Penalties for getting back late to camp from leave

[Moonraker]

It must have been quiet challenging for a soldier on leave to be sure of getting back to camp in time, given the vagaries of train travel - especially as the war progressed and civilian rail services were reduced. And soldiers who lived a long distance from camp must have been at a distinct disadvantage: was it worth trekking home for a few hours with one's family before starting off on the return journey that required several connections?

 

In early 1916 two battalions of the Northumberland Fusiliers based at Sand Hill, near Warminster, were given dis-embarkation leave with pay and ration money for four days. The leave train returned to Warminster after four days with only a handful of NCOs on board. Two days later the men turned up at Newcastle Central Station, but there was no train for them. When they finally returned to Sand Hill they were given a firm dressing down but only a few persistent offenders were punished.  (www.ajbrown.eu.com/tynesidescottish)

 

In December 1915 the 31st Division moved from the Fovant area to embarkation ports. The 14th York & Lancaster was given leave on December 22, 1915 until December 25. On the 23rd the battalion was told to entrain at Dinton (the main-line station for Fovant)  on the night of the 26th, by when 92 men had failed to return. Two officers met 28 of the absentees at Salisbury and took them by taxi to Dinton. Second Lieutenant Berry was left behind at Hurdcott to bring on other absentees by another ship, but in the event 45 men  (National Archives: WO  95/4950)

 

Frank Haylett (Imperial War Museum: 02/35/1) describes life in a RFC training centre at Lark Hill in 1915-16 and lamented: " if I get [leave]  I should spend the whole time getting backwards and forwards. Salisbury – the direct line 8 miles away – to be walked – no conveyance. Amesbury is 4 miles away on an indirect line – might have to wait hours for a connection." (The Salisbury to Amesbury rail service was notoriously unreliable, with precedence being given to military traffic.

 

Australian soldiers on Salisbury Plain were told: "when you get leave come back on time. If you don’t you get twenty-eight days." (Though few of them would have had close family members to visit and many would have been attracted to London, a couple of hours' travel away).

 

The above anecdotes sum up some situations. There must be many others about the problems of travelling to and from leave and the official attitudes to men being late.

 

(My initial thoughts were about problems between UK training camps and soldiers' homes, but the difficulties must have been compounded for men having to cross the Channel to France. Presumably the expectation was for a man to ensure he was on the designated train from London?)

 

Moonraker

 

 

 

 

 

[Keith Woodland]

My Grandfather, according to his record, was up in front of his C.O. for being late back into camp after a day's local leave. He was recuperating from a wound at the time. He was not punished, other than to be admonished but I feel that the consequences of being late would have varied from place to place and could have been quite severe. Also there was the risk of being declared AWOL, absent without leave, which was and still is a serious matter. Even more so in war time.

i always understood it was my responsibility to get back by the time it said on my leave pass although thankfully I didn't have to do it in wartime.

 

[Ron Clifton]

It was indeed the case that soldiers were responsible for getting back from leave on time. That said, I believe that the Army took a fairly tolerant view of those who made a genuine effort to get back, despite problems with the railway services. From the few cases I have seen, the admonishment of the soldier and the forfeiture of pay for the days he was absent seems to have been the common solution. Most men would have been dealt with by their CO rather than by court martial, and he would of course be familiar with their character and conduct record.

 

The situation would be taken more seriously if the unit was under orders to embark for France (or another overseas theatre), if the absence was longer than simple train delays could explain, or if the man was a persistent offender (as an earlier poster has commented).

 

Ron

[clive_hughes]

I agree with Ron,

On most service records I've seen, a simple late return might incur a forfeiture of pay for each day or part thereof; and maybe CB (confinement to barracks) depending on the circumstances.  

 

Men living at a distance from South of England bases would have had to leave home that much earlier.  It was certainly a problem for those on leave from the Western Front, since getting to, say, western Ireland or the north of Scotland - and back again - definitely shortened their allotted time.  I have read that those who overstayed a home leave from the Front were collared by the Military Police at the London departure stations (having missed their allotted train), segregated and placed on a special "defaulters" train to the port, and likely kept apart from other passengers on the boat.  They faced disciplinary proceedings once they reached the Base in France - being absent without leave.  

 

A little off-topic, but my late father (Hostilities Only rating in WW2) told me that his cruiser's captain once found an excuse to dally round the Western Isles, so as to allow one of his crew to visit his home nearby - the sailor had rarely been able to take a leave because of the delays in travelling to and from.   

 

 

[andrew pugh]

Hi

When a soldier was returning from home leave in the UK would he have made his way back directly to France or Belgium, or would he have reported to his depot Reserve Battalion first?

Regards

Andy 

[Moonraker]

I don't think so. What would have been the point? To do so, it would have added to the hassle of travelling within a short period of time. As we have noted many times here on the GWF, soldiers did not always serve in units relative to their home areas, a trend that developed as the war progressed.

 

Arriving in London, a man might have travelled to his family, then  would have to have trekked to his home depot possibly hundreds of miles away not only from home but from London.

 

(This rather assumes that London was the usual human entrepôt, but I have a vague feeling that there were other ports at which soldiers on leave arrived.)

 

Moonraker

[Moonraker]

Not too relevant, but these are images of a combined leave & railway ticket that I've just acquired. Quite a journey from Salonica.