submarine guard duty

[Guest]

Hi, I am doing some research on the AIF's 12th battalion.I have noticed that quite a few soldiers records show that towards the end of the war, they are sent home

to Australia, for "submarine guard duty".

Does anybody know if this has any special meaning.

[WhiteStarLine]

Ken, towards the end of the war, Australian soldiers who had enlisted in 1914 could not be released for furlough, due to the long absence (the voyage was a 140 day return journey by ship plus the days spent on leave). To get around this restriction, senior officers sent batches home on leave under the guise of "submarine guards". While ships in convoy did have genuine submarine guards, who both watched the seas and also ensured no lights were displayed by soldiers onboard, the manning of this with Gallipoli veterans was widely recognised as an attempt to get them home on leave.

[Guest]

Thank you, I was aware of 1914 special leave, but not this one, thank you once again

[centurion]

There appear to have been a number of "official ruses" to get "war weary" long serving Australians home when it was recognised that they'd more than done their bit. The crew of the touring tank which was named Grit (now in the AWM) seem to have been selected on this basis.