'H.B.O. Work' - meaning of?

[Errol Martyn]

At a Medical Board at Leamington on 18 Oct 18, a pilot who had returned in late 1917 from East Africa where he had suffered several bouts of malaria, and then given six months leave to go to New Zealand to recover his health, was ‘Recommended for employment on H.B.O. work.’

Can anyone tell me, please, what is meant by H.B.O. work?

TIA,

Errol

[michaeldr]

4 hours ago, Errol Martyn said:

At a Medical Board at Leamington on 18 Oct 18, a pilot who had returned in late 1917 from East Africa where he had suffered several bouts of malaria, and then given six months leave to go to New Zealand to recover his health, was ‘Recommended for employment on H.B.O. work.’

Just a guess, but under these circumstances H.B.O work could be "Home Based Observer"- ie: UK based, away from Malarial regions, with lighter duties as an Observer (instead of Pilot)

[TullochArd]

8 hours ago, michaeldr said:

Just a guess, but under these circumstances H.B.O work could be "Home Based Observer"- ie: UK based, away from Malarial regions, with lighter duties as an Observer (instead of Pilot)

These long lost acronyms are always a fun source of research .......... and as with michaedr I am guessing.

Expanding on the circumstances above we have a) an officer focussed medical board: so I surmise the 'H.B.O.' is perhaps in common usage within this group to merit such acceptable brevity and b) malaria is a severely debilitating condition: as such the Board is most certainly exclude future flying duties. 

Therefore I agree 'Home Based' is a most likely description.

I'd offer that 'H.B.O. work' may be a general catch all term for something like H.B.O./Home Base Only work. i.e. non-operational/limited employability. 

If he was an OR this would simply read transferred to the Labour Corps.

Edited 17 September , 2023 by TullochArd

[Errol Martyn]

Many thanks Gents for these suggested meanings.

Taking another, closer look at his AIR76 Med Bd entry of 18 Oct 18 I wonder if H.B.O. is in fact a badly written K.B.O., ie he is being recommended for Kite Balloon Officer 'work'.

He did not become a KB officer, though, nor it seems did he return to instructor flying duty. He embarked for permanent return to New Zealand in May 1919.

Errol

[topgun1918]

Looks more like KBO - Kite Balloon Officer.

Graeme

 

[FROGSMILE]

Tullochard has it I believe.  For abbreviated employment categories there are certain terms that were and still are (at least when I was still serving) common place.  The catch-all for service restricted to the British Isles was ‘Home’ and the term for lighter duties within that category was ‘Base Only’, meaning the least physically demanding administrative duties.  Hence in this case Home, Base Only.  These abbreviations and acronyms became shorthand for medical boards and practitioners.  Base Only could also be used overseas, meaning the base area within the theatre of war concerned.  These terms appeared within the official employment gradings, and as far as I know still do**.

**the use of IT has gradually changed some aspects, especially the make up of forms that can nowadays be amended at the drop of a hat, and attempts to create tri-service regulations has led to some rationalisation of terminology, but military medical fitness and associated employment categories have remained largely resilient to change.

Edited 19 September , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[FROGSMILE]

Medical boards were first established in March 1915.  The previous ‘fit’ and ‘unfit’ [for] categorisation of medical screening had led to a lack of consistency in the acceptance and rejection rates of recruits across Britain and Ireland. The new medical boards were established for the recruitment depots where men were inspected for service abroad. The boards consisted of two, or three medically qualified recruitment officers. Recruits were examined and assigned to one of four categories**:

Category A:
fit for service at home or abroad;
Category B:
temporarily unfit for service abroad;
Category C:
fit for service at home only;
Category D:
unfit for service at home or abroad.

Medical boards marked the beginning of classifications according to individual recruits’ actual medical condition.  With increasing shortages of manpower as the war progressed it subsequently became a principle that whereas a unit Medical Officer could upgrade a man, only a Medical Board could downgrade him.  It was felt that this achieved a better balance of power between units and medical boards.

**within those categories were a whole range of sub groups stipulating in greater detail what a man had to be physically capable of doing and those ailments and limitations that he must be free of.

Edited 19 September , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[Errol Martyn]

Thanks Frogsmile. Most interesting.

Cheers,

Errol