marinheiro Posted 2 December , 2010 Share Posted 2 December , 2010 Hi, If anyone's interested I've started putting up my grandad's war diary as a blog, at http://eric.theseamans.net His name was Eric Seaman, he was in the Ordnance Corps, and left for Salonika in November 1917. I'm going to try to put up a day's worth of the diary each day (I'll see how long my good intentions last..). At the moment he's just arrived in France. Would be curious to know if anyone knows any of the others in his platoon. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marinheiro Posted 6 January , 2011 Author Share Posted 6 January , 2011 Eric has finally arrived in Greece. They found out he had been a clerk and he's been assigned to provisions. The others who have been given clerk's jobs have been assigned to other units and I don't know what the abbreviations mean - any ideas? Robinson + I were sent to Provisions, Haslam + Carter to C.O.Os, Herrington + Powell to O.O.s, Ramsay to Indents. There's also a rank I can't read - looks like Subloadr (the 'Sub' is clear, the rest of the word is a scrawl) Thanks for any suggestions Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marinheiro Posted 5 February , 2011 Author Share Posted 5 February , 2011 A slang word I am sure I've heard before but don't know where it comes from: there was some work to be done, so some people "amsheed" off smartly to avoid it. Amsheed? The town in Lebanon? Why? Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockdoc Posted 5 February , 2011 Share Posted 5 February , 2011 It couldn't be a version of backslang, could it? Scram would become amscray and scrammed change to amscrayed. It wouldn't need much for the origin to be lost with constant usage and the word mutate a bit. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kath Posted 5 February , 2011 Share Posted 5 February , 2011 Graham, is it a version of 'imshi' ? http://www.slang-dictionary.com/definition/imshi.html I remember my Dad using it. Kath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rflory Posted 6 February , 2011 Share Posted 6 February , 2011 marinheiro wrote: "There's also a rank I can't read - looks like Subloadr (the 'Sub' is clear, the rest of the word is a scrawl). If it refers to officers it could be 'subaltern', a term used for company officers; if it refers to an Indian officer it could be 'Subadar". Dick Flory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marinheiro Posted 7 February , 2011 Author Share Posted 7 February , 2011 By Jove I think you've got it :-) I looked at an arabic translator and 'amshi' is an arabic word meaning 'walk'; I guess imshi and amshi are the same verb. Thanks, Keith Graham Graham, is it a version of 'imshi' ? http://www.slang-dic...tion/imshi.html I remember my Dad using it. Kath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marinheiro Posted 18 February , 2011 Author Share Posted 18 February , 2011 Anyone know what the B.S.D. was in Salonica? I'm guessing it was the military headquarters - the old orphanage? The only context I have is my grandad caught a lift on a lorry going there, but jumped off in Rue Egnatia before it arrived Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Wills Posted 19 February , 2011 Share Posted 19 February , 2011 If he jumped off in the Rue Egantia he was slap-bang in the city centre. Were his abbreviations his own shorthand, or generally official ones used by the Army? D could be depot. There was a large ASC depot at Kalamaria, which dealt with most of the heavy repairs, such as lorries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marinheiro Posted 20 February , 2011 Author Share Posted 20 February , 2011 Most of his abbreviations were the normal official ones. But not always: there are two more in today's entry I don't know: the C.O.O.'s office, and 'if it wasn't for the messing around I'm sure I would go 'rocky' and it would be the absolute B.T.' (B.T. i guess being something like 'blessed end' but I can't think what). Graham If he jumped off in the Rue Egantia he was slap-bang in the city centre. Were his abbreviations his own shorthand, or generally official ones used by the Army? D could be depot. There was a large ASC depot at Kalamaria, which dealt with most of the heavy repairs, such as lorries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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