BY BRIGADIER-GENERAL TREVOR TERNAN, C.M.G., D.S.O.,

COMMANDING 123^rd (TYNESIDE SCOTTISH) BRIGADE.

HEADQUARTERS, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE,

16^th FEBRUARY, 1915.

122 – Appointment –

            Captain F.T.V. Dunne, Royal Scots Fusiliers, having reported his arrival, is taken on the strength for special duty and is attached to the Brigade Staff from this date.

123 – Medicine Boxes – Camp, Issue of –

            The issue of Camp Medicine Boxes to the Medical Officers, 21^st, 22^nd, and 23^rd (Service) Battalions, Northumberland Fusiliers (2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th Tyneside Scottish) has been approved.

In future indents for drugs required by the Medical Officer of the Battalions named will be forwarded by them on A.F.I. 1209 in duplicate to the Deputy Director of Medical Services, Northern Command, York, and not to the Secretary, Tyneside Scottish Committee.

Authority, C.R.N.C.43859, dated 14^th February, 1915.

124 – Medical Inspection –

            With reference to Circular Memo. (T.S.606) of 12^th February, the procedure will be modified as under:-

Non-commissioned Officers and Men who are considered by the Medical Officer attached to a Battalion to be medically unfit for service will be paraded as shewn below for the inspection of Lieutenant-Colonel D.F. Franklin, R.A.M.C., Medical Inspector of Recruits, Northern Area, Northern Command.  Army Form B.204 will be carefully filled in for each man and be handed to the Medical Inspector of Recruits at the time of the parade.

23^rd (Service) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers (4^th Tyneside Scottish) Thursday, February 18^th, 1915, at 10-15 a.m. at All Saints’ Hall Gosforth.

21^st (Service) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers (2^nd Tyneside Scottish) Thursday, February 18^th, 1915, at 2-30 p.m. at Tilley’s Rooms, Newcastle-on-Tyne.

20^th (Service) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers (1^st Tyneside Scottish) – Depot Company, Friday, February 19^th, 1915, at 10 a.m. at Masonic Hall, Heaton.

22^nd (Service) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers (3^rd Tyneside Scottish) Friday, February 19^th, 1915, at 2-30 p.m. at Newburn.

125 – Extracts from Northern Command Orders –

DISCHARGES OF SOLDIERS – FINAL SETTLEMENT FOR PAY, Etc. –

            Instructions with a view to obviate delay in the final settlement for pay, etc., of soldiers on discharge are contained in Command Order No. 1551, of 31^st October, 1914, and 30/General Number/5023 (Accounts 1), of 18^th December, 1914 (circulated to Officers Commanding), but it is still found that discharges are frequently unnecessarily delayed pending the return from the Regimental Paymaster of the statement (A.F.O. 1809) showing the final balance due to the soldier, and that men are being sent on furlough for several days pending discharge while their accounts are being adjusted, instead of being discharged at once, when it has been decided to discharge them.

In many of the cases referred to, the Company Commander is in a position to ascertain from the Pay and Mess Book and other records in his possession the approximate amount of the man’s credit balance, the discharge must not be delayed pending return of Army Form O. 1809, completed by the Paymaster.  The soldier should in such circumstances be paid whatever sum is known to be due to him and his discharge carried out forthwith.  On receipt of the Army Form O.1809, whatever further payment, if any, is found to be due can then be remitted by Money Order.

In exceptional cases, when the Company Commander is unable to assess approximately the amount of the balance, and hardship would be inflicted upon the man by discharging him without funds in anticipation of the final settlement of his account, the Paymaster should be requested by wire to give the necessary information.

It should be noted that the forgoing instructions do not affect the present practice in the case of men discharged physically unfit for was service whose documents have to be sent to Chelsea ten days before the discharge takes place.  In these cases, the discharge is necessarily post-dated.

Authority, War Office letter No. 19/General Number/5308 (F.2.), dated 8^th February, 1915.

C.R. No. 43013   Northern Command Order No.205.

MINIATURE RIFLES –

            Miniature Rifles in charge of units which have become unserviceable should be returned to the C.O.O., York, for repair or renewal.  In some instances rifles have been reported as useless when they only require roughly cleaning or some small repair which could have been carried out locally.  Care must be taken that only rifles which are really worn out and which cannot be repaired regimentally are sent to York.

C.R. No. 38629 (O.S.).  Northern Command Order No.206.

CORRESPONDENCE –

            The attention of all concerned is specially directed to paragraphs 1844 and 1845, King’s Regulations, as regards the method of conducting Official correspondence.

The Central Registry number and date of previous correspondence must invariably be quoted in subsequent letters or telegrams addressed to Command Headquarters.

Correspondence from Officers Commanding Units will be written on sheets of foolscap.  Memorandum Forms will on no account be used when corresponding with outside Units.

C.R. No. 42642 (A).  Northern Command Order No.209.

POSTINGS –

            Lieutenant-Colonel D.F. Franklin, R.A.M.C., has been posted to the Northern Command with effect from the 7^th February, 1915, as Medical Inspector of Recruits.  Northern Command Order No. 213.

MEDICAL INSPECTION OF RECRUITS ON JOINING DEPOTS –

            Attention is directed to the importance of all recruits being Medically examined on joining depots.

            This examination should be promptly carried out, and recruits who are not likely to be fit for service should not be passed on to service units.

            In accordance with War Office letter No. 27/General Number/2501 (A.G.2.B.), dated 1^st December, 1914, Commanding Officers will report to the Recruiting Officers concerned when a recruit is rejected as Medically unfit on joining the depot, to enable the Recruiting Officer to withhold the examination fee of 2/6 from the Medical Officer who passed the recruit as fit.  Such recruits will be kept for inspection by the M.I.R.

Northern Command Order No. 215.

WEEKLY RETURN OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES –

            Officers in charge of Military Hospitals, Administrators of Territorial Force General Hospitals, Officers in charge of Field Ambulances, Medical Officers in charge of Units and Medical Officers in charge of Detached Troops will render a weekly return to Headquarters, Northern Command, of the infectious diseases that have occurred amongst Troops during the week.

This return will be posted so as to reach York by the first post on Saturday.

Where Civil Medical Practitioners are employed the responsibility for rendering the return will rest with the Commanding Officer.

The following are the diseases to be noted:- Smallpox, Measles, Scarlet Fever, Typhus Fever, Plague, Diphtheria, Cerebro Spinal Fever, Enteric Fever, Mediterranean Fever, Cholera, Yellow Fever, Erysipelas, Puerperal Pyaemia, Puerperal Septicaemia, and Tubercle affecting the Lungs, Larynx, or Intestines, Pneumonia.

IN CONNECTION WITH ENTERIC FEVER, IT WILL BE STATED IF THE CASE WAS INOCULATED, AND IF SO, WHETHER ONE OR TWO INJECTIONS WERE GIVEN.

            In reporting cases, the following pro forma will be used:-

Disease.	Locality.	No.	Rank.	Name.	Initials.	Unit.

            Army Form A.35 will be rendered direct to Headquarters, Northern Command, as they occur.

Northern Command Order No. 216.

; CLOTHING COMPENSATION –

            With reference to Command Orders Numbers 1281, dated 17^th September, 1914, 1591, dated 10^th November, 1914, and telegram No. 235/Q.M.G.7, of the 4^th October, 1914, sent direct to all concerned, regarding the allowance to be paid to recruits who wore their own civilian clothing owing to uniform not being available, as misapprehension has arisen as to the amount of the allowance to be paid in certain cases the following instructions should enable the necessary adjustments to be made:-

1. Men who enlisted any time after mobilization and who were required to wear their great-coat, suit of clothes, and boots should receive the sum of 10/- (ten shillings).
2. Men who enlisted after the 12^th September, and who were required to wear either of the following articles, the same being their own property, should receive for the use of a great-coat 4/- (four shillings), a suit of clothes 3/- (three shillings), a pair of boots 3/- (three shillings).
3. Men who enlisted before the 12^th September and who receive no allowance under (1) should, if they were still unclothed in uniform on the 12^th October, receive: mounted men, 10/- (ten shillings), dismounted men 7/6 (seven shillings and sixpence).

Authority, 54/General Number/1708 (Q.M.G.7.), dated War Office, 10^th February, 1915.

C.R. No. 43580 (O.S.).  Northern Command Order No.218.

WAR SERVICES – ENTRIES ON SOLDIERS’ DOCUMENTS –

            With reference to entries made under the heading “Campaigne” in the Documents of Soldiers who have served during the present War, it has been ruled that the system to be adopted in recording the War Services of such Soldiers should be shown as below:-

In the case of soldiers who, since the 5^th August, 1914, have served –

1. At Home.
2. Overseas, except India.

The entries should be as follows:-

            a “Home” (date to date).

• “Expeditionary Force, France, Egypt, East Africa, etc.”  (date to date).

Authority, War Office letter No. 35/General Number/1436 (A.G.2.B.), dated 8^th February, 1915.

C.R. No. 43012 (A).  Northern Command Order No.219.

DISCHARGE OF RECRUITS ON MEDICAL GROUNDS –

            Commanding Officers will render to Headquarters, Northern Command, as soon as possible a return shewing the number of Recruits discharged under para. 392 (iii) King’s Regulations, since Mobilization on August the 5^th, 1914.  The return will be made under the following headings:-

1. Para. 392 (iii.) c.             Numbers….   Percentage…..
2. Para. 392 (iii.) cc.           Numbers….   Percentage……

The percentage should be based on the recruits enlisted.

Returns to reach Brigade Office by first post on Thursday, the 18^th instant.

Northern Command Order No.212.

T.L.B. SOUTRY, Captain,

Brigade-Major, 123^rd (Tyneside Scottish) Brigade.