The Serial Enlister

Fascinated by John Sly's article: if I recall my reading correctly, the ASC did indeed take some of the less fit, especially if they had trades/skills. My source for that is ‘Army Service Corps 1902-1918’ written by Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Young, former curator of the Regimental Museum. This includes dozens of previously unpublished photographs from his own and the museum’s collection, showing the ASC at work. Published in 2000, it is now out of print, but my local library in Devon came up trumps (helpful for researching two great uncles who served in the Corps, for whom I could not justify the expense of a purchase)

 

Isn't it fascinating how little the army cared about the identity of their recruits? I wonder how many on-the-run criminals escaped the long arm of the law by joining up under a false name?

 

Whereas the first film I remember seeing at a cinema is Bedknobs and Broomsticks haha!

 

The Army seems to have had a very interesting attitude to soldiers charged by the Civil Authority. My ancestor was dishonourably discharged in 1926, though his CO gave him an excellent character 'apart from a recent unhappy affray' (I have his paybook, and the India Office file on the incident). He was convicted and served a term of imprisonment in India, returning to UK as a 'retired soldier' in 1928. In April 1938 he rejoined the regiment, in his own name, as a Territorial, was called up for the War, evacuated at Dunkirk, fought at El Alamein and, according to his diary 'invaded Sicily', being discharged in 1944 (pre D Day) in the rank of Company Sergeant Major. I look forward to seeing his record when they come on line, as all I was provided with for my fee was a summary (some time ago).
PS One film I saw with my father as a child was 'The North-West Frontier', but I do recall Danny Kaye in 'Hans Christian Anderson'

 

The first films I was taken to see were 'Mandy', a British film made in the early 1950s about a deaf girl, and the colour film of the Coronation - which does rather date me!

 

I clicked Agree, then realized that what I really wanted was a You Don't Look Your Age button !

 

However, the Military do have long memories. A relative of my wife's lost his nerve while fighting in France during WW1 and deserted. He must have come to his senses because he took a uniform from a dead soldier and saw out the remainder of the war under an assumed name. He had emigrated to Canada before the war and returned there in the 1930s, having stayed in the Army after peace was declared. He clearly thought that enough time had passed so that he could return to his old name. Somehow the authorities found out. I have a copy of a letter from the relevant Canadian department informing his mother that her son was alive. They also annotated the relevant service records to show that both referred to the same person. I haven't managed to find out what happened to him next.

 

I'm happy to draft something. I'm away for 10 days, but I'll dig out the letter and write up something when I get back. He was a bit of a rogue (to put it mildly). When he went back to Canada he left a wife and children behind in Malta. Until one of the Maltese descendents took up family history, and found his service records, they had no idea what had happened to him.