Medical Categories

[londons]

Hi,

Can anyone tell me where i can find out the definitions of the different categories for men being classed as medically unfit?

Also does anyone know how these categories became more acceptable for call ups as the War progressed and the need for men increased?

Many thanks in anticipation.

Regards,

Lee

[Waffenlandser]

I dont know what the guidlines for being medicaly unfit were in 1914-1918, but can refer you to the US Army's definitions from the Fort Hood website. The definitions are very tightly enforced and Medical evalution as well as functional and behavioral evaluations are all evaluated by the final board.

Fort Hood Medical Evaluation

[londons]

I dont know what the guidlines for being medicaly unfit were in 1914-1918, but can refer you to the US Army's definitions from the Fort Hood website. The definitions are very tightly enforced and Medical evalution as well as functional and behavioral evaluations are all evaluated by the final board.

Fort Hood Medical Evaluation

Many thanks for your help.

Does anyone else know the A to D categories?

[The Inspector]

Hi Lee,

Can you give me an example of a man medically unfit A,B,C or D. I haven't come across this yet. Am interested to find out more.

Regards Barry

[eltoro1960]

Hi Lee from the Imperial War Museum

The categories were simplified from the 'B1', etc., system to a 'Grade' system in December 1917. The medical categories were as follows:-

Grade I, generally equivalent to Category A, meant that the recruit had attained the full normal standard of health and strength and was capable of enduring the amount of exertion suitable to his age. Recruits had to be free from any serious organic disease or deformity.

Grade II, generally equivalent to Categories B 1 and C 1, included those who, while not attaining the standard of Grade I, were able to stand a fair amount of physical strain and were likely to improve if trained. Men in this Grade had to be able, when trained, to march six miles with ease. They had to have fair sight and hearing and have average muscular development.

Grade III, generally equivalent to Categories B 2 and C 2, B 3 and C 3, included men who, from any cause, were not likely to be suitable for military training for combatant service and were fit only for clerical and other sedentary jobs. This Grade included those who presented marked physical deformities such as badly deformed toes or flat feet.

Grade IV, generally equivalent to rejection under the former classification, included men who were clearly found by a unanimous Board to be permanently and totally unfit for any form of military service.

John

[The Inspector]

Hi John

Thanks for the explanation, Barry

[londons]

Hi Lee from the Imperial War Museum

The categories were simplified from the 'B1', etc., system to a 'Grade' system in December 1917. The medical categories were as follows:-

Grade I, generally equivalent to Category A, meant that the recruit had attained the full normal standard of health and strength and was capable of enduring the amount of exertion suitable to his age. Recruits had to be free from any serious organic disease or deformity.

Grade II, generally equivalent to Categories B 1 and C 1, included those who, while not attaining the standard of Grade I, were able to stand a fair amount of physical strain and were likely to improve if trained. Men in this Grade had to be able, when trained, to march six miles with ease. They had to have fair sight and hearing and have average muscular development.

Grade III, generally equivalent to Categories B 2 and C 2, B 3 and C 3, included men who, from any cause, were not likely to be suitable for military training for combatant service and were fit only for clerical and other sedentary jobs. This Grade included those who presented marked physical deformities such as badly deformed toes or flat feet.

Grade IV, generally equivalent to rejection under the former classification, included men who were clearly found by a unanimous Board to be permanently and totally unfit for any form of military service.

John

Hi John,

Thank you very much for such a detailed reply it is very helpful.

My great grandfather was in the 6th Londons from before the start of WW1 but wasn't posted until June 1917. Prior to this he was in a reserve battalion of the Royal Warwickshires in the UK then posted overseas in the 1st RWR Garrison Battalion to Egypt. He later transfered to the Labour Corps in Egypt before being finally posted to the 10th Londons in Palestine where he was KIA in 1918.

We have heard he had a very poor eyesight as a young man and so I am very curious to know if that delayed his posting as he was unfit for posting. Then was there a change in categorisation when there was a shortage of men that led to him being upgraded for posting albeit with a garrison battalion?

In 1918, Allenby had lost so many men to the Western Front that he was upgraded out of necessity and put in the infantry with the 10th Londons where he was KIA.

Do these dates tie in with anyknown reclassifications of medical fitness for duty?

Was a very bad eyesight a valid reason for declaring a man unfit for duty / posting?

Hope you can help John, it would fill a big gap in the history of my great grandfather.

Kind regards.

Lee

[geraint]

Just a passing thought. I came across aletter in the local rag in late 1917 where a father wrote that both his wife and himself were very pround that their son had been accepted into the Welsh Guards, whilst having been rejected by RWF in 1914 "due to his having hammer toes." I've no idea as to what a 'hammer toe' was, but the letter indicates two things: the parents published their letter to publicly show that their lad was not a shirker; and secondly it seems that the physical standards had fallen by 1917.

It raises the broader issue as to how the men classified as III or IV coped with the social pressures applied on them as the war developed.

[Ian grant]

This topic greatly interests me, as my Grandfather was demolised as BII (2). His service records were burnt but i'm lucky enough to have discharge documents that he kept after the war, on one of them his unit register card, shows the medical category of B2 but a service category of IXA ( 9a ) which i've never been able to work out. He served with the 8th Royal Scots, the HLI ( where i believe he may have been gassed as he suffered from achronic chest ailment until he died at 57 yrs old ) and then to the Labour Corps and finally the ROAC which the unit card relates to. so can anyone figure out what the category IXA would relate to i.e the specific terms used to describe it.

Sorry for jumping into the thread Lee.

Cheers Ian.

[Waffenlandser]

I've no idea as to what a 'hammer toe' was,

Hammer toes are flexion contractures of the four small toes. Usually inherited and a source of extreme pain if not corrected. Combined with the poor foot care and trench foot of the trenches, this poor man would be in agony.

His disability is warranted.

[londons]

Thanks one and all, adding information like this really helps piece together what i think is an interesting topic. If these categories can be defined by these contributions I think it will help people like me whose men may have been in the TF prior to the outbreak and posted much later when we think there may have been some medical reason for it due to family anecdotes etc.

Also it may help people understand why their men may have been posted to Garrison Battalions, the Labour Corps etc or may have been transferred to reserve battalions or such for duties at home initially. That is until there was a shortage of men and the medical classifications may well have been made less stringent to free up trained men?

Thanks again for your help and I hope this runs a while.

Kind regards,

Lee

[londons]

Does anyone know if certain categories of medically unfit men were sent from TFs to other reserve battalions for service and training for home duties?

Or where did the reserve battalions and home serving units get their men when so many were needed overseas?

Was it common for transfers of men from TFs to reserve or training battalions quite a distance away from from their homes following the pals problems?

[londons]

Does anyone know if poor eyesight alone could have medically downgraded a soldier already in the TF in 1914 at the outbreak of War such that he would not have been allowed to volunteer for overseas service.

[londons]

My man joined the 6th London Rifles prior to the outbreak of War and some time before June 1917 was transferred to a reserve battalion of the Royal Warwickshires serving at home. He remained here until June 1917 when he had his first overseas posting with the first RWR Garrison Battalion

[Charles Fair]

Does anyone know if certain categories of medically unfit men were sent from TFs to other reserve battalions for service and training for home duties?

Or where did the reserve battalions and home serving units get their men when so many were needed overseas?

There were 68 Provisional Battalions consisting of medically unfit men (i.e. not fit for GS) and those who had not signed the ISO. The Provisional Bns were set up in April 1915 so that these awkward categories of men could be TOS of the first and second line units that were preparing for foreign service.

[kenny3883]

Hi All

Would anyone have (or know where I can find) a definitive list of the various medical categories in use during WW1?

I have found the following on 'The Long, Long Trail' regarding re-enlistment in 1919: "The first offer was made to noncommissioned officers and men aged between 18 and 35, married or single, who were in medical categories A or Bi, if they were still serving or on demobilisation leave."

So obviously these were the categories of the "fittest" men. However, according to a letter he wrote in March 1919, my grandfather's medical category on demobilisation was "Biii through wounds received in France". The wound was a piece of shrapnel in his lung, which was never removed.

So I was just wondering if anyone knew what category Biii actually meant. If anyone can help, it would be much appreciated.

Ken

[Phil Evans]

I believe this list came from a previous thread on the Forum, but I can't find it.

Phil

A Able to march, see to shoot, hear well and stand active service conditions.
Subcategories:

A1 Fit for despatching overseas, as regards physical and mental health, and training
A2 As A1, except for training
A3 Returned Expeditionary Force men, ready except for physical condition
A4 Men under 19 who would be A1 or A2 when aged 19

B Free from serious organic diseases, able to stand service on Lines of Communication in France, or in garrisons in the tropics.
Subcategories:

B1 Able to march 5 miles, see to shoot with glasses, and hear well
B2 Able to walk 5 miles, see and hear sufficiently for ordinary purposes
B3 Only suitable for sedentary work

C Free from serious organic diseases, able to stand service in garrisons at home. Subcategories:

C1 As B1
C2 As B2
C3 As B3

D Unfit but could be fit within 6 months.
Subcategories:

D1 Regular RA,RE, infantry in Command Depots
D2 Regular RA,RE, infantry in Regimental Depots
D3 Men in any depot or unit awaiting treatment

[kenny3883]

I believe this list came from a previous thread on the Forum, but I can't find it.

Phil

A Able to march, see to shoot, hear well and stand active service conditions.

Subcategories:

A1 Fit for despatching overseas, as regards physical and mental health, and training

A2 As A1, except for training

A3 Returned Expeditionary Force men, ready except for physical condition

A4 Men under 19 who would be A1 or A2 when aged 19

B Free from serious organic diseases, able to stand service on Lines of Communication in France, or in garrisons in the tropics.

Subcategories:

B1 Able to march 5 miles, see to shoot with glasses, and hear well

B2 Able to walk 5 miles, see and hear sufficiently for ordinary purposes

B3 Only suitable for sedentary work

C Free from serious organic diseases, able to stand service in garrisons at home. Subcategories:

C1 As B1

C2 As B2

C3 As B3

D Unfit but could be fit within 6 months.

Subcategories:

D1 Regular RA,RE, infantry in Command Depots

D2 Regular RA,RE, infantry in Regimental Depots

D3 Men in any depot or unit awaiting treatment

Thanks Phil - that is absolutely brilliant. Exactly what I was looking for.

I did do a search of the Forum before posting, but couldn't find any thread on this topic either.

Best Regards.

Ken