Max enlistment ages?

[steve fuller]

Im aware there were min ages, but what were the maximums, and did they change as the war developed?

Cheers

Steve

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

There was a recent thread on Oldest serving/enlisting O/Rs if you type in "Blythe" you should find it{he was born in 1858,served in Afghanistan in 1878 & joined/re~enlisted from the Reserve,back into the East Lancashires in time for a trip O/S by July 1915! being discharged on 11.11.1918,From the RAF,

[DirtyDick]

From what I have read, the following were the broad age ranges for recruits in WW1. Of course, there would have been substantially older and younger soldiers; some boy regulars, some lying about their age and some recalled reservists:

Adult enlistmenta:

Regular British Army pre-1914: 18-38 yrs

Volunteers 1914-15: 19-30; age limit raised to 35 a month or so later.

National Service Act 1916 : 18-41 yr olds were deemed to have enlisted.

1917(?): Age limit raised to 45.

1918: Age limit for overseas service dropped to 18 and 6 months; and raised to 50.

(Did read somewhere that age went up to 55 in mid-1918, but not certain.)

Royal Defence Corps (Home Guard) probably older.

I believe that those few wartime volunteers who were needed by the Navy had to be aged under 30 to become a seaman, and under 38 to become a stoker. This was RCN age limits and assume same for RN.

Austalians: 19-35 in 1914; raised to 40 and then 45 in 1915. This re

lates to the Light Horse; infantry and logistics etc. could be marginally different.

Again there will be fluctuations and inconsistencies in different regiments and Pals Battalions etc, but I believe these set out official age limits for new recruits. Soldiers could join under 19 but where not supposed to go overseas until this age.

Richard (27)

[steve fuller]

Thats excellent thank you Richard & Harry.

Steve (27 - I wish!)

[Muerrisch]

that's my inside leg measurement too.