Thomas Welsh

He attested at Grimsby 8/9/1914 weighing 142 lbs and standing 5' 4" tall having served in the Special Reserve since 1902. His disciplinary record was poor. He was awarded 56 days Field Punishment (FP) No 1 25/8/1915 for 1) When on active service disobeying a lawful command by his superior officer 2) When on active servise using insubordinate language to his superior officer. On9/12/1915 he received 28 days FP No1 for 1) Highly improper conduct 2) Drunkenness 3) Breaking out of a billet when on duty. He was taken out of the line for six days with neurasthenia (shell shock) 11/3/1916.

Special Reserve This was a form of part-time soldiering, in some ways similar to the Territorial Force. Men would enlist into the Special Reserve for 6 years and had to accept the possibility of being called up in the event of a general mobilisation and otherwise undertake all the same conditions as men of the Army Reserve. Their period as a Special Reservist started with six months full-time training (paid the same as a regular) and they had 3-4 weeks training per year thereafter. A man who had not served as a regular could extend his SR service by up to four years but could not serve beyond the age of 40. A former regular soldier who had completed his Army Reserve term could also re-enlist as a Special Reservist and serve up to the age of 42. All regiments had a unit (or more) dedicated to the administration and training of the Special Reservists. For example in most infantry regiments it was the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion. Field Punishment Field Punishment was introduced in 1881 following the abolition of flogging, and was a common punishment during World War I. A commanding officer could award field punishment for up to 28 days, while a court martial could award it for up to 90 days. Field Punishment Number One, often abbreviated to ‘F.P. No. 1’ or even just ‘No. 1’, consisted of the convicted man being placed in fetters and handcuffs or similar restraints and attached to a fixed object, such as a gun wheel or a fence post, for up to two hours per day. During the early part of World War I, the punishment was often applied with the arms stretched out and the legs tied together, giving rise to the nickname ‘crucifixion’. This was applied for up to three days out of four, up to 21 days total. It was usually applied in field punishment camps set up for this purpose a few miles behind the front line, but when the unit was on the move it would be carried out by the unit itself. It has been alleged that this punishment was sometimes applied within range of enemy fire. During World War I Field Punishment Number One was issued by the British Army on 60210 occasions. Field Punishment Number One was eventually abolished in 1923, when an amendment to the Army Act which specifically forbade attachment to a fixed object was passed by the House of Lords. (Wikipedia)