203383 Pte W Carruthers, KOYLI (Also 31/427 of the 31 Bn NF)

[Shiny]

I'm sorry I can't, I don't have access. I was just told it was a rubber stamp saying dormant.

[corisande]

14 minutes ago, Shiny said:

I was just told it was a rubber stamp saying dormant.

 

Yes , that is why I queried it, as your post sounded as if were a rubber stamp, whilst this one is in red crayon - albeit with a date that we do not understand

[Shiny]

I wondered if it could be the stamp was on someone else's desk that day so it was hand written instead.

 

Maybe a nicer way to say deceased in case the widow claims for something?

 

Michael 

[David Tattersfield]

On 23/11/2018 at 13:17, Shiny said:

Here's a question, can anyone read the red pencil writing over the top of the first card?

The word is "Dummy". I've seen this on quite a number of these Ledgers. Sometimes the context is "carried over to dummy" or similar. The interpretation I'd put on this is that the record in question has been superceded by another. However further evidence and other input will be needed to understand this. 

[corisande]

9 hours ago, David Tattersfield said:

The word is "Dummy".

 

Certainly I would buy "Dummy", there next question is why the date in 1934. Would this have applied to a whole batch of men, or is his a one off?

[David Tattersfield]

1 minute ago, corisande said:

or is his a one off?

Having studied many of these cards whilst undertaking the "manual look up service" this is certainly not a one off. There are lots of examples of "transferred to dummy". However the reason for the phrase has never become clear. 

 

This and other quirky examples of notations (some in the yet to be released cards) I always expected to cause comment and discussion on the GWF and (with luck) result in an answer coming out from the collective depth of knowledge there is on the forum. 

[Shiny]

Good Morning All,

 

Sorry I haven't replied sooner, for some reason I have stopped getting email alerts about comments being added.

 

I have managed to get examples of the rubber stamps used and as mentioned by David and Corisande I would agree Dummy is the word written on my relatives card, but as you can see Dormant is also used.

 

Hopefully someone can comment who has an idea about this.

 

Michael

[Shiny]

I've just spoken to my mother who worked for the DHSS pensions section for about 20 years.

 

She says dormant was put on someone's record when they died.

 

She hasn't heard of the dummy comment.

 

Michael 

[David Tattersfield]

Just now, Shiny said:

She says dormant was put on someone's record when they died.

Thanks. This kind of "inside" information is extremely useful for getting a better understanding of the way these records were used 

[Shiny]

No problem, she wasn't working there at the time period the records were written but it's obviously the same system.

 

She said they would also draw two red diagonal lines across the card as well as the word dormant.

 

Michael 

[Ed Matthews]

I appreciate this is a slightly old topic but I am similarly trying to understand some of the annotations on my great-grandfathers pension card. His too carries a 'Dormant' stamp and the date 8/7/1931. However, he did not die until the 1960's so I'd suggest this does not indicate that the pensioner was deceased. Any other ideas?

 

Best wishes

 

Ed