stand for?
    Elsewhere it seems to be able to have leave without HRM, and in another case "HRM at 69d per day POL". POL I recognise as Petrol Oil & Lubricants, so was wondering, since the unit was a Motor Transport Supply Centre, whether he was provided with some sort of vehicle (HRM?) for his leave and was charged at 69 old pence (or perhaps piastas?) per day for fuel.
    Les

    Not sure if it applied at that time, but now HRM means Human Resource Management.
     
  3. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Kopite
    No such thing as Human Resources in those days-we were just warm bodies - that's just another modern term like Logsitics replacing the old RASC......

    If we are to go with others in their quest to discover what "force h" means and have obviously decided that - contrary to ALL security aspects at the time which was in 1943 - I would remind all - that is was definitly Husky - on that brave assumption therefore I would hazard a guess that the 77 penceHRM was an allowance for Husky Road Maintenance.... must be right

    Cheers
     
  4. kopite

    kopite Member

    Kopite
    No such thing as Human Resources in those days-we were just warm bodies - that's just another modern term like Logsitics replacing the old RASC......

    If we are to go with others in their quest to discover what "force h" means and have obviously decided that - contrary to ALL security aspects at the time which was in 1943 - I would remind all - that is was definitly Husky - on that brave assumption therefore I would hazard a guess that the 77 penceHRM was an allowance for Husky Road Maintenance.... must be right

    Cheers

    I hear ya Tom.....I thought it was a long shot that it meant the same thing back then.
     
  5. DoctorD

    DoctorD WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Thanks Tom and Kopkite

    I had tried all seventeen listed abbreviations such as the modern Human Resource Management, His/Her Royal Majesty, etc and in desperation came to the fountain of all knowledge:lol:. Certainly there's a reference to H force elsewhere in his record, but in those predecimal days 69 pence wouldn't have been used, but shillings and pence. So I suspect piastas to have been the currency. He was certainly in Paiforce, 'cos he was stationed in Bazra.

    There's also a reference to dropping from Corporal to Driver for a stay in hospital, but reverting to W/Cpl on discharge therefrom.

    HRM certainly seems to refer to an allowance, but Road Maintenance? - sounds like boys from the black stuff!

    Also posted to XIVA, which could of course be interpreted as 15A in Roman numerals. As Google doesn't show it as a place name.

    Although a 16 page list of abbreviations is provided, none of the foregoing appear. A couple of these, for the pedant, are incorrect. BAOR is given as British Army of the Rhine instead of British Army on the Rhine; and WAAC is shown as Womens Army Auxilary (sic) Corps and not Womens Auxillary Army Corps. All very mysterious! I should have thought there would have been an approved list of abbreviations, for it seems the Clerks did their best to invent their own to save writing or just as some sort of inter-clerical competition.

    Regards
     
  6. Steve Mac

    Steve Mac Very Senior Member

    Kopite
    No such thing as Human Resources in those days-we were just warm bodies - that's just another modern term like Logsitics replacing the old RASC......

    If we are to go with others in their quest to discover what "force h" means and have obviously decided that - contrary to ALL security aspects at the time which was in 1943 - I would remind all - that is was definitly Husky - on that brave assumption therefore I would hazard a guess that the 77 penceHRM was an allowance for Husky Road Maintenance.... must be right

    Cheers

    Hello Tom, I hope this message finds you well!

    HR is supposed to mean 'Human Resources' in the current day, but I have always referred to them as 'Human Remains' - once they have disposed of you there ain't much left!! :D

    Best,

    Steve.
     
  7. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Steve -
    I am very well apart from the fact that my new 100% caring duties allows me too much time on this juke box to insert my 2cents worth to many people's annoyance and unfortunately some good friends amongst them but like ye olde Tankies - we bash on regardless

    Doctor D - more like 14A - there I go again .....picky !
    Cheers
     
  8. Steve Mac

    Steve Mac Very Senior Member

    Steve -
    I am very well apart from the fact that my new 100% caring duties allows me too much time on this juke box to insert my 2cents worth to many people's annoyance and unfortunately some good friends amongst them but like ye olde Tankies - we bash on regardless

    Doctor D - more like 14A - there I go again .....picky !
    Cheers

    Hello Tom,

    I've been following the tank threads and say this - no matter what statistics are thrown into the hat and no matter how these are interpreted now, nobody can argue with you and Gerry Chester about the actuality of tank battle, battle casualties, the deficiency of most guns on British/US tanks, etc. You guys were there, you know for a fact. Gerry could argue with you...

    Keep bashing on regardless!!!

    Best,

    Steve.
     
  9. DoctorD

    DoctorD WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Doctor D - more like 14A - there I go again .....picky !
    Cheers

    Quite correct too, Tom.

    Roman Centurion: "Front rank, from the right, NUMBER"

    Front rank: "eye; eye eye; eye eye eye; eye vee; vee; vee eye; ... ... ecks eye vee; ecks vee; ... ... etc."

    But have you ever heard of a place called XIVA?

    Cheers
     
  10. RosyRedd

    RosyRedd Senior Member

  11. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Jules -
    well no - it doesn't mean taken off or on strength - it means simply that the person is awaiting transfer to somewhere else- e.g - from a transit camp - convalescesnce camp - when a posting come through THEN - the SOS kicks in and when he arrives the TOS then kicks in and settles into a peaceful long life in his new unit

    Doctor D -
    Jules was close though as I would say that your XIVA is an error when in fact it is more likley to be the X(iv) indicating that the person is awaiting transfer from "A" -to- "B"...........OR it might be that chap who plays for Barcelona ....who nose - eye eye !
    Cheers
     
  12. RosyRedd

    RosyRedd Senior Member

    Ahh Tom those pesky x lists :D - The x4a/x(iv)a and x8a are also on my grandad's service record and x8a was noted as such in one of the war diaries. It doesn't seem to make any difference to the meaning of the x number though from what I have read.
     
  13. DoctorD

    DoctorD WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Thanks Jules and Tom for your help(?)!! Having diligently followed the trail everything is now as clear as mud. I often wondered what those pen pushers in the Orderly Room did for a living, apart from filing the 252's. Just playing at noughts and crosses, with an emphasis on the crosses, it seems, for I seem to recall Xiii appearing somewhere in this Corporal's records.
    I'm a bit occupied at the moment in devouring a wealth of RAF ORB's that Andy has been kind enough to direct my way - so I'll shelve this one for the time being (not without some relief!)
    Cheers
     

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