"On Patrol" - a punishment?

[Icox67]

(Re-posted from other forum, as got zero replies, surprisingly). Hoping for better luck here...

Going through my grandfather's handwritten war diary from April to Dec 1918, I have found a couple of references to one of his fellow soldiers being "on Patrol". The exact wording was:

"McGregor on patrol. Came in wearing Gerry helmet, silly fool." and

"McGregor on patrol. Refused to carry breakfast to C/O."

It would seem to imply being put "on patrol" was some form of punishment. Does anyone have any more detail about what this would have entailed, in the front or reserve line (which is where they were at the time of the diary entries).

(For interest, both my grandfather and McGregor came out of the war in one piece).

Thanks, Iain

[centurion]

(Re-posted from other forum, as got zero replies, surprisingly). Hoping for better luck here...

Going through my grandfather's handwritten war diary from April to Dec 1918, I have found a couple of references to one of his fellow soldiers being "on Patrol". The exact wording was:

"McGregor on patrol. Came in wearing Gerry helmet, silly fool." and

"McGregor on patrol. Refused to carry breakfast to C/O."

It would seem to imply being put "on patrol" was some form of punishment. Does anyone have any more detail about what this would have entailed, in the front or reserve line (which is where they were at the time of the diary entries).

(For interest, both my grandfather and McGregor came out of the war in one piece).

Thanks, Iain

Despite popular misconceptions "patrol" did not always mean out in no mans land. - It could mean, for example, litter patrol of base camp or sanitary patrol of the support trenches - unpleasant and/or boring duties

[Icox67]

Thanks for the info. Sounds like it was a form of discipline after all. I wasn't sure about the use of the word Patrol in this context...now I know.

Regards, Iain