Unusual Unit; Frederick Arthur Woodcock

[Petroc]

Afternoon, all

Whilst browsing the National Archives site I came across, by complete chance, the medal index card for Frederick Arthur Woodcock, on which are listed the two military units in which he served; Lancashire Fusiliers (Major) and 'Court Martial Unit' (Lt-Colonel).

I've never heard of a unit or 'Corps' (for want of a better word) named 'Court Martial Unit'....presumably this was just a convenient means of recording on the MIC the nature of the work he was involved in following his earlier service in the Fusiliers, or would this have been a formal junior Staff appointment, perhaps under the authority of office of the Adjutant-General ? Would this work be a permanent or temporary attachment to a department concerned with military crimes, and would this unit operate at Army, Corps or Divisional level?

A quick internet search has taken me to a 2014 article in The Bury Times, and I assume this to be the same chap (Bury being the regimental depot of the Lancashire Fusiliers together with the fact that the newspaper Woodcock is linked to a firm of local solicitors....a legal background of some form or other would no doubt be useful in the context of criminal proceedings, even allowing for the obvious differences between civil and military law)

 

   https://www.burytimes.co.uk/news/11422563.can-you-crack-colonels-world-war-one-code-that-is-still-unsolved-after-almost-100-years/  

 

Any thoughts?

 

Andy

 

[PRC]

29 minutes ago, Petroc said:

Lancashire Fusiliers (Major) and 'Court Martial Unit' (Lt-Colonel).

I take it you are working from how it is catalogued at the National Archive rather than what the MiC actually says.

Looks like Court Martial Pres. 5 A Dist. which I would read as Court Martial President for the 5A District - wherever that was

Cheers,
Peter

[travers61]

This does not answer your question, but may give a time scale.  From these index entries for local papers (usual caveat re scanning mangling actual meaning) looks like he came through Gallipoli uninjured and was back in UK by 1916.

... wounded in hospital at Alexandria, it is staled that all the officers of the l/sth (Hoywood and Bury), excepting Colonel Isherwood (Hoywood), Major Woodcock (Bury), and Lieutenant Colin Hunt (Hoywood) have been wounded. ...

Published: Saturday 17 July 1915 
Newspaper: Rochdale Observer 
County: Lancashire, England 

 

. A. WOOLX'OCK, Coking F. A. Woodcock of Bury, the officer in command of the first battalion local Territorials who went out to the war, is at prtacatt staring in England. having been granted lame of absence. Colonel Woodcock mot right through the Dardanelles ...

Published: Friday 03 November 1916 
Newspaper: Heywood Advertiser 
County: Lancashire, England 

https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1910-01-01/1919-12-31?basicsearch=woodcock bury&exactsearch=false&county=lancashire%2C england&retrievecountrycounts=false&mostspecificlocation=lancashire%2C england&page=0

[FROGSMILE]

7 hours ago, PRC said:

I take it you are working from how it is catalogued at the National Archive rather than what the MiC actually says.

Looks like Court Martial Pres. 5 A Dist. which I would read as Court Martial President for the 5A District - wherever that was

Cheers,
Peter

That’s correct Peter.  In earlier times it was a common staff appointment for experienced officers who were on light duties, or seeking a period of stability to deal with their private personal affairs.  It didn’t particularly enhance their careers but it was in effect ‘marking time’ and didn’t do them any harm.  In recent times it’s become a role for semi retired officers or even those on the regular reserve of officers taken on for a period to carry out the role of ‘permanent president’ (PPCM - in effect the modern day equivalent of someone on half pay being reemployed for a specific and limited role requiring broad military experience).  I met several such PPCMs whilst carrying out periodic duties (buggin’s turn - mandatory for us) as board members.  Their role has not changed for generations, but of course the manual of military law has evolved somewhat and there are no firing squads.  These permanently sitting courts martial set ups are established administrative units.

NB.  The districts were subdivisions of the regional commands and each command usually had two districts. The permanent courts martial were features of the home establishment only. 

Edited 15 January , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[Petroc]

Thank you, all, most interesting