Long gap after WW2 to demobilise

[airbolt]

I obtained my father's service records from WW2 . He served in the Far East ( India / Burma ) in the RAF.
According to the records , he was not demobilised until well into 1946. This was 6-9 months after all hostilities had ceased. I can understand why sorting out transport back to the UK was problematic but why keep serviceman "active" for such a long period?

Also, were there any ructions over this dragged out process in the British forces after WW2?

[MarkRae]

> but why keep serviceman "active" for such a long period?

Two main theories:

1) even though victory in Europe was long past, victory in Asia wasn't, and there was still "lots to do" - this is the official line...

2) Britain was seriously short of food and supplies, especially with the recent demobilisation of the forces serving in Europe - this is probably the real reason...


> were there any ructions over this dragged out process in the British forces after
> WW2?

Were there ever! Start here:
http://en.wikipedia.o...emobilization_strikes

[dothawkes31]

My grandfather served in WW1 and after 1918 he was transferred to the reserves until 1928, in the last year of his reserve status he was called up again and sent to work in the ship yards in Newcastle during the general strike

[heathfield]

Can you imagine the effect on the country if all of the armed forces had been demobilised on the same date? Almost all of them would have found no jobs to go to. Instead, they were released bit by bit. It was the intention that, as industry and society got back to normal, a gradually increasing number of jobs would be created, allowing ex-servicemen to take up employment on their release. It was known from the start that this would take some time to accomplish.

[colin6789]

He may have been involved in bringing home other servicemen including ex Japanese POWs so this would have kept him in the far east for that time. My father was not demobed until well into 1947. He was in the Royal Engineers and was involved in mine clearance on the south coast of England after VE day and later he was sent to Austria as it was divided like Germany. I think he was OK with this even though he had a job and home to go to back in the UK which many did not.

[MarkRae]

You're certainly correct about that. Many servicemen who had survived the war were faced with the prospect of returning "home" to find that their family home had been destroyed by aerial bombing, and their entire family killed in the process save maybe for a niece or nephew who had been lucky enough to have been evacuated...

[airbolt]

Thanks for the link MarkRae. Theres a reference to a strike by RAF personnel in India - which my Dad never mentioned. Then again , he never talked about the war much.

[MarkRae]

> he never talked about the war much

It tends to be "all or nothing" with veterans. On the one hand there are those like your father who hardly ever mention it, and on the other there are those like Uncle Albert from Only Fools and Horses. There is rarely anything in between...

[Wozzawasp]

There were several protests in, I think 1947, at the proposed slowing down of release from the army. In Singapore a meeting proposed a "strike" - deemed by the Govt to be mutiny- this resulted in the break up of 13th Bn (I think) Parachute Regt. Personnel were posted to various other theatres.

In Egypt meetings were held - I was at a large gathering just outside Suez, in a Naafi hall with the lights turned off, when various speakers urged the assembled soldiers to strike. The result was the arrest and court martial of a number of men from 1st Bn Highland Light Infantry. In the neighbouring Bn, 1st Royal West Kents all regular soldiers(not conscripts) were issued with rifles to prevent dissidents from outside entering the camp, and I beleive the Riot Act was read..

I don't think all this had any effect on the Governments proposals!

[reinganum]

In WW1 certain essential workers were the last to be called up and the first to leave, and this 'last-in, first-out' system led to resentments then. So in WW2, a system was devised based on a combination of age and length of service. However, this, too led to resentments since some men had had a very tough war and others had had a relatively easy time of it, but this did not make any difference; three years' (say) service was three years' service, wherever it was served. A young man called up towards the end of the war might have found himself in uniform for some considerable time after the war. I believe Paul Addison's book "Now the War is over" has quite a good description of the difficulties men faced over demobilization.