This is another one of the small bits of history which I have never seen before.
Back during the last world war they would have been issued in their millions and most will have been lost, discarded or destroyed long ago.
At the time they would be prized as the passport home even if it was for just a short period.
Now the granting of leave was an essential part of maintaining morale but most history books gloss over this aspect of military service and until now I had never seen a document relating to it.
My own uncle never managed to get home after his temporary posting to Wilmslow in the December of 1940 from where he was sent via South Africa to Greece and after the fall of that island on to Egypt, and Basra before finally arriving in the Far East where he was captured in 1942.
In time I hope to be able to track down Mr Williams who was granted leave from HMS Pembroke on February 11 1944.
I do know that HMS Pembroke was a shore establishment located in Chatham and that along with a barracks there was an HMS Pembroke 1 which was an accounting base from 1940 till 1960 so just possibly our Mr Williams was involved in clerical duties.
We shall see.
Picture; Leave Ticket, February 11 1944 from the collection of Jayne Bailey
At the time they would be prized as the passport home even if it was for just a short period.
Now the granting of leave was an essential part of maintaining morale but most history books gloss over this aspect of military service and until now I had never seen a document relating to it.
My own uncle never managed to get home after his temporary posting to Wilmslow in the December of 1940 from where he was sent via South Africa to Greece and after the fall of that island on to Egypt, and Basra before finally arriving in the Far East where he was captured in 1942.
In time I hope to be able to track down Mr Williams who was granted leave from HMS Pembroke on February 11 1944.
I do know that HMS Pembroke was a shore establishment located in Chatham and that along with a barracks there was an HMS Pembroke 1 which was an accounting base from 1940 till 1960 so just possibly our Mr Williams was involved in clerical duties.
We shall see.
Picture; Leave Ticket, February 11 1944 from the collection of Jayne Bailey
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