Shoe Sergeant

[Drafter]

Just wanted to re ask again from a previous posting I made what is a Shoe Sergeant? Saw this rank in my 19th battalion nominal roll was asked about this myself and have no idea is this a Canadian rank only or did other nations use it as well during WW1? Been seeing alot of other unusual ranks in there as well like Bugler, Batman Driver, Sergeant Tailor and Pipe. Was just curious about this.

[Steven Broomfield]

Not sure, but my guess is it is a rank associated with shoeing horses (i.e., putting shoes on them, not going 'shoo...shoo' at them). More commeon (I would imagine) in mounted units - cavalry, artillery, ASC, etc.

[Graham Stewart]

Drafter,

My great grandfather served with 50th Div Ammo Column and luckily his service docs survived and in the rank section you find the initials "S/S" or "S/Smith", which stand for "Shoe Smith". Obviously he shoed horses within the D.A.C.

In your case and being an infantry unit, I think you're probably looking at the battalion cobbler, who would have been an old soldier, obviously employed mending shoes.

In Kings Regs you actually find a sergeant-shoemaker who "is allowed for each battalion of Foot Guards and infantry of the line at home and in the colonies". It goes on to say "In each battalion to which a sergeant-shoemaker is appointed, at least four men per company will be instructed in the rudiments of shoe-making, so as to be able to carry out minor repairs when on service".

I would think that the same would apply to Empire units.

Graham.

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

#4 Sergeant Alfred Brackett of Sudbury Suffolk was Sergeant Shoemaker,with the 1/5th Suffolk Regiment,TF,having been a Long serving Volunteer Battalion member,earning the QV Vol.LSM,he served in Gallipoli,Alexandria & Palestine,earned the 1914~15 Star War & Victory Medals & a TEM[1920] to Boot{Excuse pun!}he was well into his sixties by the end of the War.He was by Trade a Shoemaker & Cobbler,with along estabished {now long gone sadly} Family Business in Sudbury

In the 1/5th Bn; Sergeant's Photo{Alexandria} group he is the greying Gentleman with the look of an elderly Michael Palin about him!

[squirrel]

Agree that "shoe" would be for infantry and "shoeing" for mounted troops.