Demobbed officers

[Ferguson73uk]

I have heard from a family member that de-mobbed WW1 officers 'jumped' a rank when they were demobbed i.e. a lieutenant would be awarded the rank of captain upon being released from military service. Is this true or just another family story?

Thanks!

Jonathan

[Muerrisch]

I am half a world away from my references, but I believe that, in some circumstances, an officer was advanced one step on reliquishing his commission, and given specific permission to wear his uniform on appropriate occasions. However, I do not believe this applied to temporary commissions. Doubtless someone has access to KR and Pay Warrant [although the custom pre-existed and, I believe, continued to exist post war.]

[salientguide]

This may have been the case for retirement usually on grounds of medical unfitness for permanent commissions. By 1918 the majority of officers were temporarily several ranks above their true or substantive rank and many reverted to this after the armistice or on demob. My great uncles CO see below actually still held the substantive rank of only Captain, althogh identifeid as Lt Col on his headstone and I am sure many brigadiers or general ranks held substantive ranks quite a way below their temporary appointment. This would be important as any pension or gratuity was probably based upon the substantive rank, and thus be considerably lower, and dare one say it less costly to the government, a poor reward for their service.

salientguide

[Compo]

I have also found this to be a puzzle.

My grandfather was a substantive Lt by wars end but acting Capt. He was with the Special Reserve of Officers and was "Disembodied to the Reserve Service Category III"

He was required to relinquish his commission in the Special Reserve but was then granted the rank of Captain without the right to wear uniform except when attending ceremonials.

He had written to the War Office, that as he had held the rank of Captain for a period exceeding 6 months, he understood from AO 376/1918 that he retained this rank on demobilization.

You could say that all this convolution ended in jumping a rank but the concept of relinquishing a rank in order to be granted a higher one escapes me. Perhaps there is a PAL who knows what this is about.

Bill

[rflory]

Based on reading the service papers of some 600 RA officers it appears that almost all Special Reserve officers and officers holding temporary rank were required to relinguish their commissions prior to 1 April 1920. At the time the officer relinquished their commissione they were generally granted the highest rank to which they were appointed during the war.

Regards. Dick

[SPotter]

This subject has been of interest with regard to one officer of the 1 Bn Dorset Regt in particular - Capt. Stephen Lancaster. He distinguished himself greatly both on the First Day of the Somme when he, as senior officer present was in charge of a party of men holding the German Front Line trenches. He gets specific mention in both the unit War Diary and that of Ernest Shepherd which was subsequently published. He also distinguished himself later in the same campaign being mentioned in the diary specifically. I was surprised that despite all this he failed to gain any formal recognition.

When I bought his medals I was looking forward to finding his file at Kew and all it would reveal. In fact it turned out to be quite slim, containing mainly correspondence between himself and the War Office relating to his dismay/disgust at his medals being named to him as Captain, when he was a Major in the field. As the War Office pointed out to him, his period as Acting Major was just short of that required to permit his medals to be named to him in that rank or retire as Major (although he signed himself as such!)

Regards

Steve