The Royal Army Pay Corps Journal

Vol.

n.

Summer, 1934

No. 14.

It is very gratifying to notice th~ extent to

which the Corps is entering into the field
of sport and games genera lly. Its value
from th~ point of vIe\\, of the bealtl;l of the
Corps and its stand ing in relation to other
arms of the serv ice cannot be over- rated,
and the reports o f the ga mes played and the
varying degrees of success attained will be
read \\ith interest by all our subscribers.

~~t\,t@rt~l

,@ttj

A new desig n has been introduced to

replace the much abused one which headed
th e open ing page of the Office No t ~s, and
will, ,,e hope, commend its.elf to most
readers.

80, PaH Mall, London, S.W.I,

June, 1934
The Old Comrades Association held their
Sixth Annual Dinner in L ondon on 27 th
April. About 250 were present and a most
A full
enjoyable evening was spent.
account appears elsewhere in this issue.

We congratulate th ose whose names

appear in the recent list of awards of the
L ong Service an,d Good Conduct ~ [ edal,
details of whi ch appear in this issue.

Command pay Office, Gibraltar- 1905.

Row. - S/Sgt. RowJes, S/ Sgt. Gumprich, L /Sgt . Edwards, L / Sgt. Fisher.
CENTRE R nw.-L / Sgt. Matthew5, S/ Sgb. Facey, L / Sgt. Myatt, S/ Sgt. R lgby, L /Sgt. Cotton,
L / Sgt. Lamacroft, L /Sgt. Warneford , S.(,'.M.S. Youn g.
.
BOTTOM Row. -Mr. Cortes, i/ c. S.S.M. Ash down , Capt. Th ackeray, Capt. Worgan, Major Moore,
Capt. R ichards, S.Q.M.S. Davis, Mr. Woodward.
SlTTlNc .-Sergt. Kirkpatrick, Sergt. Grim haw .
BACK

249

THE

Corps Sports Notes

Arrangements for 1934.
Cr icket v. Royal Army Chaplains Dept., at Aldershot 011 Upper
(Officers) Ground.

Friday, June 29 th .
June 30th .
Sat.,

Mon.,
Tues.,

July 2nd.
July 3rd .

Tues.,

July

3rd .

Lawn T ennis at Roehampton.

Wed., ' July

4th.

Law n T ennis at Roehampton. (Ladies' Day) .

Thurs., July

5th .

Golf. Summer Meeting at Went\\orth .

Friday, July

6th.

Mon.,
Tues.,

July 30th.
July 31St.

Cricket

v . Royal Army Ordnance Corps, at Aldershot on

R.A .M.C. Ground, Queen's Avenue .

A nnual Meeting, R .A.P.C. Officers' Club.

Annual Dinner.

Cricket v. Army Educational Corps 011 the Garrison Ground at

Shorncliffe.

ROYAL

ARMY

putter to behave and was unfortunate to

lose by 5 holes. Capt. Sweeny had a gn~at
matc~l with his opponent, during which
they had several friendly discussions as to
the interpretation of the Rules of Golf
which caus!,!d much amusement later in the
Club House. Capt. Sweeny eventually lost
his match by two holes, and Major
Stanham's gallant effort was of no avail.
The final result was as follows :_
THE
LEICESTERSHIRE
REGIMENT.
Lieut. Beauchamp 0
3
Lieut. Coburn
Lieut. Upcher
5
2
Capt. Cox

R.A.P.C.
Major Stanham
Major Bednall
Major Meek
Capt. Sweeny

IO

GOLFING SO CIETY.
Army Golf Meeti ng at St. An d r~ws .
A team was ag["in entered thIS year for
the Army Golf Cha ~ lenge Cup, the foll~w
ing, after several trial matches, h~VlDg
been selected to represent the Corps.Major Bednall (Captain), ~1ajor Stanham, Major Meek, Ca pta 1l1, Sweeuy,
Major Hollingsworth (Reserve).
Major Hollingsworth had been tro ubl~d
with neuritis in his arm an~ a final tnal
,"vas carried out on the MUlrfi_eld Coursl~
between Majors Bednall, Meek and Ho

th .
It was
soon. apparent
that
1mgswor
.
'1
b
Major Hollingsworth's. arm was Stl 1 trot.~ ling him, so it was deCided that the rema~
ing four should form the R.A.P.C. tea .
In the Army Championships played on
tbe Moriday and Tuesday the results were
as follows. Monday-Major Stanham 84-:he took 45 to the turn and ca~le back 1D
the excellent score of 39: PlaYll1~ from a
Club handicap of I~, thiS gave. hun a. net
which "'as well 111 the runmng fO! the
it~ndicap Prize. Major Bec1nall we.n tout
in 41, and although coming home \\'1th th~
.' d lost touch on the greens and to.ok
WIn ,
. .
8 lII a or
total 86 less 8, glvmg a net 7 l ' J .
~~ek found the S\\ilken Burn at the first
bole and starting with an 8, reached the
turn'in 45. He found further trouble, hO\v ever, at the famous road hole and made
no return. Captain Sweeny fOllnd sever~l
bunkers early in the round, and tore up bls
card, and as usually happens plaYed much
better afterwards.

On the Tuesday, Major Stanham was

playing well enough. to d<? a gO<?d score
but had difficulty w!th hIS puttl11g and
returned 89 .
Major Bednall although
having missed several putts of less tha~ a
yard had a score of four over fours for SIXteen' holes.
The road hole, however,
proved his undoing, as in driving oVer the
railway sh!,!ds to cut the hole as short. as
possible he failed to get enough elevatJon
and hit' the sheds three times and had. to
retire. Again, Major Meek found puttlOg
difficult and did not keep a score after the
first nine holes. Captain Swe~ny start~d
badly and after disposing of hiS card had
a much better round .
On the Wednesday, the Inter-Regimental
Competition for the Army Golf ~halle~g:
Cup commenced and aft!,!r drawlllg a Y
in the first round, the R.A.P:C. t!,!a~ w~s
drawn against the Leicestershire Regimen.
ters , in thed
The handicaps of Ttle L elCes

order in which ~hey p.layed ,"" ere 4, ~ ~::m

14 The order H~ whIch the R.~.P. 'd 11
.
. S tanl~m,
1
Major BeMaio
!la ,
played
was Major
r
MaJ'or Meek and Captam Sweeny..
u'p
.
I
I
t
e
III 2
Stanham did excel ent y 0 co~ B dnaI1 ,
.
e bls.'
havmg
a roun d 0 f 8 1. Major
.
ced
although 3 down was not dlsgra b" op.
. t eIy 8 I, but
IS
score bemg
approxlma
es eciaI1Y
ponent p layed very good golf, tJrned a
in . the last nine h<?les, when b~f
holes.
ordeficit of 2 holes mto a lea d . 3
his
Major Mee!' \vho was outplaYI~~t get his
ponent up to the greens could

2
0
0
0

All four members of the R.A .P.C. team

The match was 100 four ball foursomes,

and to everyone's surprise The Army won
58, 8t. Andrews won 31, and I I matches
were halved. Major Bednall and Major
Meek played together and fitted in so vire11
that they wer~ 6 holes up at the turn and
\\'on 5 and 3. Major Stanham and Capt.
Sw!'!eny played together and after being
2 holes down eventually won by 3 and 2.
It was a most interesting and enjoyable
match and our Scottish opponents were
most helpful in giving advice as to the
best m!'!thod of playing the course.

Th~ Annual Summer Meeting wiU be

held at the Wentworth Club, Virginia
Water, Surrey, Q!1 Thursday 5tll., July.
Full particulars and entry forms hav~ been
circula ted.

MatChes.
A match versus the Royal Army Ordnance Corps G.S. was played at Worplesdon on Wednesday, May r6th.
The
R.A.O .C. were unfortunate in not having
their strongest team available and the result
Was a win for the R .A.P.C. by IIt matches
to~. The detailed l~esults ""'ere as follows:

CORPS

JUURNAL

SINGLES.
R .A .P.C.
R.A .O.C.
Major Stanham
(4 & 2) '
I
Colonel Warwick
Major Meek (4&3) I Major Harker
Major Bednall
(5 & 3)
I
Lt.-Col. Sheppard
Capt. Howard
Lt.-Col. Pickthall
(ha lved)
(halved)
Capt. S"veeny
(3 & 2)
I
Capt. Comford
Capt. M .lling
(6 & 5)
I
Lt. - Col. Hidden
Lt-Col. Brickman
(5 &: 4)
I
Capt. Cooper
Capt. Garratt
(6 & 5)
I
Capt. Ashton

o
o
0

o
o
o

play~d in, th~ match of 200 a side between

The Army a~d St. Arldrews.

Annual Meeting.

PAY

FOURSOMES . .
Stallham & Meek
(4 & 3)
I
Warwick & Harker
Bednall & Brickman Sheppard & Pick(4 & 3)
I
thall
Howard & Sweeny
(4 & 3)
r Comford & Hidden
Milling & Garratt
(5 & 3)
I
Cooper & Ash ton
4

o
0
0
o

Eastern an d Aldershot Co mman ds and War

Office.
A knockout competition on handicap has
been arranged between members serving
in the Eastern and Aldershot Commands
and the War Office.
Result~ noti'fied to dat!,! are :-First
round-Capt. OliveI' w.o. Capt. Marsball.
Lt. Holman beat Capt. Buck (I up).
Capt. Sayers beat Lt .-Col. Hackett (5 & 4) .
Second round-Capt. Oliver beat Lt.
Holman (2 & r). Capt. Broadhurst beat
Lt. - Col. Hart-Cox (3 & 2) . Major Stanham
beat Capt. Garratt (I up). Lt. -Col. Brickman beat Capt . Milling (4 & 2). Major
Meek beat Lt. Thies (7 & 5). Capt. Woods
beat Capt. Ingpen (3 & 2) . Lt.-tol. Rog-ers
beat Capt. Sweeny (2 & r). Major Bednall beat Capt. Sayers (8 & 6).
Third round-Capt. OliveI' b~at Capt.
Broadhul'st (2 up). Major Stanham beat
Lt.-Col. Brickman (2 up). Major Meek
beat Capt. Woods (2 & r). Major BednaIJ
beat Lt. -Col. Rogers (2 up).

THE

ROYAL

ARMY PAY

CORPS

JOURNAL

Royal Army Pay Corps

Old Comrades Association

ANNUAL GENEQAL MEETING.

The Sixth Annual General Meeting of

tb,e Old Comrades Association took p lace
at Messrs. Harrods, Knightsbridge, London, S.W.I, on the 27th April, 1934.
The Chair was taken by Colonel J. C.
Armstrong, -C.B ., C.M.G., Colonel Commandan,t of the Corps, and President of the
Association, support~d by Brigadier H. B.
Toller, C.B ., C .M.G., Vice-President and
a large number of members.
The Hon. Secr.;tary read the notic~ convening the m!:!eting. The minutes of the
fifth annual meeting wer.; also read, confirmed and signed by the Chairman.
The Chairman in introducing the Annual
report and statement of accounts, sa~d that
as they' had been circulated to members
there was no necessity for him to go
through the various items. He called at tention to th~ very small expenditure and
expressed the gratitude of all to those who
manag e affairs and go up and down the line
with no thought of claim. The present
state of the account could not llave been
possible had it not be~n, for th~ economy
exercised, especially on the part of the
Hon. Secretary .
Brigadier T oller proposed the adoption
of the annual report and statement of accounts and Major White seconded the
motion which was carried uI:\animously.
Mr. Thurgood moved to introd uce a new
rule as follows:-

dQnations did not amount to ro they

would have to make it up to that amouut.
From the statement of accounts it could be
taken for g ranted , that the amount Irould
be unlikely to fall short of 10.
The Committe~ felt that during the year
some of the applications from non-members
had been so pathetic that they could not
shut their eyes or h.;at:ts, to th e appeals
which were sometim~s received. If those
present had seen some the appeals they
would require no words from him .;specially
when on!:! of th~ir own Corps was down and
out. It was a very' difficult tb,ing in these
days for a man to regain his f~et and all
help possible should be given. It was their
duty to do so. There was, he said, over
1,000 in r~serve and h~ thought they
might be a littl~ more generous in this way .
It would be practical sympathy to any
individual who had served in the R.A.P.C.
aI:!o to thdr families.
Lieut. J. Feehally in seconding the r~so
lution said that he had to recede from the
position he took up two or thr~e-years ago.
He had found out th,at memb~r!i of the
Management Committee have, in th!:! past,
had to put tbeir hands in their own pockets.
Tlils should not be and be could not do
otherwise than support the motion. It was
understood that it would only' apply to
particularly necessitous and t~sted cases.
Brigadier T oller speaking in support of
the proposition considered that as they had
done so "I'ell, the time had n.ow come, w.ben
they had approximately r ,000, to be a httle
more gen ~rous and in some way or other
approximate expenditur~ to receipts in ste~d
of receipts being the main object. H e dId
not feel that they should pile up reserves
any long~r. S.S.M. Howard pI:oposed tbat
instead of ro. the amount of 20 should
be a llocated for this purpose.
Colonel
Duesbury seconded.
Colonel R . A. B. Young supported tbe
resolution which was carried unanimously
with this amendment.
It' was proposed by Mr. Thurgood tbat
Rule No. 7 (v) read as follo ws:-

"SAMARITAN FUND.-The Manage"ment Committee are authorized to grant

"small amounts, from donations re"ceived , to non-members who have served
"in the R .A .P .C . or their families-whose
"cases are of a peculiarly deserving nature.
"The total expenditure each year is not
"to exceed 10 {ten pounds)".
He stated that this would cover a few
of the hard cases brought up in the Past.
He wished to draw attention first of all to
its name and secondly to the fact tnat the
money was to be obtained from Donations
r eceived-and pointed out that it affected
non-members and that the sum was not to
exceed ro per annum. If in any year
252

THE

ROYAL

ARMY

PAY

"Applicat~ons for pecuniar:y assistance,

"from memb~r~ or their families, should be
"made to the H on. Secretary, who will
"investigat~ and bring the matt~r before
"the Management Committee".
This was seconded by Lieut . Feebally
and can:i~d unanimously .
It was proposed by Mr. Sbarp that Rule
7(vii) be canct;lled and present Rules 8
and 9 be renumbered 9 and 10. Seconded
by S.Q.M.S . Mundy and carried unanimously.
S:~ .M. Elam placed th~ following propOSItIOn before the meeting, " That in the
"event of the death of a married member
"of the O.C.A. th~ Local r~pr~sentati ve of
"the Area in which the member died should
"be perm~tted to make an immediat~ gran t
"up to 5 to th~ widow, if bel' financial
"position appears to jusify' !:iuch a grant" .
. S.S.M . Elam explained thgt the sugges hon came from the Salisbury office. They
had no grouse whatever against the manner
in Which the Manag~ment Committee had
made grants or helped in any way whatever-the only r~qson for the proposal was
t1~at they had a case of a Sergeant where in
th.; emergency 5 meant ~ gt:~at deal. -As
it happened th~y w~re able to make a
grant but they felt that it was the O.C .A's
job and that in order to save time it shou ld
be an ~nderstood thing that th~ office representatIVe could act at once without waiting
for tbe case to go before the Management
Committee.
.
~olonel Young asked who was going to
decIde the financial circumstances and how
the suggestion affect~d those who had
left the service.
The Hon . . Secr~tary' mentiQned that in
t~e case referred to, the Committee were
glveJ?- to understand that no grant was
reqUIred.
Colonel Duesbury intimated that when
they received this proposition from Salis~ury the Management Committee fel t a
lIttle hurt, because they did meet regularly
every month and could at any tim~ get
together to consider urgent cases . He was
loth to oppose the resolution, but if it were
carried, it would mean that office representatives would have the same power as
t~e Management Committee. Some took
little int~rest even in the matter of collecting subscriptions- and ' when they did
Would not pass them on. He did not think
253

CORPS

JOURNAL

tha t . any one man should have the power

to ~IVe 5. The difficulties were hard to
realIse .som~til?es, and this proposition
would dlfferentlate between serving soldiers
or membe~s employ~d in a pay office and'
those servlllg in civilian lif~. There was
no such perSOn as a Local representative
of the 1\rea. He. was therefor~ very sorry
to oppose the SalIsbury proposition both as
.
a memb~r and as Treasurer.
Co~one~ Young agreed with Colonel Dues,
bury s vIews and suggested that in case
of suc!] emergen~y the office repres~ntative
co uld be authOrized tQ communicate with
the Committe.; by telegraph if n~cessary.
Mr. Sharp ~xplained that they had
rece~tly had . two cases ~ which money was,
re9u~red qUIckly and it had been given
wlthm 24 hQurs.
Major White proposed as an amendment
that the l11att~r be left to th~ consideration
of th~ Management Committee aI:!d that the
questIOn be dderred till the next meeting
This was .seconded by S.Q.M.S. Mitchene~
and on berng put to the meeting the amendl11~nt was declared carried .
.
.Li~~t. :r:ryer, in prop~s!ng the n~t item,
~~ Id I th1l1k th e proposltlon of the meeting
IS to record our thanks to the Officers and
::Committee. T?e work that th~s~ people
get through WIthout hope of reward is'
"rather marvellous, when we recollect some
"of the Trav~lling Claims ~hich ~e in the
" Pay office have to pass and I therefore
"have pl~asure in proposing a very hearty
"vote of thanks to the retiring Officers and
"Committee" .
Colonel Young. "In seconding this pro,
"posal, I think it is wonderful the amount
"of work which goes on, of which- we hear
"little in the Country districts but we ap,
"preciate it just the same" .
..
The vote was can-ied unanimously .
When the Election of Officers and Corn,
mittee for the ensuing yea r was considered
the Chairman said, "During the past yea;
" we have lost our Chairman Mr. Wood.
"I and, an old personal friend. ' I know that
"you will miss him and that he will be a
"very considerable loss to you. He wa; a
"very old and trusted comrade and it is a
"very sad thing to think that he has gone.
"We have lost other members but he was a
"bit n~arer to us, a!i ;ve were al~ays 'in
"touch with him.

THE
THE

ROYAL

ARMY PAY

"I propose that we keep silent for one

"minute as a tribute to his memoryJ>.
The meeting stood in solemn silence for
one minute.
Resuming , the Chairman propos~d that
Mr. R. C. B. Sharp be elected Chairman of
CQmmittees in place of Mr. Woodland.
The Committee bad selected him and he
did not think they could do bett~r than to
endorse their action. Seconded by Mr. G.
Steph~ns and carried unanimously.
The Chair;;an then proposed that Mr. J .
Thurgood, Lieut. J. Feehally, S.S.M. Plowman , S.Q.M.Ss. Mundy, Vallintine and
Mitchener be elected to the Committee with
Colonel H . Duesbury as Hon . Treasurer
and Mr. E . J. W. Browne as Hon. Secretary.
Mr. McCreedy seconded the proposal
which was carried uD,animously.
The ChairmaD, proposed that the two
vacancies on the Committee-those held by
Mr. Sharp and Sergt. Pond-should be
filled by Capt . A. A. Gawn and S.Q.M.Sgt.
Mitchell.
Major Pocock seconded. Carried.
PrQPosed by Lt. -Col. Hunt that a ):learty
vote of thanks be accorded Lt.-Col. Robson and S.Q.M.Sgt. Bell fOI: th~ir services
and that they be re-elected auditors for the
ensuing year.
Seconded by Major Hepburn and carried.
Mr. H . Down asked the Chairman if an
assurance could be given that every office
representativ~ was a member of the O.C.A.
Th~ Chairman replied that th,er~ was only

CORPS

one offender and th~ matter was being

rectified in the n~ar future.
The Chairman.-"I should jnst hke to
"repeat a fe w words about Mr. Brollne.
"I expect yo u an~ all beginning to appre "ciate that there is a bulk of work to do
"and that it c~rtainly increases. Every
"year it gets more and more and although
"he gets hel p from the Treasurer and all
"the Committee there is a very great deal
"of investigation and it is very hard lIork.
"He gets throug h it and it's his job; but
"I should not like to do it. I thank him
"very much and I am sur~ you all do".
Brigadier Toller.-"I thoroughly endorse
"what Ollr President has said . Our friend
"Browne' is an indefatigible work~r and is
"the same now as he always was. We
"sh ould shew our appreciation in some
"substantial manner and I suggest that as
"we have had a good year th at we should
"offer him an honorarium of 25"
Major White seconded and the proposition was carried unanimou sly .
Mr. Browne in reply thanked all present
for this appreciation of his work. He would
do his b~st during the ensuing year to
carry out the work of the Association. The
time might come, h~ said, when an Assistant Secretary would be needed, but so long
as he had their confidence h ~ would continue his work.
Mr. Sharp proposed a hearty vote of
thanks to the Colonel Commandant for presiding at the meeting. This was seconded
by Colonel Young and carri~d.
The meeting then terminated .

SIXTH ANNUAL DINNER.

The Sixth Annual Dinner of the Old
Comrades Association took place on Friday,
27 th April, 1934. There was a good muster
of past :>nd pr~s~nt members of th~ Corps,
all ranks being represented, The actual
number present was 250.
The Colonel Commandant, supported by
Brigadiers Toiler and Musson held his
usual rec~ption and welcomed Mr. Crosland, Deputy Under Secretary of State for
War, Mr. Watherston, Dir~ctor of Finance,
and Mr. Armstrong, Private Secretary to
the Under Secretary of State for War, who
w~re th e guests of the evening.
The tables were tastefully laid out and
Capt. Gawll once more supplied the choice

ROYAL

ARMY

PAY

CORPS

JOURNAL

JOURNAL

blooms which decorated them .

The "Roll of Honour" occupied its usual
position, immediately III front of the
Chairman.
The Chair \\'as occupied by Colonel Arm strong, supported by Brigadiers Toller and
M usson, Colonels Lang, Young, MelvJll,
Genge-Andrews, Enever-Todd and Duesbury, Messrs. Crosland, vVatherston, Arm strong, S harp and Browne.
The following telegram was despatched
to th e Private Secretary of His lV[aJesty
The King at Windsor ~astle: "The Old
Comrades Association Royal Army pay
Corps assembl~d at Messrs. Harr ods ,

Knightsbridge, on the occasion of their

Sixth Annual Dinner send their loyal and
respectful gre~tings to His Majesty. J. C.
Armstrong, Colonel Commandant."
During the evening a delightful programm~ of mu~ic was rendered by the
Barnes Ex -SerVIce Men's Orchestra under
the Directorship of Ml". Charles Bist.
During the Dinner the President took
wine with all members of the Association
with over 30 years' service, and subseque~tly with thos~ with under 30 years'
serVIce.
T~e Toast of the King proposed by the
PresIdent was honoured enthusiastically.
The President also read a telegram from
His Majesty thanking all at Dinner for their
loyal messag~,
Brigadier H . B. Toiler, C.B ., C.M .G.,
proposed the Toast of "The Old Comrades
Association" as follows :
" "I think i.f ~~ take stock of the progress
our ASSOCIation has made in the short
"spac~ of time of 6 years, w-e shall be very
"satisfied with the results . O~r finances are
"in a most satisfactory condition . To have
"accumulated 1,000 in a short time re"fleets the greatest cr~dit on the manage"ment and here, incidentally I should like
"to congratulate the Comma~d Paymaster
"Northern Comand, on the very handsom~
"grant of 50 from the Tattoo funds of
"his Command. I think that was a very
"excellent effort. I understand very fre}uent
"
I y.our people hav~ got a good deal
to do WIth Tattoos and where that is the
"case I hope Command Paym~sters when
"it comes to a distribution of the' spoils
"will se~ that our Association is not over~
"looked. If any Command Paymaster is
;;unable to reach the heights of the c.P.,
"Northern Command, he nt:~d not b~ downhearted as our Treasurer will consent to
"receive something smaller.
,,"Our membership is w~l1 maintained,
but I am disappointed to learn th at ten
::?e.r cent. of serving soldiers have not yet
)omec1.
I cannot think of any good
reason why th~y should not support the
"Association of their Corps. It is for their
""b,enefit and I hope that office representa}Ives will s.ee to this and get a better
}rame of mmd. Any Community has a
"crank or two, but JO% pf crankiness is
rather overdoing it.

"One of th~ chief functions of our Asso"ciation is to find employment. It is a

"great satisfaction to me to hear that our
::E~ecutive get ,very few applications of
,thIS nature, WhICh proves that we get the
'proper type of entrant and kno w how to
"train him as a useful citizen.
" "Whil.e . we congratulate ourselves upon
the posItIon of our Association the success
"does not arise of itself. It' has to be
"worked for and someone has fo' do the
"work and we who pay our subscriptions
"shouW be very grateful to our Executive
" our l'rea surer an.d hard working Commit-'
::tee, and especially our S~cretary, for their
devoted and zealous work, which has
"placed our Assoc12tion in its present posi"tion.
-.
"I am sure we are all very glad to extend
"a 'C\1 elcome to Mr. Crosland and Mr.
"Watherston. Thes~ gentlemen are closely
"associated with our Department and I
"think it is a very kindly act on their part
"to attend our re-union. Looking round
"I see a number of old friends so I won't
"was_te your time any longer. The toast
"is 'Long Lif~ aD,d Prosperity to our Old
"Comrades Association' ."
. Mr. Sha rp , re!?pondiilg :"Mr. President and Comrades. To"nigIlt I have been ~ntrusted with the
"response to the toast of the Association
"so ably proposed by Brigadier Toiler. I
"appreciate the way the toast was drunk
"and also the way it was received. The
"Association js going very !?ttong, in fact
"we are improving every year and I think
"that th~ Association, or the members of
"the Association, have a lot to thank the
"Committee for. By the smiles on the
"faces of the Committee I am sure they
"appreciate the way you honoured the
"toast.
"There is one thin g I should like to say
" and that is I think that every member
"of the Association at the present moment
"should p ut servic~ before self-that is
"what \\'e want and I think that the Com"mittee will not be satisfied until they
"have roped in every servino' member
"bo t h 0 ffi cer and rank and file.
""
"We are proud to have with us two of
"our three Honorary Members--Sir Her"bert Creedy could not be with us but Mr.
"Armstrong is deputising for him and we
"gjv~ him a very heaJ:ty w~lcome to this
255

THE

ROYAL

A:&MY

PAY

"dinner. I do ~ot think I need ~eep you

"much longer. My frieqd and colleague,
"Mr. Browne, has hitherto responded to
"this toast but this year hE; put it on to
"my shoulders. Why, I cannot tE;lJ you.
"If I go on much long~ I shall only be
"saying the same as he said last year.
"We are one year older than we were last
i (~"ear.
~

"I am sure, as the Brigadier said, you

"are all waiting to hav~ one with one all"other and I therefore agaiq sincerely
"thank you for the ,vay in which you have

'"

;:
""
~

~
~

'"
~

}
c
:<:

.S'
c

.;
"" ...'"

T
....
c:
c:

Q
c:
Cl
:;::;
OS

'8
~
os

..E

"et

0:>

Cl>

.c:

I-

CORPS

JOURNAL

-----------------------

"received this toast".

The Hon. Secretary read cables recei ve I
from Egy pt, Malta and from many mem o
bers unable to attend conveying g reetin gs
and good wishes.
The gathering then broke up to talk
over old times, r~new aIel friendsl)ips and,
we hope, to make new ones. Towards midnight t~e assembly dispersed after a very
enjoyable evening, which will stand out as
another landmark in the progr~!?s of our
Association.

O.C.A. COMMITTEE NOTES.

During the past three months the Comand Mr . E. J. W. Browne, Honorary
mitte of Management have met monthl y at
Secretary.
80, Pall Mall and have dealt with three
Correspondence between the War Office
applications for assistance; two wer~ settled
and the Association was read, aqd furth er
satisfactorily, and the tbird was passed on,
correspondence arising therefrom with
with favourable recommendation, for assisother persons was also read and disc ussed.
tance from another fund .
The additions to the "Roll of Honour"
Donations to the funds are g ra tefully
were read and the tl sual marks of sympath y
acknowedged from Maj or J. Hepburn (I O/ -)
observed. It was decided to inscribe th e
and Salisbury Branch (1 / ro / 0) .
names, the cost to be born e by AssociaCorrespondence with the Ministry o f
tion Funds .
Labour on the subject of employment has
The Agenda for the annual meetin g was
been continued, and as a result it has been
decided, and the annual report and statedecided to bring th~ matter forward again
ment of accounts approved.
in October, when th~ present arrangement
The Committee report with c1!~ep regret
will have had time to be reported on.
the death of Old Comrade No. 363, Sg t . R .
The Honorary Treasurer reported that
Pres1in at Hong Kong.
steps were bein g taken regarding the pay The Committee dilled tog ether on the 4th
ment of Incom e Tax , and it was hoped th at
April at Pinoli' s R estaurant, Wardour
a satisfactory decision ~yo u1d be arrived at.
Street, W .1. Mr. R . C. B. Sharp presided,
Several other matters of minor importand a very pleasant evening was spent,
ance w E:r~ dealt with.
bringing to an end an other year of successThe General Committee met at 80, Pall
ful effort. The Committee took the opporUall on the 4th April , J 934. Mr. R . C. B .
tunity to wish bon voyage to Sgt. T. Pond,
Sharp, presided.
The other members
who has I\OW proceeded overseas after fonr
present were Messrs . Thurgood and Feey ears' Rood work on the Committee.
hally, S.S.Major P. Plowman, S .Q.M .Sgts .
E. J. W . BROWNE,
Mundy, Valllntine and Mitchener, Sgt.
Pond, Colonel Duesbury, Honorary Treas.
Honorary Secreta ry .
OU R CONT EMPORARIES .
Th e Edi tors ack nowled ge with ma ny th a nks re
ceipt of t he foll ow in g J O l1rn ~ Is :"R.A.M.C. ews a nd Gazette." A pl'il , May. Jun e.
::The Wi re," April , May, Junp
The Sapper," Ma lch . Apl'il , May. Ju ne.
"1'he Gunn el'." Ap111 , May . J u ne.
:'R.A. O.C. Oaz Ite." M'11'ch. A pr il. J\f~.v.
}'he W asp," March.
rhe Accoun tant."
'R.A.V.C. Journ al, " May.
"A.E.C. Journal," April.

CIVIL

EMPLOYMENT.

A return recently comp iled by the Minis try of Labour concerning th e empl oyment
of ex-reg ular soldi er s during the qua rter
ended 25th September, T933, sholVs tha t
seven members of the Corps were on the
register of Employment E xcha ng es at th e
above date and that one member had been
given employment duril1g the quarter.
257

THE

ROYAL

ARMY

PAY

CORPS

J OURNAL
1HE

Corps News-Officers
Postings.
;: pt. E. D. Edinger, Hong Kong to Ti ento\'in ,
9/ 1/ 34.
.
,.
.
Capt. L. R. M . Mackenzl e. 'Il enlsln to Hong Kon g,
11 / 2/ 34 .
Lt. -Col. J . Sawers, Ea stern Command to London ,
16/ 3/ 34.
Li eut. G . F. Lin e, E asLem Comm and to Ald er shot,
19/ "!>/ 34.
M aj. F.
. W oods, London to South ern Command , 26 / 3/ 34.
Lt. - '01. H . R W. D a w ~o n , London to M alta.
13/ 4/ 34.
Lt. -Col. T. K elly, M .B.E., W a rley t o E gypt,
13/ 4/ 34.
Li eut. C. R. P arratt. Ald e;shot. to E gy pt, 13 /4 /34.
Capt. B . L. Burgess. W es tern Command to Woo lwi ah, 30/ 4 / 34 .
.
Capt . R. C. de V. lI skin , M.B .E., M.C. , Wak ing
to Lond on , 30 / 4/ 34.
Cal t . F. R. Rjchardson , Ald er sho t to York (R).
30/ 4/ ?14.
C:lpt. E. C. Brewer , Ald ershot to L eith , 30 / 4 / 34 .
Cap.t. G. Haggard, L ondoD t o Ald ershot , 30 / 4/ 34.
Cal; t. T. H . Sweeney, Lond on la Waking, 30 / 4 / 34 .
Capt. E. C . Etb eringt on , L ei t h to coLti sh Command . 30/ 4 / 34.
Li e~lt. W . E. C. Laftus, L ondon to Ea stern C0111mand , 7/ 5/,34 .
Lt.-Co l. N . Forde, 'lalta la W arley. 9/ 5 /34.
Lt.-Col. E. W. Gra nt. E gy pt to East.ern COIll mand . 9 ;5/34.
.
Capt. P. C. ITal'ding, Egypt to Hounslow, 9 / 5/ 34 .
Retirements.
Lt. -Col. E. G_ Bun-idge, Houn slow , 26 / 4/ 34.
.
Ma jor (Bt. Lieut.-Col.) T. R Robson Eastern
Comm and , 3/ 6/ 34.
Officer joined on probation.
Capt. J. R l?urne, RA. , Waking , 3/ 4/ 34.

THE LOST POST BOOK

Th .., -'I'e rk on th e. Post wore a thoughtful frown ,
H e ear ehed high up. and he searched low down.
Un easy th e hea d t hat wore th e. crown. .
For th e Post Book he' d los t lIl ce m orDlng.
It was gebting ni gh on ha lf pa. t th~' ee,
H e'd lost hi s t emper a nd mI ssed hI tea .
" U it doesn't tU1'D up. no post" , sa id he, .
" And I'll see th e 'old man' in th e mormng " .
13ut th e said ' old man' had a different view ,
Walk ed in just then wi th a tetter or two ,
" H ello!" said he, "Wh at' s th e m a tter ~~l L h you
You had better go sick in the mormng .

From "The London Gazette"

ROYAL ARMY PAY CORPS.
Maj. a n I Staff P aymr. C. J. K. Hili La be L t .-Col.
(Ma rch 19).
I
. I L'
Maj . and Staff Paymr. G W . N e son to)e lent.Co lon el (Apl~l 5) .
Lt. (As t. P aymr.) C . \1.,7. Connor t o be Ca pt.
(A s~ t . Paymr.) (Apri l 24).
.
.
Lt. -Col. (A sst _ P aymr.) E . G. Bu r nd ge , havln g
n,tt:a11l ed the a ge for r etIrement, lS pl aced on ret.
pay (April 26).
.
Li eut. H. P . L amb ert (l ate ]\I[lddl esex R egt .),
P " yml'. on p'robatdon , to be t emp . Capta 11l (May 12).
Capt_ A. 'J. L. Hopkin s , K.D.G . . . to he Capia1ll
a nd P ay mr. (on prob .) (J a nll ':II'~- 221 .
,
Ma j. and Bt. Lt.-Col. (A ss t . P a ~: mr.) 'I ..R 'Rohson. having attain ed th e age for retl1ement. J pl aced
on r et. pay (.Jun e 3) .
Sta ff Sel'gt . Ma i. B ,T. 13. T empl e to be Lt.
(As t . Pa.ymr. ) (Jun e 3).
KING'S BIRTHDAY HONOU~:
.
Th e following is ext.l'act ed from t he off, cla l hst of
hOll0U I'S conferred hy th e Kin g 011 the occasIon of
his sixty- ninth birthd a y,- Order of the British Empire .
C.B .E. (Military Division).
MACKEN ZIE, Co lonel Willi a m Shand , O. B.E ..
Royal Arm y P a ~' Corp . ChI ef P ayma ster,
_ Idershot C:ommand.
BIRTH.
.
BELL IAN .-On 1 l nl'ch 20, 1934. n.t 171,. Avery HIli
Road , r ew El t ham , t o El slC. W]fe of Capt.
J. F. Hcllman , RA .P .C .- a son.
DEATHS.
LARGE - On Jun e 7 1934, aL 3, Grevill e Road
.'
'Richmond S~lrrey, Emil y Colhs, secon d
daugh ter 'of th e late Lieut .-Colonel John
Edward Large, Rifle Brigad e and Arm y Pay
Departm ent.
NOL _\.N. - On Ma rch 31, 1934. in Ca nterbury. Kent.
Augusta M:1.1'y Nol an . WIdow of Ll eut.-Col.
A . Bell ew Nolan. Army Pay Corps. late 3rd
Dragoon Guard.

"Rxeuse me Sir but th e post book' s 10:L."

" Th en let it "bp ~ und whnL e' er th e cost ,
Or sorry y ou ' ll b my pa th you cros. ed ,
. "
Wh en y ou ' re up on th e m a t in t he morni ng
Encom aged tllu , be resum ed hi s search . . h
With muttered oa Lh s n ever leam ed 1.11 chUl c , h
And though ts of Lhe ' old man ' sibtin g on pore.
And himself in t,h e cage in th e mornm g .
Accursed I,y all
Wh en hi s ey e lit
(Hi e mutterin g
He'cl Rat on Lite

h e wa in d e ~ pai r , .
.
up-as it fell on IllS c~a l r .
tU1'1l cd to thankful ,PJ aye l ),
hook sin ce the mOl'lIlO g .
(SLIM).

R OYA L

-------------------------

ARMY

PAY

CORPS

J OURNAL

-----------------

"Join the Army alld See the World"

By S .Q. M.S. E. B. BRADSH AW.
A recruiting post~r proclaims "Join the
Army and see the world" ,
What mental vision is conjured up by the
aspirant to military fame, at the sight of
tha t highly coloured poster--'To see the
wodd' ?
Let us exalU in~ this statement by folloll' ing the movements of a pa rty on a troopship bound from Southampton to the Far
East, and make a brief sojourn in G ibraltar,
Malta, Egypt, Colombo, Singapore, Hong
Kong an,d Tientsin_
At Southampton all is hustle a ncl bustle.
Military personqel and families have arrived and accomlUoda tion has been allotted;
baggage has been consiglled to the neth~r
regiolls of the hold ; stores, lI'ater, fue l, oil ,
&c., have been carried on board; and finally
tht; gangway is hoisted, and amidst many
tearful farewells on the part of \\'ives and
girls left behind, the troopship leaves her
berth for just another ' troOI er'.
The boat passes the Isle of Wight rather
closely, also Po rtsm outh and Southst;a. The
latter iook well populated an d th~ lig hting
up of the houses as the even ing app roa cl~es,
produces a magic lantern effect to those on
board.
Th~ Channel journ~y is uneventful, and
the second da y out SOO I1 establishes who
are good sai lors and \\'ho are not, by the
number of absentees at th e dining tables.
Ushant lighthouse is distinguished on
the port sid e, but ever ywhere else is the
open sea. By evening the Bay of Biscay
is approached and as th~ weather is roug h ,
furth er trials awai t those who have not
fUlly recovered from thei r first atta~J.;: of
sea-sickness. The night is disturbed by
sounds qf crockeryware crashing on the
deck and movable cabin articles roUing
from one side of th e boa t lO the other.
The next day the \V~ther is better, a nd
a fine view is obtained of th~ Capes St.
Vincent and Trafalgar. on the south- \\'est
extremity of the C02';)t of Spain, which
stand out in bold outline with a small I)ay
between_
One feels familiar already, with these
capes, a nd th t; exploits of Nelson are not
hard to recall. On the starboard side of
259

the ship, the mountains of Africa loom ll~

in their r ugged contours a nd completely
dominate th e southern horizon,
The efft;ct of the setting sun as We enter
the Mediterranean is really wonderful. The
radiant reflect ions, in sky and sea, beggar
description and th~ rocky masses on either
coast are tinged a ruddy colour.
G ibraltar is reached on the fourth day.
The massive rock has indeed a formidable
appearance, and the houst;s appear to be
built on top of each other, no doubt due to
the steepness of th e slopes . Our stay a t
G ib. , is short, and we are soon on our \I'ay
to Valetta_ We do not see the E uropean
coast aga in, b ut the Atlas moulltains of
Africa persist ill g uardin g the horizon Oil
that side.
We arrive at Ma lta and enter the Grand
Harbour with its numerous battleships and
c ruisers on the seventh day, and are im-

The Grand Ha.rboul', V alletta.

mediately impressed with its beaury_

Va ll etta stands on a peninsula and ha s
many old and stately bui ldi ngs .
Leaving Ma lta, we have another threE:
days uneven'tful voyage.
Th e African
mountains disappear and we nex t see the
end o f a breakwater II'hich suggests \ye
have arrived at Port Sa id.
The boat does not go rig ht alongsid e,
but anchors a little \\'ay off alld is imm ediately besieged I y traders who seek to

EXTRACTS

FROM

THE

ROY AL ARMY

establish a line from their small boats to

the decks of th e trooper, to send up tb~ir
cyoods. Needless to say , much haggling
has to be done rega rding 1 rices, a nd no
goods a re passed up until the necessary
money has been placed in th e basket a nd
seut below.
Port Said, itself, is n ot picturesq ue, be in g
flat a nd \\ell populated. There is a large
native elem en t employecl 0 11 coa lin g vesse ls .

PAY

CORPS

J 01J RN AL

verdant pasture, crowded with palms.

At the end of the Canal stands Port
S uez, its coloured buildings a nd pa lm trees
sta nding out in marked con trast to th e
adjacent sandy countrysid~. The petroleum storage tanks form quite a la ndmark
an d ca n be seel;l for a g rea t distance.
Port Suez appears a gem set in a hlne
sea, to those cooped UI under the a \ynin gs
of the hot decks, bu t perhaps, n ot qn ite

.l

THE

ROYAL

ARMY

train is discernible in the distance. After

taking on water, we recommence onr
journey with Bombay onr next port of
call.
e soon pass Perim, which, lik!; a lonely
sent!nel, g ua rds the southern entrance to
th~ Red Sea.
Thi.s stage of the journey
IS really the b~st, If nC?t actually appreciat~d.. The dally routl11e of the ship is
rtlDnll1g smooth ly; duties are ca rried out
regularly and everyon~ is quite accli ma tised
to th!; tropics. . The sea is very ca lm , but
the heat IS stlll oppressive, even to those
who hav~ got over 'prickl y-h eat'.
After. four or five days, the Colaba lig hthouse IS se~n ~nd it is not long before
the troopsh Ip IS docked a t Alexandria
Docks, after hav ing passed the Taj Mahal
kn own as the ga te-way of Indi a.

w.

PAY

CORPS

JOURNAL

Others, more enterprising, find the camp

and mortgage their future
credits by getting an advance which the
rat.~ of exchange. being favo~rable, 'they
qUl~kly exchange 1UtO sterling , and thereby
denve a small profit
.
pay~aster,

Colaba sta nds on a peninsula a nd is

really a neck of land looked upon as a
health resort by the residents of Bombay.
TheT~ are n ot many houses ana the few
there a re suggest wealthy o~cup~nts. P alm
trees a re ab unda nt, also tropica l vegetation.
~eeling desirous of a swim (the m onth
beu:g J an uary), a few tak!: advantag~ of
a diP, whereby they are grea tly refreshed.
Post cards are bought, letters written, a nd
eVen telegrams are sent to relatives in th e
hinterland.

Pori Said frolJl R.M.T . K eul"lllia .

Excitement is of course preva lent where

"backsheesh" is the dom inant pursuit in
life.
A statue of De L esseps points the way
to the Suez Canal which connects the
Mediterranean with the Bitter Lakes, and
tb,e Red Sea.
The weather has g radually become
wa rmer, and drill suits quickly replace
serge and topees are in evid ence.
As it is eventide ,vhen we enter, \Ye do
not see much of the Canal. A searchlight
on the bridge lights up the way a nd produces an eerie effect on th e watchers. H ow
amusing it is to watch a native diving from
the ship into the \\aters of th e canal to tie
the vessel up alongside to enable an approaching ship to pass.
The countryside is desert and consequently flat. On the Sinai Peninsula can
be seen sa nd-bags a nd revetted trenches ,
r eminiscent of th~ war, whilst inland, on
th!: Egyptian side, can be !\een a belt Qf

so idyllic to th ose dest~ned to live there.

The entra nce to the R~d Sea is narrow
and lined with rugged and ste~p mountains.
Temperature has rise~, the ladies in their
cool summer frocks and straw hats ar!; the
envy of those not so suitably dad. Games
are organized, and prov ide grea t interest as
well as competition,.
The Apostle Islallds a re ~pproached and
give rise to conjecture as to their names.
One learqs a g rea t deal of Biulica l
knowledge on board, al1d finds that Moses
must have indeed been a magiciall tQ have
stopped the waters of the Red Sea in so
many different places.
The Eastern coa t of the R ed Sea has
disappeared whilst the African side is not
quite so mountainous and eventually diSappears.
Aden is soon reached, but few are
allowed ashore. The p lace is small, a rock
overshadowing tb,e whole port . Streets are
few, b~ing on the low qarro w coast, and a

V iew o f th e Su ez Canal fl"OI11 R.M.T. Neu l"ajja.

The contingel1ts for India are disembarked , a nd those proceeding further

east hear th e gratify ing news that there is
to be a four days' stay at tb,e rest camp a t
Colaba. We pack our kit bags; a nd hailIng a gharry , are soon installed in a bungalow iu the camp.
Everyone responds to the cookhouse ca ll
and does full justic!: to curry and rice aJ\d
other. delectable dishes. The change of
food IS quite apprecia ted; th e mess wai ters,
SIlent and efficient, supp ly all the wants
of the new arrivals. Some ensconce themse~ves in the bar which they do not l ~ave
(hterally)
dnring the brief sojourn .

Going into Bombay itself, one is forced

to acknowledge the squalor and 1 ull gent
odours emitted by the native tenelll ents.
Trams s~em to go every\\here.
CO \\S
stroll the hig h ways unmolested . Gharries
a re obtainable anywhere and at any time .
A party enter "Greens" and sit in the
op.en, und~r coloured lig hts, drinking iced
~nnk~, surronnd ed by na tu ra l palm , and
hstenmg to the music of a string band
wh~ls~ the \ya ters <;>f th e bay, lap and lap:
as If !n rhythm With the music .
This is life, and the recruiting poster"Join tb,e Army and see the world"-does
not lie.
261

THE

ROYAL

ARMY

It is with mixed f~elings th", we leave

Bombay, and steering south, parallel to the
low lying Ghats of the Deccan, arrive at
Colombo after four days' journey. The
first si ght of Colombo, is the two lig~t
houses of the artificial harbour, which
stand at the end of the breakwater.
Approaching Colombo in the eventide,
they appear literally and figuratively to be
standing on the water, like the veritable
entrance or gateway to the unknown.
C~ylon is ~ small island, and like. Ade~l,
the centre is dominated by mountalOS-ll1
thi s case ' Adam's Peak-whi lst the 101\' lands are covered \Iith sugar-cane .
Taking advantage of a few hours allowed
ashore, small parties enter the narrow
dhows, and are soon visiting o~d friends
or members of the Corps stationed there.
The stay is too short to be really appreciated but the visit is refreshing.
F;om Ceylon to Singapore is about a
week's journey, unless one has the ~han~e
to call in at Penang . The sea IS stlll
calm-like the proverbial mill-pond-and
strange to say contains plenty of flotsam
and jetsam.
Sumatra is observed on th~ starboard
side and the sun setting behind the hills
throws up its majestic r~diant beauty skvwards. As soon as it sets, it is completely
dark, there being no twilight whatsoever.
Singapore is reached in the early momin g, a light-house in th~ centre of a .sma.1I
rock covered I"ith green foliage, wh Ich IS
ind eeii picturesque, greet' ng us. It is not
long before we make ourselves known at
Fort Canning.
.
The chief means of tra nsport are taXIS.
although rickshaws are in evidence, and
\\'e are soon careering ronnd the to\l'n,
past the big shops and seeing the sights.
The evenin g finds us at Pulau Bruni,
sitting on the terrace with iced drinks .
looking across the water to the harbour
full of ships. Tbe reflection of the lights
in the water makes a fascinating scene.
It is indeed restful and elitrancing, and
despite the great heat of the day, .soul
satisfying. We return to the ship 111. a
long. narrow pointed boat and are agam
on our way, this time to Hong Kong.
We do not see land after leaving Singapore until we are n~aring Hong Kong,
when numerous islands appear from no-

PAY

CORPS

JOURNAL

where. Some are very rocky and ragged,

and the ship ste~rs betwe~n them, almost
touching- them . Finally a large natural
harbour is reached, appearing to be ~lmost
surrounded by iand and the Peak stands
out in bold, dominant outlin e.
It is February, th~ weather is a little
cold after Singapore, and Hong Kong
seems the last place on earth. However ,
a trip up the Peak railway ( a result of fin~
engineering endeavour) soon dispels any
intruding gloomy thoughts. The panorama
is wonderful. The view from the Peak is
simply magnificent and extends for miles.
All around Hong-Kong are hundreds of
islands and they are ind~ed p icturesque
when seen from the top of the Peak.
Facing Hong-Kong on the Chinese hinterland is Kowloon, a flat, low lying belt of
coastal plain bordered by a background of
hills, &c., \ovhich extend in the airection
of Canton. The roads roul1d the island
are few, but one is able to have a good
car ride to Aberdeen where the waterworks are situated. Leaving Victoria in a
coastal boat, one gradually goes northwards, the weather becoming colder each
day.
After leavin g the islands, land disappears
and except for passing ships, th~ journey
is withont incident until Wei-Hai-Wei is
reached,- unless one has the pleasure of
stopping at Swatow, Shanghai or Cheefoo.
The community at Wei-Hai- Wei is
chiefly naval with a very small military
detachment of one platoon . Naval patients
convalesce here and enjoy the dry healthy
aIr.
From Wei-Hai-Wei the boat goes
through" the Gulf of Pei Chili to .Taku ,
which stands at the mouth of the pel Hao.
.As then~ is a natural bar across the river
mouth, our boat is partly unloaded so that
she does not draw more than 12 feet .
The unloading takes plac~ in the midd.le
of the night by Chinese cooli~s clad 111
blue linen garments, stuffed wlth cotton
wool. Their faces are red and they are
tall as compared with th~ pale faced, ~h.ort
statured southern Chinese. To fa~lhtatf
the unload!ng, they chant sOl'l!e kIDd ~_
refrain, whIch sounds rath~r weird anc1u
earthly at that time of night.
Slnmber being out of th~ question, one

- - - - -THE
- - -ROYAL

ARMY

PAY

strolls on deck and watch~s the sh~p gliding

away from Taku towards Tientsin. The
river is narrow and mUddy. The surrounding countryside flat with occasional
Chinese villages made qf mud buildings.
The work of the Cons~rvancy Board is
in evidence by trees which have been
planted to hold the banks of the river together. Tr~es are scarce in this "p art of
the world
The narrowness of toe rrver calls for
great vigilance on the part of the navigator
especially as th~ river is serp~ntine, and ~
one instance a right-angled turn has to be
made with th~ bows of the vesset' overhanging tb~ baQk, and th~ screws almost
churning the mud . * It is rather ' amusing
to see a vessel in front across the countryside, where the river has turned again.
Soon modern dwellings appear on both

CORPS

JOURNAL

sides of the river, which b,as widened out,

and the boat is passing tb,e Russian Park
with its Boxer Memoria l, the ex-German
ConcessiQn, and arrives at the Bund
turning around before coming a"longside:
The river is full of small Chinese jUl1ks
and the bund is th~ centre of activity. We
are m~t by a representative of oUT Corps
and soon installed in ricksha \\'s and
directed towards the Military Quarters.
It is a case, now, of roll " 011 my three
years!

* (At the time this journey was made, the ri ver

mouth was 40 miles as t he crow fli es from Ti e.n tsin, although t he adual journey by the river was
69 miles- accoun ted for by the twisting of the
rlve r. Chann els have si nce been cut whi ch have
re.sulted in .the right-ang le turn being done away
mth; the clistan ce I S shortened and a more direct
course for the river has redu c~d t he peTiod it is
frozen in the winter.)

Ann.y Pay Corps Football Team-Pretoria, 1902.

Top Row (standing) .-S. Q.M.S. Cl'yer, Cp!. Anderson, S/ Sgt. L ind op, Cp!. Price.
MIDDLE RO\\.-Cpl. Coop!', Sgt. May, Cp.1. Coul'tney, Gpl. Saxton, Sgt. Maffey, Pte. Peal'son,
Cp!. Liclstone, Mr. Hay.
FRONT Row.-Cp!. Perkins, Sgt,. Rob on .
Only t.hree of th team are still serving in theR.A.P.C. :-Li eut. F. W. Cooper,
Major G. Lidstone S.S.M. P. Pm'kin s.
Th e t ea,m had a successful sea-son, w:innins the Pretoria and District Juni or League, and ,,"ere
runn ers- up III the Tra ns vaal Cup.
2 63

THE

ROYAL

ARMY

PAY

CORPS

JOURNAL

THE

-------

Contract Bridge
By Lt.-Col. J. GROSE (late R.A .).
The chief Contract Bridge event of the
last three months was the Congress at
Eastbqurne under the auspices of the
British Bridge League.
Six hundred
players came from all parts of the U.K.
to take part in the tournaments, and the
result was a !l1eeting full of ch~er and good
will, marred by no 'incident' and adorned
by some very fiqe Bridge. The principal
event was the final of the Gold Cup, ptayed
out b~tween the six winning teams qf the
preliminary local tournaments in Scotland,
Wales, three groups of counties and the
London area. This cup was won for the
second year in succession by Mr. Lederer's
magnificent t~am.
.
Duplicate Contract is an enthralling
pastime, and any four persons wno have
a taste for it and some aptitude for cards
can, by constant practice together , work
themselves up into a strong t~am and enter
for the innumerable tournaments and
matches that are being played all over the
country. In such circumstances, th~ game is
interesting enough in itself to allow of
stakes being dispensed with.
At Eastbourne, there were no mpney stakes in any
of the tournaments.
It will be r~member~d that in the Spring
our fancy turned to thoughts of defence
bidding; its niceties and difficultie~ ,,,ere
paraded for review, its weapons were laid
out for inspection, and the first of them,
the overbid in the adversary's ow~ suit was
examined. It is now the turn of weapon
No. 2, the Double.
The Double may be a business Double,
a call to close the auction and make the
opponeni~ pay in full for their supposed
overbidding. But the Double that is for
investigation now is the informative
Double, a call to open the auction, to tell
partner that the douDler's hand is strong,
to urge him to bid freely and fearlessly
and to demand that he keep the bidding
going for one round at least.
Since defensive calls are sometimes. made
with other obje~ts than to bid - openly
ag-ainst the opponents for a profitable contract, partner should he told at the outset
whether the intention is to engage -in open

warfare or to employ guerrilla tactics . This

information ca~ be imparted to him by
using or omitting th~ informative Doubie.
For example, a player hplding :O A.,"A"X; \} AKQJx; O xx; t;?Kx;
and hearing "One Spade" called on his
right, should first say "Double", and call
"Three Hearts" on the second round of
the bidding. His partner will then be in
no doubt that the Heart call i~ a bid for
mastery, made from real strength, and not
merely a cry to baulk the adversary . He
will raise his partner on very moderate
support, and should the opponents try to
compete, he may be enabled to inflict a
crushing business Doubl~.
On the other hand, a player holding:OAxx; \}QJxxxxx; Oxx; t;?x;
and wishing to prevent the Spade bidder's
partner from calling "Two" or "Three"
in Diamonds or Clubs, can call 7'Three
Hearts" with limited ~iability, for he can
count on his partner's knowing, from the
omission of the informative Double, that
the Heart call is a defensive one and not
intended to be raised without exceptional
supporting strengtb.
The minimum strength required to warrant an informative Double is' three High
Card Tricks, but it is seldom advisable to
use it without a strong attacking hand.
With a strong- defensive hand, such as:
Oxx; \}Axx; OAKxx; t;?Axxx;
one of the other weapons would probably
prove more effective, though doubling on
that hand would undoubtedly be justified
if the opponents had a partial scorg, i?
order to make partner call his longest SUlt
and push them up to a declaration that can
be set, instead of allowing th~m to make
game on an easy contract.
Beginners will want to know how an
informative Double (which the doubler
wishes to be taken out by ~ny bid rather
than none) can be distinguish~d from a
business Double (which the doubler intends
shall be left in for penalties). The al1w ser
is that an informative Double is th~ double
of "One No-Trump" or of "One" or
"Two" of a suit, provided that the doubler's partner has not already bid, .doubl ed

ROYAL

ARMY PAY

?r made a business Pass. A business Pass

IS when tl~e partn~r of a player who has
made a~ 1l1formatlve Double delib~rately
passes I~ order to con vert his partner's
Double mto a business Double. for in~tance, A: declares "One Spade", Y doubles
IDformatlvely, B saxs "No Bid" and -2
holds the cards shown, below.
"Double"
y

"One Spade"

"No Bid"

CORPS

JOURNAL

partner's stren,g th from h.is bidding, and

h~ must re~ralJ~ from declaring ilis own
str~ngth tWice. over but trust to his part ner s co-op~ratlOn.
These rules on the informative double
seem cO~1plicated wh~n' se~ down in
prInt, b~t thel: common sense foundation
and the~r logl~al interdependence make
th.em an .IDterest.IDg study, while familiarity
with theIr p~actlce make~ any pair of partn~rs. a formIdable combmatIon in defence
blddmg.
m~y

The follo'"ying problem, which was set

~y Dr. ~Ielvllle Smith, is given here as an

+ QJroxx
\} J04

07

-rKQxx
AB are vulnerable, and Z leaves the
"Double" it;1, hoping thereby to get at
leas.t 900 pomts for penalties. That is a
buslI~,ess Pass. A tries to rescue himself
by ~Idding. "On~ No-Trump". Y doubles
aga1l1. ThiS second "Double" is a business
Double becaus~ Y's partner has already
made a business Pass.
Except on the rare occasions suitable
for a busines~ Pass, a .player whose partn~r
has made an mformatlve Double must keep
the ~idding going for ~ne rou~d at least
that IS to say, if the intervening opponent
passe~, he must bid something rather than
leave III the op~ning bid of "One" doubled.
:,-ny four su~t may be mentioned, or -if this
~s not pr~ct1cable, a bid of "Two Clubs"
IS recogl}lsed as a pauper's plea. On the
other hand, he must bear in mind that his
~onfeder~t~ is in an aggressive mood, and
If there IS any strength in his qwn hand,
~y It H.C.T. or a biddable suit, he must
hid ':1P freely . And lest hi~ call should
be.mlstak~n for a forced one, h~ may make
a Jutn:p bid on any biddable suit, though
~hIS :VIll . not b~ nec~ssary if the opponent
n hiS nght has made a bid because in
that case, any bid that he 'may choose
~o make is obviously a voluntary one show~ng streng-th and not a forced call tiJade to
eep the bidding going.
Finally, the informative 110ubler himself
~ust bear in mind that he h.as, by his
aDou.hle." , sh~,,-n his partner his strength
t~d mClted hIm to activity.
H~ must
erefore beware of over-estimating his

265

lllustra.tlOn of the negative use of the inf<;>rmahve Double, a use that is fully api:>reclated by few Bridge players.
AB Game.
Y, "No Bid"; B, "One . Spade"; what
should Z say holdin,g the cards shown?
"No Bid"

D
A

tz

J 1I:0'1' 0" "

B "One Spade" '

+ 32

\}I04

07
-rQJro876 32
Answer: "Two No-Trumps".
. 'With n,o defence", says Dr. Melville

S~it~, "2 cannot prevent the opponents

blddmg game unless he can bluff them

If 'Two No-Trur.1ps' is left in, 2 cannot
lose more than 400 points for being eight
down, .and in this case, a slam has been
saved 1t1 all probability. If doubled he
has a good switch to Clubs".
'
Y has p~ssed, it is true, but he might
hold 2t High Card Tricks and not have
opened the bidding through having no
good ope~ing bid available. If h~ had even
T H.C.T., he might be tempted to go to
"Three No-Trumps" over a bid of "Three
Spades" by A were it not for the significance of the omission of the informative
Double. The point is, that Y knows that
though 2 may have a sound bid of "Two
No-Trumps", he does not look to him for
support in the bidding. Y should lie low
Il lJtil he learns more about the situation ,
(C otlHnued on page 27I)

THE

RUYAL

AR MY

PAY

CORPS

JO URNA L

A Chinese Wedding
By S.S.M. W. ORAM, R.A.P.C.
We were led by a benign, rather stout,
but pleasant ol.s! Chinese gentleman,
through a triumphal arch, the colours of
which would hav!'! shamed the most gorg eous rainbows. Preceded by a banner.
bearing retainer,
w~ e.ntere d upo~ a scene
which baffles descnptIon . .
Here was a huge baromal stylc;> of. banquettin,g hall, decorated i~ an amazmgly
beautiful ma~ner, witl1 mynads of colour~d
lights, marv.eUous si~ken lanterns a~d bnlliant drapenes.
.
There was a huge ~ro w d of murmun~g
Chinese _of both s~xes . The women ill
their silks and satins were wonderfully
beautiful in a~ oriental wa~ . All ,~ere
tense with excitement; bustl.1l1g and Jostlir g for a glimpse o~ th~ Bnde.
.
She arrived in a nchly apparel~ed cha:
borne by a dozen cool.i es
festive gar .
There were boys beanng s~lken I;>anners,
Buddhist pri~st in cerem011l~1 attIre, and
a vast multitude of excited Villagers. The
ceremony, merely a legal formula , was a
matter of moments only.
And the Bride-she was swt:!!;:t sev:en teen
and a picture of radiant beauty With the
full bloom of g lorious youth up.o n he:
cheeks. This bloom was,. I fear, aided by
the machinations of some Immodest beauty
parlour on the Avenue Joffre.
.
She was gorgeously gowned. 111 silken
.
t and gazed neither to n ght nor to
l:f~enFor a full 30 minutes. she faced a
battery
of
cameras,
clTIematograp~
machines, arc lamps, and a. won<;1erfu
crowd of gesticulatin g humamty, lIke a
soldier on parade, and without so much as
batting an eyelid.
..1
The Groom-the son of a C.lunese mllionaire-he was resplendent III f:'lultless
.
ce ,'vas an ll1scrutmor111ng
dress. HIS fa
.
able mask. He appeared to be neIther
happy nor miserable . Somehow m y. com.
and I imagined that he was slightl y
pal1lon
.
f
good
peeved at the thought 0 so. many
dollars b~ing; spent upon what IS bu~ a ~eet
ing moment in this somewhat sordId wor d

u:.

of ours. Personally I should hav~ preferred

the dollars to the bride.
.
The Presents--they w~re there l1l pr~
T' here were so many, and their
f USlOn.
.
Id
th
value so higb" that a Chmese so Ier WI
fixed bayonet was posted to ~revent un warranted intrusion by potentIal ro?bers.
He did not ev~n so much as g lance III our
direction when we handl~d the presents
in
somewhat gingerly manner .
.
I have yet to und~rsta!ld the Cllln~e
custom of giving Silver Shlelds as weddmg
presen ts . The re were scores of them
1.
. Qf
all sizes. I was reminded of t~!Ose g ltterm~
dis lays one oft en finds 111 Sergeants
Me~ses indicating prowess on the field
of sport. Possibly the Chinese regard :~e
g 0 f the Bride as someth .ng akm
ta k m
to w inning a Cup match.
.
We were escorted to the Bridal Chambe~ ,
h
we thoroughly inspected thg be ,
~ee~~d linen an d all the littl e knick-knacks

THE

ROYAL

ARMY PAY

ins~parable from such a Holy of Holies.

We were greatly intrigued by a huge
bask~t of red dyed hens' c;>ggs which was
standing on the dressing table. There were
several Chinc;>se ladies of tender years
present, wheI~ our attenda~t informed us
that it was the hope and wish of the donor
that the Bride would be as prolific in the
production of sons as t4e hc;>~ was in laying
eggs.
These Chines~ certainly have
original ideas.

The ladies. I have already referred to,

cast not unkmdly g lances i~ o ur direction
at this particular moment.
They had
suffered our intrusion in silence. We were
curious and inquisitive, but Our lack of
even an elementary smatter!ng of the dialect, added to the fact that we were not
inclined for amorous dalliance, forced us
to bow and pass out in silence.
The Banquet-2,000 Chinese and 2
Foreigners. Ye Gods, but what a feast.
And, the horror of horrors, t40se pigeons
eggs in that ghastly oil.
We ate
for three solid , uncomfortable hours .
There 'N~ re sharks' fins, pigeons' eggs,
tendons of pigs' legs, fungus, meat
bal> in a rather elastic SOrt of paste,
toasted fish, bamboo shoots and cherries
stewed with laurel leaves; and we drank
warm Shamshui, the rice wine, from tiny
silver cups.
I must confess that we felt somewhat
squeamish when we realized we had to
stuff our mouths with baked prawns, the
heads, tails aIi"d skins being spat out upon
the little silver plates provided. We had
no plates as plates go. In the centre of
the table stood a single communal bowl,
in wlJich all and sundry prob~d with chopsticks or fished with long-handled spoons.
We rapidly overcame our nausea after
several libations of ,varm Shamshui.
I
1ear I lost count of the courses after the
22nd, but I distinctly remember that the
last hurdle we attempted consisted of one
whole roasted duck and one \Nhole roasted
fowl , and at this stage the gourmets at our
table had been reduced to four-two
Chinese and two Foreigners.

Th e Bridal Cha ir ut a Chinese Wedding.

I can never forget our miserable attempts

to tear those birds to pieces with chopsticks. We felt, and I am certain, 'v.: ere ,

CORPS

JOURNAL

the cynosure of all eyes at this stag~ of the

proceedings. We tried to adopt a non~
chalant air, but who on ~arth can pick the
leg of a fowl with chopsticks? I think our
efforts at disguised indiffer~nc~ must have
met wit4 some measur~ of success, because
wC;> did not obsc;>rve any pronounced
ribaldry.
At intervals of IQ minut~ or so we .w ere
handed steaming hot towels with which to
mop our fevered brows. They were cqoling,
but oh, for something to relieve a distended
stomach.
I hav~ advised all my friends that, unless
their digestive organs are of the very best,
and they don't mind watching their vis-avis dipping his fingers into the communal
bowl and spitting out those pigeons' eggs,
or sunflower and melon seeds across the
banquetting table, it wouldbe advisable to
decline any invitations to Chinese wedding
feasts wh ich might come their way.
The amusemen ts--there was a theatre

devot~d to Chinese drama depicting inci-

dents during the reign of long forgotten

dynasties. H ow could one ever forget those
magnificent costumes worn by actor!? and
actresses alike, th~ high pitched voic~s and
the stately strutting to and fro. There
was a display of Chinese fencing, carried
out with all types of swords, spears and
battle axes. We w~re spellbound. The
contestants were completely un protected,
yet I saw not one blow, no matter with
what lightning speed it was delivered that
was not as swiftly parried without harm
to these modern g ladiators .
There was weird music played on no less
weird instruments, and the crashing of
cymbals. The din, th!'! riot of colour qnd
the barbaric sp lendour was breath-taking
and awe-inspiring.
We strolled around the spacious hall,
lounged in alcoves sipping g reen tea and
smoked the host's cigars.
We ldt at 2 a. m. after I I hqurs feasting
and entertainment. vVe regretted not q~e
moment, but all the Chinese Sorcery and
all the pangs of hunger could not driv~ me
back to that one nightmare-the pigeons'
eggs in that horrible oil.

THE

ROYAL

A~ - PAY

CORPS

THE

JO URNA L

----------------

OB IT U ARY
Lieut.-Colonel Charles Vaughan Hale
died in South Africa on 7th February, Ig34
Born in September, 1866, th~ deceased
received his Commission as 2nd Lieutenant
in the Welch Regiment in May, 1888 , from
the Militia.
During his first year of service he saw
s~rvice in the . Sudan and was present at
Suakin and the action at Gamaizah.
In November, 18g7, he transferred to the
Army Pay Dept. in the rank of Captain and
Paymaster, and three yeaTs later was sent
on service to South Africa. Here he took
part in the Relief of Ladysmith, the opeTations in the Orange River Colony (lg00Ig02). and in the Transvaal (lg02). For
his seTvice in the South African War he
received the Queen's Medal with 3 clasps
and the King's Medal with 2 clasps.
In February, Ig05", he was promoted
Major and Staff Paymaster, and two months
later transferred to the Army Accounts
'Department where he remained until the
e~d of Ig0g. In February, Ig10, he received
his promotion to Lieut.-Colonel. He took
part in the Great War, for which he received the British War Medal, and retired
in August, Ig22 .

ceeded to Malta for three years and on his

return, on 25 th l\Iay, 1920 , was appointed
Command PaY1113ster, Irish Command,
Dublin, dmj ug '~ he Sinl1 Fein rebelli ol1.

ROYAL

ARMY

011 4th Novem~er, IgI3, in the York

Lancaster
' and
B
. RegIment and servecIwIth
the
~t r~IJon until he was transferred to the
oya
rmy Pay Corps in March I 20 A
year later he \I'as promoted C ' gl .
in Ma
orpora , and
y, Ig23, was appointed LanceSergeant,
three yea rs late r I.eCelVl11g
"
.
his
promotIon to Sergeant He ca'"
.
probation at th~ Pay o"ffice ill C~I~~dano~t hIS
subsequently posted to H T
k
\I a.s
I ?,
II'
VY arWIC (Apnl
9--,
aq (Dec., 1923), Preston (A ril
[))
1926 ) and Hong Kong (Februar
pr
Y' T93 2 .
. res III \I'as .an all- round sportsman
b el11g a good rifle shot
d
'
swimmer-while in Honga~~onan hexcellent
Cricket and Tenni
g e p layed
Id 'f
s for the Detachment in
ac I IOn to H ockey for the R .A.O.C.
The fune.ral took place on 3rd March
the proceSSIOn from the lVIed' I I
'
~nR
(
~
n~~
oom opposite the Pay .office) to th e
Happy Valley Protestant Cemetery being'
most ImpreSSIVe.
ar Head~c1 by Civil Traffic P olice and MilitB Y PolIce the Cortege was preceded b , tl
and and Drums and Firing Party o~ tl~:
1St Bn. the South "Vales Borderers.
. The coffin, draped \I'ith the U ni on Jack
\\as 'iurm.ou~lted uy Preslin's hat and belt'
Th e [)nnclpal mourners were Colonel W:

PAY , CORPS

JUUHNAL

J . H . Bilderbeck 0 B E
cm
other rauk
f I'
. . . , ' cers a nd
sentatives sfr~m t leHDetachn:ent and rep reR AS C
.Q . Chl11a Command
. . . . , R .A.M.C ., R .E.
R
'
.A.O.C.,
R .A. and 1St Bn. the S.W.B.'
A largle numb.er of wreaths \I'ere received
among t lem bell1g those from the General
Offi cer Commaudll1g the 0 C I D
ment RAP C . Cl'
" a u( etachtli"e..' R A' p' C ., o. and Nhs . Bilderbeck;
. . . . Old Comrades A
. t'
Major and lI ,r . G d
.
SSOCla IOn;
m.1S. e ge' WIves of tl D
tachment R.A.P.C.; WO s S /S~tsle eelSergea nts R.A.M C . O ' .
. an
R A S C . H d' "
.C. and a I ranks
l\I' '.' . ,
ea quarters R.A., Sergeants'
ess, N .C.O.s and meri R.A.< ).C and A ll
Hanks 1St Bu. South Wales Borde'rer

..

(conttnued

0-/1

Colon I R. T. M. Lcthbridge, O.13 .E.

In the following year he \\'as posted to

Salisbury as C.P. Southern Command and
retired fI;:om the Corps in December, 19 2 4.
In the London Gazett~ for 3rd June,
Ig1 9 , he \\'as a\\'arded the O.B.E . for valu able services in connection \\'ith the Grea t
War.
On his retirement he lived for some time
in Bournemouth and lfl~er moved to Southsea, "vhere he \\'as residing at the tim~ of
his ch:ath.
'.

No. 473 6 3 18 , Sergeant R. Preslin died in

the Military Hospital, H ong Kon g 0 11 2nd
March.
He was admitted to H ospital on H.st
February, being placed on the sel'iotlsly-IJ1
list on 26th and on the D.l. list t\\o days
later.
Preslin was aged 35. He enlisted.as a poy
,
'268

Th e funera l of th 6 late Sergeant R. P reslin in Hong Kong.

. " 26g

*""

shire at th8e lage of 73 at Ashurst, Hampon I t 1 March

Elllisting in the Rifle Brigade 011 ? "th
k~7' , 18~2, the deceased served for a l;~ut
) erus before transferring t o th C
0~:1ili~ry Staff Clerks to\\'ards thee en~r~~
I 7
e was transferred on the format'
of the Army Pay Cor s in
IOn
n~aine~l with the Corps Puntil Ilg8?; \~I~~n ~~;
\~a1 Qdlscharged t o pension with the rank
o
. .1\1.S. after 28 years' service.

The death of Colonel Robert Thomas

Morland Ldhbridge occurred very suddenly in South sea on 7th June, Ig34
.
The deceased was born on 10th December, 1864, and obtain~d his commission in
the East Lancashire Regiment in January,
1886.
In September, 18g3, he was promoted
Captain and in the following year transf~rred to the Army Pay Department in the
rank of Captain and Paymaster.
He was promoted Major and Staff Paymaster in September, Ig02, and serv~d with
the Army Accounts Department from May,
Ig05, to DecembeT, Ig0g, being promoted
Lieut.-Colonel in I g07
He was post~d to York in October, Ig13,
and in January , Ig15, was promoted Temporary Colonel and Chief Paymaster on
appointment as Command Paymaster,
Northern Command, and in November of
the same year h~ received his substantive
promotion.
In May, Ig17, Colonel Lethbric1ge pro-

di~o. 237 (late S.Q ..l\'I.S.) C. R . Croker

page 27 6 )

THE

ROYAL

ARMY PAY

CORPS

JOURNAL

Our Chess Page

THE CURIOUS IN CHESS.

Once more illustrating the above side of

the game, we append two further positions
that may interest our readers.
The first was composed by W. Pauly,
who died recently, and is quite a remarkable task. White has to play in such a
way thet Black is forced to mat~ him in
four moves. ~This is done in a curious
manner, by a series of promotions by the
white pawns. Taking the position given,
White first plays his pawn to Rook's 8th
making a Queen. Black now has th~ choice
of moving his King t() King's third or
,B ishop's third-if he plays tl1e former,
White moves his pawn to Bishop's 8th,
making a Bishop. Black is n,ow forced to
his Queen's third. White now plays his
pawn
to
King's 8th
becoming
a
rook-Black's only move is to his Bishop's
third.
White then moves his pa\\n to
Knight's 8th making a Knight and giving
check. Black is therefore forced to play
Knight takes Knight giving mate. Should
Black originally play his King to Bishop's
third, White replies with his promoted
Queen to Bishop's 6th giving check. Black
must I lay Kn:ght takes Queen, and White
plays Pawn to Queen's Sth check when
the black Knight again must take the
pawn.
White then plays Knight to
Knight's 4th check, when Black is forced
to take the Knight, thus again giving mate.

The second example, with the c;ondition

that White has to play and dra,w , qppears
absurd on the face of the position, and was
composed by the late Richard Reti who
made many similar impossible problems,
A close examination will reveal that White
by playing his King to Kni g ht' s 7th and
then Bishop's 6th, and thence to King's
sth can either catch the Black queening
pawn or els~ queen his own.
By R. RetL
Black (2 pieces).

ROYAL

Th~ soi'U,tion to our gth problem b

Sgt. F. W. Jones i~ King to Knight's 2nl
If Blac: moves ~IS Knight, White plays
rook t~kes the BIshop, whilst if he moves
the BIshop, White plays rook to rook's
7th mate.
A v~ry neat and pleasing little problem.
,Solved by C. TurnbulI, "Wellwisher"
'Newcomer", "W.S."
"A H"
. d'
"R.V."
,
. .
an

S.Q.M .S. ~ell and the Chess Editor both

? Qld bIds for the War Office ChampIOnshIp, the latter eventually winning.
The. :ec~nt Bugap~st Congress was WOI1
by LIhenthal wIth Pirc second. Flohr
could only reach the third place and it will
be re~alled that .ilienthal tied with Dr.
Alekllln the world s champion at Ha~til1gs
last ~mas .for the second plac~ to Flohr,
and IS :aI?Idly b~coI?ing a great player.
Dr. Alek~1l1 IS wlUnmg his championshi
match
P
. t . .wIth BogolJuboff and so me very
III el estl11g gaI?es have been played.
The
present score IS 7 wins to 4 in Alekh ,
favour .
lU s
~ade

White (2 pieces) .
White to play and draw! ! !
Problem No. 10.
By the Chess Editor.
Black (S pieces) .

111

four

White (3 pieces) .
White to play and mat~ il1 two moves.
The ~ bove problem has been speciallY
ce
composed to illustrate economy of fo r. ,
and will be found quite easy and interestIng
to solve.

CORPS

JOURNAL

Game No. 23.

(From a simultaneous display at Madrid.)
.':V hite .
Black.
Llhenthal.
Kocher
I
P-Q4
P-Q4 .
Kt-KB.
2 P-QB4
3 PxP
KtxP ~
4 Kt-KB 3
Kt-QB3
S P-K 4
Kt-B3
6 Kt-B3
B-Kts
7 P-Qs
BxKt
8 PxB
Kt-:F~-4
9 P-B 4
K t -Kt 3
10 P-BS
Kt-K4
II
P-B4'
QKt-Q?
12 P-KS
Kt-KKtI
13 P-K6
Kt-Kt3
14 Q-RS
P-Kt3
IS H-Kt sc h
P-QB3
16 QPxP
PxQ
17 BPxPch
Kt-Q?
18 PxKtch
QxP Ig PxR(Q)
mate

. The following two games hav~ points of

The first one was played in a
sImultaneous exhibition at Hamburg, where
they have a number of clever players and
are always :rery hospitable to strangers.
The second IS remarkable for the number
of pawn moves made-no less than IS out
of a total of Tg moves in the whole game.

Contract Bridge cOllh'l'lued jrOfi'l page 265.

CONTRACT PROBLEMS.
Problem I.
This is. a problem in ordinary play. It
?Ccurred In a rubber played the very evenmg before this article go~s to press.
Score; game all. Z dealt.
.

GAME No. 22.-Queen's P a\yn.

. 87
QAI06S
OAK8S
+QJ3

(Played at Hamburg.)

White (13 pieces).

ARMY PAY

~terest.

Black (2 pieces) .

White forces Black to mate

moves.

THE

White.
Helbig.
I
P-Q4
2 Kt-KB3
3 QKt-Q2
4 P-QR3
S PxP
6 P-QKt4
7 KxB
8 K-Kt3
9 Kt-R4
la K-B3
11 Resigns

Black.
Schroder.
P-Q4
Kt-KB3
P-K 3

P-B4
BxP
BxBPch!
Kt-Ktsch
P-KR4
Q-B2Ch
Q-B6ch

.AQIOg
QKg4
OJ93

+AK4

How would you bid Z's and Y's hands?

Problem n.
A l~d th~ four of Spades, an,d Z takes
the tnck wIth S.g. How would you pia v
the haud at a Contract of "Six No
Trumps", A having doubled?
For answer, see page 2g2.

THE

R()YAL

ARMY

PAY CORPS JOURNAL

THE

RETIREMENTS
There will be g~neral regret in the Corps
at the retirement of Lieut.-Col. T. R.
R obson on 3rd June.
Colonel Robson
enlisted in the IIth (P .A.O.) Hussars on
Nov. 3rd, 1893, and served with them at
Canterbury, where h~ transferred to the
Army Pay Corps on Sept . 3rd, 1895 . In the
Corps he served at Woolwich, and p.roceeded to South Africa in 1901, be1l1g
awarded the Queen's Medal with five
clasps.
On his return he served at Hounslow
and York, an,g was promoted S.S.M. in
Dec., 19I 2. He went out to France ill 1914,
and for his War Service was awarded the
1914 Star, British War .Meda~ an? Victory
Medal, being also mentioned 111 dlspatches.
He also gained the Long Service and Good
Conduct Medal.
In Feb., 191 5 he r~ceived a commlSSJOn
as Assi stant Paymaster, Hon . Lt., and was
appointed Acting Adjutant, A.P .D . Ba~e
Unit. He ,yas pro moted Captain in Feb.,
1918, whilst at vVooh~' ich, and in 1919 was
posted to Mesopotanlla .

Returning ~o England ~n 1922, he

served at Salisbury, Preston and Warley.
He was promoted Major in 1930, and
posted to Eastern Comman,d the sam~ year.
In July, 1933, he was appointed Brevet
Lieut.-Col., and retired on 3rd June, 1934
on reaching the age limit.
Colonel Robson's cricketing abilities are
well- known throughout the Corps, to which
his bowling, in particular, has been a great
asset. He represented the Army 'V . Navy
in Cape Town, 190'3-4, and the !--rmy 'V.
Royal Air Force in Mesopotamla, 192.1.
Since 1928 he has played for the Corps iD
every representative match except one-a
remarkable record for a man of his age.

Lieut.-Colonel Ernest George Burridge who

retired from the Corps on 26th April was
born in April, 1874, and enlisted. ~n the
Green Howards in July, 1892, jOlmng at
Portsmouth. Shortly afterwards he transferred to the Army Pay Corps and was sent
to South Africa, being stationed in Capetown and Bloemfontein.
.
At the conclusion of the South Afncan
War he returned to the United Kingdom
and in 1907 was again posted to Sou.th
Africa this time beinD' sent to Pretona.
In 19~9 he was pos.t ed to Wool wich and
two years later went to Dublin. He served
his probationary period for Warra nt Office~
Class I in Cork and after nearly 20 years
service was promoted S.S.M,
Two y ears later he received his .commission as Assistant Paymaster and 111 June,
19 1 7, was posted to London. He was promoted Captain in August, 1917, ao,d proceeded to Scotland in 1918 wher~ he
remained un til being posted to the Eastern
Command Pay Office in March, 19 21.
In May, 1926, he was post~d to the
London District Pay Office for SlX months
when he went to China with th~ S.D.F.
In January, 1929, he returned to En g~
land and was posted to Hounsl~w .
I.
August of that year he recelved h15
Majority and four years later (1 933) was
promoted Li~ut.-Colonel.
.
He remained in Hounslow 'until hls retirement in April, 1934, on, attaining the
age limit after 42 years' service.

ROYAL

ARMY

PAY

CORPS

]OUlU\AL

OUR SPORTS
SHOR T S TOR Y By W . G. D.
The Empire Test started it.
One test kd to another, and the skill
<lisplayed by certain not -so-young Quartermaster-Sergeants at that ever popular
game, 'Pokie Die' -together with its resultant free beer-inevitably led to the selfsame Quartermaster-Sergeants lauding their
own pa rticular prowess one evening in the
Mess.
"When I was twenty I could do the
Hundred in ten dead, at least just over"
remarked 'Q.M.S. Inkwell.
"D'you remember Dicky Paperweight?
Well, I ran him to a dead-heat in the
hundred in '98 and then, he went on to
become three mile champion of the Malta
Garrison."
.
"I suppose you were last in that race,
or was it the same race?" facetiously en quired Sergeant Havildar, but the Quarterbloke was too wrapped up in his own
thoughts to take much notice .
"I don't like those short sprints" put
in Q.M.S . Tickum.
"I'm-leastways I
was--seven mile champion of Cfierokee,
but them was the days when we run in
ammos and g reybacks, and since that time
I believe someone 'as done it in 'alf a
minute less, although I did 'ear that the
course wasn't marked out proper, as the
finish was at the Gymnasium which weren't
there in my time." "I got a medal, anyhow," he added by way of an afterthought.
"Why don't you wear it?" said Havildar, "It would reli~ve the drabness of your
service dress."
The Sergeant-Major had been quiet up
to this time, but now took up the conversation.
. "Well, chaps, as you are such wonderful
sportsmen, how about a Detachment Sports
Day? I'll speak to the R.P . to-morrow
,and rpaybe he'll give a donation towards
the prizes."
"Good idea, sir," remarked everyone
~xcept Ink~ell and Tickum who both
seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
"How about handicaps, shall we go by
'Past pro.wess or present condition?" went
on the S .M.
"I think perhaps we had
better frame entirely new ones considering

old age creeps on apace, and that the knee

joints get a little stiff when approaching
the fifties. What do you say?"
"Mine's a bitter" mumbled InkweU, recovering from his stupor in time to hear
the last remark.
"And mine" said Tickum, relapsing
again into a deep coma.
And so it was.
The Mess seemed strangely empty for
a week or so.
"Where is everybody these days?" the
P.M.C. enquired of the Caterer.
"I believe they are training, sir," h e replied, eyeing a barrel containing 24 gallons
and only six days left in which to claim
the ullage . "The Sports come off next
week !"
"Training, eh? So that's what it was.
I saw Q.M.S. Tickum sprinting down the
road past the Quarters, but as his missus
was after him I didn't take much notice ."
.The day bdore the Sports " 'ere du~ to
be held
newcomer joined the office, and
as he was keen to participat~ in the fun
he was handicapped at scratch .
The DAY dawned fine-one of tho~e
celebrat.ed . 'SeJ1tember Morns" ~vithout th~
nymph in the for eground-and the first
race was timed to start at 3.p.m.
R .o urs before this, Tickum was busily
engaged 'massaging himself and trying on
his new shorts and singlet .
.
"I'd soon er run in my oid greyback"
he remarked to his ,yife.
"I feel half
naked in this 'ere thing."
"Never mind, Tick" sh~ replied "I'~n
, sure you' cl ,,,in with nothing on."
~.. "Maybe I shonld, but all the same I
: think I'll wea r these cerise kniSks then
' they will be able to pick me out as I flash
past the post."
The "Corps Half-inch" as the Old
Soldiers' race was affectionately called, \yas
decided first to enable the. 1\'Lajor to get
back to the offic~ to sig n th e corre pondence.
.
Every member of the Detachment ran,
as the conditions of the race " 'ere th~t
everyone had one yard start for each year's
service over seven.

'273

THE

ROYAL

ARMY

The distance was 100 yards and it took

tb,e v~nerable old gent who was starter,
half an hour to get 'em on their marks.
Viewed from th~ ropes 'the field' looked
like the Quorn in full cry.
The Colon~l was slightly in front of the
Major who was just over th~ half way
mark, and from there to about two Yards
from th~ starting line it appeared as if the
Detachment was marching i~ single file.
The only p~rson on the starting line was
the starter-which is as it should be- an d
he was nervou~y fiddling with a revolver
which threatened to go off at any moment.
I'm sure h~ did not know his job, eith~r,
as the first time, he said "Ready, Steady,
Off, Go," and as I nkwell was used to playing this with his k ids, h e did the full course
before he realised that he had made a false
start.
However, precisely at 3. 50 pip emma a
shot was heard and they Were off . At least ,
some of th!'!"m were. The Colonel didn't
start until the Major pushed him as he was
a bit hard of hearing and thought that the
pistol-crack was that " - - messenger shutting the door."
Tickum beat the gun by about five yards
and by the simple means of tripping hilll
up, fouled I nkwell , in case he won it a
second time, an,d then fell over h imself
(l iterally as well as metaphorically) getting
into his stride.
Not to be outdone he struck hi!l foot
ou t and in t urn brought down the Sergeant
Major, two Qua rt~rmaster-Serg~an ts, one
Staff-Sergeant , a Sergeant, a dog and th e
starter's hack which wasn't suppos~d to be
in the race anyway . This left th~ field
practically clear for the R.P., b ut as he
didn't want to be first and get the prize
money, he waited almost at the fin~shing
lin~ for someone to catch him up, in the
same way as they do at the Varsity Sports .
T he Major eventually cam~ puffing up ,
but as he didn't want to win either, they
stood arguing t he point abou t it, until a
Corporal with a mere nine y~rs' service,
and no sense of decorum, managed to cross
th~ line in a half fainting condition, having
run 98 yards in a little over five minut es.
The obstacle race came next and proved
an easy thin,g for our slim probationer,
after I nkwell , who is slightly on the rotund
side, had got st uck in t he only ot her barrel
wh ich did not contain traces of tar.

PAY

CORPS

JOURNAL

This was considered by some to be a

direct hint by the Commi tte~ as to what
they would like to do to some of the competitors, as the v~ry next obstacle was a
ieather bed without th~ covering. An
S.O .S. was hastily sent for the Pioneer Sergeant, and he released Inkwell by the
simple expedient of taking the barrel to
pieces. "I've often been outside a barrel
but never inside ong before" m urmured
I nkwell after his rescue had been assured .
Just then the N .A .A.F.I. manager
dashed on to the field and announced that
tea was ready. so everyone adjourned to
partake of that well kno",\n N.A.A.F .I.
feast, Tea and Rock Cakes.
A slight contretemps occurred when
young Reggie Check list attempted to reach
a b un. "No dear, you can't have t hat"
said his mother, "'they are only on the
table for show. as they are to be used in
the Bun and Treacle Race."
At this
R eggie set up a howl , but he was quickly
pacified, as the Committee prevailed upon
his futher to withdraw from the race and
allow his SoD, to ~at the bun right then;
which I think was super strategy on the
part of the Committee.
After T ea the 100, 200, 440, half mile,
mile and Bun an d Treacle races were decided in quick time an d o n each occasion
the newcomer was first Past th~ post by
a handsome margin .
Tickum, I nkwell and Co. were beetling
t heir eyebrows in fury, and a deputation
descended on the Committee.
" L ook here" they said, "this isn't a
Sports Day, it's a one man band. Can't
something be done? " "Well," replied that
hard - working,
long - suffering
group,
"there are only the field events and the
seven mile race left, what can we do?"
" I know" said Tickum "I'll race with
this 'ere chap in the seve~ mile, an,d- while
we' re gone you can decide t he other
events. "
"'Splendid" said the Committee. "Why
didn't we think of that before, and if you
lose we' ll give you the best loser's prize."
They were started off and in less than
ten minutes aft~r their departure, the H igh
and Long J umps had been d~cided. The
former was won by Sergeant Havildar who
had had plenty of practice, having been
'for the High J ump ' on eight occasions \n
t hree months .
2 74

THE

ROYAL

ARMY

P AY

The .Long J ump fell to a Quarterblokt:

who .tned the novel experiment of wa lking
Q~ Ius hands for fifteen yards. Admittedly
hIS feet didn't touch the ground, but there
w~s a fearful argument among the Com nJlttee .bef~re they eventuaUy awarded him
the ~ n ze fo r his cheek' together with a
warlllng admonition not to 'come it' aga in.
The la~t event of the day was the Shot
Put. ThIS was very short and sweet, as at
the first atte!l1pt the Sergeant Major put
the shot straIght on to the Colonel's toe
T~e f(lct th~t it was the one he suffered
wltl? most dId not help matters, a-nd it was
deCided to postpone this ev~nt until the
office got a new Col on~l, and the subject
of anoth~r Sports Day could be broached.
Shortl ~ after this, a lone figure was seen
appr:oachI.ng t he fi nishing tape, and it was
then rea~l~ed that the contestants for the
s~ven mIle race had not Yet finished their
argument. It proved to be the newcomer
but Tickum was nowhen; to be seen.
'
"Where's Tickum"? enquired the Sergeant Major of the Champ .
-,.
"Well , sir" he replied, "we ran together
to. th~ half ',,:ay mark, when h~ got the
stitch, and sa id he would wait to see if he
could ~rro\v tuppence off someone who
was passlllg, so t hat he coul d come back by
tram. "
.By the time we got back to the Mess
T lckum w,as al~eady there having spent the
best loser s pnze money, which he hadl)'t
yet received, and slaked his thirst t~- such
an extent that the caterer wasn't so sure
about 'that there ullage' -after all.
. "Well, Inkwell" said the S .M. "you
chd,n' t manage to deadheat with 'PaperweIght , to-day. He licked you g ood and
proper;" . "Who did? Why Paperweigh t
couldn t lIck me, even now sir."
"B ut t hat was Paperweig ht who won all
~ !l e r~c.~s thi~ afternoon" Said the S.1\<1.
He ]<;)ll~ed the OffiCE; yesterday."
"That wasn't P aperweight" said Ink\reIl.
"Hi, you " the S.M. called the Champ
sligh~ly p~eved at the mere thought that
he mlgl\t have been misled. " Did you tell
me your name ,vas Paperweight?"
"Yes, sir, Dick Paperweight"
. "But it wasn't you I deadheated \\'ith
In ,~ h e hundred in 1898" said Inkwell.
Oh no, I expect that was llly father "

275

CORPS

J OURNAL

replied Dicky, "he was a Ch.ampion in h is

t ime. "
A ~equel to our ~ports only came to light
yest elday . It transpJres that the S.1\II. has
?eel: awarded the month ly spoon, and the
D~ ll y, Tel egrap~', 'I?ai ly Mail' , 'N. of the
W ., Sunday Plctona l' and 'Slocul1l-cUIl1Washe~l1 Echo' Certificates for his fa mous
shot WIth the put (or should it be Put with
the Shot) .
T he e~ergeti,c Rifle Club Secretar:y sen t
up t~e Colonel s temperature, r:egistered at
th~ tlmf::: of the u~fortunate 'put' in mistake
for t!:e Rifle score t4e S.1\I1. had last
mo~th, and-bel iev~ it or not-it was one
o ver the possible.
PROMOTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS.

To be Warrant Officer Ctass I and appointed S.S.M .

7657399 S.Q.M.S. D. Syme_ 14/ 8/33.
5040835 S.Q.M.S. A. E. Littler, 4/ 9/33.
To be Warrant Officer Class 11 and aPPOinted
S.Q.M.S.
7733132 S/ Sgt. H. L. Barthel, 25 / 2/34.
7733154 S/ Sgt. R. E. Robert s. 25 / 2/34.
7733604 S/ Sgt. H . Hoptrough, 3Oi3 /34.
7733208 S/ Sgt. J. Bisset, 15/ 5/34.
7733255 S/ Sgt. W. H. Brown, 15/5/34.
7733558 S/ Sgl. W. K. Cole, 15/ 5/34.
7733325 S/ Sgte E. O. Band, 'Z7 /5/ 34.
To be Staff Sergeant.
1658049 Sgt. C. A. Cross, 24 / 12/33.
7658052 Sgt. R. L. Williams, 14/ 10/ 33.
77337'84 Sgt. T. H al'ding, 8/ 4/34 .
2867327 Sgt. H. Gibbs. 19/ 4/34.
7809652 Sgt. F . W Loveclel', 21 / 4/ 34.
To be s ergeant.
3381061 L / Sg t. A . Broad bent, 24 / 2/ 34.
1425981 L / Sgt. F. Donovan, 24 / 2/ 34.
3765808 L / Sgt. H. Humphl'eys, 11'3 /34.
7009726 L / Sgt. R. J. Wood s, 1/3/34.
52508 L / Sg t. A. T . Gear. 16/3/ 34.
400004 L / Sgt. L . G. Bedtord , 1/ 3/ 34.
1865416 L / Sgt. F _ R. Ru clland. 2/4 /34.
7583086 L /Sgt. V. E. Finn, 2/ 4/ 34 . .
1866439 L / SgL. A. Deeble, 2/ 4/ 34.
546143 L / Sgt.. H. Barn shaw, 16/ 4/ 34.
5615050 L /Sgt. J . M . Do wling, 5/ 4/34.
1865609 L / Sgt. C_ P. Barling, 17/ 5 /34.
4385265 L / Sgt . R. A. Meadows , 18/ 5/34.
To be Lance Sergeant.
1060625 Cpl. F . G. W atso n, 2/ 3/34.
5615050 Cpl. J. L Dowling, 15/ 1/34.
3178389 Cpl. C. Watson, '21/ 3/ 34.
1071601 Cpl. B . C. Rorton, 9/3/ 34.
3851569 Cpl. S. E. Targett, 10/3/34.
6911328 Cp\. F . G. Thomas, 10/3/ 34.
6197916 Cp!. W. T . Pinlmey, 8/ 4/ 34.
2693146 Cpl. R. C. Burrows, 17/ 4( '4.
7583533 Cp!. G. W. R ewitt. 10/ 3/ 34 .
781996 Cpl. T . Bewicl< , 8/ 4/ 34.
7880446 Cpl. J. McCl afferty . 11 /5/34.
1867465 Cpl. J . F. Taylor, 30/ 5/ 34.
(Continu ed on next page )

THE

R OYAL

ARMY

P AY

CORPS

J OURNAL

Prom.otions and Appointments (c011tinued).

LONG SERVICE AN'D GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL .

To be Corporal .
5380708 Pte. H . Brasier, 24 /3/:M.
6284948 Pte. H. Leader, 31 /3/ 34.
2693339 P te. A. S. Duncan, 28 / 3 / 34.
2320846 Pte. J. Shields, 1 / 5 / 34.
1867686 Pte. H . J. Cox, 2/ 5 / 34.
Cont inu ed in the Service beyond 21 years.
7733428 Sgt,. F. C. Astles, un t ill 25 / 6/ 35.
7657349 S.S.M. E. O. Cooper, until 5 / 11 / 36.
7040520 Sgt. J. O' K eefe, until 21 /8 /Zi5.
7657266 S.S.M. H. Brindl e:v , until 30/ 6/ 35.
7657301 S.S.M. C. W. Good e, until 19/ 1 /36.
7657295 S.Q..M .S C. H . Scouler, until 17/ 6 / 35.
7657'268 S.S.1\1. A . C. Farmer, until 23 / 4 fi56.
7657271 S.8 .. 1. D . McFa rl ane, until 13/ 6 / 35.
7657500 S:Q.l\LS. B'. H. Clark. un ti l 19 / 4 / 36.
Re.engagements to complete 21 years .
142598;. Sgt.. F. Dono van, '7 / 3 / 34 .
7009726 Sgt. R. J . Woods, 22 / Zi / 34.
3382129 Sgt. P. Lydon . 7 / 4 / 34 .
7009381 Sgt. A. O'Connor, 11 / 5 / 34.
ExtenSion of Service to complete 12 years .
7258831 Cpl. C. F. CatJey, 19 / 2/ 34.
5615050 L / Sgt. J. M . DowJjng, 9 / 2 / 34.
548551 L / Sgt. F . J. Lowery.
7 58~819 L /Sgt. L . S. Le Vey. 18 / 4 / 34.
2873752 Cpt E. Gordon, 4 /5 / 34.
2319517 Cpl. A. A . R Ne\\lberry.
Discharges .
7733445 Sgt. A. M . Broclie, 2 / 3 / 34.
7657106 S.Q.M.S. T. Sturgess, 7 / 4 / 34.
7657034 S.S.M. H . Cour'tney, 18 / 4 / 34.
7657187 S.Q .M.S. F . D. Clark, 20 / 4 (34.
7658070 S.Q.M.S. R. W. J ordan, 23 / 5 / 34
7657606 Sgt. W. Cleary , 28 / 5/34.
Probationers joined .
54219 Pte. J. T. R ussell, 26 / 2 / 34 (Warley) .
2655206 Gdsm. M. Wallon, 8 /3 / 34 (Woolwich).
1070661 Gm. R E. J ames, 9 /3 /34 (Preston).
5495871 L /Cpl.
A.
RamsayHolden.
4 / 4 / 34

W e congmtulate the following on the award of

this medal;-

(Canterbury) .

6009203 P te. G. H. Devenish. 5/ 4 /34 (York R)

39a.7988 Pte. A. G. Doddrell, 19/ 3 / 34 '(Hon g

Kong).
781352 Gm. G. T. Nye, 23 / 4 / 34 (Hounslow) .
2320652 Sig. W. H . Ould , 1 / 5 / 34 (Chatham
RE.).
Probationers transferred.
5615407 Pt e. F. Street., 22 / 8 / 33 (P reston) .
2320877 Sig. G. F. PortH, 22 / 8 /33 (Hou nslow).
7261252 Pte. D. Mil burn , 1li/9/:'; 3 (Cbatb am
RE.) .
8004111 Gm. W. Morgan, 24 /9 / 33 (York R).
6284963 P te. A. Baker, 26 / 9 /33 (Chatham R.
Sigs.) .
6976581 Pte. G. J enkin son, 11/ 10/ 33 (Woking).
2949C1Z Pte. A. Burden , '21/ 10/ 33 (Hounslow).
6285182 Pte. R A. AlIix . '22 i lO / 33 (Woolwich).
7882037 Pte. J . Peacock, 13/ 11/ 33 (Cbatham
RE.).
Returned to unit .
1072698 Gnr. J. R idley to RA. , 26 / 3 / 34
(Ca nt,erb ury) .
Marria1 "1 .

6137527
5180236

Sgt. J. L . I-loare, 12 /3 /::14 .

Cpl. J. Binclle , 31 / 3 / 34.

THE

R O YAL

ARMY

PAY

CO RPS

J OUR

AL

W ithout Gratui ty.

7733178 S.S .M. E. McCarthy.
W ith Gratuity.
7657428 S.Q.M.S. R E. Briault.
7733056 S.Q.M.S. H. COlbett.
7733283 S.Q .M.S. D. J . Davies.
7733048 S.Q .M.S. W. Forsyth.
7657515 S .r~ . M.S. S. H. Frencll.
76575&3 S.Q.M .S. A . E. Gebbett.
7658155 S.Q .M.S. H. R. Hudson.
7657633 S.Q.M.S . R Jack son.
7557790 S.Q.M.S. E. Knight .
765m3 S.Q.M.S. A. G. Lukins.
7733054 S.Q.M.S. J. B. Mason.
7657559 S.Q.M.S. F. Murakami.
7657376 S.Q.M.S. C. W . TewelL
7657882 S.Q.M.S. H . J. W. Warman.
7657531 S.Q.M.S. F. Webster.
7657564 S.Q.M.S . H. V. W. Woodman.
7733370 S / Sgt. T. Coleman.
7658011 S / Sgt. W. D yer.
7657923 Sgt. C. Bolton.
773:1714 Sgt. T . B rowett.
7658049 Sgt. C. A. Cross.
1020278 Sgt,. J . Foley.
1027242 Sgt. H . L. Hawkins.
7809652 Sgt. F. W. Lo veder.
7734119 Sgt. G. A. Marks.
7733901 Sgt. F. P addick .
1002270 Bgt. C. H. P easley.
7658131 Sgt,. L . '1;ripp.
7657916 Sgt. C. W alker.
77~4161 Sgt. A. J . Wolfe.

Obi tuary (continued from page 26 9)

Frederick \i\Tilliams, late S.Q.M.S. who

died in Londo n on 17th :March , commenced
his m.ilitary care~r in November, 1 ~79,
wh en he enlist ed in the R oyal WarWick
shire Regiment.
About a yea r la ter he tran sferred to the
Norfolk R egiment a nd after servin g for the
next ten yea rs with them he again trans'
ferred (in 1891), this tim e t o the CorpS
o f Military S taff Clerks. Here , he found
the work that appea led to him and re
mained in the Army Pay Corps until he had
completed 2 I yea rs' serv ic~ when ~ e. was
discharged in November, 1901. Wllh am S,
,yho was 76 years of age completed t~e
wh ole of his service a t h ome and was 111
possession of the Long Service and Good
Conduct Medal.
Durin g the G reat W a r he was employed
as an Actin g Paymaster .

The Seer: "You have c.ho. sen your profession wiselv-over

_
your line of li fe I see
a sangume star."
R .A. P. C. Sergea nt: "Can you see any tlllDg
'
t h ere
crown' ?"

277

111

the sha.p e of a 'sanguI'Jlary

THE

CORP5

wil .

NOTES

NEWS .
Aldershot Command
opportunity of applyin g th e knowl edge gained on
the course, a nrl it is certain that they will' tackle
the job in th e sa me masterful fa shion a,s di splaypd
in the cla,ssroom and gain full m ark s for "progress,
zeal and abilit,y " .
During the co urse an enjoyable visit was p'aid to
Messrs. Thorn ycroft's Motor Work s at B asingstok e,
which permitted many to see, for the first tim e,
actual work-in-progress, and so connect theoretical
comm ercial cosbng with the m any intri cate' operations and various stages of produ ctaon. DeOlus
Bros . (Motor M an ufa cturer s) , of Gui ldford, also
a ff orded the same faciliti es, and we hope again to
tn.ke advantage of th ese distin ctly interesting and
ed.ifying conducted tours on account of lihen' educational value. W e are indebted to these firm s for
their courtesy and th kindly way they received
us .
On the 5th June the 11th Co urs assemble , aod
is com posed of the following members of the
Corps:40~31 CpI. N . M. Simpson. London .
7880432 CpI. W. V. Davies Warwi ck .
5616343 Cp!. P. W. Cammidge , York (R. ) .
4122237 Cp!. G . N . Palmer, Woolwi r h .
7260523 Cpl. C. McLaughlin, Hil sea.
5107456 Cpl. L. W. A. Binks, q hatham (~igs,) .
The following table of Book-keepin g ExamlllatlOn
results is an up-to-date record of th e SUCCEsses of
Royal Al'I'IlY P ay Corps per'sonnel entered by the
Costing School smce autumn , 1931 : Total
Pas s with Pa ss
En trants Distinction

Promotions.L / Sgt. Btoadbent to be Sergeant. 24 / 2/ 34.

L / Sgt. Gear to be Sergeant, 16 /3 / 34.
L /Sgt . D eeble to be Sergeant, 2 / 4/ 34.
Sgt. Loveder to be S / Sugt. , 21 / 4 /34 .
CpI. Burrows to be L / Sergt., 17/ 4/ 34.
Re-Engagement.Sergt. O'Connor re-engaged for 21 years , 14/ 11 /34.
Costing School.-The 10th Course terminated on
the 19th Apri l , and the stude.nts, after t he usual
" co nval esce nce" were posted back to the P ay
Offices from whi ch th ey join ed the course, except
Capt. Brewer who was posted to bhe L eith Office .
The book-keeping examination yielded excell ent
results and a ll th e. students \ 'ere awarded! bhe
London Chamber of Commerce certifi cat e for a
pass witb di stinction . Satisfactory pas~ es were
also secured by all the candidates in th e us-ual
"three days hard " costing examination held at the
conclusion of the course. and con sidering th e varied
natUl:e of t he work it is grn.tifying to see th at th e
determin ed efforts of th e students ar e crown ed with
success. Sooner or later they will be given an

L ondon Chamber
35
of Comm erce
Royal Society
of Arts .
Stftge I (Elem ent.)
Totnl

33

Total
Rntrants

1
Pass
Pa s!
1st Cl. 2nd Cl.

P ail ures

Nil.
P a~s with

Credit
1

Fail ures

Entrants
.
Stage 1I (Int.el.)
B
7
6
NIl.
O. C A.-16 members of th e Ald.ers hot Branch
a t,tended the 6th Annual Dinner and as usual ,
thorough ly enjoyed th e everung . Our t.hanks nre
due to the hard working dinn er committee.
Th e duties of Office Rep'resent atiYe have been
t.,,,ken over by S.Q.M.S. W. C. Gear conseq uent. on
the depa rtUl'e of S .Q.M.S. H . Cook for Chester . .
Cricket.- Anoth er season start.ed in depresswg
weather, our fir st tw:> fixtur es bein g cancell ed ow1llg
to rain.
.
d . re
A la rge fixture list h as been arranged, all , we a
looking forw ard to a successful season .
b t
Our team i s largely the same as last yenI'. Ut
we ha ve lost, Sgt. Tristram who h as gone to EgyP .

27 8

ARMY PAY CORPS J OURNAL

and now Cp!. Hart is lea ving us for B 1 d

.
wishifg th enhl the best of lu ck in th eirune~:: ~t:r.i~I!~t
we a so WI S they could be with us
L'
~,
to th e new Costing Co urse assemblin ' o~~ 5th IS up
to produce potential cricketers.
g
Jun e
. On 1, rlday, May 25th, We are ho in
.
VISit to Woklllg, detai ls of wh ich
g ~o, pay a
u CX L Issu e of t.he " Journal"
appeal In th e
Sgt. Gl.'aot was selected
e '1n th e
t~ captal' n a SI' d
unuua J Otller R anks Trial plnyed at th Offi
.
Club on May 18th a nd 19th ~n d R S M eM
ce rs
R.A .S.C., captained the oth~r side. . . .
arl'lson ,
By the tim e th"se notes appear in print we h
I.? hnve fulfilled another seven fixtnr es ir I d ' op'c
Vl Slt from the Houns low Pay Offi~e.
l e u Ing a

AND

COMMAND PAY OFFICE, ALDERSHOT.

Detachment News.-On looking through the fixture lists for the coming season it seems that all
individual tastes will be well catered for. Cricket
enthusiasts are provided with two army matches,
one against the RA _F. on July 2nd and 3rd, and a
one day match against the Australians on August
15th_ In addition a full list of Command matches
has been arranged against some of the strongest club
sides. all of which shou ld produce good cflck et .
The Army Lawn Tenru s Championships are being
pl ayed at the Officers' Club from July 16th to 21st.
and it is to be hoped that we sha ll see a number of
our Corps players competing.
Our own activities are in full swing, most days
being filled with cricket matches or , gts. Me s Tennis League, in which we hope to emulate last!
season's success. Although we still h ave the same
team which brought th e Cup to the Detachment,
watchful eyes are open for any ne/W talent by which
the team may b e: even further strengthened.
Various changes have taken pl ace in our office
staff :-Capt. Richardson and Li eu t. Parratt have
left us for York and Egypt. their p laces being
filled by Cap.t. Haggard a.nd Li eut. Line from London and Eastern Com rn "-nrl . S.Q..M .S. Cook has
gone to Chester and. Sgt. Tri stram to Egypt. S / Sgt.
Jagot and Sgt. McCriri e have joined from D eptford and Hounslow, and S.Q.M.S. Mitchell from
Egypt.

ROYAL

, Football.-Having reached 1.1le en d 0 f our fir"t

.eason as a combm ed t eam with No 2 S t"
R ;\. V C
l ' k the results J' ustifi ed. th' ec IonI
... .' ., we tllil
gamallOn.
J S ama '.
. On completion of the season ' fixtures our
tlOn was about h alf way in the Lea ue. h a;?~1
played 14, .WOI1 5, drawn 1 and lost 8 gIncl '
~
oUr f~'leudhes, oUr records-in more s~nses th~ll~eOI~o
- Wel e as fo ll ows'
'
Played 25 ; won '9,' dra wn 5 lost 11
Goals for
83 ; agaIDst, 102.
'
b
~eelbns that th e fa tes have decreed that foota ers a ove the average standard are on
t~. remalll a t Aldershot, for, after losin S n~ ~o~~.t
\\Ith1l1 8 months of hiS posting to thisg stftion ~ I'
.Hart ha.s now been transferred to B If 'd
'c P .
mg D uties.
u 01 on ost

tt

. As each suc.cessi ve Costing Course does not

appEar to prOVide any perman ent talent and
so~~ of our ':Re.gulars" a re on the top line for a:
fOlel?n tour, It looks as though we shall ha ve to
re.veflt btol s~lIne game not so st renuou s tJli season
pi e era y Indoor.
'
Rifle.-During t he winter seaso n, 1933-34 we
T;ter~~~:vo team s in th e Hampshire County Leagu e
1
team which had been promoted to th ~
bS t ' IVIS!OIl was out of It;; class, and finish ed! las t
u one III th e ta'b!e. The " B" t eam entered th e
4th DIVISion a nd firushed third from top' Th
bel'S
are to be congra I. u1a t ed on their success
.'
e mem" A"
" B" team. ~!red 18 ; Wall 4, drawn 2, lost12.
Th
~aJ?' Fired 14 ; WOIl 9, drawu 1, lost 4.
e le.ldlng averages of th e nlem bel'S of t he two
t eams were:" A " team:
1. Mr. Self
97.33
18 Cards.
2. Sgt. Cooper
97.16
18 C.<Llds.
'll " tealn:
l. Sgt. Lowth er
95.14
7 Cards.
2. Sgt. O'Connor
94.66
12 Cards.
Sib~~;M. P lowman was th e fir t to sco re a " pos'1 e 10 th e. L eague, a nd was presented with a
~I . vel' Spoon In l'6cogn ition of thiS feat
He wa~
~!olJ1oted to t he "A" team and had th e ~ati sfaction
~cS;'In~ a. L eague " possi ble" for this team also
th~
li e d IS presented to th e member who m ak~
w ten highest scores in L eag ue matches. Thi s
as . won by Mr. Self with a sco re of 987 out of a
;~~:Ibl e 1,000. Mr. Sali bury was second with
L' de of 9~3, whIle S.gt . Cooppr ancli IVlr. Can non
1~f1/or thll'd place With 980.
CO!. e foll o~v.lDg medal a nd certifi cates were offere<.l
. . ~omp 6tltJ on during the season. and wit,h each
<l BI ve l' spoo n was awarded : ell Medal. Winner Sgt. Coope r. Score 100.

to' ..

;t

279

DIy. T elegra ph Cert Winner Mr. Ellard. Score

99.
.
Diy. Ma il Ce rtifi cate Willner Sgt. P eas ley . SCOI'C
98.
.
N ews of the World CerL. Winn er ~li-. SelF.
Score 96.
. For the summer we hav e entered a t
North Hants. Leag ue Sho t'
t k earn 10 the
sq and 100 yards. .
0 109 a es place over
OWing to OUI' League ro
.
.
n~cessary to curtail friel;d l:ras~:~s \\ !i:hun~1 It.
o ce . Howevel', we a re hopillo- that dUlin 0 let
coming season we s hall be abl~ t fi .
g Llle
these matcb~s . Wi ll Hon. Secretarie~ o/ e m?re of
rrBe clu~s Wishing to shoot again st eithel~tto~.1 bOo~~j
~hls p~ease drop a line to the Hon Sec
' . '1 e
el'S ot) Rifle Club, statin~ which tea~I'
th ey (eSll'e to shoo" aga lO
. s t . Th e ecretary wi ll
tllen be a bl e to arrange
t h
t uniti es occur.'
ma Co es as the oppor-

25,

Cpg

WOKING.
.Cricket .-W e.ha ve commenceu our cl'l.cket 1'0~ta~mt On Fnday WE entertained our near nelgh .
100~1~ l om A l del'~hot, and as befits good. hosts we
s 0 OUI' guests. I won't bother you with s ' .
-~ost of our players also did not bother ~~:~~
~CyOl~S " The mal tch was very. much interfered with
) dl am , great y to th e relief of the assemb ied
gar eners.
Ul e advent. of C ap tam
' >->weeny
"
ITennis.-With
I
w lOm we
t B oggJs
. a Iready'
here
Iwe come ' ''ll1d with S/ S g.
, \\ e lope to makE our p'resence felt d .'
the summer.
.
uung
. Shooting.~Our shooting range is ;not ~ ' ow -0
?l owded , oWlOg to th e warmer weather and otl;er
Jorms .'0f sport. Spoons , cups , e t c., Ilave been WOII
b
y vallous members-or perhn.ps I sho uld say b '
a member
' )
_ Continuing . Our record of monlh]
._
E ebl'l1 ary-:-IVll ss Medca lf ; March- S/ i t sPBons ...
Apl'll- .Mlss Medcalf.
g.
oggls.
The t~vo si h 'er cups presented Ly Mr. W . H
Bl ack fOI th e hIgh est a vemge du rino- the sea
.
won by Miss Mecl ca lf, and we have" one mo:~I~~:t~
t? our hst of Class " A" Marksmen :-S 's et
~~I~j W. BoggJs 198/ 200 (deliberate) ; 181 / 200 (ti~l~

co~ocli:I.-Our social act~vities suffer from the sam e

p lilt as our shootlOg: the warmer weather
Our Sergeants' Mess has recently purchased It radio:
gtramophone and we now ha ve all the lates t crooners
a our command.
.
M ~irt~' -FWe have to congra tu late Sergeant and
j
IS. . ' . Punter on the. birth of a daughter,
P amela, on 17th April.
A~rivals and Departures.-As mentjoned in our
L~~I1IS n ot~s, Cl1:p.tain Sweeny has joined us for du ty
( d t enms, crIcket, etc.) , but we re&ret that hi s
~nva l meant the departure of Captam R. C. de
: hAsk m , who goes to London wit.h our best
WIS es.
'
C ~r~moHtions, etC.- H earties t. congratulations to
Olp.
. Leader on promotlO!l to that mnk on
31st March. T~ i s N:C.O. leaves for Perth on 5th
June, anri~ we WIsh him well in hjs new stnlion.
We also congrat,uhlte Pte. G. Jenkinson on his
H .H .
final tl'ansfe l' to the Corps.

THE ROYAL

ARMY PAY

CORPS JOURN AL

Eastern Command
COMMAND PAY OFFICE,
80, PALL MALL, S ,W.1.
Postings.-These have been on th e numerOLlS sid e
during the past quarter, n ewcome:rs welcomed to
tl,e Office being:Lt .. Co l. E. W. Grant. O.B.E., from Egypt.
Lieut. W. E. C. Loftus, from London ..
S.Q.M.S. G. H. Barlow, from Shanghai.
Sgt W. Bradbury , nom Singapore.
SgL A. J. Rowley, from Malta.
De! artures include the foll owing, \\'ho we hops
\\'i ll enjoy their stay at their new stations:Sgt. E. W. Le\\'is, to Devonport.
Sgt. R Plowman , to Egypt.
Sgt,. C. H . Hitchcock, to Egypt.
In our last issue we forgot to mention that we
11I\\'13 now with us in the office Mr. G. A. Bird
(la te S.Q .M.S.).
Cricket.-Two most enjoyable games ha ve beEn
played to date: both producing very keen finishes.
rhe first, agam st the RA.S.C. , K ensington, wa,
\\'on bv the nanow margin of two runs some
exce lletit catch ES in the field bl'ing'in g the
A.S.C.
innin gs to a 5peedy clo e at a time when th ey
appeared to ha ve th e game we1l in hand. In th e
seco nd game. with the R.A.M .C., Millbank. we
\\'(.1'0 le ft to score 163 rUlls in a little over an hour
and managed to obtain 136 for t,he loss of 8 wi ckets.
Full scores were as fo llows:16/ 5/34 . Command Pay Office, E. C .. 108 (Sgt.
Mudd 44) .
R.A.S.C..
K ensin gton 106
(Lieut,.
Loftus 5 for 33).
23 / 5/ 34. RA.M.C. , Millbank , 163 for 9 (d e
clared) .
Command Pay Office, E. C., 13ti for 8
(Sgt. Mudd 44).
It is hoped that the above ~ames hav e givc.n OUI'
players the opport unity of findw g their form iu time
for the match es with other P ay Offices the fir st
of wh ich is against Barn et on May 31st:
L S. and G.C. Medal.-The latest publication \,f
Army Orders adds the namE: of S / Sgt. L . Tripp to
this already long list of "old soldi ers", and our
congratu lations are extended accordingly .
BARNE'f.
The winter season p'assed qu ietly, and with the
exception of two dances there is but littJe to report.
The dances held on 17th March and 14th Ap ril.
res pectively , weN well attended and proved very
successful.
No doubt our next notes will be more entertain
ing as cricket will be in fu ll, wi ng . and judging by
th e initial enthu siasm, a good season seems assured.
"OFFICE REP."

CANTERBURY.
Promotions and appointmwts hav e been quite fre
quent dUling the past qnarl-er, and th e following re
ceive the customary congratulations on attain in g
the ranks shown :-Lt..Colonel G. W. N elson, Sgts .
Ba rnshaw and B arling and L /Sg t. Targett .
Rifle Section.-The res ults of the season's shoot
ing have been very satisfactory. Out of 15 malches
fired by the "A" team , 11 were won 3 lost and 1
drawn , wh ile the "B" team won 7 of their match es
and lost only 2.
""inn er 01 Ma rch, 1934, s l~oon :- Lt. Col.. N elson.

The activities o[ this section have now been sus

pended until 1st October next.
Football and Hockey.-Our winlteL' spo rts pro
gramme was concluded with footb all and hock ey
games against the Sgts. Mess, Depot. Th e Burrs
At ho ckey we were just beaten by th e' odd goal il;
three after a very evenly contested game. I n this
match, one of th e " 1st Batta lion"-S.Q.M.
McNally-turned out [or.us and gave a most credit.ab le dI spl ay 111 goal, s.avlng many hard shots. We
we r~ more fortunate at footba ll and won lhi gam e
by 2 goals lo O.
Cr.icket.-This paragraph ought to appeal' in side
a thICk black border. Iustea.d of three wins. as we
had to record at, this stage last year, we have
two defeats- olle of th em a particu larly evere one
Our results to dat.e hav e been : - '
.
v. 59th Field Coy., RE. Lo t 206-117.
v. Court Bros. C.C. Lost 64-70.
We ha vo not been ab le to ma\w good th e 10 sol'
so .many o[ l a~t season's btalwart.s , the on ly acqui .
SltlOn to our playln.g sl rength bemg Pte. Ramsay
Holden, who has JOIn ed us , on IJrobaLlon f,'om th e
Hamp'shire Ll.egt. JII the secoll l match, h~ cap lured
5 wickeLs [or 22 runs.
CHATHAM (ROYAL ENGINEERS).
Once again these notes are due. but it would
appear th at lh e news supply is li ke the weather,
passing through a slight depressio n.
Our cOllgratulati ons are offered to L ancE, crgean t.
''''atson on his a ppointm ent, to that rank', w. e r.
2/ 3/ 34, and to Pte. Millburn on hi s transfer to the
C.orps , 13 /9 / 33.
Sgn. Ould a rrived 0)1 probation on 1st May. We
ofie r him Ollt' best wishes and hope that he wi ll
pass. his examinations sll ccessf ully.
Crlcket.- W e have a very arnbil,iolls flX t UI'e list
[or this season, ha"ing arranged over thir.ty matches.
From the way we ha ve played, in our fir st few
games it i" quite possible that we shall hav e a vex '
s u ,,(~ essful season, and in tead of ha \'ing to I' cord
man y 10, se flolld very few wins we may have to
reverse the procedure.
Our fir st, game was t he aunual fixture against. lhe
Royal Signals Office. For the first bme our op,pon
ents actuall y ma naged lo field a full team. and per
haps th e fact that they did not ha ve to borroW
any of our staff ral.her upset our confidence. Our
respective RP .s led the teams. As it end ed in all
inglorious draw for us , we offer our congratula t.ions
fo I,he RS . Staff and sin cerE ly hope that they wdl
manage to raise th eir team once <tgain this season
so that perh aps we may get our revenge.
On our visit to Hounslow on 11th :May \\:e I~"d
rather an e<1sy victory , winning b y nin e wlckrits.
although it is und erstood that the T:-founslow Inel11her5 had not had mu ch practice prior to this gam e.
'\oV c entel'tained the Junior .C.O.s of the Depot
Bn. Royal Engineer.. and although they wClre able
lo raise a strong t eam, including seVE.l'tLI battahon
players, we managed to win by two wickets. .
Th e on ly loss we have suffered so far was again st
the Med\\'ay Brewery C.C., who he<1t us easily by
seven wickets . Battin.g first we were all out for
52, thi s being the fir st occasion this season lhat
we have not reached three figur es. Vi e) fi eld ed"
weak team , as several of ou r member s (having had

THE

ROYAL

ARMY PAY CORPS JOURNAL

ca lls from th e opposite sex)

play for us over the Whitsun 'h~~fd~ot avai lable to
, In clOSing, our cong rat ul ation s aI" y . ff ' d
'
GOl'don on havlll g passed the l .t
0 ,~ [ e t.o pI.
and MH~hs. ' B ' " f ' I'
es s 01' Enghsh 'C'
Eelu aLion . We s in c~:'el 11 SpH:la l Cel'tifi cu~ ot
wil l not I'e the mea ns o~ I' pe that hl~ new cycle
for that, final s ubJ' ect
P eve,nt1l1 g hIm wotting
,.
SAPPER..

110

. Births.- Sergts. Forse and Moodv and L / S '

.elgl.
P Inkn ey have co ntl;buted to
detachment, the first havin
the strengt h of th e
oth ers a son eac l,
g a d aughter and th e
Marriage -By the time tl ' .
pre~s. Captain ,~ E B '1 lIS I ss ue has gone to
.. d
'V
. . . . al Ow wIl l hav b
lle . v e sin cerely wish I'
' e eEl1 mal"
t he future.
.
l lm every happ In ess III

R.e. of Signals Record and P

' ay Offices Football Club- 1933-1934
. ockllngton, Cp l. C 111 11

Cp l. L. Binks L I S ' p.
Sl'l'TING.-S.S.lVf G 'D' '.gt. W . Cull en, Pte. A. Bakcl'. 'Q iVfc ,~~, Cpl. C. CatJey,
Bl'itten OBE" C ,,~s' R .Q.M . . J . Pitt,am. Ptc J ' j ; .' . k' 13iackett.
, _ . . , ap.
. '. E ll icott , Q:r. l SET' . ea,u" , A.Co l. W. A
D . CHATHAM (ROYAL SIGN
' . . . . . IUS er. L / 'gt. C. \Valsou . .
,

R.E. and

U ~DIN G. -Sgt. D. Adlam C I HP

.' 1_
UI'lTIg.
thelal'd
close,1. season
'
ALS).
kit
bell1g
I'd e "or 11,I,ell
1 f footba ll and hockey
Iller" and flann els an
' . ew mOlltl" 01' "SUI1, '
reSurrected from cl " k d tell IllS lacquets are l>eing
activities usually fj ,,1I a ttI CS and bottom draw ers
'
In the case of th:1t
has quickly gh:t,hffm hdetachrnents, however
With OUr Houn s low friend l e Illark, and a I1Jatcl~
by. 9 wid'e
' . a one Illml1rrs
. s .endedgaWIth a'1'1will for . u s
. , ts III
\~as thoroughly
enjoyed f. 0 Tl me.
1e outin g
om a aspects, a nd W f'
slncnely hope' tha t ' t '
nlore this seaso n <ll;d ~ot ut la f[ol'etast.e o[ many
l'lel\'
011 y rom the poin L of
o o[ th e res ul't.
k Ill' tenni s enthusiast I '
'ecllness. the CO ll cret s 1~vf perforce to curb their
OVCl'ha.ul ed
It
e COUl t la vl"g beer. thorou ghly
Pl'ol'emenl . i in IS ow co mpl eted and a vast in;.
C?UI'se of prepara~~n en~~. ~ gras~ Co urt is in th e
nlS committ
. t i
d pi onllses well. Our ten.
Before foo tebalsII
)e congratulated.
o
ales comp letel f
ry. it is thought th . t
y rom 0111' memo
season is worthy of no'~ .~ur reco rd fo\' the past
PI. y d 25
e.
won 11. draw n 20, lost 12. Goa ls for
r ,agall1 st
58.
'
b een the> most successfu l season ill
, llstory of the office.
the

cl~icket

'd

f~

67 ~ .
foo[b~'I\ISI

Depart
ure,
k has been
detaIled
for _theC'ol'po
ndx l'al L . W . -A. B'IIl'S
ilw School
\"lljj ':"t t colul' e at the Cost \
0
.
'1 S WIS lIug I
f . ccount
tha.t Lhc l>ook .keep ill g syste lIm llsuccess we hope
to think thaL two' peop l
m
nOl cause him
that he does
SeegeeM.
W e have quite aHOU
nu NSLOW
be r f
Lt..Col. E. G. Bunid err:,a S ,0 . ,changes to l'!lpOrt.
the age limi t. We '?I I ~ letlHld, havlllg reach ed
10
lif
.
Wls 1 11111 continu ed g d I I I
e and every
thing
thepS.
be t
e understan
d that
Ca lof
ltain
. '00 lea ll ,
posi.ed hel'e from Eg t < Fl '. Hard,ug has been
llouuslow--or Hounslo~~ .
.e IS no stranger to
to ur here will be t I' to hl!'I , and we hope his
J\lcCriri e and hll1i ly 0 1 liS je nJoyment. Sergt T
L / Serut l' B '. I. ' lave (ep,ll'led for AJder~hot'
o
.
eW1C, IS uncl eI' ord
f
S'
.
on Cos tin g Duti e. and wi ll b .
or pIke Island
Hal\ett. Gnr. .
e. 1> ._" e le leved by Sergt. E.
uatlOIl fOI the COI'P; C" "., has JOllled us on pro
W. Broll' ll
I ', '
ongratulatlons to S.Q .M S
S
OIL liS Pl'OnJotlon tWO
..
ergt. T. Bewi k, L /Cpl G P .0, . .11 ; Lan ce
on tbe lr la nce appoin lll1e' , I s ' ~l~l and A. Burden
pass ing their probation
t,n t le two latt er on
Slgmn. J . Pilkill ton on Ot lansfer to the Orps,
probation, and l~st. bu. tPaSStll1lg hIS three months'
2S r
,
110 eas t, Sergt. T. W .

d~~ctfc:~~

'?
eno~anex~::'i~;n~hi~pl~ha~s

J~'s

r'

THE
THE

ROYAL

ARMY PAY

Lan cas ter on being admitted to th e M.Q.R. .

Social.-Our social fun ctions terminated wIth "
ala dance on the 20th Apnl. It went wIth a
~tght royal swing-everyone (a nd there were I~any)
, . ed themselves to the utmost . Our thau sale
~~JeO{o the committee for the care and unremlttJng
work and time they hav.e given dUring the season
in providing for our enJ0yment and we tak e tl~l s
o ortunity of thanking them and those W 10
a p~
slste d , al
< ' so a II tll0se who attended the [unctIOns .
o C A -We are pl eased to report a hundred per
cent. 'm~mbership at Hounslow . It was nea:'l y
101 % as a probationer who had recently JOlDFd f \\ as
willing to become a member straIght away: '1. teed
members attended the Annual Re-unJOn dlt: e1 ~I
from the report received from our mem rDi le
occasion was the best yet ; "Herefs to the . uner
We as a netachment, would lIk e to
C omml'tt"
ee . ,
h I I
.
to one
express our appreciation of t e le p gl ven
of our members by the O.C.A.
Sport.-There is notbiug of interes t to repo,rt
from the Rifle Section, but we hear tha[ the Secle~
tary is arrangin g some interesting matc les or n ex

seT~nci.ate

we have p'layed two cricket matche~. one

with Chatbam Office, whIch we lost, the oth.eI Wlt~1
London Office which we won. We are looking fOld t a g o~d season, a our prospects have Im;~I~~ved.o this season with the arrival of addItIOnal
staff whom we are able to call on to play.
General.-8everal members o~ our Detachmen.t
have become allotm e~t holders thIS year, and bhstels
and weeds are well lJ1 eVIdence.
.
I '
< Ca laiu Brennan's garden was , and IS, a g o1'lous
p I'tll tu li ps He ha s missed the best of th em.
coI our w
.
fi h'
holida
Inving gone to Wales on a s mg
y. d I
'vVith deep regret we have to record th e ea tl
f Mr !\ Frid ay whi ch occurred on 5th Jun e.
o The ' de~eased joined the office m 1915 and. has
hpen emp loyed wlt,h us e.ver since 1919 as a Civlh an
.
'
Clerk on the R ecords SId e.
We' are sorry to report that Mr .. J. Stt'l 11 gel: lS
again on the sick list and Ifl hospItal. W e tl ust
he will he soon restored to health.
WARLEY.
Departures and Arrivals.-W~ are sorry to r~-

of our RegimEntal Paymast.el,

K Ll MBE who has left us Oil emtort~ . - Co.theI Tdeparture
- el' t' o~ 'i3th April 1934, and
we

barkatlOn fo~' gyp .

I L d {the Pharaohs
hope that hI S stay In t l e an 0
wi ll be a very happy one.
d
'
Lt C 1 N Forde to whom we ext~ n . a vel y
. h ' . d f 'om Malta 111 hiS place.
. - ,0 .
heart,y welcome, as arnve I ,. 1 [N
7657981
\Ve also welcome the anlva 0
o.
S Q.M.S_ .T. J . Staples, M.M., and ~op'e .that he
v.:ul find the rural atmosphere of .thlS qwet. lit\le
stat,ion the more enjoyable after Ill S travels 111 tIe
Far E ast.
.
Sport.-Though the countI-yside h ~s adopter ~s
w s rin
suit.ings and the a~tractlve ness 0 t . e
fi:lds ~ak~s one inst,inctively thmk o[ th.e pleasu\es
of the summer to come and th~ appropnate .spo~h' .
we have as yet made no senous efforts m
IS
direction .
h
I
Tennis has its enth usiasts and t ~ley ave )eell
calTy ing out a prelim in fl,ry canter; cncket has, howEver, yet to mak e Its appearance.

CORPS

ROYAL

ARMY PAY

CORPS

JOURNAL

JOURNAL

A minor effort at muscle loosening has beeu h eir!

but t-his has on ly served the purpose of, eml?~aSlsmg
the amount of practIce we really do .I equn e.
P erba 5, with our more reCEnt arnval . we may
find jusf. that little bit 01 extra talent With which
our team may be staengthened-but;. ~f cours.e. ~~
is rather too early 10 disclose any. dark hOl es
t.hat we opti mi stical ly hope JIl ay eXIst.
,
HARIYlIL.
WOOLWICH.

Sl1l'ely the period between the sea ons must be t.he

most depressin g from the.pomt of vIew o[ an Offi ce
Representative. In teres t 111 w1l1t~r sport has waned.
y ' t l-S forgotten and as cricket, ten ms. etc.,
Illa
Hl.Ve Ino t stal.terl
(
, n~ one ha ' much , if anyth in g, 1.0
contribute.
Miniature Rifle ChJb.-The oue section ~vhi c h
carries on r egardless of season lS the MlDtature
RfI Cl b Space does not admIt of a full accounl,
[1 i:s ac~i';ities since the last issu e o[ the " Journal",
o. f I ' t f the members who ha ve won spoons.
01 0 a IS 0
.
I"
h f t
Possibl our greatest ach Ievem Ent ~es m t e ~c ,
Y
t"'~
last
issue
fOUl'
member
s
have
sCOl
.
I
,
, dd
' ed
t lat smce "'Q
f e " possibles" between them, 10 ee so comdmoll
IV
b
min
that club ru les have ha 10
are they
g, aware
' I 0 f 10 / - from th el fund.
it . d eco
from an
b
e
a
el
e
t th a t o[ a spoon, an d th a t the lalt.er a ward
o now only be made in cases
can
. I where every gun
shot actually breaks th e bull CI1'C e ..
lt is perh aps even more encouraglllg Lo ~Iote th~t
h
lik ew ise att end ed th e mem ers \VI I
success
as
I
found themselves WInlllng
lower averages,
W)O
s poons and climbing the average tabl e..
,
the
We are hoping ~o mai~talD , I[~,~~ In~B~o::, uing
present standard of shootmg as tdll g skill with
wi Il ter seaso n we a nti cipate tes lIlg Oll\,
to in .
every ottlce whi ch finds Itself In . a p'OSltlon
.
h' . t
t' ng and use fu l pa s lin e.
dul ge 111 t I In eres 1 . d
h
Miniature Rifle
Has not th e tInle ani ve w en .
ff ir like
Shooting co uld be t a ken up as a CO l ps a a ,
ot,her classes of sport?
th 1st
Cricket -Our cricket ~eas? n opensDo n 'de ~
.
a VISi t from
eptf 01. June when we recEIve ,
d for th e summer
full pro C7 ramm e has been arrange
. nions 011
a nd we 0 a re looking forward. to 1110l'e l e- u
th e cricket field.
.'
futur e issue.
How we [are will be chroulcLed Ht a
h 19~3- 34 season foullrl
Football.-The .end of t e . If of th e Ga rri~oll
th e Detachm ent III the top h ,th
conditi on~ find
- League Table. Owing to wea. e\1 e J eag ll ~ the
the clarec tion of S01116 te(lm s In 1
,
. I
full li st of fixtures was not completed.
Birth .-We congratula te S.Q.. M. S . L . M. Ptal on
the I irth of a son on 17th March .
.
.
t th e [oll ow lng
Arrivals.-Durmg th e pa t qu~~rQ.M.S. "V,. J .
have been posted to the of!1~e.
M.S . E. Kni ght
Chant .[r?m Exeter, 14th .A p r-il:MSSQ R. W. Jordan.
from Chma , 27th AprIl. S.Q. . j
from Egypt
Sergls. R. B . Bayley and W. H. ones ,. Gd ntn.
on 9th May (Sgt. Jones hasbgotne to N~tCI~\.,jarch,
M . Walton JOIned. on pro a Ion on
,
..
H
T VallintUle \l10
DeRartures.-8.Q.M.S. ,'.
" 1 Th e follo w1Il g
ceeded to Deptford on 14th APil . M Brodic. 2nd
have been discharged :-Sergt. 7tl- Ap' ril' S.Q.M .S.
March. S.Q,.M.S. T . Sturgess,
1
,
H . W. 'JOl'dan, 23rd May.

London District
LONDON.

Moves.- Th e past qu arter ha s been notable for

the numb er o[ changes in staff. In addition to th e
departures announced in the las t issue of the
" Journal" th e following have recently departed:_
Captain G. Haggard t? Aldershot ; Captain T. H.
Sweeny, R.E., t.o Wo king ; Lleut. W. E. C. Loftus
to C.P.E.C. Our best wish es for the future go
with all these officers.
Recent alTivals are :-Captain R. C. de V. Askiu ,
M.B.E. , M.C;.,: from Woking; LjSergt. Smith on
return from vosting School.
We extend a hearty welcome to both Captain
Askin and L j Sergt. Smith, and hope their stay
here will be very p'l easant. Th eir arrival is particul arly welcome in view of the forth coming cri cket
tixt,ures.
Anot her chan ge has been th e departure of the
T.A. Records. This ha s caused th e remov al of
several well-known members of the military and
civilian staff to pastures new. Mr. F. A. Gea r has
also left for Shoeburyness, and we congra t,ulate him
on hi s advan cement to Grade lIT.
Miss Ruby Spittal. who had been employed here
since August, 1915, has left on her marri age to Mr.
T. O. Bettridge. Our best wishes for her future
happiness go to Mrs. Bettrid ge.
Promotions.-Congratulatjons to Majo l' and Staff
Pay mastp,r F. A. Wood s and Capta in C. W. Connor
on their advancement to those ranks. Also to Sergt.
Woods on his receut promotiou .
Social .-The last dan ce of th e easo n was hEld on
the 2nd Ma rch, and: was a Ga.la night in ,honour
of the departm'e of Lt.-Col. and Mrs. Dawson. Mr.
F, A. GeM, th e M.C. , wished them "Godspeed" .
a.nd bo th, in a few well chose n words r esponder!.
A very enjo yabl e evening was spent by all present.
and much to our regret . t here are no more s uch
functions th is season.

Cricket.-Only one cricket match has taken place

t o dat e, tbe R egents Park Cricket Club being met
on the evening of th e 8th May. The Club batted
firs!., bein g dIsmissed for 61. Smith taking 7 for
21. Our t.otal was 2B only, bad light, and th e
condition s accounting pa rtly for thi s. Several fix tures have been arranged for the near future, when
we hop e to do a lot better.
A.W .L.
DEPTFORD.

Th e p'<lst t ll1'ee month s have been quite eventful

in the matter of po tings. etc., for such a smaIJ Detachment a this. S.S.M. Rook er was posted to
Egypt on 13th April and is gl'eat ly missed by th e
office and ta ff ILnd in fact by the whol e staff of th e
Supply R ese l've Depot. To show thEir appreciation
of S.S.M a nd Mrs. Rookel' a nd to wel come S.S.M.
and Mrs. S.l'me, th e W a r Department Const a:buJary
Mess " threw a party" whi ch most of the Detachment attended an d a t, whi ch Mrs. Rooker was th e
recipient of a ha. ndsome handbag. S.Q .M.S. Ireland
and Messenger Still contributed songs to the musi cal
part of tbe pl'ogramm e.
S jSgt. Jagot ha s left us for Aldershot, and Sgt.
Pond . a fter mu ch weary wa itjng, has sailEd for
Gibralta r. We welcome S.Q.M.S_ Vallintine from
Woolwi ch and Sgt. F isher from Gibraltar, and con g ratulate Sj Sgt. Gibhs on his elevation to the 2nd
Divisi oll.
Our cricket XI have played theil' first fixture and
we can on ly attrihu te th eir lack of success to the
fact that it was their first appearance this season.
Th e mat.ch wa s an "awa~' " one at Eltham against
Deptford Poli ce, who batted first and were out, for
93. Th e Detachm ent were unlucky at the wicket,
,~nd were all out for?f7. Great hopes are entertain ed for smashing vi ctori es in OUr next three
match es with HOlln~low. vVoo lwich and Eastern
Command.

Northern Ireland District

Dear Editor,
It is my turn to write to those who fain would
learn of their comrades who were heard of last in
the vi ci Ili ty of Belfast.
Signs alid portents round us t elJ of forthcoming
changes in per onnel. Captain Park is the first
to answer the ca l!. Th e Social Club will miss himso shall we all. I really must assu re him on behalf
of everyone how much we appreciate all that hfl bas
done_ H e is clu e to a rrive at Woolwich on th e
16th of JUly, so shortly befo~e that date I fear we
shall have to say good-bye. (By the way , we are
very pleased to hea r a nd send congratul at ion to
Mrs. Park on recovery from her rEcent operation .)
Then Major Booth is tJle n ext to go. In Augu st
he moves to Chester so we ca n only sa y how great
IS Our gri ef that hi s tay with us ha been much
t~o brief. W e trust that they will have. wh erever
t~ey may be, very pleasing memori es of t he N.I.D.
r m d:o ubtful if after th66e notes are read I shall
be. long surviving so I'll leav my successor to
wnte you about our welcome to those arriving .
On Friday last we clowned our pens and sallied
forth to see the Glens-an office outing fe w would

mi ss_ The Social Club arranges this_ With famili es

and fl-i ends we were 25 strong, a.nd with bright
conversation we journeyed along. Q.M.S. Clark
and his famil y by illness prevented from joining
the party was one thing lamented. To ParkmSlre
by 'bus took us smoothly 2 hours. then we walked
down the Glen which was bright with sp ring
Bowers_ At Glenariff we again in the 'bus took our
ease for Gar-ron Tower which furnished enjoyable
teas. Digestion was aided by rounders for all who
were not too sedate to run a fter a ball. Some say
this pa.stim e engendHS a t hirstJ: I t.hiu_k they are
right for I noti cea it first _ By the Coast Road then
IVtncling hptween cliffs a nd shore we came to Lam e
a nd were d ~ t a in ed for an h~ ur .or more. Our
fa ithful steed awa it ed us and took us on our way.
At 11 p. m. we were at hom e and called it a day.
One last word before I close-a word of felicitation to Sergeant Chap'pell for rene wed success in
tb e " Specia.l" examina tion .
I fear that VOlll' forb ea rance I mllst ha"e Lrespas eel on. so I 'll end and sign myself
Yours faithfully ,
ANON.

THE

ROYAL

ARMY PAY

CORPS

THE

JOURNAL

Northern Command
COMMAND PAY OFFICE , YORK.
..
i rather meagreb and
Our news for this . I ss~e sde 'artures. We have
,hicfly concerns arl' lv.ds ~J1~'go!cJbye" to two old
hidc1en farewell , hu.t n~, the persons of S.Q.M.S.
members of the CO'l)~(7 W A. Clp:1I'Y . who took
Ii'. D . .Clarke and Se\~tA rii and 28th May r~spect
their dJscharges on 2Ot. P t be employed m the
ively. wh ilst. both contm~le 0
.
ffi ce . a CIvilian capaClty.
S / S t T. M.
o W III -t d a 'heart,y welcom e to
g. . M Ita
e ex en
'1 home from a toU!' III
a .
Rarding nnd faEI YTar ett, from Canterbury, for
g. k
and L /Sgt. S . .
'Costing duties
. a.t CattHlc .' full swing subject
.
t0
Tennis a nd cncket a~ 1I1 of course 'and in both
the vagaries of .the \~~~ ' ~~i Regiment~1 Office. O?,r
sports we combmed t '. " P layed two- won two. .
cricket r~cOl'd to a e f~rtunate as regards tenms.
but we have be.en dun ff" in two matches. and loshaving been "ralOe 0
,
CA W CA W
.
the on ly one played.
mg
E YORK
REGIMENTAL PAY OFFIC 'I
nd ~[ the
pleased to see tIe e
I
We are a I very.
h~s roved unu sua ll y h~vy.
tl'ooping season whlc~brace Pmorc pleasant subJ.ects.
Our t,houghts nOi e e ~nnual and evening outmg~.
numely-summer eav r davs etc., etc. Vle have a
cricket a.nd tenl1lS hal - . such as T.A. pay h st.s.
few unpleasant thouj?;hts they [l.l'e not ufficient to
hut for the time bemj?;
.
distul'b ou.r pea~e ~f m~l~el.last quarter includ e Cap~.
Onr al'l'lVals Ul1ng Aid hot Pte. G. Devemsl
F . R. Richardson from E:;:x Regt.. and L /Sgt.
on probation from ~h.e I fr~m 'th e Costin g School.
R C. BUlTOWS has l'eJoll1~( eded lo Egypt, and our
Sgt. Tap'pendpn has .pl O~~nseqnence . H is garden ,
bill iard t.el,l-m W Ill suffr~ l~oked a fter by Mr .. Sava.ge.
however . IS bell1g ~ve t b congratulated on be1!lg
Pte. W. Morgan IS 0 Cor s H e is temporal'l ly
finally transferre~ to the Om? c;vi lCan staff has also
cloing duty n;t Llc~fi~. J R eid from London , and.
r. .
seen two arnvals m

W A Cooper flom York CommandMOffice,

C Fin
Mr:
. M F Gilm an ret,ired , and
r. . . '.
I'ehef of
r. n l' .' k 'We shall sadly miss thp
Chapman to v\ a~\v l c f .
lat tI"s ever smddln g aCEl. shol,tly to leave us for
S Q 1\'f S Woo man IS '
d " d f
. I .1'.
. h . and we a1.e a' 11 son'"J to I e epllve 0I
WOO WIC .
d'
the presentaolOn palate
the pleas ure of at~n ~n~:11 and reluctantly fore go
of his L .S. and G . . f . e ci 'at Woolwich. Cpl. P.
th e pl easUl'~ to our Tlen ding' -to Aldershot fOl' tJle
Cammid ge IS ::.Iso procee
next Co. ting Coufse. e phyed three games to date.
.'\ t cri eke.t we la" he' season again t the .Det.
the first match o~ t
ill hut we had comfort.
R.A.O.C . was lost. y o~: ~Ol:k Revell er. and New
~hle victol'les ag~ns} ~ is bowling extremely well
Earswi ck. Sgt. er)e 4 wickets at a cost of only 2
and so far has taken 1h t score stands to the credit
rUllS each. 3;nd th e i" gsc~~'ed against, the Revellers.
of Cp!. Bl'l g!(s, 5 ,
erformance was the ~on.
Anolh el' c?llllllend~bl ~ p of 26 teas by Cpls. Bn~l!s
su mption . In tP II .mlnuf S'the R A.S. C. Ill atch, WlllCh
and Monks. prOVided tor tim e 'when it was too late
j'

i'

had to be canoell ed
a f the t ea provisions. Gpl
to prevent th e sup'p y . 0 winner by devoUl;ng 65
Monks ran out an eas~ b his opponent. In. con.
anc1~i ches. as agaln~ b et!chment in York we havr
J'uncLlOn With the R. .
. the Myers Rumell Cup,
ed te'l m m
..
entered a corn bm f . < Small Units' Co mpetitIon ,
y
and in the ne wl b O1 ~~e~'ecord snti factol)' pl'ogres
nnd hope to 1.le a l e
in our nex t Issue.
'f
bl;ngs to mind the
R eference to com petl 10~ftion referred to in our
Small U nits' Soccer Compe
sa'y that we did not
to
former notes. W e. I'el!ret
I
fi I" but unfort.unatel. ' '
ultimately figure m \,e th~'~~pot West York shire
proved very easy prey 0
R egt., in the first . round.. not et in ful l '\\'i n~.
As regards t enms, htl~in~s bem ~l ayec1 to date. 10
only one team gamdef ~ d >-bv a 10011 Sugar Beet
which we were e ea e
.
E.P.
Factory team.

Scottish Command
PAY OFFICE , EDINBURGH.
COMMAND
M'
E C Etherington
Arrival.-:-We wel ~or;:ffice f~~~ L~ith' as Command
on his postin g to thiS
t tl t the ch an~e of office
Costin~ Officer . and f td~~ies '~l l be to hiS liking .
a weH as ch~nge 0 . f 'm of sport) has proved
Rifle Shootmg.-Thls 01 cently t.erm inated has
vel'Y' popular. Th e seas,on trl e number of members
. the
seen a s te a.dy increase m )'leg improv ement In
Rhootin g. WIth a corre~po r~( ~~s in the various office
marksmanship. Latcs re [~
competition s a re as fol~,;s 'Thompson and Sgt.
Handicap Spoon. - I . Cas,idy and Gdsm.
Humphries. February. M I.
,
Brllce. March. M dal R Q MS Forsvth.
The " Henry "
e '-'."
. 'Ra e~J and
The "Thomas " spoon.-Mr.
.y

Cpl.

Orchard.
' n fine stvle by a smash W e wound up thpEsd~a~onlr gI hand Di stl?et Royal
ing victory ovel'
In
.
961 points to 888.
Engin eers, th e scokres ~lnggood form too late in
AIthough we struc suc

'b

. I
it promises wrH foJ'
th e "eason to be of any ';f ~~' can be sustain ed dl1J'j
our chances next seas<?n. f t re seasons we ShOll (
in g postal matches ID 11 Ut f ourselves than \\'e
.
give
a much bettr accoun 0
_I
Iiave don e in the past.
. th e fi nal m~tch of Lie
A detai l of th e scores ID
seaso n is given below:Royal Engineers.
R.A.P.C .
.. ' ~~
S.Q M.S. Ste~ning 99 S/Sgt. Mi l1 ~
96
99 Sgt. Smith
Sgt,. Hlllllphn es
98 Mr. BlItche~
93
Mr. Gell
93
97 Li eut .. Lu ckID
Mr. Thompson
93
96 Q.M S. MartlTl
Captain Thomas
84
96 L /Sgt. Norm~n
S.Q.M.S. Forsyth
81
95 Q.M.R . Ayre
r:d sm BrllcE'
78
94 O.M.S . R<? geJ's
Pte . Dunc~n
70
94 Mr. Lu ckm
Mr. Tnkst el"
93 Q.M .S. Upton
Major Spencp
961

888

ROYAL

ARMY PAY CORPS J OURNAL

At th e co nclusion of this match we adjourned! to

the R.E. Mess and t he victory was duly celebrated .
Th e tale of a wag relating to these joyous moments
will be found belOw-Editor permitting!!
Cricket.-In combina.tion with our colleagues at
Leith we are endeavouring to run a cricket team
again this season.
Several fixtures have been arranged and it is
hoped that some results will be avai la ble for the
next issue,
Amateur TheatricaIS.- Congratul ations are du e
to Sgt. F. R. Rudl and, our sole representative at
th e out-station of Stirling (where he is employed
011 costin g duties).
Sgt. Rudland look the leading
part in tEe ann ual play given by the R.A.O.C. in
their own hall at the Royal Army Ordnance Depot,
Stirling. The play, "Lord Richard in the Pantry".
was p,reaented four tim es during the week ending
F.J.H.
24th March, and was a great success.
The Book of Ninetyniner.
(In relation to certain celebrations held on a not ab le
win by the R ifl e Club, EdinburghJ.)
And, it came to pass that there was living) in the
land of Scot, one Humphri es Which was a centul'ion ,
havi ng men under him.
And there also lived in this land one Stenning
which was a leader of sections having men to perform his wish. And he caused handmaid ens of the
Adrema to p erform hi s behest.
And there was much rivalry between these men
in that which is called small bore, and they competed with the small bore.
And it came to pass t hat a feast of small bore
was call ed in the land of Scot, and centurions and
valorou s men were come from manv lands.
An d behold, Stenning performed upon the small
bore, compiling four score and ninetee,n. And be
spoke u.nto Humphries and the. centUl'lon s saymg,
"Verily I say unto you t hat thiS shall not be surpas ed for I have done it. I say un to you that no
man ~f your number shall equal tit, ,for I am
Stenning."
.
And Humphries spoke no word and was SIlent.
And the centurions held their peace.
And it came to pass that Humphries was called
forth to Rerform and he performed upon the small
bore.
.
And when he was done, he cried, out With a
great voice, saying , " Lo, a miracle has been perform ed, for I have compiled four score and runeteen." And it was so. And there was much blowing of horns.
And he spoke un to them, saying, "I have done
nothing. Verily, I say unto you , tbe performance
is POOl', for a co unt of five score wou ld be recor~ed
upon th e ta.blets if the leader of seotlOns wh1ch
is call ed Stenning, h ad not. fall en upon me a;nd
beaten me with his feet, Wllllst I was performmg
before you."
'
"
.
And the centurions cned out WIth many vOices.
and were much disgusted.
And it came to pass that when all was done,
the' journeyed to the templ e, to the feast of the
"pokeedye", and they so.iourn ed ther~ for a great
time, drinking a nd making merry, whi lst the moon
grew old .
.
.
And it came to pass that the h1gh pnest of the
temple made complaint, and caused their f~et ~o
be set, on the road, and thelir faces towards their
houses.

And th ey were weary and their feet were dusty

when they came 1.0 their houses.
And the spOuse of the lead.er of sections whi ch
was call ed Stenning awaited her lord and scolded
him for she was exceedin?: wrath.
And he said unto her 'Scold not and he not.
vexed, for a miracle has come to pass and I am
honoured in the la nd ."
And she sp,oke unto him in heT anger. sayin g,
"Verily I say unto you, tha t which has come to
pass at the feas t of the small bore is of no avail,
for I say un to you that you :;hall not again be
bonoured in the land. Verily I say unto you, th is
day sha ll not come again, for you shal.1 journey J:\l
more to the feast of the small bore."
And there was much weeping and wailing and
gnashing of teeth.
AII~ the centllri on. Humphries \\'a filled with joy,
fo r his spouse was ID a far land, and scolded him
not, for she leamed not of the fea t of t he small
bore.
And s he knew not of the feast of the "pokeedye".
W.H.
PERTH.
Perth Notes wo uld not be cOr.Jplete unless some
reference was made to the beauty of our office
sUl'rollndings, and fearing that my fourth Spring
at ihis station might dra.w from my pen just a
r epetition of former Notes written at this season, a
newcomer's (Sergeant Lydon's) impressions are
appended.
A successfu l Winter programme ended with the
usu al whisll drive and dance at York;- House bn
March 23rd. and it p'rovided a fitting occasion for
the Detachment members to wish Sergeant Paul
a.nd fami ly a pleasant journey to, and a happy
stay in. Malta.
The R egimental Paymaster. always so keen wheneV'e r Detachm ent sport or social activities are concE-roed , has encouraged renewed interest in golf.
and before the sea-son is over i t is to be hoped,
that we can record a second victory over the doughty
members of tbe Black Watch Depot, Sergeants'
Mess.
No w to matters "motoring" __To give him
familial' titJes for the benefit of hi s numerous pals
in the Corps, Sergeant "Tich" or "Shaver" deCId ed
to purchase a car. and being a native of Bow, E.,
naturally considered that nothing good could possibly be purchased from any .place but London,
hence th e car must be bought there and driven back
to Perth.
A 28/ - return excursion provided the oppor tunity,
and on Friday, the eve of Cup' Tie, our worthy
took his place in the crowded train en route for
London.: hut whereas his tTavell ing companion s had
"the Cup" on their minds to the exclusion of all
else, Ti ch sat in isolated thought considering the
points of his -anticipated purchase.
Saturday moming found the excursion train at
the London terminus, its human fre ight pouring out
into the London streets. Wembley-bound, with one
small exception-friend Shaver-who was Carbound. Th e morning and afternoon hours must
have proved hectic ones to this car- seeket' from
Perth for by 5.0 o'clock he had viewed Rnd select<od
a car 'and proud ly disposed at the wheel of a Riley
Nine was tootling happily out of London on the
Great North Road. bound for tbe Highlands, and
t he acclamations of welcome from hi s Perth confreres.
.

ROYAL

THE

ARMY

PAY

.
f tl 'ourn ey London t o York,
Nothing IS knovm 0
le ]
hl sto r whose excltfor unlik e th E; highw ay m ~ n dO has fo/med the basis
ing dash ov er the same lOa w~ simply a re able to
of m;wly schoolboy dyalr ns, R 'ley Nine reached U, e
I1 an lIS Id I stark, and su dd en .
r ecord th at T IC
Cathedral Cit~. Th en~ ~.~~ge"~~ m e;,hing came from
for , in Shaver s own' 0 ,;, sid e ' 0 the l]oad .al"l:d.
behind a lorry ?n ~h~'tt~:I~J1g fo lks!! Th e. car l,~ '.n
hit me head-on. I th e "son{ethin g th at hIt, me IS
a g.larafle at. Yorl~ . I d "Shaver" is back at P~l;th,
in hospItal at Y 01 k . an
" McSPORRAN .
poorer but wIser . .
ree of trE;pidat;on that, t~is
It is wit,h a certa~.~ dea,e beauti es and othel:nse
endeavour. to descIl ~
th e ateway lo the Highof lhis dellghtfu.l CI~
is ~)ein g made. Truly,
lands (vide GUIde 00 . find not,hin g b ut deep
at the mom ent, one ~n I beaut;es whi ch abound
a reciation of the na ura
' vwhere H edgErOWS
h~fe--but t,h en it is spnng ee:~~' full o'f little fluff y
just bursting into. grf~~' ~f the nlOst remarkable
things and th e rur
h wever proved but t.o be
~tlentjon to t~ ell
whistles extant ; thes e, . 0w.'
t he local trad esmen dla ll1 g tom of the nabves
wares! Just another funny cus
.
here.
. fi cient writers have wn t t en
How ever so roany h PI beautles th at perh aps a f.ew
. t d
Th e first t.h m g
o much about P ert s
~idelights wou ld be aP\_:i~~1 'is ' the standnng 10.ca1
which st,rikes the n ew 11 t city in the world, bemg
joke--Perth IS the sma es

t\

C ORPS~~
J O~U~R
~N~A_
L________

er

i:tice!
'd S t men are without humour ?
WllO sal
co s
P .J .L.

! l.

. - F A Woods and Ma]?r

Foreign servlce.-MaJoI d .del'S t hat tobey WIll
E. W. Dawkins have recel e Si~~apore respectively
be required for Egy pt an
MOONRAKER.
early next Troopmg Season.

EXETER.
i E;xt,end ed to S.S.M. Goode
A hearty welcome s . P I k tt from Canterfrom Cev lon , and Serg~al~t t un i~ Exeter will be
b ury , a ~d it is hoped t lelr s ay
a pleasant one.
.
I
S Q M S. Chant who
W e were very ~O\Ty t.o. ose ffi' . . 14th Apri l.
l W oolwJCh 0 Ice on
.
t
wa~ poste d lo t le
leasant ouhng
Th e Social Clu~ had a Vt~: ~th April. Except
Plymouth by chal ~?ancl on . Id p' ersist in g l\~ng a
th "Adrema glr s wou
.
, lllere
t h at
e
.
t
th rE;turn journey .
musical entertamm en \ton t oe report
J AYBEE.
were no furth er casua les
.

HILSEA.
. . t
. I to re 1't from th is di stn c
Th ere is very litt ~
p,o
I le or two rather
01
ffi
th.I.S quarter, b u t , havmg
d ' receIVet
i\ ab undance of 0 ce
sarcasti c rema.rks l."~gar II1 t1e . e on c must find
no tes from Hl.l se~ 111 th e as ISS U .,
so m~thil1" for th iS JS$ll e
h . e in the" PresOne otom civilian staff drEw"N ~' nal"
It was
ton Office sweepstake on ~h ~fi Ith ai~~l~ad' of in the
hi s bad lu ck that It came m 1 .
S Q M S BaneLt. who
first rOU!.
V\ e e"tend a welcome to : . . . and a ;;ome., d the Hom e establlshm ~n\'.. h Buffs
has reJome
.
Pt Field' of t e ,
what belated welcome t.o
t'
d'uring January.
wh.o J'oined lhis office on pro a ll.on
'Itt'linin g I,hat
.
t o.S /Sgt " v 111. on"
I i Class rob
CongmtulatlOns
r ank. and to Pte. F lcl,d on passmg 1
Clerk Trad~ Test. t tl awaited with prospecu;bolf
um mer IS expecan , y , '
. I e to b~ n e
T ennis and Cricket fi:,\.IlT es. an~ w~u~~~sses as last
to rco rd as man y , If not mOl e,
A.F.E.
year.

b'

AR~1Y

P AY

CORP S JOURNAL

Western Command

cl

ROYAL

COMMI ~ND PAY OFFICE, CHESTER.

hl

Southern CommandY OFFICE, SALISBURY.

COMMAND PA
19th May, 1934, a most
outing.-On Satu ~day, as run to Cheddar, Burnenjoya ble Office O;llllg w'The party, consisting of
ham -on-Sea, and
e s.
in two motor coaches .
60 left Salisbury at t9 si~m'tol1 Mallet for li ght reTI{e first stop was a ,
e~ r ghtf111 drive through
freshm ents . and after sare..~~ed at 11.45 a. m . T~e
the Gorge Cheddar wa .,
t Gough's and Cox 5
chi ef att1'~ctions were VlsC!hed~ar at 1.15 p.m_ the
famous caves. Lea~mg moon-Sea where a stay was
party arJ1Ved at. Bmnhlrriving at W ells at 5 p .m.,
made until 4. 15 p.m. t visit th e Cath edral. Great
advaut age was t.aken ~h e remarkable clock , many
I' nlere t was t aken 111
f '. ' clock struck. Leav0
staying to see \.11 e hour 0 a SIX
short
stay was ma d e at
in g Wells at 6.15 vm. , t the b"autiful I!rounds of
H eaven's Gate to Inspei tl Morquis of Bath: a
"Longleat" . the seat 0 d l e t 'Heytesb ury for a
was also mn e a,
9
short s t oP .
b .
each Ed at
p.m .
" Final". Sahsbury he111t~;e of wr-itin g th ese notES
Cricket -U p to ~ e
nlv pla yed one match ,
OUl" cricket, t ea m havOIJ Manor 'Lun atic Asylum .
wh ich was versu ~ t e
was verv mu ch below our
when thE' form dlspl ay~d however we hop e to be
usual: with Il'orc prac lce, od . am~ when we visil
a,ble to g,,'e Wokl,:,g a o I 0 gHilsea later 111 the
them on 15th June, an as
sea~oll .
b anch of the Old omrades
soci al.-Our local l'
'ovable evening WIth th e
Association spent ve~y enl1 Corp'~ of Signals Old
local branch of. t e
~vathe Ca'fe Rendezvous on
Comrarl o~ ASSOCIatIo n t t I e some more of these
16Lh f arch: \Ve ho p~ 0 lav
.
enjovable evem,ng s.
tures .-Corpl. Hallid a:;: .emArrival s and De:a~4th Apri l ; Sergt. L ow IOJned
hark ed ~or Egvpt 0 12t h April. and Lanre.. Sergt.
from Ll chfield on
I M
Wri ght from Egypt on 9t 1
a) .

T HE

" Inches" I-after which one is

built belween t wo
d r eady for the worst! Bed
a bsolutoely fl atten~' Ina~es" th ere are more fi sh and
tween th~se two
~ ch ur ches to the square mil e
chip s.hops, pubi ~n it in th e world. It ,yo uld
than 11l any ~t lel c ~derstandjng between these
h'tn u supplies the thirst, the next
appear there
concern s by W
tho;ethird forgi veness. V ery conthe. a nttldotde pa\?ofitable for a ll concerned!
vemen a,n
I
. th
int about th e p ace I s
e
.
Another CUl'OU~r .P\in one to th e Fair Maid>
number of ~I gns lI ec tb~ee a.t,tempts to t race ~t
HOllse-hav1l1g :a~e. t one sign leads to th e' pubh c
I am able to eta
,,\ . ma and th e third to th e
bath s.. anothe;, to a t~~~_el ocal joke, I fear I Thou.gh
"WhIte Horse -ano I ce CQuld be placard ed WIth
it is a fact tl:u\t the I~ aall lEad to a "fair maid"direction s whlC~ w~u r~ason there are so many
perha ps that IS t e
h . h - - a n d pubs!
c UI C es
' . ok et of all is Kin,noull
But, perhaps th e wors~ Jwhi ch one climbSJ amidst
Hill. t he local beautynS~~ ~i el1t and very pi cturesque
glorious sce~ery ht~ba a pare ntly ha' guarded, P erth
watch towel. W l ~ . P di ately d e,~ ves 111to local
for cen turies; one. Imme r ecbed a mere hundred
history and find s It io~~l Laird, because it looked
veal'S or so ago by a

Departu~es .-Ma ior B . L . Bm'ges has left us on

Rosting to Woolwi ch a nd takes with him our ve l-.\'
lies t wishes for a happy st ay in hi s new station.
An :l.ctive mi li t a ry ca ree l' has been closed by th e
retirement, on th e 18th Apri l, 1934, of SLa ff SergEant
Maj?r H. M. Courtney, after a period of 39! year s '
serV1ce.
Those who have come into personal contact with
him well know what a valuable ser vant he has bem
i,o the Stat e; his wide knowledge and experience of
matters relatin~ to t he Army have always been
plaCEd at th e ,:hsposal of others for th e betterm ent
-of the service which he has so much at heart.
Mr. Co urtn ey 's activit,ies were not, co nfin ed to th e
office as he man aged to find t im e to fi ll a place in
ihe office tenni tea m, a nd t1,e fl ight of A nno Dom ini
has not lessened hi s powers in thi s sphere as th e
-oppos ition have frequ ently found to th eir cost.
Althou!!"h a personal link has heen severEd by
hir. Courtney's departurc from Chester we shall
watch with interest his progres~ in hi s new sph ere
of life at W inches ter R ecord a nd Pay Offi ce. May
he have health a nd happ'i ness in hi s new venture.
ArrivalS.-Captain H . A . A. Ho well M.B.E. , has
now rei oined us a fter a period of tem porary duty at
"Woolwich .
S.S.M. R. G. Smith has been posted to thi s Det achment on his return from Gibraltar, but he ha s
not yet ioin ed from l eave.
We ex tend a hearty welcome t.o S.Q.M.S. H . Cook
who has joined us from Aldershot on probation for
'S.S.M.
General -Once more the big event of the yea r
in Chester- the Ra ce meet,ing- ha,s come and gone,
nnd left in its wake the usu al ta les of ha I'd lu ck'
from our ma ny misguided punt ers. On Cup Day a
contingent from t he Preston Office visited Chester.
and: a few of us ha d t.h e pleasure of spend ing an
l'our or so with them before th ey left . A ILhough
the tim~ was short th ere was no a rg um ent. as to
where it should be spent.
For our yea rly office oubng we are having a
-cha.n ge from th e usual run by charaba nc, and are
going to Windermere. A full report of OUr advent.ures will appear in the next i s~u e.
Wi th t he departUl"e of Ma jor Burgess a nd S.S.MR
'Courtney and Deacon OUl" tennis t eam has suffered
a severe loss. but with the assistance of our new
'Setgeant Majors . we still have hopes of repeati ng
OUr SllCCEsses of th e past two years.

PRESTON.
SOcial' Club _-Durin g th e past quarter, th e Club
has held t hree fun ctions. a whi st dri ve a nd dlan ce
on 6th April , and t,wo trips. one to tJhe Grand
National. and the other to Chp~ ter for t he Ches toer
Cup. Ea ch event was enj oyable. although we would
ha.ve welcomed a few more for the \Vhi~t drive; but
so fal' n. the race meetin g are conoe m ed. an
atdent wish was to find the winners. and not. provide the hookies with the proverbial "Tom Webster "
cigar. After tea at ChEster, we were< ple:lsed to
meet some of the staff from the Command Office.
Shooting.-Our . eason closed at the en d or March
with a no velty shoot on the lines of t he one held
ab Chlislmas. all members providin g pr.i 7.es. W e
congratul:!.te L / Cpl. Strept on bEin g awarded the

medal for the best improved shot sin ce Ch ristma s,

and Mr. H es mondh algh on being the best shot in
the Club. We a re pleased to recol'd OUI" win in the
posUIl shoo t wit,h H ong Kon g, alt houa h we were
SOlT),' to heal' th a t, our op pon ent s were Tlandi cap.pE;d
by Ickness a nd .lack of practi ce.
Cricket.- Orte game has been played so fa,1", a,g ainst
th e R.A.S .C., a nd we lost by one run th e scores
bein g Z9--:S. Low scores but an en.joYable ga me.
Office NeWS.-We reg ret, to record the o"ath of
Mrs. Nolan, wife of ex-Sgt.
olan . on 3"d Ma v.
She died very sudden ly, and we extend our sympathy to Mr. No lan a nd hi s fam ilv in t heir sa d
bereavement.
.
The arrival, or rather th e return , of Cap tain Hard
from H ong Kong was omitted in the last notes
and by a coin cid ence, th e posting was not, mention ed
und er th e officers cas ualties. W e I-epair the omission by welco min g Cap tain Hard on hi return a nd
hope he will enjov Preston even better th a n he did
before.
.
Sgt .. Sow~rby departed for Egypt in Apri l. al1rl
we WIsh hIm tle best of luck iu the l;wl'd of
Ph ar~oh s. W e congrat,ulate L / CpJ. StreE;t on passlI1g hl s pro batlO~l a nd welcome hIm into the Corps.
G nr. J ames has lom ed on probation and we'" wish him
every success in hi s exams
Cp!. K irke has rejo~n ed from th e School of Costing, whu-e he obtamed a London Chamber of Comm erce Certifi cate
(Di s) for Book -keeping, on whi ch we congr'ltulate
him . ~gt. Wa lker passed the Sp'ecial Exa m. in
E conom Ics last Mar ch. and S/Sgt.. Ha skins had hard
lu ck again in fa iling in French t<> compl ete his
Specia.l. Hi s motf{) mu st be " Try . try a.gain" .
W e offer our best wishes to Cpl. Bind l ~y on his
ma rri age at Ea st er. and welcome Mrs. B;nc11ev to
Preston .
.
SHREWS.BURY.
DepartureS.-Sergeant P. Hailstone (and fami lv)
procecded to Egy pt on 13th April (FRIDA Y) .
Rath er an ominou da y to embark but Will hea r of
hi s afe arrival and wi h him the best of lu ck.
Sergeant R. Warmington is du e to report to
Chatham (R.E.) on 2nd' Jun e.
Promotions.-Hearti es t cong ratul at ion ~ lo Sta ff
Sergeant f a jor A. E. Littl pr on his qualifyin g for
t he " Sam BI'OWnE" . 4/ 9/33. a fter a sIJcce sful proba,tion. an d to Sgt. Finn on hi s promotion.
Birth. -Congmtul a.tions to Sergeant a.nd Mrs.
vVa.rmington on th e a rri va l o f a son on 20th lI'1a y.
BOWIs.-The bow li ng g ree1l was opened for pla y
on 30th April. a nd aftu a co urse of in tensive treatment duri ng t,he close se.ason by OUr sk; Ued grou nd sman (a product of t he A .Y.T .C. Ch isledon,) , is
p'laying bet,tel' th an it has ever don e befor\~. A
tonrnament i at pl-esent in progress. and we' a re
training our "woods" so as to g i,reo Li chfield a
warlll reception later on in th e eason.
Tennis.-So far nothin g to report.. bllt W6 are
honing with the 0' i ~tance of Staff SergEant Major
Li 'tler. to beat he tel' twi ce (his Year.
Obituary - Tt is with much regret that we have
to nport the death 01 Mrs. G. E : Will iams. wife of
Ca.ptain W : W illiams, which occurred at, Oswestry
on 9th May. We all sym path ise deeplv with Captain "illiams and his three sons, in nnE'ir a d
bereavement.

THE

ROYAL

ARMY PAY

CORPS

Commands Abroad
.

EGYPT ,

The Detachment, has had two impo rtant days duI"

ing t he qu arter und er revi ew, namely th e Area
Commander's Annu al Inspecl,ion , and Sports Day.
The first e-v ent causes any amo~nt. of cl ealllll ~ u,~ ,
extra energy and Brasso in ' Spit and Pohsh ..
However, th e Area Commander expressed hi S satls:
faction not only With th e parade. und er t,he com
mand of Captain Rooney, but With th e Barrack
Room and Sergeants' Mess.
,
The second event-our Sporta Day~was a tl emendous success, a full report is published furth u
onAr rivals ._ We welcom e Li eut.Golon el T . K elly ,
MBE and Li eut. C. H. P a rrat t lo t he Comm a~d ,
. S"S' M . Rooker Sergea nt>; H ail stone,. Hdl,
a I so
..,
,
T
I
Trl stram
Plowman , Price, Sowerby,
appen c en,
. '.
L / S~rgt. Hitch cock and Corpl. H alllday. May th en
tour be a plea.ant one.
b k d f
Departures.-The follo wing have em ar ~
011'
.-Ca t ain P . C. H ardin g, S.Q.M.S. Mltche.l.
~l~~~~n ts ~ayley. W . H. Jon es, Monks and W: lght.
Weghope th ey will soon settl e down III th en new
stations.
.
d' h
d :v wi sh
S.Q.M.S . Jordan IS for . ISC arge, a n \ e
him. all t.he best III hi S retirement.
It is regretted th a.t t he ill-health of . Mrs. W eston
has necessitated her return to t he Umted Km gdom
accompanied by her hu sba nd . Serg l ,. W eston .
E
Promotions.-We con gratul at.e S.Q.M.S. R
.
R oberts and S.Q .M .S. Hoptrou gh on th en prom otion to W arrant OffIcer s Class II.
Birth .-We congratul at e S.Q.M.S. R E. Roberts
whose daughter was born on 16th F ebruary .
Death -We extend sympathy to Sergeant ~nd
Mrs. , Cottam in tb e 10s~l o[ t heir daughter V e.rolll ca ,
.
t
who died on 14t.n Apn .
Rifle Club .- Th e hope expressed III our last, noes
that S.Q.M.S. Bl ack would secur~ a pOSSibl e on the
Miniature Range was almost r ealIsed a month ago .
when he ecured a 99. Unfortun ately , nobody w~s
s otting for him , and as he ,~a un awa re that hi S
fi;'st 9 shot s were bull s no parti cul ar care was taken

JOUR.'AL

wi t h hi s last round . whi ch, d ~s pi te, t he gauge

chec k could only ue allowed as y. 9. Th e ot her
regul ar at tend ants have maIDta IDed th eir form,
S.S.M. Templ e and S.Q.M.S. Asher securIng 95s,
and L/S ergt. Clarke 94.
. .
Sergeants' Mess Sp,oons for the Mima ture Range
during F ebrua ry , March and Apnl were won by
S.Q.M.S. Black and L / Serg ts. Cla rke (2) and
Stewa rt , and ~tS th ese were th e las t spoons for the
season , th e 25 yard s ra uge wIll see us no more until
October.
S
' M
""
During th e past m o n~h the ergeants
ess ""
club has enj oyed defeatlllg t wo other mess t.eams,
t he first vi ctims bein g th e 8th K .RI. Hussars wh()
f~ \l short of our score by 148 points. As S.Q.M.S.s
Bl ack and Asher were our only . member s who shot
up to t heir fo rm on that occaSIOn , we must att.l'Ibute our big margin to the fact th.a~ 8th Hus aI'S
had. not settled down to local conditions.
Our vi ctory over th e Sergeants' Mess of the 1st
Kin g's Own Royal Re~im ent on the 13th Ma y. 011
th~ir ran ge, was . de fimt ely une?,pect ed, as OUr last
mEetin g re ul tedln a l1l\laWa VI ctOry for our oppon
ents wh ose t ea m includ es three Comm and shots and
a co up le of Batt alion shots. . Th at we led. by the
small margin of 10 pomts IS eVid ence of th e mterest
ing tu ssle and it was not until th e last round~ had
been fir ed 'that t he fin al position could ~e determmed.
It was rather anticipated that a :whIst .dTl ve ani!
t ombola held in our Mess th e preVIous rugh t would
detrim entally influence our score, but S.S. M.
TEmple cu r mainst ay S.Q.M .S. Black. and 8ergt.
Bolton ' main tain ed t heir form, and .Wlth all our
opponents fil;ng bel~w our expectatIOns, ,;e had
th e di stinction of belDg ~he first Serge3;nt~ Mess.
t eam t o lower the colours of. the 1sb .Km g s Own
R oyal R egt. Mess for a consldelrabl e ~Im e .
.
""ith th e commencement of th~ IndiVidual Tramin g Season in April our Op'en R ange practi ces fo r'
the seaso n end ed, and we can ?ong rat,ulate oursel ve~
on havin g enjoy ed an mterestm g and ,s uccessful Sl~
months' shoot ing. Our " ttendances mcreased an
our scores improved, although on t he most Important

THE

ROYAL

ARMY PAY CORPS J OliRNAL

occasion the imp'rove~ent wa~ not generally sustamed. Our attempt.lD th e Egypt, Palestine and
SucLan Trophy competitIOn was made in rather dull
weather with a di agonal following wind , and
although thiS did not a ppear to disturb S.Q.M.S.
Black (76) , Sergt. P ountney (69) and Sergt.
Marshall (68) , our " tail" could not wag. N evertheless, our posi tion among the ot her entrants by
no means dJsgraced us.
Spoons for th e Open R ange during F e.brual'ty
March a nd Ap ril were W Oll by S.Q.M .S.s Black and
Asher, aud Sergean ts Anderton Bolton and Vin cent
We now await t he cooler w~ath er to resum e ou~
acti vities. and as th e annual cla~ifi cati o n t a kes place
on the 1st October, our next Rifl e Clu b notes may
I'ecord t alent a mong our new arrival s.
K .L .R
'!'ennis.-Since tbe Annual Tournament. whi ch
fimsh ed last Nove mber, no serious t enni s has been
indulged in bu t general activity in tbis sport has
just begun with _a vi ew to get,tlll g members of th e
Corr s III the fin als of th e Army Championship's at
GezIra, whi ch commence on 14th May. W e are
r~present.ed III each of th e seven events ftnd it is
~m cerely hoped that th e Corps will be represented
ID a few finals .
During Ma rch, the champion ships of Cairo were
held at Gezira and we had the lu ck to see such
stars as Hu ghes (Engl a nd ), Menzel (Ju go-Sl avi a) and
Mt'lt~xa, P.alada and Kinsel (Austria) in action.
TheIr tenn~s was ma rvellous and it gave the spectators an Idea of the standard that international
players have to a ttain.
Up to date we have played three fri endly games
which ha ve resurted as follows:v. Royal Engineers. Draw 9-9.
v. RA.S .C. Won 10-5.
v .. H eliopolis Sporting Club. Lost 6- 0.
AgaID. t the Sportlllg Club we were out of our
standa rd , bu~ ~h e gam e was arranged, to give pract ice to. OUI' .palrs who have ente red for th e Army
Champlollshlp,s and , al t hough beat en so decisively,
severa l set s were t..'tk en to 715 and 6/ 4.
T!us season we a re not entering for th e C. of E .
Semol' R anks Tennis L eagueconlfining the
Sergeants' Mess ga mes to " fi-i e~dJj es"
Detachment Sports Day.- It cannot be deni ed th at
one of th e co nsolations 01', to th ose who app reciate
Egypt, one of ~h e adva ntages of a tour in this
country IS tb a t In the event of any fun ction b:eing
proposed. f~n' a long tIme a head , one ca n. safely
offer a. ou11lon to one that th e weath er will be id eal.
Such was th e case on th e 10th April, wh en under
th e auspJCes of the R eginl ental Fund a length v programme of events of an a thl eti c a n~ amusing
nature. was arranged. It spea ks well for th e venture
when It
reahsed that over 200 attended eoxclusive
of outsid e spect.' ttors and visitor s. Space will
not pen n it of a detail ed li st of t he events no\'
yeli of th e pri ze winners, but it is no t to be deni ed
t,hat th e comp,eti tol'st both male and female, young
a~d old. gave of their bes t and th at those WTlO did
wm wel:e deserving winn ers. A special item was
the Re~m ental P ay Office Section relay r ace, which
Was thiS ~a r won by Section :R /3, the .t eam,
~ understand , havi.n g been trained by S.Q.M.S.
M.i
tcl1 el1.
pllring th e afte rnoon , and for th e benefit of those
ch ll.dren both small and t all who enj oyed /Ilheir
~ntlcs, Sergts. F ergusson and Evans performed as
'Algy ftnd Dad", the Deta"hment comedians and

1.

~me

ca.n truthJul\y aver th at th ey were unequall ed

theIr efforts and th at they were without doubt
the ha rdest work ed couple ~n the....field.
In the Sergeants ' Mess at 6.15 p.m. Mrs. Kingan
on behalf of Mrs. Ril ey, who was unfortunately not
able to be present owing to illness, kindly presented
the pri zes, of whi ch t here were DO less th an 70.
The sports programme then t erminated with a
hearty vote of tha~k s being accorded to Mrs. Kingan
and to Colonel Rd ey for hI S keen Illte:rest whi ch
assured to the whol e det achmen't and famili es such
a pleasant day. A departure from th e norm al was
then observed wh en little J ean Arge-n, on behalf of
the whol e of tb e Det achm ent, presen ted Colonel
Riley with a splendid bouquet which sbe requested
him to gi ve to Mrs. Ril ey with our best wi shes for
a speedy recovery.
A social evening was th en arranged by t he special
co~nl1tt e e appolUted under th e pre~i1den cy of Cap'ta m F. G. Norton , M.C., D.C.M., and a t 11 p.m .
a long and ti,;ng but very plea sant day was brought
to a close.
Sergeants ' Mess Entertainments .-The summ er
season of en t ertainm ent has commenced.
A
"hearts" drive was held on 17th April as a tryout
at this parti cular ga me; though not largely at tended .
a very pleasa nt evenlll g was spent.
A whi st dl;ve alld tombob. and a whist drive
and dance were held on 21st April and 5t h Mav
respecti vely . buth fun ction s bein g well a ttended and
very successful.
10

GIBRALTAR .

Changes in Staff.-These have now been complet ed

by the sudden despatch of 8.S.M. Smith and Sergt.
Fisher , and their fa miJj es . to U.K. bv packet pas sage after weary weeks of waiting. S.S.M. Deacon
and famjl y al'riveid in mid-Fe bruary and Sergt.
Pond and family arrived on Ma~' 2nd . Mr. J .
Rom ero has left us to tak e up a good post. in tth e
Colonial Treasurer's Office n,nd we wish him good
luck. H e will be missed from the cri cket t eam .
Dinner.-A very pleasant evening was spent at
th Magda Cafe on th e occasion of a dinn el' and
dan ce held to welcom e new alTi va l in t hi s station
and to bid. farew ell to t,hose leaving th e "Rock" .
Li eut.-Colonel and Mrs. F ennell and alJ members
of t he det,achm ent were present a.nel th e company
included th e wiv es of members and ex-m embers of
th e Corp's. and a few pecially invited guest s. a
total of approximately 50. Th e dinner was excellently ser ved and was foll owed hy th e usual toasts
mld speeches. The remainder of the evening until
2 a. m. was spent in dancing in th e ballroom to
I,he mu sic of t he Cafe band. The evening w.as
thoroughly enjoyed by everyone present. and it is
hODed th at th e function will becom e an annual one.
Personal.-Sel'g t. Collins wa s ta ken in to hospi ta l
on 23rcl Apri l, andl he was operated on at once
for appendi x abscess follow ed by acute pat+itonItis. H e was between life and deal.h for davs but
now , happily, he is making a good recovEl:y rind
we hope th at he will soon be as fit as ever ag.a in.
Cricket.-Up to th e t im e of despatching t.hese
noteo we have pla.yed and lost three mat ches, and
it is evid ent that our t eam wiJl not be as strong
as last year . N evertheless the enthusi asm is still
maintain ed and an eonioyable s ~ aso~ is anti cip'ated.
W e a re assisted by Master Frankhn (who has replaced Rom ero) an el by Master David Deacon. These
two boys show excellent promi se and in a year or
t wo shou ld b e of great valu e to thel office sid e.

THE

ROYAL

ARMY PAY

HONG KONG.
These notes cover the first three months of 19~
a period which affords us very little scope for \~nt
ing lengthy notes; but glancing t;hrough the diary
one is struck by th e number of (Jur, ?ffice staff who
have been on the sick list or ID hospital. Throughout the quarter there has always been at least one
in hospital , and at one IIlme we had fou r away at
the same time.
It was with profound regret that we learnt of the
sudden death on March 2nd of Sergeant R Preslm ,
who had been admitted to hospital !;en. days previously. Representatives of eve~y um t ID the garri son att ended the funeral. wh ich too~ place on
the following day, and. ~ ful~ a<)co u~t, Wl ll he found
un der the Obituflry Noti ces 111 thl;; Issue .. . .
His death wi ll affect our sportmg act l vltles, fo r
not only was he a good rifle shot and. a useful ten-,
nis player, but: he was also a good sW im mer andi
a n all-round athlete.
We are glad to welcome Staff Sergeant Cro~s hack
to duty after an absence of .fifteen ,~eeks on the
sick list, and congratul ate him on hiS promotIOn
last December.
Before leaving the subject of sickn ess we should
like to record that during the past year 897 wor~
ing days have been lost, through this cause. ThiS
surely must be a record.
.
_
On 9th January WE said farew.ell t<.> Cap.tam anO
Mrs. Edinger, who left us for Tlentsm on the S.S.
Hunan. and shortly afterwards welcom~d Capt.
8.Q.M.S. Miller a~d
Mackenzi e from Ti entsin.
familv and Sergeant Tru e arrived on the Neural~a
on 10th February and have now settlEd down m
their new surroundin gs.
Priva te A. G . DoddreU of the 1st So.uth Wales
Borderers has joined the office on probatIon for the
Corps. Wc wish him every success :
.
Bathing picnics thi s sum mer WlU b~ senou ~l y
affect&d by the loss of the "'fommy Atkms" which
was rammed by the K wong Fook Cheong on 3rd
J anuary, and! sunk in 100 feet of water near the
Ma Wan light. She was returmng from Tm Lam
Camp, CasUe Peak , when the accident occurr~d.
Fortunately ~o lives were lost but we ~hall miss
the vessel thJS summer.
Tennis.--Bevera.l afternoons have been spent at
Sookunnoo. an d further games in the men's doubles
competit,ion bave been played.
S.S.M. Thompson and Sgt. Taylor beat S .Q.M.S.
Laws a,nd Sgt. Preslin.
Sgt. Tribble and Sgt. Nash beat S.Q.M.S. Warman and Sgt. Rarris.
.
Sgt. Wi lRon and 'S gt. Garrod beat Sgt. Tnbble
and Sgt. Nash.
Sgt. Pledger and SISt. Carter beat S.S.M. Th ompson and Sgt,. TaylOl'
Sgt. Wi lson and Sgt. Garrod beat S.Q.M.S. Laws
and Sgt. Preslin.
.
Sgt. Plede'er and Sgt,. Carter beat Sgt. Tnbble and
Sgt. Nash..
hI
Rifle Shooting.-The third and fourth mont y
spoon shoot~ were won by Sgt. Nash.
.
On 23rd J anuary we met. "A" Company 1st LmcoIn Regt. on t,he .miniature range.
.
Owing to casualties woe were not able to nomm ate
our best team. but we managed to. get te~ wgether
and fired three practices. After an mt.erestmg match
we were beaten by 21 points (493-472).
During the following week we m.et the ~.A. O .C.
in a return match and succeeded m bea tmg th em

CORPS

JOURNAL

by 31 p'oints. (In the last _match they beat. us by

21 poin't s). At the conclusion of the match we,
were entertai ned to tea.
.
After being postponed several tJmes we were ~It
last able to carry out the posta.! shoot arrang ~ d .
with the Record an d Pay Office, Preston, but th e
results were poor>.. a nd we were beaten eaSily.
We are 100kiJlg forw ard W the return match when
we hop e to give a bette~ account of ourselves and.
to fire it off. on the appomted day.
The mini ature r ange has also been the seene of
some excitIng struggles between the ladl es. and
the spoons have been won by Mrs. Th ompson (presented by the Sports Club) , Mrs. Sande.rsou and
M s Wilson (presented by Capt. Elliot-HEywood )
and Mrs. Sanderso n and Mrs. Pledger (presented !.> y
S/Sgt. Cross) .
.
On 7th March we fired agamst th e RA.O .C. on
the open range at Stonecutters.
At their request we t,urn ed out a team , b u~ casualties prevented it being. our best team. OWIng, too ,
to other matches taking place and also to .the
markers being on duty from 8 a. m .. the p'ract~ces
were red.u ced to two-at 500 an~ 600 ya,rds. The
Detachment was beaten' by 58 pomts. ,
On 15t,h January a Gart'IRon Sergeants Mess Meetwas held , an'd_ six .members of the office were
10
se ectEd for various duties.
In a dance given by 27th Co. RA.M.C. at the
Military Hospital on 20th Janua.ry , Sgt. and Mrs.
Wilson won the prize dance, WIth Sgt. and Mrs.
Tribble as ruun ers up.
.
. . .
We congratulate Sergeant WIIson on wmmng the
Garrison Sgts. ' Mess Billiard Cup for 1934.

.t

MALAYA.
Promotions.-We congratulate our C.P. O? hi~
p'romotion to Lieut. Colonel , and L fSgt. H ewltt on
his appointment. It is very pleasm g t,o know. th~t
we have not yet become th e "Forgotten LegIOn .
. .
H eTe' s hoping for some more.
Arrivals.-Sel'geant A. L. Brown has Jom ed U'
from Eninburgh . We .have Ilot yet been abl\ t:;
test hi s capabilities as hiS first spell here was ma\ ecl
by a period of "soldier;ng" when he was atta c e.
to th e ht Wiltshire R egt. for a Gas Course'. It IS
rumoured t,hat he made a "m ess" of It., but has
assured us that some gases are li quids. A n y ,~ay the
shall t ast e of th e fountain of knowledge ID
e
near future.
.
b'
m
sport The garri son of Fort Ca DDJI1g emg co ., .
I1
d
ve have
nosed of odds and-sha we say, en s'.'
.
individu als who join in whate ver sport IS _gom~,
accordina to th eir lights. Som e of t he h glits. ~Ie
dim buteven a littl e fli cker is het.ter th an !I 0 hg ~
Om' C.P . plays cricket for the Umte,d Servlce~ , and
Sergt,. "Tishy" Cash man is the Fort s energetic :'~n
"hon ey.tongu ed" cricket secre~ary, l!' very busy, for
these 'days and he has very little t~me to spate 'f
closing down th e pay li st, hu~ st~ll , thntldde~hab
malleI'. I t is beEeved tbat he ~s secretly g a
thi s is hi s last, season on the Job.
with a
General'. -We are shortl y to be blessed
rted
Financial Advi ser of our own , and he has sta esvery hadlv by takin g over naTt of our alre~ty rare
tricted o'mce sJ?ace:
P erhaps he doesnot c
wh ether he l'8rnam S JI1 our good books or n . that
" Mon ey is a curse" : come E ast , noW' th o
Colonial All owan ce ha s been taken frol1,1l1 find
bachelors and those semi-detached, and you \VI
some truth in that saying.
29 0

THE

ROYAL

ARMY PAY

A local newspap,er has even asked tbe question,

in its outspoken columns, " How much will a soldier
have to pay for the honour of serving overseas, now
that coloDlal allowance has been reduced to the
nth degree?"
Those of you who anticipate a tour in this sunny
clim e are advised to save up all your mouldy coppers before coming here, yo u will need them when
you arri ve.
ENOB . .
MALTA.
Our office representative "Buttons" is, unfortun ately. unable to write his quarterl y notes and we,
who have in the past reviled his memory, now bave
the thankless task of compiling these notes. Yes,
it is "we". No one in the office could, in th e
absence of "Buttons", carry out the job singlehanded, so acting unpaid "co-representatives" were
ap,pointed.
.
We do not propose to enthuse over our climate,
to deplore the price of beer, or even regal e you
with a n account of a couple of smQking concerts
attended by certain stalwarts. We do, howev er,
intend on the 1st of July next to drink th e health
of those responsible for t,he part restoration of our
"cuts". Th e Fleet h as returned to Malt a and consequently eggs have doubled in price, as also have
other commodities; still, who feels like stJreaJqy
hacon these morniugs? Life is at its gayest.
Arrivals.-Lt.-Colonel H. R W. Dawson and
family , to whom we . extend our sympathy in that
they travelled by troopship, in poor con trast to
Sergts. Paul an d Marks, with families, who traveIJ Ed
de luxe by freight.. We wish all a happy sojourn
on this island.
Departures,- Lt.-Colonel N . Forde and family. It
is always a wrench to part wi t.h a good officer and
friend for friend to us he was, as also was Mrs.
Forde. Our loss is Warley's gain .
S/Sgt. Harding, Sgt. Rowley and fami li es. Our
best wi h es Wel'8 given tbem at an impromptu concert held in th e Garrison Sergeants' Mess the evening r.rior t o their. departure, . in both song and
verse. 'Ne wond er If Tommy WlU remember our last
ghaJ~'v rid e to th e R.E. Mess in search of those
"MeditfI':m ea n Blues" and on arrival being led
quip.t1y away b.v - -, but no nam es no pack dri ll .
A last word to John : don :t forg et the silver paper.
But fOJ' a n illness, Sgt. Knapp a nd family should
have been included und er "departures" . We understand th a t, the " All Clear" signa.l has been given
and doubtl ess he will be lea ving us shortly.
Shorts from the Sports:TenniS .-OuJ' Com manding Officer has kindly presented fI trophy for annu al competi tJon . 'It is
commonly known as the "O .J." Cup, tbu~ embody
ing th e affectionate soubriquet known throughotit
the Corps. All members of tbe Corps who anticipate a t our of duty at this station should acoept
a tip ann becom e proficient at this game. Th e de
tachment team is keeping well in th e top' half of
the league table and would, no doubt, have been
in a hett er position but for sickness. A lon g-fe lt
waut has now been satisfied by th e erection of a
pavilion, credit for which is du e to Sergts . Gore
and Th ornton and theit, assistants.
Billiards and Snooker.-The annua l Ga,rrison
Sergeants' Mess handicaps for cups were played off
whi le the Fleet were on tlieir last cruise. S.O.M.S.
Newell won the Snooker tournament and Sergt.
Doherty lifted th e Billiard Cup. The Ga,n; son
Sergeants' Mess billiard team, four of whi ch were
29 1

CORPS JOURNAL

------------------------

members of this detachment, finisbed third in the

Garrison L eague. This team won a splendid tropby
in t he "McEwan Cup" knock-out competition.
Cricket.-Is now in full swing, but the detacbment
is not strong enough at present to play a full team
so "A. N. Other" is a familiar entry in the score
book. Still, several of the detachment come under
tb e heading of what a great man once call ed "fla nnell ed fools" . Very keEn and int eresti ng games are
played in the Governor's and Soldiers' Cups Matches
and also in numerous :fI-iendly games. We must
place on record . despite OVI' antip athy t,o p'ublished
stati sti cs. that 8 .S.M. Robins, playing allain for the
combin ed small units against th e R.E. took 9
wickets for 25 runs. We believe that Captain L. E.
J ames, M.C .. is proceeding on leave this summer.
"THE BLUE BOYS".
TIENTSIN.
Departures and Arrivals.-Since the last notes
from thi s Deta.:hment appeared in the " Journ al",
Captain L. H. M. Mackenzie has left us for Hong
Kong. hein~ relieved by Capt.ain E . D . Edinger.
S.S.M. T. H. Dmmmond proceeded to ShaJlghai for
a year of single bliss. hi s fami ly ha,,-in;g mn barked
for the United Kingdom. S.Q.M.S. F. C. Barrett
and S.Q.M.S. E . Knight have also departed for a
well earned rest in Gosport and Woolwich respectively. Th eir reliefs are S.S.M. W. OralJn ifrom
Shanghai, S.Q.M.S. E . C. Peters, and S.Q.M.S.
A. W. L . Shepherd from "Home-side". We bope
all will enjoy themselves in their new stations.
J'he estahlishm en t of Tientsin having been increased by one, L /Sgt. P. M. L ee, duly Nlported
for duty in December l as~ .
Promotion .--Congratulations to S/ Sgt. R. L. WilHams 011 attainiug that r ank.
Sport.-The Staff a,ud Departmental hockey team
emerged vi ctors of the Tien /;l;in League, L / Sgt. Lee
being our on ly r ep resentative.
With th e advent of su mmer, badm inton racquets
and skates have been placed in th e old oak chest.
and uow th e air is fi ll ed \vi th talk of cricket and
!;ennis.
Detachment Notes.-It is ,vitb great reli ef that
we are able to r ecord the lu cky escape of our two
junior members from what might easily have been
a tragedy. At least" t hey looked upon it as a
relief. A thin layer of ice on a fi h-hole neal1'ly
proved th eir uudoing. A cold swim with the tem perature round about zero , and clothed in fur caps.
jerkins and g leatcoa t~ . is Ilot the general idea of a
congenial pastim e. It says world s fOI' our stock
of rum t,hat th e in evitab.le colds did not follow .
Since> Captoain Edingl' took over th e duti es of
O.C. Army Field Post Office, there is talk of our
can bad~e' be in g altel'ed' to include a postage sta!,"p
with sUl'charges rampant. W e are now lookmg
forward to extending our fi eld of activity by taking
over. any other almost defun ct hranches of the
servICe.
With the increase in staff. \\'6 hope to enioy a
spot of leavlo' o,t Shanhaikunn without wonderinr
how th e rema;ning staff are faring. A sample of
th e Gre.'tt W all of Chin a mav now be obtained 011
repavm ent. Of course. it would not be possibl e to
accede to requ ests such as th at of a certaiu Pett"
Offi'cer of the Royal Navy last summ er. Whi lst
Ius ship was anchor ed in the Bay. he signalled t o
his friends a~hore to bl'ing hack a bit of the WA 1]
as a souvenir. H e promptly received t,he repl
" Throw LIS a haw er. anrl you can tow the whole
thing back hom e with you".
"OUTPOST".

THE

ROYAL

ARMY PAY

BOOK REVIE W .

"And Quiet Flows the Don" , by Mi chael Sholo I,hov. Transl ated from the Russian by Steph-e<rl
Garry, published by Putnam-7 / 6 net.
The author has produced a long and remarkabl e
story of Cossack li fe ill the Don country in the
years of peace, war, revolution and ci vi! war .
The Cossack VIll age of Tatarsk on th e Don provides the setting for the fi rst part, and th e ce ntral
figures in th e story come hom the Melekhov household.
In the period immediately before the outbreak of
war in 1914, Gregor Melekhov is engaged in twding
h is father's farm on the banks of the Don , and
in courting Aksinia, the wife of his neighbour, who
had alre2dy proceeded to a Cossack training camp .
His father on learning through village gossip of
t heir relations compels Gregor to accept his choi ce
of a bride-Natalia.--daughter of one of th e richest
families in Tatarsk. They marry, but it is not lon g
uefore Gregor deserts her and returns to Aksinia,
who, on her husband's return from camp had been
a lmost beaten to death for her infidelity.
Gregor is turned out of the Melekhov hut a,nd
finds employment for Aksinia and himself on a
farm ill a neighbouring village. A child is born
and Gregor has to go off for his 4 years' Army
training at a camp on the Austro-Russian border.
Then comes the War. In Tatarsk it is marked
by the arrest of Stockman, a locksmith and revolutionary, in whose hut a number of peasants were
wont to gather in the "good old days" to r ead
' forbidden' literature. Gregor is sent, to a theatre
of war and is wounded.
The war scenes are depicted in vivid detail. The
descrip'tions are in places dramatic and horrible, but
t he story is of remarkaJble interest.
Gregor begins to get tired of the monotony of
war, is again wounded, and sent to a hospita.1 in
Moscow. Here he meets a Ukrainian soldier who is
engaged in revolutionary propaganda. Eventually
he returns to hi~ . native vill age hy t,he Don.
The account of the unrest in the Cossack ranks
j'etween the two revolutions of 1917 is both vivi d
a nd realistic.
Bunchuk, a r evolutionary machine gun commander, tak es the place of, Gregor as tob e centra.!.
figure . After recovering from tYl?hoid fever , 'he
falls in love with hi s young J ewish nurse who is
. (lon kill ed in strEet fighting.
Bunchuk. now at th e head of a revolutionary
t l'ibunal , is kill ed by Cossacks in a massacre of R ed
Guards.
The terrors of the ci vi l war and the execution of
the Red Guards oefore a crowd of idle spectators,
a re d e~crib ed in minutoC' and vivid detail, and one
ca ll not help contrastin g the state of the villages
d[!rin~ this per iod with the peaceful conditions that
prevaIled on t he Don in th e opening months of 1914.
Th ere is mu ch grim MId sordid detail which might
"'ell have bEen left out, but nevertheless Sholokhov
has pl'<.duced a remarkable book.

Contract Bri dge A I1s wers to Prob l em.~.

Problem I: The writer was Z and he bid
"One Spade". Y made a demand of "Three
Diamonds". Z could now place 7 out of
the st H.C .T. To find out more about
his partrier's hand, he made the irregular

CORPS

JOURNAL

bid of "Four Clubs" . His partner replied

with "Four Hearts" . Z then bid "Six No
Trumps." A doubled .

Problem 11 : Since A chose to double and

sq give away the position of her strength,
she must have felt certain, of downing the
contract and Z therefore puts her with all
the uns~en strength . The position is ;-

. 87
QA1065
OAKS5
+ QJ3

. KJx
QQJx
OQxx

+?

(plus 3
unknown cards) . AQI09

QK 94
OJ93
+ AK4
The best chance s~emed to me to establish a long Diamond, and hope for a Heart
lead from A.
Trick
A

.4
04

010

Q3

Z finesses the 9 because A is mar~ed

with Q but no~ with 10, A does not WIsh
to lead Clubs up to Z who has bid "Four
Clubs", so she leads a Heart having fQur.

Q5

Q7

\/9

Z now sees a squeeze, and plays as

follows:

5
6
7
~

OQ
+ S
+ 10
.5

OA

+3

.1-J
+ Q
?
OS
. S
QAI06

. KJ
QQJ8

07
+ 2
+ 5
+6
x

OJ

+A
R+4
4HO

~
. AQ
QK4

Whatever A p lays
loses the rest.

011

trick No. 9, he