Rates of Pay

[DirtyDick]

Hello

Just a quick question, since I've done a search but couldn't find any results:

Could any of you please give a basic outline of daily rates of pay for British servicemen during the WW1 period, with particular reference to NCOs?

I am aware that privates got 1/- per diem before proficiency and overseas service payments, and that Australian troops got 5/- a day, but that is about all.

Did this payment take account of stoppages, and for how long had the basic Army pay been just a shilling a day (I assume it depreciated over the period of the War)?

Thanks

Richard

[Joe Sweeney]

Per the “Royal Warrant for the Pay, Appointment, Promotion, and Non Effective Pay of the Army, 1914” a soldier could be entitled to draw Regimental Pay, Engineer Pay, Additional Pay, and Working Pay.

Attached are Regimental Pay scales in effect from 1914 until AO 1 1918.

Engineer or Corps Pay was paid to those who possessed special skills in approved trades and have met any special qualifications. Engineer pay was for the Royal Engineers and Corps pay was for the Army Service Corps, Royal Army Medical Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, etc. Engineer and Corps pay ranged from 2s to 4d per diem depending on trade.

Additional Pay could be drawn for soldiers meeting certain qualifications; the amount of their pay and additional pay did not exceed the minimum rate of the substantive rank or appointment; no soldier holding the substantive rank or appointment is present. Two rates of additional pay could not be drawn, and duties must have been over 14 days with exceptions. In most cases those who were performing duties commensurate with a higher rank or some special function drew additional pay. In the case of additional pay the amounts ranged from 1s 6d to just 2d per diem with the median being 6d per diem.

Working pay was for the remuneration of working parties detailed for performance of work for departments of the Army. This did not include the performance of fatigue details, those in receipt of additional pay, Corps pay or work normally associated with ones position. Rates could be for the hour or per day.

Army Order 1 of 1918, 4 December 1917, substantially raised pay rates for all troops. Pay of Warrant Officers and N.C.O.s down to and including ranks of corporal and 2nd corporal to be increased by 3d per diem. The minimum rates of pay for trooper, gunner, driver, sapper, pioneer (R.E.), and private would be 1s 6d per diem for soldiers entitled to class II proficiency or service pay or no proficiency or service pay or 1s 9d with class I proficiency or service pay. For Paid Lance corporal or paid acting bombardier 1s 9d pay per diem would be for soldiers entitled to class II proficiency or service pay or no proficiency or service pay or 2s with class I proficiency or service pay. The Qualifying period for award of proficiency pay was reduced from 2 years to 6 months. War Pay was instituted whereby the sum of 1d per diem was awarded to very soldier for each year's service since the outbreak of war.

In addition soldiers could draw Proficiency or Service Pay. These are two different but related categories. Service Pay was for soldiers enlisted before 1 October 1906. The Service Pay rate was usually 6d or 3d per diem if eligible. Proficiency Pay daily rates were similar to Service Pay, that being either 6d for class I or 3d for class II. Proficiency Pay can be had via two means after meeting certain eligibility requirements, virtue of rank or by special qualifications. To earn this pay by virtue of rank, N.C.O.s above Serjeant were eligible for Class 1 (6d per diem) and Corporals Class II (3d per diem) provided they meet certain qualifications of art. 1063, e.g. with colours at least two years, physically capable, third class certificate of education etc. To earn this pay by special qualifications for those not qualified by virtue of rank special skill qualifications were set periodically by the Army Council. Service and Proficiency pay, I believe, were mutually exclusive and I don't know how common Service Pay was by 1914.

Pay in France, cash, was drawn in French francs and not Pound Sterling. In fact, payment of cash to troops in any expeditionary force was to be made in multiples of some easily convertible unit of local currency. By 1918 payments to troops in France, Greece, and Italy were to be made in units of 5 francs, 5 drachmae, and 5 lire respectively. At no time could a soldier draw in cash more than what was due him. That is cash drawn on ones pay took into account all allotments, stoppages etc.

I don’t actually know when the 1 shilling was instituted.

Joe Sweeney

[CROONAERT]

Richard.

The Canadian pay (taken from a CEF paybook of 1918 vintage)...

Dave.

[DirtyDick]

Thanks for the responses, chaps.

Cheers

Richard

[Muerrisch]

In addition soldiers could draw Proficiency or Service Pay. These are two different but related categories. Service Pay was for soldiers enlisted before 1 October 1906. The Service Pay rate was usually 6d or 3d per diem if eligible. Proficiency Pay daily rates were similar to Service Pay, that being either 6d for class I or 3d for class II. Proficiency Pay can be had via two means after meeting certain eligibility requirements, virtue of rank or by special qualifications. To earn this pay by virtue of rank, N.C.O.s above Serjeant were eligible for Class 1 (6d per diem) and Corporals Class II (3d per diem) provided they meet certain qualifications of art. 1063, e.g. with colours at least two years, physically capable, third class certificate of education etc. To earn this pay by special qualifications for those not qualified by virtue of rank special skill qualifications were set periodically by the Army Council. Service and Proficiency pay, I believe, were mutually exclusive and I don't know how common Service Pay was by 1914.

To add a footnote to Joe's admirable contribution:

Service Pay was meant to wither on the vine after 1906, but a time-serving soldier could opt at the time to continue to receive it. Many soldiers on the books from 1900 would still be serving, or on the Reserve, in 1914. The decision to keep Service Pay or opt for Proficiency was irrevocable. Proficiency Pay was introduced to nudge the army into getting better at what it did, rather than get extra money for mere long service. At the same time, the Good Conduct badge ceased to attract payment, as did various signalling and musketry qualifications. Instead, these latter became possible means for Proficiency Pay. The Regulations were so complicated that an algorithm was published in 1907 to enable Pay staff to work out what a soldier should get. Although I consider myself an expert [!] on the subject, there are some aspects of the algorithm I do not yet understand.

Mind you, that applies to lots of subjects.

[DirtyDick]

Thanks, LB and again to the others. Never realised that such a complex history surrounded Service pay, but then again it was government money!

Could anyone tell me what pay increase a L/Cpl (informal-ish kind of rank rather than a 'proper' NCO - apologies to ex-L/Cpls) received upon being made up from Private?

Thanks Joe, just saw the attachment - an extra 3d per day for an acting L/Cpl in the infantry.

Thanks

Richard