A Sergeant Majors attire? WW2

[Getting on a bit]

My apologies Shash.  A Sergeant Major wears a Coat of Arms on each sleeve - not a crown.  I think it's time I was in bed !!

Isles.

The Coat of Arms is worn by a Regimental Sergeant Major normally at the bottom of the sleeve his rank is Warrant Officer Class one
A  Crown is worn by a Squadron Sergeant Major or Company Sergeant Major in the same position with the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Army_enlisted_rank_insignia

[Shash]

I finally have a digital camera and can post my fathers photo. Can anyone help me understand his title from this pic please?

shash

[Shash]

I finally have a digital camera and can post my fathers photo. Can anyone help me understand his title from this pic please?

shash

[scrimnet]

Just to add to the mix...It was (is) rare for both sleeves to display the WO1 / 2 ranks except in full dress. The rank is normally only seen on the right wrist. Quite frequently the WO2 badge of crown within laurels or single crown was in brass.

Now, this chap is wearing a 1940 pattern battledress, and has a coloured field service cap on. The colour of which is determined by his Regt of Corps I can't make out his medal ribbons.

Now as for his release book (AB X 801)...If you open it, and the first page I have states at the bottom,                                                                                  ,

"Army number, present rank, Unit, Regt or Corps, surname, christian names in full", followed by "The receipt of this mans greatcoat is hereby acknowledged"

The inside back cover will also give his number and Regt or Corps on the "Release Leave Certificate" as well as his "service trade"....

If you could post as much int form this book as you can we can probably sort it all out for you...

[scrimnet]

My apologies Shash.  A Sergeant Major wears a Coat of Arms on each sleeve - not a crown.  I think it's time I was in bed !!

Isles.

The Coat of Arms is worn by a Regimental Sergeant Major normally at the bottom of the sleeve his rank is Warrant Officer Class one
A  Crown is worn by a Squadron Sergeant Major or Company Sergeant Major in the same position with the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Army_enlisted_rank_insignia

Although a useful link, this refers to and pictures MODERN British Army ranks, and should be, like all Wikipedia, treated with caution!

[Shash]

Hello scrimnet

The book I have is Army Book 64.
Soldier's Service and Pay Book and the notes of release etc. are in the back pouch.
So, at the beginning inside cover is all his personal garment sizes. The next page is his name and description on attestation. This is interesting and I don't know what it means: beside Approved society it is written = Hearts of Oak! and a memebership number. I wonder what that is.
he enlisted at Blandford on 25.9.41 for the N.S. Act. For duration of Emergency and then his signature.
Page 3 is his description on Enlistment and it says scar on left forehead (I never saw that) and lower than that is: A & S  Gp:  4/c  ()
Pages 4 and 4a are particulars of his training. The last training listed is Nov 12 to no 26 (sic) and it states: attended Course N.C.O. Infantry Course at Holzminder B.A.O.R. = passed and then there is a page of his innoculations.
Now to the pieces of paper at the back:
War Department driving permit. It does say w/Sgt Fitzgerald and on the back it it stamped School of Arty 07 Sep 1946 BAOR
There's a card that says: national Service Acts, 1939-1941 certificate of registration.
There's another national Service (armed forces) Acts card...it is a Grade Card.
It says my dad was medically examined and placed in grade one. I wonder now as i look closer, if he had a pal as a name and address can be faintly seen with a magnifying glass written on this card.

The next one is salmon coloured and paper and it says pay form R.3 Release from the army - pay arrangements. There was obviously a postal draft attached. His release serial number is written down.
Since first listing, I came across another important clue written on an army form (C348) MEMORAMDUM....the other posters who helped me were correct I think.
This memorandum says: from so and so to W/Sgt (Fd), Footseray(sp?) and my dads name. My dad is changing his address and returned his army forms to do so and the army states "your correct rank rank is W/Sgt and the regimental paymaster R.a. (Field) has been notified." They tell him to retain one specific form as proof of his transfer to the army reserve and the other form is for presentation to the regimental Association which he may be desirous of joining or from which he may require assistance.
That's what I have if it is any help. If you can shed any more light on what he did I would appreciate it.

p.s. I see in the book where the army has written when he took leave, but not when he was in hospital from wounds he had from shrapnel. Why would this be please?



shash

[scrimnet]

Ok you have his Pay Book...AB64 Pt 1...There was AB64 Pt 2 but that was for operations only.

You are quite lucky to have that amount of int in the back pocket! Most of that sort of stuff was kept in a wallet.

The Approved Society is his Insurance! Hearts Of Oak was a Friendly Society like the Prudential.

The NS act is the National Service Act ..My father also has A&S Gp 4/C on his!

On the Particulars of Training, it should also state which medals he was awarded at the end of the war....

The next page should haverecord of Specialist Employment Whilst Serving...Anything here would be a clue...

Have you got AF W3084 in the Pay Book??

BAOR is British Army Of the Rhine and was extant from after the surrender of Germany.

Interestingly he attended an Infantry NCO course...The rest of the stuff says Royal Artillery ie School of Artillery...

Leave was always appended in the Pay Book, as any Military Police could demand to see the pay book to see if you were who you said you were, and if you were entitled to be on leave...My dads has loads in it! Sick leave from an Army Hospital would not always be necessarily in there as a Hospital Chit would be issued.

As for W/Sgt...There are two possibilities...eithe a Wheel Sgt...a Wheelwright either for the Royal Army Service Corps or the Royal Artillery...or and the more likely, a War Sgt...ie a rank for the duration....and not substantive...but more so than an acting rank...

[scrimnet]

It's a shame your pic is cut off where it is...

We cannot see shoulder titles, or a cap badge, or the top of his hat.

If he was Royal Artillery, the hat would be blue/black base, with yellow piping, and for confirmation, a red top...The folded peak which we can just see above the buttons would also be blue/black...

Do you have his number from his Pay Book??...that would also help in identifying his Regt...

[Shash]

Hi scrimnet, thank you for all of the information that you provided.
On page 4 under particulars of Training, he took 7 courses and they always wrote result A+, but i don't see any awards written down there. Under Specialist of training, it just mentions 3 sessions of leave...it was always signed by Free Warrant. There is no SF W3084 in this book.
I think his number is on the memorandum paper where it says TO:11268794, W/Sgt.
My mother, age 81, can tell me the colour of his hat.
That pic was the one he gave to her when they met. I do have him with other fellow from the army, but they are glossy brownie pics. (tiny)

Thanks scrimnet
ps I have to get rootschat to tell me how to remove one pic on my dad.