Help needed with Service Certificate

[Tuntun]

I have just obtained one of my great great uncle's service documents and was hoping someone would be able to help me interpret some of the notations on the forms.

He was discharged from the 3/7th Cheshires in April 1916 and his record says:

the attestation of the above named man, which is required in consequence of purposes of discharge, also AFB 103 AFB 178 also AFE 624 also AFE611(2). What does all this mean? I know that he received a minor wound in Gallipoli the year before but also that by 1918 he was a Chief Mech in the RAF. I initially thought that the references might be something to do with transferring to the RAF, but then as it wasn't formed until 2 years later it couldn't have been that. Nor would I have thought that the minor wound would be sufficient to invalid him out of the service (his service docs suggest it was only minor).

Can anyone help?

Thanks

martin

[Graham Stewart]

If he was a pre-war Territorial he was entitled to his Discharge after four years TF service, plus one extra year on embodiement and so would be Discharged under Kings Reg's Para 392(xxi) and it may be that his Attestation Sheets were required to confirm date of enlistment for Discharge. Once Discharged he was a free man and probably sensing conscription may have re-enlisted into the RFC, which did become the RAF as 1st April 1918, and so previous records of service would be required.

The other scenario is on transfer to the RAF he would also be Discharged from the Army to re-enlist as the terms of enlistment for both the RFC & RAF were different to that of the Army.

Graham.

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Martin

AF stands for Army Form; the letters B and E preceding the number indicate that the form relates to individual men's service ( and the Territorial Force (E). I don't have details of the E items but Army Form B103 was the casualty return, and Army Form B178 the record of a Court of Enquirt of a soldier injured on duty.

The presence of B178 suggests that his injury may not have been caused by enemy action.

Ron

Sorry, that siley should be a B!

Ron

[Tuntun]

Graham and Ron, thanks for the info. I'm a little surprised that the Military Service Act didn't allow for men to be kept in the service, regardless of the fact that their engagement was over.

Martin