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[PennyRambler]

Hi,

I'm hoping someone can help me with interpreting my Grandad's service record.

His service record shows him on HMS Terror on 8 December 1935 (which was in Singapore at the time) and the very next day he was stationed at the HMS Drake barracks in Plymouth. Due to travel times in the period this is obviously impossible, so there must be some transfer time buried in there. Either he had left Singapore prior to December but remained on Terror's books for a time or he left Singapore in December and was immediately placed on the books of HMS Drake even though it would have taken him a few weeks to get there.

Was there a convention at the time about when you switched from one set of books to the other? Was it when you left your last posting or arrived at your new posting? Or could it vary?

Any advice you can offer would be appreciated as my Grandad died in 1941 and I'm trying to fill in some of the blanks for my Father, who was a young child at the time.

Thanks.

[James_harvey]

Are you using his parchment or the mod records

A person would stay on the books of the shop until paid off on the mod records they show passage as a seperate entry whereas the parchment doesn’t .

[PennyRambler]

Thanks for the reply and sorry for the late acknowledgement.

The service record I have is from the MOD (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/request-records-of-deceased-service-personnel). Unfortunately it doesn't show passage. One day he is in Singapore and the next he is in Plymouth.

Searches on the National Archives website don't find any matches. Are there any other possible sources I can try for the more complete record?

Thanks.

[PhiloNauticus]

As indicated above, he would have stayed 'on the books' of Terror until he joined the next establishment.  If it was in the 1930's he may well have travelled back to UK on a troopship.

Could you post up details of his service? or give dates etc?