Re- Deolali,

The big problem with Deolali camp was that there was a 'trooping season'.
Before the Great War, if a soldier became 'time expired' while serving overseas (that is, East of Suez), he was retained with the colours for an additional year (see: 'Old Soldier Sahib' by Frank Richards), at the end of that period, he was posted to a holding camp, (in this case Deolali), awaiting transport home for final discharge at his home depot, the extra time being deducted from his reserve obligation.
If the date of the soldier's discharge from service 'with the colours' fell a week after the end of the trooping season and if the Regiment was einefficient, slow at processing the paperwork, or if someone just 'slipped up' - or if the swaddie in question was a trouble maker - it was possible for a man to wait almost six months at Deolali.

Walrus