Dorset Regiment to I.A. Supply&Transport Corp

[Guest BidstonBaz]

Hello there

As part of my family tree I'm in the process of obtaining whatever documents I can of various family members. I have one medal card for my Gt Grandad Albert Henry Dyton who was born in St Albans in about 1867. In 1901 he was based in Dublin in Arbour Hill Military Prison and barracks. In 1902 he was based in India. He died on 20th October 1923 of mitral and aortic disease and was buried at the Lahore Cantonment, aged 50,profession: Ex Sergeant, Civilian in S+J Employ (this info was given to me by the national archives).

I have included his medal card but I cannot understand what is written near the bottom of the card, can anyone understand this sentence? Also the little symbol which is a cross with four dots what is that? I tried to google 'cross with four dots ww1 medal card' but didn't really get far.

Any military experts make any sense of this? Does this medal card indicate what Battalion he may have been in? and why he transferred from the Dorset Regiment to I.A Supply&Transport Corp? Was this because he was promoted to 2nd Leuitenant? One reason why I have taken interest in this family member is that I do not have any photo of him and was also trying to see if there are any photos out there of who he served with either Dorset Regiment or I.A Supply&Transport Corp.

He died before my nan was born as far as I know.

Many thanks

[pebbles]

I have just come across this and it is an area I am just starting to research as my father, both grandfathers and one grandfather (buried at Le Havre in a CWGC site) had similar careers. It seems that it was a fairly common practice for NCO's of British Army regiments and corps stationed in India to transfer to the Indian Army for better pay and prospects. They initially went on to the "Unattached List" where they retained their British Army status but actually held rank in the Indian Army. I think (not sure) that when they became WO2s they then completed transfer to the Indian Army as Sub-Conductors, progression was to Conductor and then certainly in the early part of the the 20th Cent to Assistant and Deputy Commissaries with the honorary ranks of Lieutenant and Captain. My ancestors were involved with the Supply and Transport Corps but I think it could involve other areas such as engineers, postal and telegraph as I have an uncle who appears to be in an equivalent to REME.

Information is available from the British Library who are very helpful and will provide at a cost service records (over £100 for a CD of over 100 pages for one grandfather), FIBIS also has information.

As I have said early days for my research so there may well be errors.

[MaureenE]

It seems that it was a fairly common practice for NCO's of British Army regiments and corps stationed in India to transfer to the Indian Army for better pay and prospects. They initially went on to the "Unattached List" where they retained their British Army status but actually held rank in the Indian Army.

The FIBIS Fibiwiki has a page “Unattached List”

http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php?title=Unattached_List

One set of records available at the British Library in respect of NCOs is

“India Unattached List Annual Returns IOR/L/MIL/14/144-175” 1908-1944 which is described as “Alphabetical lists of NCOs, arranged by department, and giving original corps, present department, rank, date of joining Unattached List, station, date of attestation, and remarks. Non-departmental warrant officers are also included”

Officers would appear in the Indian Army Lists, see the FIBIS Fibiwiki page Indian Army, section Records

http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php?title=Indian_Army#Records

There is also a link on that page to search the British Library records by name

Cheers

Maureen

[pebbles]

He appears 3 times that I have found in the London Gazette http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/search is the search page, usually they use full name for the first commission and then they use initials and surname afterwards, I think that he was commissioned into the Infantry Branch of the Indian Army Reserve of Officers finally he resigns in 1922 as part of a large group. What the implications of this reserve service are I am not sure, I know in my own case when I left the army I was in a reserve for some years which included my posting on being required to a job I had never done, but this was at the end of the century, I was never required to actually present myself for any training.