Military Police and Provost

[TD60]

Hello,

I would like to clarify in my mind difference between provost corps and military police.

They were two different units in British army but the same one in the australian army (name modified).

In the british army the provost corps kept jails where soldiers (commonwealth and german pow ?) and the military police was nearer the front lines to

catch anybody suspect.

Is that correct ?

Why different in australian army ?

Best regards

[joseph]

Hi,

Military Mounted or Foot Police ("Redcaps" or "Cherrynob") were the profesional police force of the army. Got a terrible reputation for turning men back at Battle Stops and Stragglers Posts.

Provost were Regimental or Divisional personel doing police duties normaly in the trenches and support lines.

Detention Quarters were run by Prison Staff under the supervision of a Provost Marshal.

Regards Charles

[Chris Best]

TD60

See http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Flats/6804/22a.html

MPSC (Military Provost Staff Corps) (detention centres etc) 1901 and 1906 - an adjunct to the Provost Marshal's staff.

Been there (1969, DONE IT!!!)

Chris

[joseph]

hi, not an expert on this.

Was it not the Military Prison Staff Corp that manned the Prisons and Hulks during the great war. Making it harder than the front line so they wanted to go back and fight. I belive actually taking them to the front line to dig trenches.

Regards Charles

[Andrew P]

When I've been researching Australian soldiers who have been transferred to this type of unit they always seem to be referred to as 'Provosts' or 'Australian Provost Co'.

I've got the book about the australian military police 'The Other Enemy' at home so I'll have a look to see if it mentions anything specifically.