Don Stainton Posted 8 February , 2003 Share Posted 8 February , 2003 Does anyone have any information of length and frequency of home leave throughout the war? Did it vary between officers and other ranks? Were there special circumstances when leave was or could be extended? Or when the frequency of leave for an individual was increased or decreased? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted 8 February , 2003 Share Posted 8 February , 2003 Not a great help but my grandfather (a Private in the ASC) went to France in December 1916, was granted 2 weeks leave in December 1917 and a further 2 weeks leave in December 1918. He was next home in November 1919 when he was demobilised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff. Hobson Posted 8 February , 2003 Share Posted 8 February , 2003 Mark, I get the impression that leave was not a priority in the British Army. From an account written by a man I knew one Bill Setchell ex 1st Bn. Sherwood Foresters he writes "first into the trenches 5th March 1915 at Neuve Chappel. Another item after 18 months drew £3-15s to go on leave travelled in wagons to the Docks leave called off back again to the line, carried on for over another 12 months in almost every Sector. Wounded in the hand and Face while cutting wire at Fricourt, Second battle of the Somme." His only leave until the end was sick leave. Cliff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Saunders Posted 8 February , 2003 Share Posted 8 February , 2003 I think I read somewhere that officers could request leave and they often acquired short passes to go to the main cities, Paris being an obvious favourite - although I am unsure whether this stretched to junior subalterns. I believe other ranks could be granted leave in special circumstances ... I know of one sergeant who managed to get home to act as Best Man at his brother's wedding - but generally there was no uniformity in the granting of leave to other ranks irrespective of what the regulations were. In many instances if a soldier was evacuated back to the UK then he may be given a short leave when dischaged from hospital. A final point - if given leave, it didn't start until you arrived at yr destination ie. a man from Dover would have his full period of granted leave commence when he arrived back in that port, a man from Glasgow or The Orkney's would start their leave when they arrived in that part of the world and so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robwilliams Posted 10 February , 2003 Share Posted 10 February , 2003 With regard to the last point about leave starting when you reached your destination, this was not always the case. Originally it started from when you left the trenches, but this proved to be very unfair, especially to those in the north of England and Scotland. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 10 February , 2003 Share Posted 10 February , 2003 I have read several accounts of men complaining that they had to return almost immediately because of delays and distance and have never read leave began when a man got home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Saunders Posted 10 February , 2003 Share Posted 10 February , 2003 Thinking about it I cant recall if leave started from when they reached their destination or the closest major town/city but it was as a result of those having to travel north or to obscure areas, as Rob williams pointed out. He is also correct to state that this did not happen from the outset of war and I am not sure when it was introduced ... possibly end 1915/during 1916. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 10 February , 2003 Share Posted 10 February , 2003 Well it sure makes sense, if you lived in the Hebrides you would have no time at home. Which leads me back to, I sure would like to see an article about Gaelic/Welch speakers in British Army. I have seen a couple of referecnes to men who spoke only Welch, suspect there were more Gaelic only speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt York Posted 12 February , 2003 Share Posted 12 February , 2003 My grandfather's RFA Bde crossed to France in September 1915. He got his first home leave in May 1917 of 10 days, which included travelling to Liverpool, and back France to in the allocated 10 days leave. He arrived back in time for the Battle of Messines and was back in 'Blighty' a few days later with shrapnel wounds to his lower body. He served with 112 th Bde RFA, 25th Division. Ronnie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 12 February , 2003 Share Posted 12 February , 2003 One of my assorted Manchesters (Captain Herbert Nidd, 7th (?) Bn) is reported to have served for 3.5 continuous years without leave. He was offered 6 months home leave, but only took 10 days. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Saunders Posted 12 February , 2003 Share Posted 12 February , 2003 On a similar theme some of the men that returned from India with the 2/Buffs in Dec 1914 were setting foot on home soil for the first time in nearly 10 years. Their return was short lived as they were in France by the end of Jan 1915! I expect other Bttns returning from overseas service in 1914 and 1915 had men with similar lengths of unbroken service in far flung parts of the Empire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Sweeney Posted 13 February , 2003 Share Posted 13 February , 2003 Don, All units were in theory to maintain a leave roster. How this roster was maintained I do not know. Standard duration of leave was 10 days. Although more or less could be granted. Leave counted from when a man left his unit to when he reported back, inclusive of transportation time. Toughest time eater was making it through the base ports to depart on transports to the UK. Special instructions were issued to base ports to prevent delaying both departing and returning leave soldiers (GRO 1418) During the war a transportation network was set-up that totally accounted for men on leave, this included the issue of combined leave and railway tickets. Leave Train schedules were regularly published in Routine Orders. Special instructions were also issued to units whose soldiers were proceeding on leave to Scotland, Ireland or Wales. That is GRO's 2519, 2591 and 2961 instruct that Soldiers should not be granted leave who are proceeding to Scotland or Ireland on a Saturday so not to be delayed in London awaiting a leave train. Those going to Wales should not be granted leave on a Saturday or Sunday so as not to miss a leave train and waste a day or two of leave. GRO 3068 gives instructions for Soldiers proceeding on leave to the Shetlands (10 per diem) who may use the Naval Train and Fleet Mail steamer. These GRO's were in effect in the BEF through 1918. Joe Sweeney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt York Posted 13 February , 2003 Share Posted 13 February , 2003 My grandad was a regular with 2nd East Yorks, his bn arrived back in England from India on 24/12/14 and landed in France on 16/1/15. I often wonder if he managed to see his family before embarking for France after having been in India for the previous 4 years. I very much doubt if his bn would have been given embarkation leave. Ronnie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annette Burgoyne Posted 13 February , 2003 Share Posted 13 February , 2003 What about the Australian and Canadian troops, where did they go on leave, seeing that their countries were so far away. Annette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt York Posted 13 February , 2003 Share Posted 13 February , 2003 Annette, I have copies of the service papers of a man from my home town on Merseyside who served with the AIF. He was given leave whilst serving in France and took his leave at his home in Liverpool, England. Ronnie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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