chrisleach78 Posted 2 February , 2014 Posted 2 February , 2014 Please forgive my ignorance here. George S Shannon joined The 1st Dorsets as a special reserve in June 1913 - my question is simply Why? Why join and why the Dorsets?
kenmorrison Posted 2 February , 2014 Posted 2 February , 2014 Why not??? and what's wrong with Dorset????
rolt968 Posted 2 February , 2014 Posted 2 February , 2014 If you haven't read it already, there is quite a lot of interesting information about the Special Reserve in this thread. http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=200389&hl=%2Bspecial+%2Breserve Where did George S Shannon live? Do we assume that it was not Dorset? Roger.
ss002d6252 Posted 2 February , 2014 Posted 2 February , 2014 George S Shannon joined The 1st Dorsets as a special reserve in June 1913 - my question is simply Why? There could be numerous reasons but many men joined to see if they liked army life before they then committed themselves to the regular army. As to why the Dorsets, again many reasons, other battalions might have been full, the recruiting serjeant was ex-Dorset etc etc EDIT: It appears that he was a 2nd Lt attached to the Dorsets - this could make a big difference in the reasons - promoted to Lt on 2 Feb 1915. Craig
chrisleach78 Posted 2 February , 2014 Author Posted 2 February , 2014 I didnt mean to imply anything wrong with the Dorsets. George was a York man, working and living in Deal, Kent in 1913. His father was an irishman. He was a school teacher
ss002d6252 Posted 2 February , 2014 Posted 2 February , 2014 He was a school teacher It may be that he saw it as a 'status' thing - in the same way as many local middle and upper class joined the Territorial Force for the officer positions. Craig
chrisleach78 Posted 2 February , 2014 Author Posted 2 February , 2014 In the period between june 1913 and aug 1914 would he have returned to his teaching at the school?
ss002d6252 Posted 2 February , 2014 Posted 2 February , 2014 In the period between june 1913 and aug 1914 would he have returned to his teaching at the school? Someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that the officer S.Reservists only served for 1 month training and 6 months probation with the regulars before they returned to the reserve and civilian life. Craig
chrisleach78 Posted 2 February , 2014 Author Posted 2 February , 2014 So when would Shannon have known that he was going to War. Bn diary states he arrived in Belfast from Dorchester on the 6th August 1914
ss002d6252 Posted 2 February , 2014 Posted 2 February , 2014 Battalions held a full stock of pre-completed recall notifications to be sent in case of mobilisation. Arrangements were made to send them out the moment a mobilisation was announced. Craig
W.J.Caughey Posted 3 February , 2014 Posted 3 February , 2014 chrisleach78 Doesn't answer you question but maybe some connection with Belfast, this article was inserted Belfast Telegraph newspaper. FROM BELFAST TO DEATH. "Mr. J. S. Shannon, of York, has been officially informed that his son, Second-Lieutenant G.S. Shannon, 1st Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment, was killed in action on the 6th inst, near Hill 60. Gazetted to the 1st Dorsets in June 1913, Lieutenant Shannon left Belfast with his regiment for the front as early as August 16. Early in the present year the gallant officer who had in the fighting near Ypres, the retreat from Mons and the advance to the Marne, was mentioned in despatches, "for gallant and distinguished conduct in the field," receiving also the Military Cross. A brother is serving in the East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry." W.J.Caughey
Muerrisch Posted 3 February , 2014 Posted 3 February , 2014 It may be that he saw it as a 'status' thing - in the same way as many local middle and upper class joined the Territorial Force for the officer positions. Craig Not quite. The TF officially and in fact had the lowest status. Lord Reith in his Wearing Spurs comments on this. The Special Reserve of Officers was a well-travelled route to a regular commission for those too dim or too late to attend Sandhurst and was socially of much higher prestige.
Muerrisch Posted 3 February , 2014 Posted 3 February , 2014 Battalions held a full stock of pre-completed recall notifications to be sent in case of mobilisation. Arrangements were made to send them out the moment a mobilisation was announced. Craig Away from refs. at the moment but Regs laid down it was the duty to report "on learning" of mobilisation, never mind the paperwork.
Muerrisch Posted 5 February , 2014 Posted 5 February , 2014 readers will wish to see Paul Nixon's: http://armyservicenumbers.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/not-with-bang-but-whimper-demise-of.html
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