Desk job military in WWI

[Vimeira]

I'm researching a Colonial Civil Servant in his 40s who I suspect spent WWI doing admin in Africa but titled himself Captain after the war. Would men like this have been admitted to the army in 1914 and given honorary titles? I don't find him listed as a soldier. Thanks!

[Mabel Bagshawe]

I'm not a military expert, but I believe if he was properly conscripted into the army proper he'd have had a rank which he'd retain

An alternative, given his age and location - might he have served in the Boer War and still use his rank from that time?

[Vimeira]

Thanks - I'd considered that but he was still called "Mr" in 1907 and "Esq." in 1910. I read on Wikipedia that T E Lawrence was a Lieutenant even though he was doing a desk job (until he insisted on leaving it). I don't know if you could enlist in Africa.

[Andy J2022]

It would not have been at all unusual for a colonial civil servant to have been commissioned during the war, but then perhaps because of his skill-set, be assigned desk job. He probably held the rank of Lieutenant during hostilities  and was then allowed to use the honorary rank of captain after being demobbed. That was standard practice until after the Second World War.

[ShaunJ]

Perhaps he was commissioned as a part time officer in a local volunteer corps, wherever he was in Africa.

[Vimeira]

Thank you - those solutions would work. I'd mostly only read about men fighting in France and their ranks.

[shanreagh]

I don't understand the  reference to desk job and what it would have to with ranks and decorations.  While 'an army marches on its stomach' all sorts of experienced people in civilian life were required to order and obtain the food, petrol, ammo needed for the military

Many armies have a group called the ASC and much of the work, in the early stages would have been done by men experienced in desk jobs in civvy street. 

'The Army Service Corps (ASC), in the context of the New Zealand army, was the supply and transport branch, providing essential services like food, equipment, and ammunition to the troops, and also assisting in evacuating the wounded'.
(wiki)

It would not have been at all unusual for a colonial civil servant to have been commissioned during the war, but then perhaps because of his skill-set, be assigned desk job

I was discussing this with a senior military person I worked with and he said most military would have  frowned on 'conscripting bright young people' especially in the early stages when there was a need for ASC duties and Intel.  Later these would have been backed up by women. 

Some ranks were entitled to retain their rank after hostilities cease. None of my uncles did.

Also in some areas there was an active undercurrent against men who were perceived, mostly incorrectly, of 'not fighting' during and after the war/s. 

[Vimeira]

Yes, I have a relative who was in the RAOC. My subject had been involved in getting the native population to grow crops before WWI and was 46 when the war started. So my guess was that he stayed where he knew the area and did something there as I can't find any records. I assume non-combatants didn’t get the medals and pensions that make them easy to find on Ancestry?

[Rena]

Have you searched the LONDON GAZETTE which usually has information regarding officers and frommemory there's a note against each member of the forces that showed their parents paid for the "officer" rank