Length of training question

[bruce]

Eric Jatinga Bradley attended Brentwood School, and then graduated from Cambrdge. He was entered in the Inner Temple, presumably about to enter a legal career.

He enlisted into the 5th (City of London) Battalion (London Rifle Brigade) aged 22 and 2 months on August 24th 1914.

He died of wounds and is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery.

He died on December 5th, 1914.

He spent 72 days in GB, then 32 in France before his death.

Thus he was just 104 days between enlistment and dying of his wounds.

My question:-

Since he was not a returning serviceman, less than three months of training seems a very short time. Are the records correct that he was sent to France after just 72 days in uniform? Is this just evidence of the dreadful losses incurred earlier in the war that one so inexperienced could be shipped to France after so short a training period?

Any comments much appreciated.

Bruce

[Anthony Gorst]

Eric Jatinga Bradley attended Brentwood School, and then graduated from Cambrdge. He was entered in the Inner Temple, presumably about to enter a legal career.

He enlisted into the 5th (City of London) Battalion (London Rifle Brigade) aged 22 and 2 months on August 24th 1914.

He died of wounds and is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery.

He died on December 5th, 1914.

He spent 72 days in GB, then 32 in France before his death.

Thus he was just 104 days between enlistment and dying of his wounds.

My question:-

Since he was not a returning serviceman, less than three months of training seems a very short time. Are the records correct that he was sent to France after just 72 days in uniform? Is this just evidence of the dreadful losses incurred earlier in the war that one so inexperienced could be shipped to France after so short a training period?

Any comments much appreciated.

Bruce

Bruce

There was a thread here recently http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/i...howtopic=110482 which if I recall concluded that six month was the aspiration but that in 1914 this might be much reduced.

Hope this helps

PS I had a look at your man's Service Record and noticd he attested as a Territorial has this any significance?

[CGM]

Brentwood School has a combined cadet force (army, navy, air force). Before that, just an army cadet force. I don't know when this started at the school, but maybe he was already experienced from time spent in it?

[Anthony Gorst]

Brentwood School has a combined cadet force (army, navy, air force) and before that, just an army cadet force. I don't know when this started at the school, but maybe he was already experienced from time spent in that?

He answered no to previous military experience on his attestation papers, not conclusive I know but....

Tony

[bruce]

Thanks for both of your replies.

I have no idea if joining a Territorial Force would have speeded the process......but why should it?

Having spent two years in the school CCF, I doubt that anything I might have learned there would have in any way prepared me for war! The school did have a volunteer rifle organisation from the 1860's, which was changed into the CCF (Army) with the Army reforms of 1908.

He would have learned a bit of square bashing, maybe how to hold,clean and fire a rifle (the school has and had a rifle range), but only 104 days seems awfully short to me, even with some very basic training whilst still at school.

Bruce

[RFT]

Some time ago I undertook research on a local man who enlisted into the DCLI on the 26 June 1917. On the 6th November, 133 days after signing up for service, he found himself as part an parcel of "D" Company, 1st DCLI, who were involved in the attack on Polderhoek Chateau. Shortly after 7.00 am that day he was shot dead by a German sniper.

A total of 19 weeks in the service.