4 NZ Soldiers - assistance needed to decipher some info on military re

[TEW]

Yes, OK I see the Promoted Sergt. 8/1/19 and appointed Temp Warrant Officer Class I & 3rd Grade Instructor. So he instructed at Sling.

I can see the promoted corporal 13/12/18 as well, and the promoted L/Cpl. 2/8/17 image4. Not sure about the promoted Lt. Sgt. but that's nearly 2 months after promoted Sgt. WOI. There are some unusual Sgt. Appointments, it may give a clue as to what he was instructing. Are you not able to get a scan of the pay book?

TEW

[Robyn FitzGerald]

No, not at the moment, unfortunately. It is 2.5 hours drive away in the care of an unwell 87 year old uncle with no modern technology access or skill whatsoever. However I will be down there mid June, so will try to get hold of it then.

Thanks for your on-going help.

[TEW]

Robyn

Read last bit of post first!!

I found 2 other men who were on board the same journey from Plymouth to Wellington on the Tainiui. Both have Archway records. It doesn't help with the SS Tainui thing but records have something similar to the OPD y CDP thing on Fred's record.

See Combes, Image 22 and Mairs Image 47

Combes 22 starting 24/3/17 to commnd Dep Cfd, (Codford) then says Taken on strength C/D or CfD, then att. CD Codford, then still at CD Codford. think this must be Command Depot then Command Depot Codford.

Mairs Image 47 starting 28/6/1919. M/in CD Sling x APD (marched in Command depot Sling x APD) APD is identified as being 'APD Larkhill'. So Mairs arrived at CD Sling x Larkhill, x being ex-Larkhill or exchanged Larkhill.

His last line is M/in OPD x CPD, very similar to Fred's record. the ?/8 thing I said before is probably M/in - therefore you get 'Marched in to OPD from CPD'.

Not exactly straight forward I know but I read the last 2 lines of Mairs' record as - Left APD (Larkhill) marched in C/D Sling (Command Depot Sling) then left CPD (Sling) for OPD which, like Fred is the last location given on his sheet.

Actually, the APD has provided the rosetta stone for this just found that Larkhill was the Auckland Personnel Depot - APD

A little more googling turned up

CPD, Canterbury Personnel Depot.

OPD, Otago Personnel Depot.

TEW

[Robyn FitzGerald]

Robyn

I found 2 other men who were on board the same journey from Plymouth to Wellington on the Tainiui. Both have Archway records. It doesn't help with the SS Tainui thing but records have something similar to the OPD y CDP thing on Fred's record.

See Combes, Image 22 and Mairs Image 47

Combes 22 starting 24/3/17 to commnd Dep Cfd, (Codford) then says Taken on strength C/D or CfD, then att. CD Codford, then still at CD Codford. think this must be Command Depot then Command Depot Codford.

Mairs Image 47 starting 28/6/1919. M/in CD Sling x APD (marched in Command depot Sling x APD) APD is identified as being 'APD Larkhill'. So Mairs arrived at CD Sling x Larkhill, x being ex-Larkhill or exchanged Larkhill.

His last line is M/in OPD x CPD, very similar to Fred's record. the ?/8 thing I said before is probably M/in - therefore you get 'Marched in to OPD from CPD'.

Not exactly straight forward I know but I read the last 2 lines of Mairs' record as - Left APD (Larkhill) marched in C/D Sling (Command Depot Sling) then left CPD (Sling) for OPD which, like Fred is the last location given on his sheet.

Actually, the APD has provided the rosetta stone for this just found that Larkhill was the Auckland Personnel Depot - APD

A little more googling turned up

CPD, Canterbury Personnel Depot.

OPD, Otago Personnel Depot.

TEW

I think we're getting closer! Fred's must definitely say "OPD x CPD" but the "x" hasn't been formed properly.

But to complicate things, look what I found:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~sooty/ww1abbreviations.html.

See definition for OPD - "Otago Provincial Detachment (at Sling Camp awaiting a ship home)". Also applies to Canterbury (CPD), Auckland (APD)and Wellington (WPD)Provincial Detachments.

"In the third week of January, 1919, the Depot (Sing) was reorganized to the extent of establishing four "provincial" companies according to the New Zealand centres of demobilization. At the beginning of February the first of the larger drafts, numbering 1,000 men, arrived from Cologne. Owing to transport difficulties the evacuation of the troops was a slow process, and on May 17th, there were 31 officers and 315 other ranks still in camp."

http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH1-NZRi-t1-back-d3.html

This guy's last entry is identical to Fred's:

http://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE17201309

See Image 14 - same OPD x CPD & embarkation dates as Fred, also with the Education Dept.

The trouble is, it doesn't make sense for Fred to be with either Otago (OPD) or Canterbury (CPD) Provincial Detachments OR Personnel Depots, as he was from the Auckland area and disembarked at Wellington. I had wondered if CPD could mean Codford Provincial Detachment then transferring to some other Provincial Detachment but that doesn't really make sense if the Provincial Detachments referred to demobilisation centres in New Zealand.

Maybe CPD could be Codford Personnel Depot and then transferring to some other Personnel Depot. Was there any other discharge depots apart from Torquay that might apply? Preferably one starting with an "O"?

[TEW]

Oh yes, I see. Very odd though. Google searches show one thing in the results list for freepages but the link provides something else.

Using 'Provincial Detachment' I get far more hits for NZ troops returning from Codford, Sling and Larkhill. Plus, as you say there was also a WPD for Wellington.

I found 76062 Leslie Matheson who marched into CPD then transferred to APD and sailed to Wellington on the Tainui on 8/9/191. He lived in Auckland, hence the move to APD from CPD.

So why didn't Fred transfer to APD as Matheson did?, sorry don't know at present.

Have you seen this on NZ camps in England, Can't think of any other depots especially starting with O.

Incidentally the Tainui was the HMNZT Tainui, more images available online, didn't spot any that confirm Fred is on board the Tainui

TEW