Army Pay Corp

[Fritz27]

Hi Everybody

I am researching my family tree and am keen to find any information about my Great Uncle Daniel Fritz.

The 1911 Census shows him in Kent as part of the Army Pay Corp, I think his number is 1149.

Any information would be gratefully received.

Many thanks

[robigunner88]

Sjt Daniel T. Fritz arrived in France on 18.08.1914, therefore qualifying for the 1914 Star.

Jamie

[Waggoner]

His Medal Index Card shows him with the Army Dental Corps - http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=D2251783.

All the best,

Gary

[nigelcave]

That's interesting, as I did not think that the ADC was formed until 1921, being a branch of the RAMC previous to that.

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Fritz27, and welcome to the Forum!

If he was stationed in Kent, he was probably at either Woolwich, Chatham or Dover. Members of the Army Pay Department (officers) and Army Pay Corps (other ranks) normally served in administrative offices in major garrison towns.

On active service, each divisional HQ had a "Field Cashier" (an officer of the APD) with a clerk and batman (men of the APC). There was also a Paymaster-in-Chief with an office at the base in France. If he landed in France on 18 August he may have been the clerk to the Field Cashier of 4th Division (based in south-east England in peace) but I think it is more likely that he was part of the P-in-C's office.

Beyond that, I am afraid there is likely to be little information in official records which would help you to trace his movements. The APC performed a vital task but rarely attracted the kind of attention devoted to the fighting arms.

Waggoner - I don't think that there was a separate Army Dental Corps in WW1 - it is more likely to be a mistake by TNA, transcribing a P as a D.

Ron

[bill24chev]

The Adjutant Generals Corps museum in Winchester may have details of Units and detachments of the APC in WW1 the address is

Adjutant General's Corps Museum Collection

The Guardroom,,

Peninsula Barracks,

Romsey Rd,

Winchester,

Hampshire,

SO23 8TS

Tel: 01962 877826

http://www.armymuseums.org.uk/museums/0000000008-Adjutant-General-s-Corps-Museum-Collection.htm

It has the collection from the former RAPC museum and incidentaly, according to the Web site,some items from the Corps (RMP, RAEC, WRAC etc.) collections that went to form the AGC

It nowholds the collectionof the former RAPC Museum

[robigunner88]

I am certain that it is a P. It even has APC included in the number for the medal rolls.

[Waggoner]

All I said was that his MIC thumbnail reference said:

Description:

Medal card of Fritz, Daniel T

Corps Regiment No Rank

Army Dental Corps 1149 Serjeant

Army Dental Corps 1149 Staff Serjeant

If someone has access to the actual details on the card, this mystery could be easily resolved.

All the best,

Gary

[ss002d6252]

The Ancestry card shows Army Pay Corps

Craig

[Waggoner]

So, as suggested earlier, a transcription error by the National Archives. Case closed.

All the best,

Gary

[Fritz27]

Hi Guy's

Thanks for the info.

Please excuse my ignorance but whet was the role of the Army Pay Corp?

Regards

Nick

[John_Hartley]

Nick

They were the "Wages Department" of the Army. My father served with them, in India, during WW2.

John

[Fritz27]

Thanks John

How did the soldiers get payed?

We're they paid weekly, monthly or at the end of there tour of duty.

Nick

[John_Hartley]

Nick

I have my grandfather's pay book and, as far as I can see, pay was given out at company level. Generally speaking it was weekly if they were not in the line and end of tour of duty otherwise. I assume the Pay Corp would have kept tabs on promotions, deaths, troop transfers, etc to ensure the money sent to units was correct. Back in the mid 1960s I worked for the local council's education department as a pen-pusher. I suspect things were pretty much unchanged from the war years - the wages department kept the records, made up pay packets and they were then sent out to schools to pay the cleaners, catering staff, etc.

John

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Nick (and John)

Soldiers in peacetime were paid weekly on a company pay parade. One of the NCOs was responsible for keeping the "pay and mess book" and company commanders were provided with cash imprests to pay the men and for other cash purposes.

In wartime each soldier was provided with an Active Service Pay Book, which recorded his latest rate of pay and the issues which were made to him. The whole amount of pay did not have to be issued if the soldier didn't feel he needed it, and any balance would be held in his pay account by the regimental or corps paymaster.

Unit Part II Orders contained all material affecting a soldier's pay, including his promotions. Copies of these orders were sent to the regimental paymaster to enable him to keep the records accurate.

I don't think the APC acted as a "wages department". They were more like the Army's bankers, and did not deal directly with individual soldiers or the issue of pay to them. They did, however, account for the imprests issued to officers for various purposes, including pay and the local purchase of supplies.

Ron

[bill24chev]

The APC provided the clerks who kept a soldiers pay records, as RON Clifton said, through unit Part2 Orders, up to date and would be involved in auditing & reconciling a soldiers "pay Book" to the master files held at formation or area pay offices.

The rank structure in 1914/18 was from Pte. to WOI, an WOI having an appointment of Staff Sergeant Major(SSM)

The Army Pay Department (APD) provided the officers (Paymasters), who were responsible for providing cash to units using an Imprest A/c system.

[nigelcave]

Pay parades! I only had to pay out at one of these pay parades (back in c. 1973) and nerve wracking it was too, because I was responsible that the amount due and the amount paid out all added up and any discrepancy (loss, that is - if there was any left over that was the APCs) was down to me. I had an APC NCO next to me. Glad it was only the once!

[bill24chev]

Pay parades! I only had to pay out at one of these pay parades (back in c. 1973) and nerve wracking it was too, because I was responsible that the amount due and the amount paid out all added up and any discrepancy (loss, that is - if there was any left over that was the APCs) was down to me. I had an APC NCO next to me. Glad it was only the once!

in 1973 it would have been an RAPC NCO. APC & APD became one in 1920's and gained Royal title then.