Hi. Can anyone shed any light on a leave scheme "STIFF" in operation in the Far East in 1945, please? In the war diary of the 4th Battalion, The Burma Regiment (WO 172/7803) there is a reference to an officer leaving for the UK 'under leave scheme "STIFF"'. This is dated 1st October 1945. Rothy
Hi Rothy, All I could find was this rather convoluted explanation in the Services Personnel Booklet-Homeward Bound. Make of it what you will. INDIAN ARMY OFFICERS: (ON RELEASE) When you arrive at the port of disembarkation you are usually met by a representative of the India Office. To him you will give your copies of I.A.F.Z-2076 and Appendix H (i) Part 1, certificate stating you have not drawn civilian clothes and your last pay slip. If you are not met you will send the above forms and report your arrival, within 24 hours, to the Principal Staff Officer, Military Dept., India Office. You will receive a travel warrant from the Embarkation Authorities at the port and will proceed straight on leave. The India Office will inform you of your leave and all arrangements for pay, gratuities and pensions. You will receive from the India Office coupons and cash in lieu of clothing outfit. You will be at the disposal of the India Office while on release leave arid they will inform you when you are relegated to the Unemployed List and when you are ultimately relieved. PROCEDURE IN U.K. Python On arrival at the port of disembarkation Python personnel are split up into parent unit drafts and marched off the ship to special trains. Drafts are then taken to their respective Receiving Units, where they are documented, receive warrants, ration card, pay NAAFI cigarette coupons etc. Their kits are checked here. According to the time of arrival they either leave the same day or the next, but in any case are not kept for a very long while. Officers must exchange Indian Identity Cards for British Identity Cards. From here personnel proceed on leave. Arrangements for further pay while on leave are made by-the depot. They return to their receiving Unit at end of leave. Liap (a) You are sent on 28 days' leave directly from the Port or Air Transit Centre (London) this leave does not start till you leave the Transit Centre/Camp. Normal stay in Camp/Centre on first arrival in U.K. is not more than 8 hours. On conclusion of this leave you return to the transit Camp/Centre at which you arrived and are despatched to INDIA. (c) At the Transit Camp you are given: — (i) Return Railway Warrant to your homes, (ii) Ration Card for 28 days. (iii) NAAFI form for cigarettes and sweets. (iv) 130 Service (incl. 21 Special) clothing coupons (Officers only), (v) Coupons for purchase of six handkerchiefs (O.Rs only), (vi) Issue of 14 days' pay (O.Rs only). (vii) Issue of any essential clothing (O.Rs. only). [*]When you return to India after your leave you automatically rejoin your former commands, units or appointments unless: — (a) You are RAPC, when you will report to the Deputy Paymaster in Chief MEERUT for reposting, You are AEC, when you will report at the Army School of Education (I) PACHMARI for reposting. (c) You have received posting order. Lilop 1. You are sent direct from the Air Transit Centre (London) or the sea port to your appropriate receiving unit whence you are sent on leave having been given your ration cards, etc., and to which you return at the end of your leave. 2. It is expected that the War Office will shortly issue instructions that LILOP shall be dealt with in exactly the same way as LIAP and go into the return to transit camps instead of receiving units. 3. If you are a. Lt.-Col., you will be sent to your depot/centre when you return to India unless you have received posting orders. LEAVE PERSONNEL—INDIAN All personnel attached to the Indian Army or permanently attached to I.U.L., except officers actually holding commissions in the Indian Army and personnel on Permanent Pre-War Cadre I.U.L. will proceed on LIAP (28 days' leave) or LILOP (61 days' leave) and not on SLICK and STIFF. This does NOT affect pay entitlements. Slick Indian Army personnel other than those proceeding on LIAP go through the same process as LIAP on arrival in the U.K.- except that they will complete Indian Army arrival report for onward transmission in bulk from transit camps. They will NOT report to India Office in writing or in person, except for any special matter, e.g. pay, extension of leave, etc. Stiff Will be sent on leave from the Port Transit Camp or the Air Trooping Centre (London), receiving the same coupons, etc., as personnel on LIAP except that the ration card will be for 14 days. Arrangements for the return passage will be made by the India Office and personnel will be told by the India Office which camp they must report to at the end of their leave. Sorry about the odd array of numbers jotted about, it is the formatting from the webpage that is throwing it off. Here is the link to the whole booklet on line, a very useful document. This section is found towards the end of Part 2: http://www.britain-at-war.org.uk/ww2/Transport_Home/Westward_Bound/html/part_2.htm
An excerpt from While Memory Serves by Lt-Gen Sir Francis Tuker (1950) describing the events in India of 1946, “The British units were getting younger and younger as men went on Python, Liap, Lilop, Slick, Stiff, Sewlrom, Domcol, Farleaf, Generosity and Elimination and other intriguing excursions”. Here are explanations for most of them. Several have been discussed on this forum. PYTHON: Repatriation scheme for those with long service overseas. LIAP: Leave in addition to Python (28 days) LILOP: Leave in lieu of Python (61 days) SLICK: Short Leave in UK for Indian Army personnel (28 days) STIFF: Leave scheme for Indian Army personnel (61 days) SEWLROM: Short End of War Leave, Regular Officers and Men DOMCOL: Domiciled Collective Overseas Leave (61 days) That leaves Farleaf, Generosity and Elimination. Has anyone any ideas of what these schemes were? Richard
