Someone I am helping has details copied from the service record of a WRNS member. There is a list of establishments and the dates she served there, with the odd period of being lent to another establishment, no problem with each of these. However, between periods in an establishment are single days with the notation "duty" against them, always just a single day (and not always weekends - I checked). Example: HMS Proserpine 26 Jan 1944 20 Mar 1944 Duty 21 Mar 1944 21 Mar 1944 HMS Proserpine 22 Mar 1944 10 Oct 1944 Duty 11 Oct 1944 11 Oct 1944 I don't need to know about the establishments and I could guess at what one day's duty means and why it is recorded, but I would prefer to know rather than guess. Anyone got a definitive answer please. GnrGnr
Hello GG. Almost exactly the same question was posted in a thread on one of the RN websites (from my fading memory, it might've been the WNS webpage??) some years ago. The answer given was that the "Duty" notation was written to represent an authorised "Duty trip" (for whatever reason) away from her base (in this case, Proserpine). It was mandatory for her Divisional Officer to make this notation because she may have incurred expenses on her Duty trip, for example rail or taxi fares, or overnight accommodation, and it could therefore be checked-against by her Paymaster-Lieutenant before he authorised any remuneration. The answer quoted that, oddly, this entry on a Service Certificate occurred much more commonly for Wrens than it did for male ratings. Makes eminent sense to me, but whether or not it's the "definitive" answer that you're looking for I couldn't possibly say.....