I have a form of my grandfather's war records here that reads:- AMF DISCHARGED AMR & O 253 (A) (I) (j) DD AT OWN REQUEST ON COMPASSIONATE GROUNDS Does the DD stand for Dishonourably Discharged??? If it does, the Australian Government will be hearing from me!!! [ 16. November 2002, 05:52 PM: Message edited by: Panzerknacker ]
panzerknacker, I think you'll find that DD stands for Discharged Duty, (at own request on campassionate grounds). Basically, your grandfather has requested to leave the Army due to a serious crisis at home or death, and the Army has granted him a discharge from his duty to them and the country. Normally, if a soldier gets to the Dishonourable Discharge stage, he has been before a Court Martial for a serious offence (military or civil), and depending upon the offence, received a prison term as well. It's highly unlikely that they would give him a Dishonourable Discharge on compassionate grounds. The two usually don't go together. _______________ "There is no cannibalism in the British navy, absolutely none, and when I say none, I mean there is a certain amount." - Sir John Cunningham
Oh-well that's better. Sniper, would they have granted him Discharged Duty due to the fact that he had served the last 3 years in a POW camp, would that be warrant enough?
panzerknacker, definitely. I read your other post about Changi. If I remember rightly, after they had been treated by allied medics, Aussie prisoners at Changi and other Jap POW camps were returned to Australia ASAP, and discharged from the Army straight away, so they could return to their homes and families. That explains the compassionate reasons. I am not sure about Australian Army Regs back then, but when my father was discharged from the British Army in '46, he went on Reserve status (unpaid of course) until finally discharged from the Reserves in 1959. I'd say that after spending time in a POW camp, the Army was smart enough to realise that most of those guys would be totally unfit for any kind of service, even on a reserve basis. That's why they discharged them straight away, and let them go home. You should be very proud of him. Spending 3 years in Changi would have been hell. __________________ "If a man does his best, what else is there?" - General George S. Patton (1885-1945)
I am very proud of him Sniper-my heart sank when I found out he had been sent to Changi-I only found out a few days ago. If he hadn't of endured, I wouldnt be here...
Lest We Forget, my friend, Lest We Forget. Anyone who has survived internment in a POW camp, especially a Japanese one, will always have my deepest admiration. __________________ Uncommon valor was a common virtue - Admiral Chester Nimitz, after the capture of Iwo Jima ( I believe this applies to POW's as well )
