Army Service Corps Private Soldier

[Chris Best]

Looking up a soldier's MIC on behalf of a friend I see that Grandad had 2 regimental numbers:

A/342586

and

A/451171

What would the prefix letter mean and why might he have 2 numbers if he stayed inthe same Corps?

He was awarded BWM and VM.

Cheers

Chris Best

[Piscator]

Chris,

Unless someone can come up with anything else, the Prefix letter A/ seems to indicate pre-war special reserve ASC.

Len

[Tony N]

Hello Len,

I agree with you. In H Williamson's book he added Butchery & Bakery in brackets with a question mark.

Chris, I have no idea why he would have had 2 numbers.

Tony

[michaeldr]

Chris,

See if your local library can get for you

‘Army Service Corps 1902-1918’ by Col Michael Young

published in 2000 by Leo Cooper (an imprint of Pen & Sword)

ISBN 085052 730 9

Young’s Annex M [pages 239-241] covers Regimental Prefixes and Numbers

which may be of some help

Tony & Len

I do not claim to fully understand the ASC system [if ‘system’ is the right word?]

But I wonder if there is a clue in the Williamson book’s “Butchery and Bakery in brackets with a question mark” which you mention

Young’s book has the following

“Canteen Section

Categories A and E were first allotted, and represent:

A – Accountants (Clerks); E – Employees (Workmen)

Later, Categories A and B were allotted, and represent:

A – Employees (Workmen); B – Accountants (Clerks)”

For the ‘Horse Transport (Special Reserve)’ which you mention

Young gives the prefix as “A(HT)”

Regards

Michael D.R.

[Chris Best]

Len, Tony and Michael

Many thanks, I'll try to borrow the book through the library. Still curious as to why 2 numbers. Perhaps a call to RLC Regimental Museum might help. Does anyone have name and number/Emil of curator.

Thanks again, guys.

Chris

[michaeldr]

Chris,

Col Young’s book does give some examples of legitimate changes in numbers under

‘Alterations in Prefix and Regimental Numbers

Inter-Branch Transfers’ see pages 240/1

However he also admits that

“In a few cases men had been given two numbers, or were associated with even three or four, belonging to other men of the same name, the whole of their pay transaction being mixed on perhaps a couple of pay sheets.”

This one may not be easy to sort out

The RLC Museum can be found here http://www.army.mod.uk/rlc/museum/index.htm

Regards

Michael D.R.

[Chris Best]

Michael

In a few cases men had been given two numbers, or were associated with even three or four, belonging to other men of the same name, the whole of their pay transaction being mixed on perhaps a couple of pay sheets

Thanks for your effort with this; I'll definitely try to get book via library and I will contact Deepcut with a view to visiting whilst down in Camberley late April.

Interesting quotation above. Even now, in this day of computerized accounts, military pay is still subject to awful horlicks. Some years ago, after having received and spent excess LOA (local overseas allowance) related to exercising in Canada, the Army Pay Office simply put a block on my pay (save for a residual allowance in respect of married men mandated under Regulations for Army Allowances and Charges) which lasted several weeks. Later in life I learnt that there was a process by which the debt recovery could have been less painful, but the Pay Sgt of the day had clearly not been aware of the procedure.

Still, thanks again , folks.

Chris