Recruiting single men

[Susie H]

The Military Service Act was enforced from 2 March 1916, whereby all single men between the ages of 18 & 41 were eligible to be called up. Was there any attempt for men to rush into quick marriages to ensure that they were not called up and if so was anything done by the government to prevent this?

I appreciate that shortly after married men also became eligible for call up but in March the public presumably would not have known that.

I'd be grateful for any advice concerning this matter

Sue Harris

[ss002d6252]

Was there any attempt for men to rush into quick marriages to ensure that they were not called up and if so was anything done by the government to prevent this?

I may be wrong but I seem to remember that men who were unmarried as of the date the act was enacted were deemed to remain unmarried even if they later married, presumably to stop men getting married to avoid service.

Craig

[kenf48]

The Military Service Act was enforced from 2 March 1916, whereby all single men between the ages of 18 & 41 were eligible to be called up. Was there any attempt for men to rush into quick marriages to ensure that they were not called up and if so was anything done by the government to prevent this?

i don't know about the provision referred to at post 2 but practically it would have been impossible for an unmarried man to avoid conscription by getting married. The Government had already taken steps to prevent this by back dating the state of 'unmarried' as provided for in the Act to the previous November. The legislation process proceeded at such a pace there (probably) wouldn't even have been time to have the Banns read even if they had not done this!

The Bill came before Parliament on the 5th January and the Act was passed on the 27th January 1916 and the provisions of the Act came into operation on the 10th February. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29463/page/1353

All single men were warned their call up would begin on March 3rd.

Section 1 of the Act defined who was eligible for call up as, 'Every British male subject who:-

a ) on the fifteenth day of August nineteen hundred and fifteen, was ordinarily resident in Great Britain, and had attained the age of eighteen years and had not attained the age of forty-one years; and

(b ) on the second day of November nineteen hundred and fifteen was unmarried or was a widower without any child dependent on him.'

During this interim period from January to March there was a recruiting campaign to get single men, in particular to volunteer although married men were not excluded. Among others one catchy slogan was, ‘Single men will you march too, or wait till March 2". It was reported in the beginning of February that the re-opening of the Derby groups meant voluntary attestation and enlistments had seen a steady increase. It was said 'The prospect of the provisions of the Military Service Act becoming operative at the beginning of March single men have naturally formed the majority of recruits but married men have also come forward in good numbers'.

At midnight on March 1st/2nd voluntary enlistment, and any element of choice ceased.

Ken

[Susie H]

Thank you for your help

Sue