Rates of Pay
Privates in the CEF during the Great War received $1.10 a day for the time that they were serving. This was significantly lower than the normal pay that a man employed in manual labour would receive, and well below the amount required to provide for a wife and children. To compensate for this, the Canadian Government provided a “Separation Allowance” for men who could prove that they had dependants, normally restricted to a wife or mother where they were the sole wage earner. This separation allowance varied from $20 per month for Privates to $60 per month for senior officers. Even with the separation allowance, the amount of money provided to a soldier’s dependants was insufficient, which led to the creation of a “Patriotic Fund”, a charity that provided additional money to help support a family while their husband or son was overseas. The Patriotic Fund had no fixed schedule. The amounts provided were determined on a case by case basis.
| Rank | Basic Pay | Overseas allce | Separation allce |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commander, Major General | $20.00 | $4.00 | $60.00 |
| General Staff Officer - 1st Grade | $10.00 | $3.00 | $60.00 |
| Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General | $9.00 | $3.00 | $60.00 |
| General Staff Officer - 2nd Grade | $8.00 | $3.00 | $60.00 |
| Assistant Director of Medical Services | $8.00 | $3.00 | $60.00 |
| Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster-General | $7.00 | $3.00 | $60.00 |
| Deputy Assistant Adjutant General | $7.00 | $3.00 | $60.00 |
| Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General | $7.00 | $3.00 | $60.00 |
| Chief Paymaster | $8.00 | $3.00 | $60.00 |
| Deputy Assistant Director of Veterinary Services | $8.00 | $3.00 | $60.00 |
| General Staff Officer - 3rd Grade | $5.00 | $3.00 | $60.00 |
| Deputy Assistant Director of Medical Services | $5.00 | $3.00 | $60.00 |
| Deputy Assistant Director of Ordnance Services | $5.00 | $3.00 | $60.00 |
| Assistant Provost Marshal | $5.00 | $3.00 | $60.00 |
| Divisional Paymaster | $5.00 | $3.00 | $60.00 |
| Assistant Divisional Paymaster | $5.00 | $3.00 | $60.00 |
| A.D.C. to Commander | $3.00 | $3.00 | $40.00 |
| Superintending Clerk | $2.00 | $1.00 | |
| Other Clerks | $1.50 | $0.50 | |
| Staff Sergeants and Sergeants | Pay of Rank | $0.50 | |
| Other Non-Commissioned Officers and Men | Pay of Rank | $0.25 |
| Rank | Basic Pay | Overseas allce | Separation allce |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commander | $9.00 | $3.00 | $60.00 |
| Brigade Major | $4.00 | $3.00 | $60.00 |
| Staff Captains | $6.00 | $1.50 | $60.00 |
| Intelligence Staff Officer | $3.00 | $3.00 | $40.00 |
| Veterinary Officer | Pay of Rank | $3.00 | $40.00 |
| Clerks | $1.50 | $0.50 | $20.00 |
| Staff Sergeants and Sergeants | Pay of Rank | $0.50 | $20.00 |
| Other Non-Commissioned Officers and Men | Pay of Rank | $0.25 | $20.00 |
| Rank | Basic Pay | Overseas allce | Separation allce |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colonel | $6.00 | $1.50 | $60.00 |
| Lieutenant-Colonel | $5.00 | $1.25 | $60.00 |
| Majors | $4.00 | $1.00 | $50.00 |
| Captains | $3.00 | $0.75 | $40.00 |
| Lieutenants | $2.00 | $0.60 | $30.00 |
| Adjutants, in addition to pay of rank | $0.50 | ||
| Paymasters | $3.00 | $0.75 | $40.00 |
| Quartermasters | $3.00 | $0.75 | $40.00 |
| Warrant Officers | $2.00 | $0.30 | $30.00 |
| Quartermaster-Sergeants | $1.80 | $0.20 | $25.00 |
| Orderly Room Clerks | $1.50 | $0.20 | $25.00 |
| Pay Sergeants | $1.50 | $0.20 | $25.00 |
| Squadron, Battery, Company Sergeant-Major | $1.60 | $0.20 | $25.00 |
| Squadron, Battery, Company Quartermaster-Sergeant | $1.50 | $0.20 | $25.00 |
| Colour Sergeant, or Staff Sergeant | $1.60 | $0.20 | $25.00 |
| Sergeants | $1.35 | $0.15 | $25.00 |
| Corporals | $1.10 | $0.10 | $20.00 |
| Bombardiers or 2nd Corporals | $1.05 | $0.10 | $20.00 |
| Trumpeters, Buglers, and Drummers | $1.00 | $0.10 | $20.00 |
| Privates, Gunners, Drivers, Sappers, Batmen, Cooks, etc. | $1.00 | $0.10 | $20.00 |
Note: Specialty trades, such as tunnellers or miners, were given a higher rate of pay due to the skills and experience and the inherent danger of their duties.
Reasons for Stoppages of pay
- Absent without leave
- In hospital for drunkenness
- In hospital for self-inflicted wound
- In custody for any offence against the Army Act
- In custody for drunkenness
- In hospital with venereal disease
Source: A Call to Arms (David Love)
Source: Official History of the Canadian Forces in the Great War, Volume 1, Appendix 91 (Colonel A Fortescue Duguid)
B: Official History of the Canadian Forces in the Great War 1914-1919 Chronology, Appendices and Maps: General Series Volume 1: From the Outbreak of War to the Formation of the Canadian Corps August 1914 - September 1915. Ottawa: King’s Printer, 1938.
N: Official History of the Canadian Forces in the Great War 1914-1919 Chronology, Appendices and Maps: General Series Volume 1: From the Outbreak of War to the Formation of the Canadian Corps August 1914 - September 1915 (Ottawa: King’s Printer, 1938), 61.
SN: Duguid, Official History of the Canadian Forces in the Great War 1914-1919 Chronology, Appendices and Maps, 61.