Help - A Tallyman

[Barneyboy1312]

My Grandad William at the age of 39 was enlisted 1915-1919 into the RE. All our family had been told he was a stretcher bearer, but on downloading his records I found he was a "Tallyman" at No.1 (Base Park) Coy. RE.

Internet search for "Tallyman" reveals little. In the mining industries miner's tallies were collected at the pit entrance and used to count those still in the mine, should there be a disaster. Was a system employed with troops on the front line?

Can anyone shed light on the term within the RE in WW1.

Also unable to find location in France of No.1 (Base Park) Coy. RE

[Pam Downes]

Hello Barneyboy,

Welcome to British-Genealogy.
If you came to us via Forces War Records, this will explain the connection.
https://www.british-genealogy.com/th...rs-Please-Read

A tallyman is usually something to do with counting. Do you know what granddad's occupation was before he enlisted?
If you don't have a clue, if you tell us his name, where he lived, name of his wife (I'm assuming he was married by 1911), and possibly names and ages of one or children we'll see if we can find him in the 1911 census. Although moment - if you have his enlistment papers it should give his occupation on page one.

For the record, duplicate posts are not allowed as it leads to confusion so I deleted your post in the occupations forum.


Pam

[stepives]

1) Sold goods on instalment plan.

2) Local official who tallied the allowed number of persons in a dwelling for health reasons - usually 3 adults and four children

https://rmhh.co.uk/occup/t.html

[Pam Downes]

1) Sold goods on instalment plan.

2) Local official who tallied the allowed number of persons in a dwelling for health reasons - usually 3 adults and four children

https://rmhh.co.uk/occup/t.html

Um, the plot thickens. Neither of those seem to fit into anything to do with the army.
Though if you look at Tally clerk in that list, that would fit as regards something to do with stores.

Pam

[Lesley Robertson]

Something to keep track of numbers? Stores, perhaps?

[macwil]

Oxford Living Dictionaries gives the following:-

NOUN

1 British A person who sells goods on credit, especially from door to door

2 A person who keeps a score or record of something.

The second definition gives examples mainly concerning Irish election officials recording votes.
e.g. ‘Early on Saturday tallymen could be seen rushing between booths leaning over the makeshift partitions as ballot papers were unfolded and laid out in bundles.’

These days they would probably be called '(inventory) checkers' or 'stores clerks'.

[Peter Goodey]

Surely a tallyman would simply be maintaining a record of goods in and goods out.

OED: One who tallies, or keeps account of, anything; spec. a clerk who tallies or checks a cargo in loading or discharging.

[Ladkyis]

The RE were the "Sappers and miners" and as such would be the ones that dug the mines under the enemy lines for those huge explosions that left great craters in the landscape. I would suspect that this operation - I believe one of the tunnels was over a mile long - would require the same rules as coal or iron ore mining and so a Tallyman would be essential in counting the miners into the tunnel and back out again.

*daughter of a Sapper*