Pay etc for a Driver in The Royal Field Artillery

[Chris Grimshaw]

Hi All

Looking for information regarding details of pay and allowances of a driver in the Royal Field Artillery while serving in France. Any help appreciated or pointers for further research.

Regards Chris

[ororkep]

A Driver would initially receive in addition to a full service ration allowance, 1s-2p halfpenny a day, with a boot allowance and a Mess allowance on top. Height restriction applied: 5 ft-4in to 5ft-6in, where as a gunner was 5ft-6in upwards.

Regards Paul

PS A shilling is 5p in todays money

PPS Just realised its a 'd' for old pence not a 'p'. How quickly one forgets!

[Tony Lund]

This came from the Holmfirth Express in 1915 during the training of the Holme Valley Battery.

At a recruiting meeting held early in the Battery’s existence, Lieutenant Gay gave examples of the rates of pay for the lower ranks. He said the men, Gunners and Drivers, would receive 1s. 2½d. a day, raising by rank as follows: acting bombardier 1s. 7d., bombardier 2s. 2d., corporal 2s. 6d., sergeant 3s. 2d., and sergeant major 4s. 2d. The allowances were paid as follows: Separation allowance for a wife was 12s. 6d. a week, and for a child an extra 5s., and 2s. 6d. for all other children up to the age of fourteen. A man could also make a allowance to his wife from his pay, and if he allotted sixpence a day the government would double it. During training married men billeted at their own homes would receive 4s. 0½d., an unmarred man 3s. 2½d., if he was billeted elsewhere he would receive his normal pay and the billeting people would receive 2s. 6d.

Tony.