5 replies to this topic

[ruthw]

Hello

Can anyone shed any light on exactly when "Home Service" came into force for 18 year olds in Class 1 and Group 1, and under which piece of legislation?

The only snippet of information I have (from another GWF member) is from a newspaper notice: 'Men of 18 for Home Service', which states, "A news agency states that a Proclamation will be posted during the weekend calling-up the remaining men of Group 1 and Class 1 (i.e. men aged 18) as from May 10 for home seervice until they attain the age of 19. The new poster is said to be printed in black on white paper."

I've searched in a number of books and contemporary newspapers both on and off-line, but can't find any reference to 'home service' in May 1916 Military Service Act 1916 (Session 2). Am I using the wrong dates or search terms?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated and help me to tie up at least one loose-end re my research into Ronald Skirth's memoir.

Ruth

[ss002d6252]

This suggests it stems from the MSA but the instruction was issued separately.

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IMPERIAL SERVICE (ATTESTATION FORM).
HC Deb 26 June 1916 vol 83 c546W 546W

§ Mr. PROTHERO

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether a man of eighteen years of age and under the age of nineteen, who enlists under the Military Service Act, 1916, and the Proclamation of 16th April, 1916, is enlisted under the general attestation form applicable to the rest of the Army; whether this form contains nothing to show that the man is enlisted for training and service at home and is ineligible for foreign service till he attains the age of nineteen; and whether it is the intention of the War Office to provide special attestation forms for this class of enlisted men?

§ Mr. TENNANT

No special attestation form is contemplated. If the recruit comes up under the group system he is attested on a duration of war attestation form, or if under the Military Service Act a form of enrolment is filled in. Instructions have been issued which provide for no recruit being sent overseas for active service before he is nineteen years of age.

http://www.1914-1918.../msa1916-3.html

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Men of Class 1 (that is, 18 year olds), once enrolled, were given the option of returning home or remaining with the Colours and undergoing special training until they were 19. (ACI 839, 18 April 1916)

[ruthw]

Many thanks for your post.

I have tried looking under the various Military Service Acts, but can't find anything relating to 10 May 1916, or a notice stating that all men in Group 1 and Class 1 had to do home service around this time. A bit of a mystery.

Ruth

[ss002d6252]

This is the call up which wass published in the Times on 10 May 16.

 Capture.JPG   47.76K   1 downloads

and the scotsman in April 1916

 Capture.JPG   82.62K   2 downloads

[ruthw]

Many thanks for your post. It's been very helpful and, fingers crossed, it has helped me to sort out my man's enlistment:

The man in question is Bombardier 120331 Ronald Skirth, born on 11 December 1897. He claims (in his memoir) to have enlisted voluntarily under the Derby Scheme around Easter time in 1916. Easter Monday fell on 24 April in 1916 (Easter Rising) so, as the Derby Scheme had closed on 1 March 1916, he could not have enlisted under the scheme in April or May. Therefore he must have enlisted between 11 - 15 December 1915, or from 7 January to 1 March 1916. If he did enlist under the Derby Scheme, he would have been placed in Group 1 (single, 18 year old born in 1897) and expected to be called-up (after 28 March 1916) when he turned 19 i.e. 11 December 1916. However, the proclamation in the Times (10 May) called-up all men who were in Group 1, but not yet 19 for training and home service as of 10 May 1916. So he would have been called-up as of 10 May to do training and home service until he reached the age of 19 when he could be sent overseas. Skirth claims he was under-age when he enlisted at Easter, but this is incorrect as he was 18 then. However, he might be making an indirect reference to his being called-up on 10 May when he was 18 1/2, instead of being called-up on 11 December 1916 when he was 19, as he had originally been told.

It is possible that Skirth could have been conscripted on 2 March 1916. He would have been in Class 1 (single 18 year olds) and could have chosen whether to stay at home or join the colours and do special training until he reached 19. However, the extension to the Military Service Act Session 2 required that as of 10 May 1916 all men in Class 1 (i.e. born any time between 1 Janauary - 31 December 1897) were to be summoned for training and home service until they reached 19 - unless exempted, which Skirth claims he was, because of his apprentice-teacher training. So, he may have had a temporary period of exemption (under either scheme) to do teacher training - maximum exemption = 3 months - after which he would have been called-up for training and home service until 19.

Skirth says he was called-up at the end of September and reported for service with the army at Catterick on 3 October 1916 when he was 18 years 10 months. His teacher training course in London was then deferred indefinitely.


I'm still puzzled as to why the proclamations were only posted around London and not nationally, and also wonder if there is a mistake on the LLT page, Military Service Act 1916 - should it read 'attained the age of 18' on 15 Aug 1915?


Thanks again for your post and sharing the notices.

Ruth

[ss002d6252]

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I'm still puzzled as to why the proclamations were only posted around London and not nationally

It does seem an odd statement especially for a newspaper which wasn't based in London.