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General => Armed Forces => World War Two => Topic started by: Chester-Rod on Saturday 17 October 15 16:48 BST (UK)
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I am trying to work out what the last entry is in my Dad's Army Pay Book that lists the "nature of leave". I can make out that it says "Priv Leave" (Privilege Leave) but I cannot make out the rest of the sentence. Can anyone help please?
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How old was he at that date? part of it may say 48 years, or am I mistaken?
Surely they would be de-mobilising them or standing them down indefinitely about that time?
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I think it is "48 hrs".
Nanny Jan
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Dad was 28 in 1945. He was not discharged from the Army (Royal Welch Fusiliers) until 3 April 1946. He was a clerk at the Shrewsbury Record Office and responsible for producing discharge papers for the troops.
I don't think it can be 48 hours as the dates show as 10/10/1945 to 23/10/1945
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Privelege Leave & UJ 48 hrs
So what could UJ be?
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Perhaps he was given 11 days of Privilege Leave (the same as in April) plus another 48 hours to give 13 days. The UJ (or something) might qualify the 48 hours pass - perhaps it's an "S" and means "unspecified", or is in fact a "J" denoting "unjustified", meaning not backed up by any supporting documentation. It could even be UT, using the form of capital T often written at the time.
Pure guesswork!
Chris
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If he was on privilege leave I wonder does the "UJ" (if it's a 'J') refer to an unspecified journey or something like that? I've tried to find a military acronym with those two letters but to no avail.
I also came across this on an army study guide site. Ignore the reference to AWOL; it's the word 'unavoidable' that interested me:
Leave Accrual Policy
Soldiers on active duty earn 30 days of leave a year with pay and allowances at the rate of 2 1⁄2 days a month. This entitlement excludes periods of:
Absent without leave (AWOL), unless excused as unavoidable (see AR 630-10).
Maybe he was due back on the 23/10/45 but was allowed an extra 48hrs to make the journey?
RRTB
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I am a retired Civil Servant in MoD, those theories about a long journey sound perfectly feasible and perfectly reasonable. If people had to travel to the North of Scotland, or to a Scottish Island then they would normally be allowed extra travelling time. Or to Northern Ireland as well.
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Thanks for all your help so far. Here are some other entries in his Pay Book that might give further clues:
On 21 August 1945: Relinquished appointment as Lance Corporal on ceasing to perform duties
On 20 September 1945: Admitted to Military Hospital, Campbell College, Belfast
On 28 September 1945: Discharged from hospital (acute right maxillary Sinusitis)
On 24 October 1945: Reappointed Lance Corporal - this was the day after the "Priv Leave" entry
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interesting (for me in particular) to see that he was hospitalised in Campbell College. Campbell was a boarding school whose boarding fraternity was evacuated to Portrush when the school was converted to a military hospital. The school itself was damaged during a bombing raid while under military hospital control.
The school was evacuated in 1940 and the buildings at the Belmont campus became Number 24 (London) General Hospital.
The Schools Changing Rooms became Operating Theatres and X-Ray Rooms.
Baths were installed in the Classrooms and over 34000 Servicemen were treated here by October 1945.
On the night of 4th/5th May 1941 the Hospital was bombed and 19 Doctors and Patients were killed.
It was my school in the 1970s, hence my interest!
The "UJ" probably therefore does refer to "unavoidable journey" to return to his unit.
RRTB
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I first read what you have all seen as 'UJ' as 'VJ' and wondered if it had anything to do with VJ Day. Could there have been a blanket grant of 48 hours leave which this soldier had missed and was receiving some compensation?
Just a thought.
A