15 to 18 year old enlistment in 1915

[agedpink1]

One statistic I am keen to find is the percentage of 15 to 18 year olds who enlisted during 1915

[IRC Kevin]

It's not one you'll find, at least not to any acceptable degree of accuracy. Those that gave their correct age didn't serve overseas. Those who did serve overseas whilst underage, lied about their age when they attested, so unless their true age was revealed later- as far as the Army was concerned they were the age they put on their form. In two battalions I'm writing about I can say for certain that the percentage of underage recruits was between 5 - 10%, but as I don't have accurate ages for all, this is just the baseline figure and the actual total must have been higher. Parental connivance is absolutely clear in some cases, especially as there are three cases in one these battalions were they went along with their father (who was also enlisting) and claimed they were 19! Equally clear, is that these were sent back home as soon as they were found out. Those under the age of 16 1/2 were discharged, those over, kept on a home posting until old enough for service abroad.

As the school leaving age was 14, Regular and TF infantry battalions could, with the permission of a parent or guardian, recruit up to sixteen lads between the ages of 14 - 16 (with a discretionary maximum of up to twenty-four per battalion), though these were not allowed to go to a theatre of war- the only exception being lads serving aboard ships in the Royal Navy. Army lads were usually given the rank of Drummer or Bugler. I have not come across any of those recruited in 1914 under this regulation being discharged, but equally, neither have I come across any being recruited under this regulation in 1915 who were under the age of 16 1/2. (Which is not the same as saying it didn't happen!)

[gwentpal]

Check out Richard van Emden's book "Boy soldiers of the Great War", this may have the info you're looking for.

[Forton]

Hi

If you mean as a percentage of the British population of 15-18 yr olds, then it is impossible to say. What is clear, is that 1915 was the great year of under age recruitment, significantly higher than 1914. By mid 1915, the British Army required 35,000 recruits per week and were only receiving around 16,000. So many of these were lads under the age of 19, that one wonders at the numbers of adults still willing to enlist. Looking through the records of WO364, it is easy to find under age recruits, of whom I have estimated around 25-35% served abroad under age. The lads were normally released on production of a birth certificate by the parents, although the CO of a battalion, or the lad himself, could decide to remain overseas if so desired, (this policy changed in 1916). It is also clear, when looking through records, that those discharged as under age were by no means all of those let go. They could be discharged for any number of other reasons, masking the fact that they are aged 15 or 16, such as being 'unlikely to become and efficient soldier' or 'no longer physically fit for war service'. I am looking to work up yet further stats on the number of under age recruits, especially info on those who served abroad.

IRC Kevin: I'd love to hear more about some of the results that you have discovered. Please PM me if you are happy to do so.

Richard

[Perth Digger]

An article on underage recruitment to the 11th (Lewisham) Battalion Royal West Kent Regiment is being published in the next number of The London Journal. It tries to find the real ages of the recruits by using the 1911 census and the London baptism registers.

Mike

[Muerrisch]

I rather think that Regular Boy Service enlistments did not cease on the outbreak of war: no reason why both they and adult Regular enlistment should not continue. After all "the war will be over by Christmas, then we can get back to proper soldiering".

These Regular Boy entrants are going to need filtering or identifying. Not an enviable task.

Some regiments appear to have reserved separate numbering blocks for both Boys and War-Time Regular adult enlistment.

[agedpink1]

Thanks Guys that's really helpful! It's for information for an arts project as part of the Belper Arts Festival featuring students at Belper School in life-sized photographs representing underage teenagers from the town who went out to fight in the Great War. The photographs will be projected on walls and on the old mill. Our hope is that it will raise awareness of the youth of some of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Regards Richard.

[Bennov23]

Hi Perth Digger,

Which number of the London Journal was it? Its just I would be interested to read it as a family member I have been researching was in fact in the 11th Lewisham's and joined at 16 and 3 months.

Ben

[ss002d6252]

This one? http://www.maneyonline.com/doi/full/10.1179/0305803415Z.00000000065

Craig

[FROGSMILE]

Thanks Guys that's really helpful! It's for information for an arts project as part of the Belper Arts Festival featuring students at Belper School in life-sized photographs representing underage teenagers from the town who went out to fight in the Great War. The photographs will be projected on walls and on the old mill. Our hope is that it will raise awareness of the youth of some of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Regards Richard.

Richard, please bear in mind that there were two distinct types of Boy Soldier, those who joined legally in that category of recruit, as mentioned by Grimpy above, and those who 'falsified' their ages to join as adult recruits even though they were not. Richard Van Emden's book analyses statistics (such as are available) for the latter, but DOES NOT do so for the former.