Genealogy Chat

could anyone tell me what month if any conscription would have been?or did men just join up at any time?trying to work out a family story concerning my grandfather.x

27th jan1916

Roy

Conscription started in 1916 for all men between 18 and 41.

Kath. x

so before that what happend ,? x :-)

Info by "google"

Over 3,000,000 men volunteered to serve in the British Armed Forces during the first two years of the war. Due to heavy losses at the Western Front the government decided in 1916 to introduce conscription (compulsory enrollment).

The Military Service Act of January 1916 specified that single men between the ages of 18 and 41 were liable to be called-up for military service unless they were widowed with children or ministers of religion. Conscription started on 2nd March 1916. The act was extended to married men on 25th May 1916. The law went through several changes before the war's end with the age limit eventually being raised to 51.

It has been argued that enforced enlistment was more to do with employment circumstances, familial circumstances, physical fitness, skills and aptitudes and, to a much lesser extent religious and political grounds. This was vetted very closely by the Tribunals who had to assess a man's fitness for military service and weigh that against his usefulness to the domestic economy. As one historian has pointed out: "a farm lad, aged 19, might have escaped call-up in one part of the country whereas a 40-year old brickie from another part may have been drafted."

Conscription caused real hardships for the British people. For example, in November 1917 a widow asked Croydon Military Tribunal to let her keep her eleventh son, to look after her. The other ten were all serving in the British armed forces. A man from Barking asked for his ninth son to be exempted as his eight other sons were already in the British Army. The man's son was given three months exemption.


George

thank you everyone.
the story goes that my grandfathers (he was illegitimate)father was a soldier who went to war not knowing his girlfriend was pregnant.and was killed
grandad was born in feb 1915. but of course it may be a made up story.x

It could well be true. A lot of young men went off to war and didn't come back.

I'm sure there were a lot of young girls in the same situation as your great grandmother.

Kath. x

quite possibly true Britain declared war on Germany on the4th August 1914 and the soldiers thought it would all be over for Christmas and they actually believe that they would be

Roy

thank you roy and everyone else.x :-)