Archibald Stuart Murray

[stevenbecker]

Mates,

I am trying to find if and what this soldier did after joining the British Army?

He states after disch from the AIF to be commissioned into the British Army, he instead joined the RASC, as the last note in his file shown around March 1916

Did he join the RFC as he wanted or remain in the RASC

MURRAY    Archibald Stuart         Lt    1 LH Bde HQ    HQ (auto corps) disch to British Army to Cpl despatch rider (M2/082192) MT RASC att 53 FAmb RAMC 17 Div F&B prom 2/Lt RFC to Capt

Ex CSqn/04 LHR 9-14 DNE

AKA Archibald Stewart Murray or Stuart-Murray

(BSqn/15 LH (VMR) CMF)     

 Gentleman     23    Sandringham Vic    26-8-14     disch 26-3-15 
 

Can you fill in the blanks

S.B

 

[charlie962]

Here's his MIC as a Corporal, ASC.

And a snippet from his RAF officer record (there's nothing else helpful in it other than service number PI 13279. No ranks etc )

His record at National Archives is under this ref:

WO 339/107390 

2nd Lt RFC.

 

[stevenbecker]

Charlie,

So he's still in the RASC in 1917

So he did'nt make an officer after all that.

I wonder why someone gave me he made Lt to Capt in the RFC?

I surpose the different names he maybe under was the problem?

S.B

[charlie962]

That record ref at Nat Archives has him as 2nd Lt, RFC but without seeing the file I cannot clarify. I couldn't find any other commissioning evidence but could easily have missed it.

[Dolphin]

Archibald Stuart Murray isn't listed in the database maintained by the Australian Society of WWI Aero Historians of persons with a connection to Australia who served in an air service.  Perhaps someone, somewhere, confused ASC with RFC, or A S Murray was confused with someone else?  It's unlikely, but there should be some explanation.

Gareth

[charlie962]

What is confusing is that the  RFC officers service record, for which I posted an extract, only seems to show 1917 ASC service?. But there is a further undigitised officer record at the National Archives. 

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1161211

Here's the full page of that first record for what it is worth: courtesy Findmypast

 

[busterfield]

From his Australian service record

page 16 of 24.https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=7984755&isAv=N

 

[charlie962]

I think there may also be misreading of Cpl for Capt ?

[stevenbecker]

Yes its a strange one.

99.9 % of the AIF officers that went to the British Army with commissions got them, very few did not or they would not have left?

I can't understand why he would join as a soldier, when he was going to be an officer anyway

Just to say he could not wait, does not seam right some how

Of cause I do have a few AIF soldiers who seeking commissions in the RFC, failed to get them, because they could not fly or some other like reason

Even so with his quals he may have been in the RFC not aircrew?

One to file away it seams

Yes Gareth, I gave many of those's AIF who crossed over to that site many years ago (mostly the ALH men) when they were starting

S.B

 

Edited 14 July , 2023 by stevenbecker

[aconnolly]

Probably an ignorant question but....

What if any "standard process" applied to Officers in one force wanting to transfer to another?  Given he was stated as keen to get to he Front when he was in UK would this be a case of "quickest" was as an NCO or was it a case of "all bets off" if an officer in AIF wanted to sign up (as opposed to be transferred) to BEF?

Andrew