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Remembered Today:

Best military misdemenours and punishments


djcrtoye

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Hi, the reason for asking this is that while doing research into my website I came across several of my men had fallen foul of military rules and regs. One Aussie was caught with a prostitute in the camp and was confined to barracks for about 4 weeks, but that didn't include his stay in hospital with the after effects of his liaison. While my gg uncle got 2 doses of F.P. no 2 which were weeks apart one for going a.w.o.l and the other for being drunk in camp. I know I can be trumped on this thread. Waiting to see the things the soldiers got upto and the punshments meted out.

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This might be one - if I could figure out what the last word was!

post-6536-1211051095.jpg

Any ideas??

An actual entry - 2 days confined to barracks for laughing in the ranks (as a Private by a future CSM)

Steve.

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A sapper of 1506 Artizan Works Company RE was charged with:

1) Carrying washing contrary to Base Orders

2) Failing to salute an officer (presumably because his hands were too full with laundry)

He received 4 days CB for these offences.

I would contend that 1506 Company was the most unruly unit in the BEF. It was raised in Dieppe on the 6th June 1917 and the war diary runs from June to December 1917. The principal entries in the diary are those for disciplinary action. The CSM must have had his work cut out as OC's orders appear to have took place daily. Some of the most prevalent offences were: Absence from duty, absence from (morning) works parade, failure to salute officers, drunkeness, being caught in cafes during working hours, and being caught in prohibited establishments.

TR

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Hi Stebie I think it's reprimanded. Just a slap on the wrists.

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I meant the last word of the offence! :D

Steve.

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anecdotal: via Robt. Graves:

man charged with excreting in middle of parade ground at night, pleads he was taken short with diarrhoea,

sgt says

"no sir, it was done with a heffort!"

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LZ/1158 AB Arthur Fountain RNVR Anson Bn.

FGCM for "Disgraceful conduct of an Indecent Kind." (at Bully Grenay 11/8/16 in the house of Madam Marquise did indecently expose himself in her presence & did masturbate).

Aptly named wasn't he?

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Obviously an old regular hardcase, page after page in his conduct sheets of offences

Rifle Brigade man, wounded and transferred to the Labour Corps, transferred from unit to unit in the LC.

Awarded the DCM in 1915 for acts of bravery.

1911 detention for drunkeness & using threatening language.

Whilst with 398 HS Employment Coy on 2/11/18 tried by D.C.M.

(i) using insurbordinal language to his superior officer

(ii) tracking his superior officer being in the execution of his office

(iii) drunkeness

sentenced to be imprisoned with hard labour for 1 year, commuted to 6 months detention.

Andy

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I think the charge was related to "disposal of regimental necessaries", whatever they might be.

My grandfather was charged with 'general slackness at PT' and was reverted to Private having been an Acting Bombardier. I now know why I always hated gym at school.

(i) using insurbordinal language to his superior officer

(ii) tracking his superior officer being in the execution of his office

That would be "insubordinate" and "striking". Tracking his officer sounds like he was a stalker or a boy scout!

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  • 1 month later...
Hi, the reason for asking this is that while doing research into my website I came across several of my men had fallen foul of military rules and regs. While my gg uncle got 2 doses of F.P. no 2 which were weeks apart one for going a.w.o.l and the other for being drunk in camp.

What's F.P. no 2?

And can anyone help me with this one - my grandfather was a corporal in the 39th Battalion A.I.F. and when he was still in Australia, at the Ballarat training camp, he wrote in his diary, "Tuesday 18-4-16 Go to Bendigo in charge of prisoner and escort." This refers to 'His Majesty’s Prison, Bendigo', which opened in 1863. Why would a trainee soldier be taken to prison? What sort of offence would he have had to commit?

Tx!

Hardy

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NZEF soldier in transit by sea to UK, charged with "Being insultingly abusive to a Corporal".

He was awarded loss of pay and priveleges and CB for 48 hours -on a ship!

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I think the charge was related to "disposal of regimental necessaries", whatever they might be.

Necessaries were a soldier's underwear, washing and cleaning kit, and cutlery.

1506 Artizan Works Company seems to have had a martinet as CO (and/or possibly as CSM). I suspect that, keeping well within the bounds of minor offences, some of the offences were committed out of a mixture of boredom and mischief, to "bait" those in command.

The phrase "being in the execution of his duty" made the offence of striking an officer more serious and liable to more severe - even capital - punishment.

Hardy - Field Punishment No.2 is the same as F.P. No.1 except that the man cannot be fastened to a fixed object as part of the punishment. (It was usually a gun wheel, and was sometimes called "crucifixion.")

A final digression: the files on post-1945 courts-martial at Kew include a man named Chard, accused of arson.

Ron

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You just need to read through the army act, to oen your mind as to the misdemenours, very enlightening.

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Not really a funny one but Robert TEESDALE sentenced for Shamefully casting his arms in the face of the enemy, 5 years hard labour.

W R AYRES a.w.o.l from 21.05 hrs until 09.15 hrs the next day, 4 days loss of pay, 5 days confined to barracks.

Brett

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Not really a funny one but Robert TEESDALE sentenced for Shamefully casting his arms in the face of the enemy, 5 years hard labour.

Some men were actually shot for doing that.

Ron

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My wife's grandfather got 28 days FP2 for "creating a disturbance in camp". He ws posted to the Reserve Battalion of the 15th London while recovering from wounds received at Loos, and doubtless was fed up with it.

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