From the Western Front to Salonika - Memorabilia

Below is shown a transcript of Herbert Halliday's discharge certificate. It is divided into four sections by horizontal lines each of which will be described in turn.

Serial No W1667

Army Form B. 2079.

NOTE:---This Certificate is to be issued without any altera-
tions in the manuscript.

Certificate of discharge of No..79709........Rank.....Driver......................... Name............HALLIDAY.............Herbert........................
Unit* and Regiment or Corps from which discharged	}	Surname.	Christian Names in full.
		................R.H.&R.F.A.....................

*The unit of the Regiment or Corps such as Field Co. R.E., H.T., or M.T., A.S.C., etc., is invariably to be stated.

Regiment or Corps to which first posted.............R...F...A.......................... Also previously served in........................................................................ ............................................................/H.F.................................. .......................................................................................................... ..........................................................................................................
Only Regiments or Corps in which the soldier served since August 4th, 1914, are to be stated. If inapplicable this space is to be ruled through in ink and initialled.
Specialist Qualifications (Military)...............nil.......................................... ...........................................................................................................
Medals, Clasps, Decorations and Mentions in dispatches	{	Medals for present campaign not yet awarded.	Wound Stripes*..nil..
			To be inserted in words.
Has served Overseas on Active Service+ Enlisted at..............Accrington.................on...........12·8·14..191......
*Each space is to be filled in and the word "nil" inserted where necessary. +To be struck out in ink if not applicable.

He is discharged in consequence of...Surplus..to..military..requirement
....(....having....suffered....impairment....since....entry....................
....into......the....service....Para..392..XV1A..KR.............................
after serving*..Four....years...213.................days with the Colours, and

*....nil....years*....nil....days in the

Army Reserve
or
~~Territorial For~~ce+

}

Strike out
whichever
inapplicable.

*Each space is to be filled in and the word "nil" inserted where necessary; number of
years to be written in words.
+Service with Territorial Force to be shown only in cases of soldiers serving on a
T.F. attestation.

Date of discharge........12..·..3..·..19...............Colonel	}		Signature and Rank.
........................................H Fasalup........Colonel

I/C..R.H.&R.F.A.	Office i/c..R.H.&R.F.ARecords.
	.............Woolwich.... (Place).

Description of the above-named soldier when he left the Colours.
Year of Birth..........1893.............	Marks or Scars.................................
Height........5........ft.....6¾.....in.	............................../.....................
Complexion....Fresh..................	.........................../........................
Eyes...Brown.... Hair...Brown	......................../...........................

(91817.)

Wt. W1912/PP1138

760m.

5/18

S. & C.

(E3267.)

[P.T.O.

The first section shows that on discharge he held the rank of driver and was discharged from the RH & RFA (Royal Horse and Royal Field Artillery).

The second section states that he was first posted to the RFA and had not previously served in a regiment (since this area has been crossed out and initialled by the officer signing the discharge certificate). It also states that he had no specialist military qualifications, had not yet received his medals and did not receive any wound stripes. Wound stripes were 2" vertical stripes worn on the left cuff. The number of stripes awarded being the number of times the soldier was wounded. The fact that Herbert did not receive any shows that he was not wounded at any time during his service, and tends to indicate that the army did not count gassing as wounding. This section also states that he served overseas on active service and confirms his enlistment at Accrington on 12th August 1914.

The third section states his reason for discharge as "Surplus to military requirement. Having suffered impairment since entry into the service. Para 392 XVIA KR". This is referring to paragraph 392 of the King's regulations subsection XVIA. I cannot find subsection XVIA in the King's regulations which may have been a 1919 update and is not held by the Imperial War Museum.

His period of service is stated as four years, 213 days, and he was discharged on 12th March 1919. The certificate was signed by the Colonel of records and issued at Woolwich.