Army Reserve 1914

[charlesmessenger]

This is a request which I am copying from the old Forum. Does anyone know what Sections A, B, C, D (there may be others) of the Army Reserve stand for? I presume that they are a measure of the fitness of a man for immediate active service. Certainly, I have come across a reference to Section A and B men being sent immediately to a Regular battalion on mobilisation in August 1914, while Section D men appear to have remained with the Special Reserve Battalion.

Charles M

[Raster Scanning]

Charles

The info is on this website, click ' Home ' then ' The life of Tommy Atkins '. The info is under ' Joining the Army ' (way he was recruited).

Best wishes

[Joe Sweeney]

Charles,

I think what your wanting can be found in the manual of Military Law, 1914, chapters 22 through 45. Which in effect are synopses of the Reserve Forces Acts (1882 through 1906) and the Territorial and Reserve Force Act of 1907.

These categories had nothing to do with the later medical categories.

The Army Reserve consisted of 2 Classes in 1914.

Class I consisted of Sections A, B, D and the Special Reserve.

Section A consists of Reservists of the RA, RE, Foot Guards, Infantry of the Line, ASC, and RAMC who elect to join this Section on transfer to the Reserve (from regular Army) or are permitted to join from Section B within 6 months of their transfer to the Reserve. Reservists serving in Section A were limited to 6000 men with preference to soldiers who had served abroad. Service in Section A was for the first 12 months after leaving the regular army. This could be extended for an additional 12 months. Requirements included the ability to immediately answer the call to colours.

Section B were all men fulfilling their Reserve commitment with the colours not in Section A, That is if a man had served his 7 years with the regular forces he was now fulfilling his remaining 5 years Reserve time.

Section D men were those who completed their first obligated period of service and are re-engaged to serve another 4 years. Section D could not be called out until the whole of Sections A and B were called. Also known as the Supplemental Reserve.

Class II Reserve is pretty much irrelevant by 1914.

Special Reserve consists of two Sections, which were divided into three categories.

Section A is limited to 4000men. Those who elected to serve in it are liable to be called out on service in any part of the world. Section A men are not liable for more than 12 months service unless some portion of the Special Reserve is put on permanent service IAW the Reserve Forces Act 1882.

Section B men are all other special reservists.

Category (a) consists of men enlisted in the S Irish Horse, KEH, RFA, RGA, RE etc. Term of service is 6 years except S Irish Horse which is 4 years.

Category ( men are men in the Territorial Force who also agree to accept the liability of the Special Reserve.

Category © men are those who enlist as Mechanical Transport Drivers ASC, Horse Transport Drivers ASC and RFC (M.W.) Personnel for 1 year at a time and are only allowed to re-engage a year at a time. They receive no pay unless called up and service limit age is 50 years. They cannot transfer to any other branch of the special Reserve during their term of service.

The above is a quick synopsis of the Reserve forces in 1914. I hope I elaborated the salient points. Note that there was no Section C.

So your Section A and B men were sent immediately to the Regular Battalions as these men had recently (with-in past 5 years) served with the colours. The Section D men were sent to the Special Reserve Battalion.

Joe Sweeney

[Chris_Baker]

Joe, you definitely get the prize for the most authoritative answer to any question raised on this forum! Brilliant.

Did you do it from memory?

[charlesmessenger]

Joe

I can only echo Chris's words - brilliant and exactly what I wanted.

Very many thanks.

Charles

[MBrockway]

Joe's typically comprehensive reply mentions there was no Section C Reserve by 1914, but I'm looking for info on what Section C had been used for.

 

I am researching a KRRC Old Sweat who enlisted in March 1898, on 7 & 5 Short Service terms.

 

In Dec 1903, after service of five years eight months, including seeing action in the Boer War and in Somaliland, he was transferred to Army Reserve Section C - see image below.

 

In Feb 1910, just short of twelfth anniversary of his enlistment he re-engaged into Army Reserve Section D with formal transfer on 9th March, which was his original enlistment date.

 

Four years later he was discharged time expired on 8th April 1914 giving total service of 16 years.

 

It looks like he may have re-enlisted in the Great War for Home Service training duties.

 

Can any Pal cast light on Section C Army Reserve?

 

Mark

 

 

 

[ss002d6252]

1 minute ago, MBrockway said:

Joe's typically comprehensive reply mentions there was no Section C Reserve by 1914, but I'm looking for info on what Section C had been used for.

 

I am researching a KRRC Old Sweat who enlisted in March 1898, on 7 & 5 Short Service terms.

 

In Dec 1903, after service of five years eight months, including seeing action in the Boer War and in Somaliland, he was transferred to Army Reserve Section C - see image below.

 

In Feb 1910, just short of twelfth anniversary of his enlistment he re-engaged into Army Reserve Section D with formal transfer on 9th March, which was his original enlistment date.

 

Four years later he was discharged time expired on 8th April 1914 giving total service of 16 years.

 

It looks like he may have re-enlisted in the Great War for Home Service training duties.

 

Can any Pal cast light on Section C Army Reserve?

 

Mark

 

 

 

 

I'll take a look through my annual army returns and see what they say.

 

Craig

[MBrockway]

Thanks Craig - much obliged!

[MBrockway]

I've just found a separate Pension Record for my man, which has this for the Section C transfer ...

 

 ... which at least explains why he left the Colours before his seven years were up.

 

[ss002d6252]

5 minutes ago, MBrockway said:

Thanks Craig - much obliged!

Looking at the 1904 return for Oct 1903 to Oct 1904 it notes that 'Section C has been merged in to Section B'.

 

Section C appears to men who where transferred to the reserve 'before completing their full colour service'. I assume there was some option to allow men to be released early (possibly parts of the reduction of forces after the Boer War).

 

Craig

[MBrockway]

Our posts crossed!  Looks like you're bang on the button there.  As you say, the Army was probably looking for 'voluntary redundancies' as it contracted after South Africa.

 

Thanks Craig.

[ss002d6252]

5 minutes ago, MBrockway said:

Our posts crossed!  Looks like you're bang on the button there.  As you say, the Army was probably looking for 'voluntary redundancies' as it contracted after South Africa.

 

Thanks Craig.

No problem

 

Roughly 3500 men were released to Section C between 1900 and 1904.

Craig

[tullybrone]

Is the resurrection of this topic after a gap of 17 1/2 years a record? 

 

Steve

[MBrockway]

Shows the power of the forum's search engine and how the expertise of sadly missed Pals lives on.

[MBrockway]

15 hours ago, tullybrone said:

Is the resurrection of this topic after a gap of 17 1/2 years a record? 

 

Steve

Steve - judging by the URL, which contains "topic/2-army-reserve" etc, it looks like this may have been the second topic ever on the new style forum.

 

I cannot find a page with URL containing "topic/1-" so it may also be the oldest surviving! 

 

There is a page with "topic/4-" in its URL and it is dated 19:30hrs 18 Oct 2002 versus this topic's 'birthdate' of 18:39hrs on the same day!  No sign of a "topic/3-xxxxx"

 

Curious eh?!

Mark