Civil Servants Exempt?

[Bob Bedward]

Hello - Were civil servants an exempt occupation please?

Thank you

Old Jack

[dycer]

Jack,

Try and borrow a copy of "The Civil Service Rifles in the Great War" by Jill Knight.

It gives information about the tensions that arose regarding releasing Civil Servants to the Army.

I would say that at the commencement of the War the "Mandarins" were reluctant to release men but as the War went on Civil Servants were released for War service.

Obviously certain Departments would operate a different policy depending on the nature of their work.

George

[Bob Bedward]

Jack,

Try and borrow a copy of "The Civil Service Rifles in the Great War" by Jill Knight.

It gives information about the tensions that arose regarding releasing Civil Servants to the Army.

I would say that at the commencement of the War the "Mandarins" were reluctant to release men but as the War went on Civil Servants were released for War service.

Obviously certain Departments would operate a different policy depending on the nature of their work.

George

Hello George - Thanks, I will try the library this week.

Best wishes

Old Jack

[Anthony Gorst]

Jack,

Try and borrow a copy of "The Civil Service Rifles in the Great War" by Jill Knight.

It gives information about the tensions that arose regarding releasing Civil Servants to the Army.

I would say that at the commencement of the War the "Mandarins" were reluctant to release men but as the War went on Civil Servants were released for War service.

Obviously certain Departments would operate a different policy depending on the nature of their work.

George

Jack, George

As evidence for this I offer the following snippet from a letter attached to the Polytechnic Volunteer training Corps Attestation papers of Edwin Dobie 'I occupy the position of 2nd division clerk on the Pay Office Staff at the Supreme Court Pay Office Royal Courts of Justices and owing to the number of men who have enlisted all further leave has been stopped' as a reason why he could not volunteer immediately. He eventually joined 1/14 London (London Scottish) and was killed on 6th September 1916.

[Moston]

I work for...shall we say...the successor of the Land Valuation surveyors of the (then) Inland Revenue.

We have a memorial with the names of over 300 who lost their lives in WW1 - the largest group served with the 15th Btn (Prince of Wales Own) Civil Service Rifles London Regiment.

The majority of these were killed taking High Wood on 15th Sept 1916.

At the time that branch of the Civil Service would not have been that big - so 300 killed - if you take that of a proportion of those who served !? - means a hell of a lot enlisted.