Deciphering a service record - Help with abbreviations

Discussion in 'Service Records' started by nemo120, Nov 24, 2016.

  1. nemo120

    nemo120 Member

    I recently obtained my great grandfather's service record but am having difficulty understanding it. I was told that he enlisted in the Essex Regiment but had flat feet so was sent to the military police (Traffic Control) and later on in the war he was transferred to REME. He served in Italy and was awarded the Italy star, 1939/45 star and 1939/45 war medal. However, trying to understand his service record has been rather complicated so any help in deciphering it and then answering a few questions would be much appreciated.

    Throughout the service record "3 1 R.T.D" appears however I could find nothing as to what this means. One of his postings was in "3 Bn 1 RTD".
    He also appears to be assigned to X(IV) List and one of his postings is X(IV)A. From my limited knowledge this may be a period where he was excluded from duty due to his flat feet but X(I) also appears. If anyone would be willing to outline his movements that would be much appreciated, as it seems on one occaison he was transferred back to the Essex Regiment for a month, but I am really quite unsure how to interpret the record.
    I have images of the service record available to download here (As they were too large to attach) and i have yet to scan a few more images if that would help: Postimage.org — free image hosting / image upload
     
  2. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

    Hi, nemo120

    Infantry Reinforcement Training Depot (IRTD)

    X lists should be written as x(ii) x(iv) Roman Numerals.
    Clerks sometimes used Arabic so x(2) x(4).
    More on X lists here.
    X lists (Service Records)

    Will have a look at records when I have more time.
     
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2016
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  3. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

    Pte. Frederick Arthur Thompson. 6026147.

    1st July 1940. Enlisted 50th Battalion, Essex Regiment C Coy.

    (The 50th (Holding) Battalion, Essex Regiment was formed at Colchester on 28 May 1940. On 9 October, it was reorganized as the 10th Battalion and served in the home defence role).

    31st Dec 40. Admitted to Military hospital Colchester. Abbeyfield.

    1st Jan 41. Granted war time proficiency pay.

    20th Jan 41. Discharged Military hospital Colchester.

    10th Feb 41. Discharged R.A.P. (Regimental Aid Post) on 9th Feb 41.

    1st July 41 7th H. D. Battalion, Essex Regiment. Posted. (It would appear that he went from the 7th to 10th Btn).

    (The 7th (Home Defence) Battalion, Essex Regiment was raised specifically for home defence duties in the United Kingdom. The battalion was created on 2 November 1939 from 8 Group National Defence Companies. The battalion consisted mainly of older and less fit men. 10th Similar to 7th Btn a service Btn. Changed later to a fighting Btn ).

    1st Sept 41. 7th Essex. Taken on strength from 10th Essex and posted to C Coy infantry. Essex Regiment.

    28th Oct 41.Released to class W (T) reserve, for work of national importance until 15th Jan 42 Authority – Officer i/c (In Command) Records.

    He then got 3 months extensions to this, until he returned to the colours WEF (With effect from) 17th Dec 42.

    Class W Reserve and its Territorial Force equivalent Class W(T) were introduced in June 1916 by Army Order 203/16. They were ‘for all those soldiers whose services are deemed to be more valuable to the country in civil rather than military employment’. Men in these classes were to receive no emoluments from army funds and were not to wear uniform. They were liable at any time to be recalled to the colours. From the time a man was transferred to Class W, until being recalled to the Colours, he was not subject to military discipline.


    Be interesting to know what his job was.

    More later.
     
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  4. nemo120

    nemo120 Member

    After the war he was a crane driver in docks however before the war, I believe that he was a cement labourer. It seems odd that this was a reserved job but I was told it may have been to do with the construction of the Mulberry harbour but as far as I am aware the construction of the mulberry harbour did not take place until later. Perhaps it was a similar construction project vital to the war effort and I have a few images that I will post as soon as I can and on one of the records, the cement industry is mentioned somewhere.
    On 31/3/44 it says he was "Posted to LMC Pool X(i) list". I assume this means that he would be filling in some sort of a job at a depot or somewhere, would this be correct?
    There is another record here: Postimage.org — free image hosting / image upload

    It says he was transferred to the Essex Regiment on the 11th of a month (which I cannot read) in 1944 - the same day he was posted to IRTD, so was he actually with the Essex Regiment at all?
     
  5. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

    Nemo120. Slow down you are all over the place, you are now in North Africa, I have not even left Essex yet. A lot of these records have basically the same information on several pages, so need to be sorted into a time line. Which is the way I try to do it.:D:D.

    Yes from the 1st July 1940 to 28th Oct 41. when he left to do the job of national importance, which I can now investigate as I now know it may have something to do with concrete.
    He returned to the Essex regt on 17th Dec 42 until 12th Feb 43 when he transferred to the CMP - TC.


    17th Dec 42. No 1 I.T.D. (Infantry training depot). Posted from class W (T) reserve.

    11th Feb 43. Attached to Eastern Command C.M.P. (Corps of Military Police).

    Depot and Probation for one month. At Warley Barracks nr Brentwood Essex.

    26th Feb 43. C.T.B.A. (Ceased to be Attached) Depot and attached to No 18 Coy RMP-TC (Traffic Control) on probation (Pending Transfer) WEF 26/2/43 *** 27/2/43. Now in Field.

    Service and casualty form. (Se2).

    12th Feb 43. Vol (Voluntarily) transferred from Essex Regt & posted as Lewe (leave?) of this unit WEF 12th Feb 43.

    9th July 43. Posted to Command Depot CMP W Cmd (Western Command) WEF 9th July 43.

    T.O.S (Taken on strength) this unit WEF 10th July 43. No idea what this is Serial R.V. GAY.

    Line underneath is just the army order which authorised these moves.

    Was at a place which looks like Persau. Maybe should be Pershore.

    Note: Whilst with the CMP –TC, his duties would only be involved with traffic control sorting out routes, putting up signs and keeping traffic moving etc. This can be seen as he remained a Pte.
    As there are no Pte’s in the CMP – Provast dept which deals with all the army laws.

    Should catch you up in N Africa, next episode. :)
     
  6. nemo120

    nemo120 Member

    Thank you, that makes sense now. Of what little he did say to anyone, part of his duty was to ride in a motorcycle and mark out routes, travelling from point to point and directing traffic. If he was anywhere in North Africa after July then that would also make sense as on one of the sheets he was not awarded the North Africa star. If it is of any use, the location of his cement job would've have been near Tilbury so along the Thames therefore possibly to do with a Maritime Construction job important to the war effort.
     
  7. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

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  8. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

    28th July 43 Disembarked TOS (Taken on strength) X(iV) list (Basically unposted reinforcements).

    However it does not say where this was. I suspect it was Algeria, N, Africa, possibly Bone (Now Annaba). As the next line tells us where he was 57 days later.

    23rd Sept 43. Examined by Med board on 23/9/43 at 96 General Hosp and placed in Med category B6

    Not sure of exactly what B6 is, but B. is medically fit to carry out certain duties which require only restricted medical fitness.

    At the time the 96th British General Hospital was situated in Guelma, Algeria which is south of Annaba. Three members of the CMP are buried in Bone war cemetery, Annaba, one dying June 43.

    25th Nov 43. S.O.S. (Struck of Strength X(iv)list) & posted to 71 coy (TC).

    11th Feb 44. Transferred from CMP (TC) to Essex Regt in the rank of Pte.

    18th Feb 44. posted to 3 Bn IRTD. (Infantry reinforcement Training Depot).

    The records then repeat the same thing.

    18th Feb 44.Compulsory Transferred to the Essex Regt from CMP. T.O.S. (Taken on Strength X(iv)list18th. posted to 3 Bn IRTD. x(iv)a.

    16th Mar 44. Attached to 5. E.A.C. R.E.M.E. X(4) List.

    (5 Equipment Assembly Company Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers).

    31st Mar 44. Posted to LMC POOL X(1)list. BNAF (British North Africa Force).

    No idea what LMC pool is.

    9th May 44. Rejoined 3 IRTD. x(1) list LMC.

    13th May 44. Compulsorily transferred to R.E.M.E. SOS x(1) list the Essex regt.

    25th June 44. T.O.S from x4 list.

    1st Aug 44. Declassed and Mustered RE (v & p)11 (Possibly Vehicle & Plant trade grade. Redesg ufn. May mean redesignated uniform and insigna). Same time changed from BNAF to CMF. (Central Mediterranean Force).

    28th Jan 45. SOS to X (2)

    6th Feb 45. TOS from X (2).

    31st May 45. TOS. Granted corps pay for period of 20/9/43 to 11/2/44.

    Granted U/A & P/A. L/Cpl Wef 1/6/45 (Unpaid acting & Paid acting Lance corporal).

    Granted U/A & P/A. Cpl Wef 22/6/45.

    Granted W/S Cpl Wef 20/9/45. (War Substance Corporal).

    23rd Oct 45. TOS. From “D” 1 ch Disp D unit. (Maybe 1 echelon Dispatch unit or something to do with transport).

    24th Nov 45. Left CMF for LIAP CTBE to Med Allow. (leave in addition to Python). Python is usual associated with coming home on leave and being demobbed a lot depends on the time spent overseas. If you were granted LIAP then you had to return to your base hence.

    1st Jan 46. Arrived back CMF ex LIAP Entitled to Med Allow.

    Whist away from base on Liap you lost your entitlement to the extra pay, that you got for being in that area. CTBE. Ceased to be entitled to Mediterranean allowance.

    21st Feb 46. Medically examined ACW 3 year. (Maybe just routine med exam or pre demob medical).

    1st Mar 46 and went to assembly Centre to await return to UK, on 7th Mar 46.

    Got back to UK and went through the demob procedure.
     
    Last edited: Nov 28, 2016
  9. nemo120

    nemo120 Member

    Correct me if I am wrong however on the 25th June 1944 it says that he was TOS from X4 list and in the unit column it is listed as 45th LAA. On the postings sheet it says the same but I believe that by this date the 45th LAA were already in Italy, as were any battalions of the Essex Regt that had been in North Africa, or was it possible to technically be part of a unit yet not actually posted to a battalion (hence why he stayed in North Africa until 1st August.)
     
  10. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

    The point is that we don't know where he was at any point of time, unless a place is named such as the hospital. Because the paper work states BNAF it does not mean that he has to be in N Africa. He could have been in Sicily from the 28th July 43, then to the hospital. Then to Italy after 25th Nov 43.(edited date in pre post). Unless we know the exact places where each unit was at the time of his posting etc. we can only guess where he was. We know he was in Italy as he has the Italy Star, and little clues like the 45th LAA shows that he could have been there with them. But to find out the answers it requires a lot more, in depth research.
     
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  11. nemo120

    nemo120 Member

    I can confirm that his reserved job was actually to fill sacks of cement. His job was where the modern day lakeside shopping centre is located as there used to be a quarry there. The only job he did was to simply fill the sacks. Furthermore if it is of any use, I found a picture of him in Italy (attached). He is the one on the left and appears to be wearing CMP socks and possibly CMP belt but I'm not an expert and it appears difficult to identify his or his friend's uniform due to the lack of one. This would make sense for the need of a uniform re designation.
     

    Attached Files:

  12. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

    It may seem odd to us today, that a trained soldier is taken from the army and sent back to his old job of filling sacks with cement. Especially with a war on and it being regarded as a matter of national importance.

    But when you think back to 1939/41 and the amount of cement which must have been required to construct the defenses against invasion must have been enormous. Then take in the account of how many men left the cement works to join the services. This would leave the cement factories short of labour so production would drop. But the fact is that Production needed to rise, to account for all the new construction which was going to take place over the coming years, Airfields, training grounds, gun emplacements etc. now the quickest way to get production back to speed, would be have the men formerly doing the job, back on the job, until replacements for them could be trained up.

    Believe this is the cement works where Frederick worked.

    Cement Kilns: West Thurrock
     
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