Royal Army Service Corps/ Corps Military Police

Discussion in 'Service Records' started by Sandy Ratcliffe, Jul 30, 2018.

  1. Any help with my grandads service records would be gratefully appreciated. Thank you in anticipation!

    He enlisted using the name Richard Henry George when his name is in fact Henry Fredrick George..... I guess we will never know why.
    His army number is 288755 and he was born 18/12/1901 at Great Yarmouth.

    He was sent to no.9 training battalion RASC ( driver) for training to HQ with B Company .... Would this have been at Alfreton Derbyshire?
    He was assigned to 2nd Div.Trps Coy and embarked for India on 14/4/42.... How would I find out which ship he was on ?
    Disembarked in India on 9/6/42 and was admitted to hospital on the11th until 23/6/42.
    His records then say 387DV TP.C 1/2/43.... What does this mean please?
    Then to unit 28/1/42

    On 27/11/42 he was admitted to hospital with severe head injuries..... Are there any further medical notes as to how it happened?

    On 29/4/43 he was posted to GHQ Base Reinf Camp ??
    30/9/43 to vulnerable points provest training in Lucknow area.... Where is this please?
    29/10/43 war posted to CMP (1) VPP wing
    6/10/44 transferred to CMP as L/CPL.. What does U/L/ CPL and P/L/CPL mean?

    Other postings say:
    Xii 26/11/44?
    21 VPP 27/12/44?
    66 (or could be bb) l of c prov 11/2/ 45?
    X2 1/6/45 ?
    66 l of c 6/6/45?
    Then records say:
    ALFSEA 309/45 U/L/CPL hospital, ALFSEA 310 P/L/CPL?
    Would I be correct in thinking this may have been for a discharge medical?

    And V/167/45 y (e) 30/10/45?
    Would my grandad have waited at Deloalia camp for the ship home?
    How would I find out what action he saw, or what happened day to day?

    Many thanks for any information which I will pass on to my mum, who's 90, about her dad.
    Sandy
     
  2. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Hi Sandy

    Is it possible to post images of his service records. I see you have detailed/itemised data above but it is better to see the original documents as sometimes one reader sees things differently from another, sometimes they see the same sometimes slightly different.

    Once you know where he was and which units he was with the next step is to find out if there are War Diaries for those units over the timespan your relative was with them, these can then be copied to provide you the answers you are searching for

    TD
     
  3. Hello TD

    Thank you so much for your prompt reply, please see attached pics of service records
    Thanks
    Sandy
     

    Attached Files:

  4. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Hi Sandy - what you have posted are not his full service records, have you applied and rec'd them, if so can you post those as well please

    TD
     
  5. Additional pics
     

    Attached Files:

  6. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Some brief pointers

    Xii list definition
    THE X (ii) LIST comprises all ranks evacuated on medical grounds beyond Regimental First
    Aid Post. Personnel so evacuated cease to be on the effective strength of their units. Temporary
    or acting rank will be relinquished 28 days after being so transferred to X (ii) list. Personnel
    remain in X (ii) list until they are classified as fit for posting when they are transferred to the X (iv)
    list of their corps and marched out to the appropriate training depot, or until discharged by a
    medical unit direct to their original units.

    I.E not front line but having a medical problem that needs hospitalisation, so sent to the 'rear' for treatment etc

    U/L/ CPL = Unpaid Lance Corporal - i.e. hes on a sort of probation period
    P/L/CPL = Paid Lance Corporal - hes made the grade and gets paid the full amount

    ALFSEA = Alliled Land Forces South East Asia

    GHQ Base Reinf Camp = General Head Quarters Base Reinforcement Camp - no indication of HQ for ??

    You may be interested in obtaining a copy of - Notes on the Royal Army Service Corps 1914-1941 : [history of the R.A.S.C.]

    TD
     
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  7. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

  8. Thank you TD.... a lot to process and will look at your suggestions. So easy for those that know!
    Sandy
     
  9. Sorry I forgot to ask how I would find out about his war diaries?
     
  10. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    From the above dates it is likely he went from UK to India in Convoy WS18/18B. The ships in this convoy are listed but it is quite possible the ship your grandfather was actually on will be shown in his unit's war diary.
    Abstracted from: ConvoyWeb
    Military Convoys WS.18
    WS.18 Depart Liverpool/ Clyde April 15, 1942
    WS.18 Depart Freetown May 4, 1942 CHART
    WS.18 Capetown portion detached 0300 hrs. May 15, 1942
    WS.18 Arrive/ Depart Durban 1212 hrs. May 18, 1942/ May 23, 1942
    WS.18A Detached June 2, 1942
    WS.18A Dispersed off Aden June 4, 1942
    WS.18B Arrived Bombay June 7, 1942 CHART

    Ships in WS18B
    CAPETOWN CASTLE
    CITY OF CAPE TOWN
    CLAN LAMONT
    DEMPO
    MARNIX VAN ST. ALDEGONDE
    NIEUW ZEELAND (Du)
    ORBITA
    ORDUNA

    Tim
     
  11. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    First of all you need to know which units(s) he was in and when, at the moment I'm not sure he was in the Military Police, especially as CMP also relates to a type of vehicle - see here - Canadian Military Pattern truck - Wikipedia - what makes you think he was an MP? was he in the Police when he returned??

    Lucknow is a town in Northern India

    TD
     
  12. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    From Service Documents:
    'Transferred to CMP L/Cpl 6/10/44'.
    CMP usually = Corps of Military Police but as TD says could be something else, though I think unlikely.

    Tim
     
  13. I was going on the information from mum.
    Mum was told he worked on the Burma road, had an accident, and then transferred to the police.
    Don't know for certain it was an accident, her mum may have said that as she was a young child.
     
  14. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Corps of Military Police (India) - Wikipedia

    One of the problems here is that we have very few [in fact none to my knowledge] experts in finding out details on Indian units other than those that fought - I'm not sure what to suggest to you

    TD
     
  15. Ok. Thank you for the answers you've given.
    Hopefully someone out there knows!
    Also thanks to Timuk re troop ship.
     
  16. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Just for clarity

    Royal Military Police - Wikipedia
    The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of army service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operations and exercises


    Corps of Military Police (India) - Wikipedia
    Corps of Military Police (CMP) is the military police of the Indian Army
    Initially under the British rule, the Corps was known as 'Corps of Indian Military Police (CIMP)' and after the Freedom of India on 18 October 1947,the corps was re-designated and now is known as 'Corps of Military Police (CMP)


    Whats interesting to me here is that the CMP does not appear to have existed prior to 1947 ......................

    TD
     
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  17. lionboxer

    lionboxer Member

    My input for what it’s worth!
    Passed through Deolali reinforcement camp which was the HQ of the reinforcement set up. He was a driver in 387 Transport Company RASC driving DUKW’s in British 2nd Division. Had a serious accident and then transferred to the Corps of Military Police (hence promoted to Lance Corporal) and worked on the Lines of Communications Provost. Possibly on the routes into Burma. Not in the Indian Army.
    Lionboxer
     
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  18. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Companies: 387 Div. Tps Coy. | The National Archives
    Reference: WO 172/3067
    Description:
    Companies: 387 Div. Tps Coy.
    Date: 1943 Jan.- Oct.
    Held by: The National Archives, Kew
    Legal status: Public Record(s)
    Closure status: Open Document, Open Description
    Access conditions: Closed For 29 years

    TD
     
  19. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    TD's Post 16, first link. CMP formed 1926 became RMP in 1946.

    Tim
     
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  20. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

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