British Army Pay in WW2

That was a hairy bit of fun.

 

A response more in keeping with the title than the question in #1.

I do not have the rates of pay for the Army but here are the rates for the RN in 1942 which will be comparable.
Ranks, Badges and Pay in the Royal Navy in World War 2

Pay for the Armed Forces was poor. The powers that be taking the view that little pay was needed as they provided free food, accommodation and clothing. The drop in pay on enlistment/conscription was, for many, considerable and this caused problems for those with financial commitments.
Married men were entitled to a Marriage Allowance, which was paid direct to their wives. Here again there was a problem as the allowance was only paid to those aged over 25. Not a problem with the Regular Forces in peacetime who knew the regulations before they joined up but a real problem for those married and under 25 who were now joining. The regulations were hastily amended and the qualifying age reduced (to, I think, 21).

From the War Diary of a RASC platoon fighting in Singapore:



Tim

 

Hi and I have seen in some instances that OR have been promoted to unpaid positions....can't understand why someone could become an unpaid L/Cpl...can anyone enlighten me please?

 

Acting /Unpaid L/Cpl many had no choice, others misbehaved to get busted back to Private.
Some were happy to accept promotion and some were interested in the power.

 

Generally servicemen were promoted to 'Acting (unpaid)' and after 21 days granted the pay of rank:-

 

Brilliant...I wonder off-hand, what a Lieutenant's pay was in 1944 in Imphal (commissioned in 1940 and in India since 1942).

 

There are tables at the bottom of this which give examples for the end of war gratuities. They also give a listing of daily pay for OR and Officers.

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commo...a2af548bf7/Ex-ServicePersonnel(WarGratuities)

 

Fantastic - many thanks indeed and VERY interesting!