Pay Book versus Small Book

[Muerrisch]

Arising from the discussions regarding soldiers' Wills, I am puzzled by the apparent duplication of Will Forms in

AB 64 Pay Book

and

The Small Book AF B 50.

The Small Book contains attestation details, next of kin, lists of army crimes, simple cooking hints etc etc and the various Will forms plus advice on completion.

Mobilisation Regs 1914 have no instruction regarding storage/ disposal/ issue of the Small Book but it is referred to in several places in KR 1912/14.

So a Will could as easily be in the one and not the other, but was the soldier required to carry either or both on active service?

[bill24chev]

As I understand it the "Pay Book" was carried at all times and was a form of ID as well as being a record of pay and service. However he book must have often become damaged by mud and water in the trenches and mud of the Somme and around Ypres.

[johnboy]

Am I right in thinking that the will in the Pay Book does not give next of Kin?

Are the Small Books held in any archives?

[David B]

I have a small book (my g/fathers) and in it there are instructions on how to complete a will and it gives 3 different forms the will may take. However, if he ever wrote a will, I suspect that the

pay book was the place the will was written as the small books pages are clean. Also there instructions about what to do with a will in the case of warfare. As to the small book being held in

an archive my feeling that this book was a personal book and was kept with a soldier, even after demobilisation,.

[themonsstar]

From ACI 31st Oct 1917 /1627 I had a look from 1914 -1918 for Wills this is the only one which shows up.

[themonsstar]

AO 129 1915 (26th March 1915) I will have a look for any other Wills in AO later.

[Muerrisch]

Very many thanks ........... I feel we are learning now!