Jump to content
Free downloads from TNA ×
The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Soldiers Pay


mark pearson

Recommended Posts

Athough I have looked around the forum, I have'tn come across too uch regarding how soldiers were paid. Up untill recently modern soldiers were paid by daily rate,by rank and qualification. Was this the same criteria applied to soldiers of WW1? In particular Im interested to know if there was a definite difference between Infantry and other Corps, ie cavalry engineers ect..

On another slightly different tack, How was a soldiers pay affected by him being confined to a POW camp? I would have hoped that he received full pay but could understand it being reduced to a minimum level as "he wouldnt be earning his keep" so as to speak. if that be the cas, that must surely have made things that much more financially difficult for a family back st home.

If any one has any tables of pay to share, or just an opinion to voice I would be most interested.

Happy New Year to all,

Percy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Percy,

Here's a link to a recruiting banner seen in Newfoundland. It shows a pay rate of $1.00 a day plus rations. Hope this helps a little.

shawn

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Percy,

From a Royal Scots(Lothian Regiment) 1914 recruitment Post Card.

"SOLDIERS' PAY.

After all stoppages for Messing and Washing have been deducted there remains for the Soldier to spend as he chooses:-

Weekly.

On joining 6 shillings,8 and a half pennies.

After two years' service(if proficient and serving on an approved term of more than three years).

2nd Class 8 shillings,5 and a half pennies.

1st Class 10 shillings,2 and a half pennies.

In addition to the above,Lodging,Food,Fuel and Medical Attention are supplied free.

An allowance is given after 6 months' service to pay for replacing all articles of Kit and Clothing.

Men of good character are granted one month's Furlough annually,when they receive,besides the weekly sums mentioned in the table,an additional 5 shillings and 6 pennies a week in lieu of the food ration."

George

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Percy,

Here's a link to a recruiting banner seen in Newfoundland. It shows a pay rate of $1.00 a day plus rations. Hope this helps a little.

shawn

Colonial troops (for example, those from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Newfoundland) were paid more than their British counterparts, who in 1914 were getting a basic rate of 1s a day(as private soldiers).

Moonraker

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Percy

"daily rate by rank and qualification" is right. Most soldiers received pay under two headings: regimental (basic) pay and proficiency or Corps pay according to qualification.experience.

In 1914 the daily basic pay of a private in the infantry was 1s 0d. Privates in other arms, or the equivalent rank, received 1s 2d or thereabouts. Infantry lance-corporals received 1s 3d, equivalents in other arms 1s 5d to 1s 7d.

Infantry corporals received 1s 8d, those in other arms 2s to 2s 6d (the top rate applying to RA and RE).

Infantry sergeants received 2s 4d, those in other arms 2s 8d to 3s 3d.

The second type of pay weas either proficiency pay (infantry, cavalry and artillery), which was either at 3d or 6d per day, and depended on efficiency; or engineer or Corps pay, which depended on trade qualifications. For most corps there were five graded rates of Corps pay, typically 4d, 6d, 8d, 10d and 1s. For senior NCOs in RE and ASC these rates went up to 2s or 1s 8d.

There was also working pay, payable when men were on working parties for other departments and services. Again this varied with the specialist nature of the task, but was usually 4d per day, paid pro-rate according to the hours worked.

Full details can be found in the 1914 Pay Warrant. There is an immense amount of detail there, and in the subsequent amendments during the War, but I hope that this very rough and simplified outline will help.

All of these comments refer only to men on the British establishment, but there were still anomalies such as the RE Tunnelling Companies whose men were paid at something more like civilian rates.

Ron

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thanks very much to all who have provided a wonderful picture of a soldiers pay account. makes my sixty odd a day seem overly generous and with much better terms and conditions.

Ron, is the Pay Warent available to download oonline and woulfd it mention POWs pay?

Once again many thanks to all for your contributions.

Regards

Percy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Percy

I don't think that any of the Pay Warrants are available online but you never know!

As far as I know, men's pay acccounts at home were still credited with normal pay while they were POWs, but I don't know if that would have included engineer/Corps pay. All POWs were debriefed on returning home, to checkn whether they had been captured through no fault of their own, and it is likely that financial adjustments, and payment of amounts due, would have taken place thereafter.

If you can find a set of Army Orders, or Army Council Instructions - they are both available at Kew, but I don't think they are online - these are likely to give you as good an answer as the Pay Warrants, and may be easier to find. Army Orders are in class WO123 (files 56 to 61 covering 1914 to 1919 respectively) and ACIs in class WO293.

Ron

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Admin

In particular Im interested to know if there was a definite difference between Infantry and other Corps, ie cavalry engineers ect.

The pay differential was often a source of resentment and reflected in soldiers songs. There are many examples, this first verse from the Seaforth Highlanders sung to the tune of a Methodist Hymn:-



"We are but little Seaforths weak,



our pay is seven bob a week.



Whate'er we do by night or day



It makes no difference to our pay."

(Source: Max Arthur 'When this Bloody War is Over')

Or this doggerel quoted by Holmes in 'Tommy' (insert any Regiment of the PBI)

''God made the bee

The bees make honey

The Dorsets do the work

The RE get the money'.

An extreme example, by any standard was the 'Dockers Battalion' of the Liverpool Regiment formed in 1915. Their terms of engagement were union rates of 35/- per week plus soldiers pay of 1/- a day, and an undertaking they would not be sent overseas.

There was considerable resentment against munitions workers, many of whom were women and even unskilled workers in the industry could easily earn £2 a week.

One account reported in the Daily Mail talks of a married woman receiving £3 per week allowance from the Army while earning £3 per week in munitions and her 13 year old son earning £2 per week - a total of £8 per week, while her husband was on 'eight bob' a week at the Front. Making allowances for the source the cultural significance is 'priceless'.

On another slightly different tack, How was a soldiers pay affected by him being confined to a POW camp? I would have hoped that he received full pay but could understand it being reduced to a minimum level as "he wouldnt be earning his keep" so as to speak. if that be the case, that must surely have made things that much more financially difficult for a family back at home.

Generally speaking in 1916 both Officers and ORs accounts were credited with full pay and allowances, including field allowance; RFC officers for example continued to receive flight pay. Officers received an allowance from the hostile Government. In 1916 for Captains and above imprisoned in Germany and Austria this was £5 per month, Lieutenants received £3. In Turkey the figure was 4/6 per day and 4/- per day respectively. These sums were deducted from their pay by the War Office. Regimental officers received full pay and allowances less this deduction during their incarceration, whereas Staff officers lost their staff allowances after 61 days and reverted to either regimental pay if regimental officers or half pay if above regimental rank. (Minor amendments were made to these arrangements as the war continued notably the provision of half pay after General Townsend was captured at Kut.)

ORs, unlike officers,were put to work by their captors (as were German prisoners in the UK) and it was reported in Germany and Austria they could earn up to 1.50 marks per day for skilled work or 30 pfg for agricultural labour. This was referred to as 'prisoner of war pay', and theoretically could be used to buy items locally but the blockade and shortages mitigated against that, and of course it could be witheld by their captors for many reasons. While imprisoned ORs continued to have full pay credited to their account and as with the officers were, 'at liberty to deal with it how they wished'. As in the previous post, married men especially could make an allottment to their wives and this would continue up to a maximum of three quarters of the total amount. I can find no reference to any deductions to the rates if they were receiving specialist allowances or pay.

Apart from being taken prisoner another issue was being reported 'missing'.

The Times reported on 11th July 1918 that:-

"In view of some misapprehension regarding the pay of soldiers reported missing the War Office makes the following announcement;-

No further pay is credited to a soldier officially reported missing unless 1) it is ascertained that he died at a certain date when pay is credited up to the date of his death, (2) it is found that he is a prisoner of war, when arrears are credited and pay continues."

When on active service men were paid in local currency at pay parades (as an aside I recall having to salute for my £4 17s 6d as late as 1966).

There were obvious problems in getting the cash, accounting for it and distributing it while under fire. Apparently many officers were still being chased by the Army years after hostilities ended to account for money where the paperwork was not completed. For the POWs this arrangement was impossible, hence the official language of 'crediting a soldier's account' I doubt they ever saw any money, and in fact people at home were discouraged from sending money but encouraged to send food and and other items.

[PC spoiler - specifically talking issues around soldier's pay, acknowledging the privations and starvation of pows and the hazards faced by munitions workers or any other groups.]

Ken

Link to comment
Share on other sites

An example, I believe, of Ken's 'crediting of an account' for working/learning at a trade while interred.

shawn

post-46808-093251500 1294404858.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

if its of any interest, here's a Canadian Army pay scale (from a 1918 Canadian paybook)...

post-357-039797000 1294405292.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guys,

once again Im ammaazed at the generousity og the forun members. Mo0re infortmation than I had hoped for. Thank you all very much indeed. If I can get to Kew in the next couple of months I shall look up the ACIs mentioned.

Regards to all

Percy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...

During my time seconded to the Civil Service in the mid 70s I did systems audits on both the RN and the Army payrolls. I thought they were somewhat complex then but this shows this had been the case for a long time.

The pay differential was often a source of resentment and reflected in soldiers songs. There are many examples, this first verse from the Seaforth Highlanders sung to the tune of a Methodist Hymn:-



"We are but little Seaforths weak,



our pay is seven bob a week.



Whate'er we do by night or day



It makes no difference to our pay."

(Source: Max Arthur 'When this Bloody War is Over')

Or this doggerel quoted by Holmes in 'Tommy' (insert any Regiment of the PBI)

''God made the bee

The bees make honey

The Dorsets do the work

The RE get the money'.

An extreme example, by any standard was the 'Dockers Battalion' of the Liverpool Regiment formed in 1915. Their terms of engagement were union rates of 35/- per week plus soldiers pay of 1/- a day, and an undertaking they would not be sent overseas.

There was considerable resentment against munitions workers, many of whom were women and even unskilled workers in the industry could easily earn £2 a week.

One account reported in the Daily Mail talks of a married woman receiving £3 per week allowance from the Army while earning £3 per week in munitions and her 13 year old son earning £2 per week - a total of £8 per week, while her husband was on 'eight bob' a week at the Front. Making allowances for the source the cultural significance is 'priceless'.

Generally speaking in 1916 both Officers and ORs accounts were credited with full pay and allowances, including field allowance; RFC officers for example continued to receive flight pay. Officers received an allowance from the hostile Government. In 1916 for Captains and above imprisoned in Germany and Austria this was £5 per month, Lieutenants received £3. In Turkey the figure was 4/6 per day and 4/- per day respectively. These sums were deducted from their pay by the War Office. Regimental officers received full pay and allowances less this deduction during their incarceration, whereas Staff officers lost their staff allowances after 61 days and reverted to either regimental pay if regimental officers or half pay if above regimental rank. (Minor amendments were made to these arrangements as the war continued notably the provision of half pay after General Townsend was captured at Kut.)

ORs, unlike officers,were put to work by their captors (as were German prisoners in the UK) and it was reported in Germany and Austria they could earn up to 1.50 marks per day for skilled work or 30 pfg for agricultural labour. This was referred to as 'prisoner of war pay', and theoretically could be used to buy items locally but the blockade and shortages mitigated against that, and of course it could be witheld by their captors for many reasons. While imprisoned ORs continued to have full pay credited to their account and as with the officers were, 'at liberty to deal with it how they wished'. As in the previous post, married men especially could make an allottment to their wives and this would continue up to a maximum of three quarters of the total amount. I can find no reference to any deductions to the rates if they were receiving specialist allowances or pay.

Apart from being taken prisoner another issue was being reported 'missing'.

The Times reported on 11th July 1918 that:-

"In view of some misapprehension regarding the pay of soldiers reported missing the War Office makes the following announcement;-

No further pay is credited to a soldier officially reported missing unless 1) it is ascertained that he died at a certain date when pay is credited up to the date of his death, (2) it is found that he is a prisoner of war, when arrears are credited and pay continues."

When on active service men were paid in local currency at pay parades (as an aside I recall having to salute for my £4 17s 6d as late as 1966).

There were obvious problems in getting the cash, accounting for it and distributing it while under fire. Apparently many officers were still being chased by the Army years after hostilities ended to account for money where the paperwork was not completed. For the POWs this arrangement was impossible, hence the official language of 'crediting a soldier's account' I doubt they ever saw any money, and in fact people at home were discouraged from sending money but encouraged to send food and and other items.

[PC spoiler - specifically talking issues around soldier's pay, acknowledging the privations and starvation of pows and the hazards faced by munitions workers or any other groups.]

Ken

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...