At home after the TF had mobilized

[ddycher]

After years "hard at it" found a gaping hole in my research today. Upto mobilization had researched each company from its home base. After mobilization I have only tracked at battalion level. I can tell you what was happening with the 1st, 2nd, 3rd even the 4th line battalions but I can not tell you what was happening at home at the Drill Halls.

Has anyone looked at this ? I assume the Drill Halls turned into defacto recruiting offices but they don't marry up with the recruiting offices I have on file.

Went stumbling thru the Depots (which I get) and the got completely lost in the Volunteerr Bn's. Not the old Volunteer Bn's but the wartime versions. Feels like a bottomless pit. Has anyone played here before ?

So: were there permanent staff maintained at the Drill Halls? What were their recruiting responsibilities ? How did the Vol. Bn. transition work ? What was the hierarchical structure of the new VB's. Role of the TFA's ? Ahhh !!!

Words of wisdom anyone ?

Dave

PS Sent the original from my iphone so apologies for the typos. Now readable.

[ss002d6252]

Has anyone looked at this ? I assume the Drill Halls turned into defacto recruiting offices but they don't marry up with the recruiting offices I have on file.

With the 6th DLI from later in 1914 almost all recruitment is simply recorded as the place of enlistment being 'Bishop Auckland', the main depot for the battalion. Prior to that they list the place of enlistment but this, is in most cases, a town where they had a drill hall so you cannot tell if they actually enlisted at the drill hall or a recruiting office in the same town. I do know with the 9th DLI, in Gateshead, that men where being recruited at the drill halls and depot after the outbreak of war.

So ; were there permanent staff maintained at the Drill Halls? What were their recruiting responsibilities ? How did the Vol. transition work ? What was the hierarchical structure of the new CB's. Role of the TFA's ? Ahhh !!!

Each drill hall would usually have a Serjeant Instructor of the permanent staff to run the place on a day to day base pre-war, during the war I'm not sure as at least some of the instructors proceeded overseas. There seem to have been enough men left over though to provide a Serjeant to be around to sign men up (as per the service records), I can't imagine any drill hall was left unused or unmanned.

Craig

[John_Hartley]

It may be that the drill halls project has information - http://www.drillhalls.org/

[ddycher]

Both

Thanks for the quick reply :

Craig : Your experience marries my own. All refs to recruiting on the attestation papers etc move to the Depot or a couple of known Recruiting Offices (not the Drill Halls). In the case of the pre-war PS most of the Devon TF Drill.Inst's etc were quickly absorbed on the creation of the Service Bn's. Cant find a single one who remained at the original Drill Hall / HQ.

John : The web-site holds great promise but content is thin, on the Devon side atleast. Cant read anything into the non Devon Bn's as I dont have a perspective to work from.

Must centre on the Volunteer Bn's so am back to reading "A Nation in Arms" and "Defending Albion" by Beckett and Mitchelmore.

Would appreciate other guidance

Regards

Dave

[ss002d6252]

In the case of the pre-war PS most of the Devon TF Drill.Inst's etc were quickly absorbed on the creation of the Service Bn's. Cant find a single one who remained at the original Drill Hall / HQ.

Certainly in the case of the detachment I'm most interested in the Instructor became the RSM (or equivalent at the time) in June 14 - I need to take a look at the attestation forms to see who was signing them as he certainly signed a lot of the local ones before they were countersigned by the officer or J.P.

Identifying those who where P.S. pre-war certainly isn't an easy task in my experience.

Craig