Eighth Army abbreviations

[J from Canada]

And I see from the first page of his Service and Casualty Form that he was in the RASC.

[ScouseBoy]

Note that  the time  between Embarkation  for overseas  and   Disembarkation in Middle East   was approximately two months.

[J from Canada]

Yes. an unpleasant journey by ship, I imagine.

[ScouseBoy]

Yes. an unpleasant journey by ship, I imagine.

   

They would have probably gone  the long way round  to avoid   U boats, I think.

[RRTB]

2 months after arriving in the Middle East he was admitted to hospital and then placed on the X (ii) list. Here is some info about the X (ii) list:

Personnel remain in X (ii) list until they are classified as fit for posting (when they are transferred to the X (iv) list of their corps and marched out to the appropriate training depot), or until discharged by a medical unit direct to their original units. Personnel who, after evacuation beyond RAP (=Regimental Aid Post) are medically graded 1A or lower remain on X (ii) list until they are either (a) placed on NZ Roll, or (b) posted to a Base establishment, or (c) transferred to X (i) list at the Base

Our chap was discharged to the Con Depot and taken on strength here in October. He's posted to the Mob(ilisation?) Centre and despatched to 563 GTC where he is taken on strength from the X (iv) list. This list is further explained here:

THE X (iv) LIST comprises all unposted reinforcements and incoming reinforcement drafts. Personnel discharged from NZ Reception Depot (x(ii)) to Training Depots, fit for duty, are transferred to the X (iv) list of their corps, until posted to a unit, when they are struck off X (iv) and taken on unit strength

In Jan 1943 he is admitted again to hospital and to the X (ii) list. A week later he is taken on strength of 563 GTC again.

He leaves Egypt but I don't know what H/R/M with the dates 12/16-6-43 means.

Under the "TOS BNAF" piece, the extremely faint entry reads Reclassified Cl(ass) 1A which is a medical classification. He is also granted arrears (payments?) due to him for a particular scale and classification.

I don't know what PSTT stands for but I think the "P" part may be 'Preliminary' as I believe this section may possibly be referring to new training that he was getting for driving. The second line mentions "add" with effect from 1/3/45.

RRTB

[MaxD]

Expanding on RRTB's explanations, his service in outline on those two sheets goes:
He is with the RASC Platoon attached to 53 LAA Regiment RA in 1942 and has a month’s leave before leaving with them for North Africa in May 1942.
After the privilege of serving with the Royal Regiment of Artillery, he goes to hospital for almost two months and then is posted to 2 Company B Depot(Base Depot RASC) in October 1942 (
Moves to 563 General Transport Company RASC (Egypt judging by next entries) Dec 1942
Another hospital spell Jan 1943
Leave in Egypt (the H/M/R  are administrative hieroglyphics relating to the leave)
Moves from 563 GTC and to 668 Petrol Transport Company in North Africa Command  28 August 1943
Stays with them until Aug 1945 when he is back home and has LIAP (Leave in addition to Python -  a bizarre term relating to the amount of leave he is entitled to).  (Another hospital spell in 19 Casualty Clearing Station in Jun 1945).
Joins HQ RASC 13 Corps Troops in Sep 1945.

Need to see a bit more of his record to clarify this element of service.  13 Corps were in Italy late on and he qualified for the Italy Star.  There should also be a sheet with a box with headings Service Home and Abroad which gives us a outline of his full service by theatres which can be cross related to the service sheets and which may help.

Most of the entries between Aug 43 and Sep 45 are administrative relating to his trade classification, pay and X List status which RRTB has explained and I would suggest can be safely ignored.  The 8th Army Clasp was to be worn on his Africa Star.

There are war diaries for all the units mentioned at the National Archives, if you want links I'll post them but none are digitised so you either have to go there (obviously not easy from the land of the round doorknobs) or have them copied - a very expensive process.  They will anyway only tell you where the units were and when, they do not as a rule mention individual private soldiers, that was not their function.

I would also ask whether there is anything before the first entry on the first half image.  This starts in 1942 and he is already with 53 LAA Regt and must have come from somewhere before hand.  Is there anything after the second half image?  I'd expect to see entries relating to discharge to the reserve.

T

Over to you.

maxD

Oh, I should also note that there is no mention of anybody's father or any servicewomen in the records.

[MaxD]

Really need to see the service home and abroad record.  The last three entries on "second half" seem to be recording a home leave period in August 1945 (the LIAP entry) then joining HQ RASC 13 Corps Troops in September 1945. 13 Corps were certainly in Italy and at this stage the German forces in Italy had surrendered, references are not clear as to when 13 Corps returned home. 

maxD

[J from Canada]

Thank you so very much RRTB and MaxD. This is providing me with a lot more detail than I expected and I am most grateful. Do any of the abbreviations or arcane military jargon indicate if the hospital stays were related to injury or illness? Are you able to tell if Frank the driver was working behind or at the front lines? Was it usual for a soldier to switch units so regularly?

As you both have suggested, I have found the Service at home and abroad section and attach it here. As well, I have found the first page of the Service and Casualty Form. The forms don't seem to clearly indicate exactly how long he spent in Egypt or how long he spent in Italy.

J from Canada

[J from Canada]

First page of record.