AlasdairW Posted 19 April , 2015 Share Posted 19 April , 2015 Hello, I'm not too sure if my picture link will load, I was advised to post this picture as some folk may find this of interest. This is a Telegram regarding mobilisation sent by the Chief Constable of Sutherlandshire Constabulary to my Great Grandfather PC Alexander Innes Will whilst stationed at Rhiconich in North Sutherland, I am unable to read a couple of the words. To} Police Constable Rhiconich Kinlochbervie General mobilisation post up immediately? all mobilisation posters? D.427 and E.634 referred in my memo of 23rd March 1914 wire receipt of this telegram Chief Constable https://www.flickr.com/photos/91804549@N02/16743127727/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Upton Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 I would have said you've already got your missing words spot-on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khaki Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 Fantastic piece of history, wish I had one. khaki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 Interesting and thanks for sharing. So were the police responsible for putting up the posters of mobilisation? Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss002d6252 Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 The mobilisation regulations don't appear to have any specific rules on how the posters were to be dealt with so presumably it was down to local arrangements. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 Thanks Craig. I found this interesting report in the Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser - Saturday 08 August 1914 It conveys something of the excitement of the moment. I wonder if the Post Office played a bigger part in the mobilisation than I had realised. Dorking Post Office and the CrisisThe first ripple in the exciting events of this historic week were felt in Dorking at breakfast time on Sunday, when information was received that the mobilization letters for Royal Naval Reservists were posted. From that hour onward throughout the week there has been a remarkable congestion of correspondence, telegrams and telephones. The staff have been pressed to their utmost capacity in the effort to deal with the accumulation. Nothing like the condition of affairs has been witnessed before. At Christmas only one section of the service has pressure, but on this occasion the three sections have been heavily strained, particularly the telegraph and telephone branches. One of the first in Dorking to respond to the call for the Navy was a postman (Mr Whitbourne), who left on Monday morning amid the good wishes of his colleagues of all grades. The tension and strain reached its climax on Tuesday evening, when at 7 pm, instructions were received to exhibit the Army Mobilization Posters calling out the Army Reservists and embodying the Territorial Force. In a few minutes there was an excited crowd outside the Post Office to read the momentous documents, which were to so deeply thrill many homes in Dorking and withdraw a breadwinner from the hearth. Six of the outdoor force under the control of the postmaster have joined their respective battalions, and his son (Piper I W Nicholson) is with the London Scottish Territorial battalion. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss002d6252 Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 The mobilisation notices were to be handed directly to the post office for dispatch upon receipt of the mobilisation telegram. I can imagine there were some difficulties in keeping up with it all whilst at the same time losing a lot of staff to the military. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 I can imagine there were some difficulties in keeping up with it all whilst at the same time losing a lot of staff to the military. Craig Indeed. Particularly the PO, as there appears to have been some kind of scheme whereby soldiers, who had served their term, but were in the reserve, seem to have had a 'leg-up' into the PO. George and James Reid, from Kirriemuir, had both served 7 years and were reservists. George a postman in Blair Atholl, and James a postman at Aberfeldy. Both mobilized, and both fell in 1914. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 The soldier/postman relationship seems to go back a fair bit. Nottingham Evening Post - Wednesday 11 November 1891Soldiers as PostmenIn connection with the official announcement of the determination of the Postmaster-General to afford facilities for the employment of 16,000 men of good character and possessing the necessary qualifications in the Army Reserve, it was yesterday announced that the number of men now on the list, quite 60,000, is the largest total which has been reached during the last 20 years, the greatest number of whom are in the prime of life. Thus the number of men under 30 years of age in the 1st Class Army Reserve is set down at 34,895; from 30 to 35 years 20.940; from 34 to 40 years 3077; over 40 years to 308; and not known 60. In the 2nd Class the number (including enrolled pensioners) is nearly 1,000. The services of the men transferred to the 1st Class Army Reserve up to the date of the last returns for this year alone is nearly 15,000 viz, 12,100 on completion of short service with the colours, 2,070 on conclusion of Army Service and about 100 relegated. The largest number transferred appears to be after 9 years service, which amounted quite 10,000. The services of 9,742 men have expired this year, and on the 1st of January next this total will be added to by an additional 11,000 men.Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 I believe that both police stations and post offices held the notices announcing general mobilisation and the calling up of reservists. Upon notification from central government, the posters were to be put up immediately. This seems to have been what happened at Rhiconich. Officers i/c Records kept telegrams of recall ready in peacetime, and letters including a railway warrant, to notify all reservists in the event of recall. Reservists were required to report themselves immediately on learning of mobilisation having been ordered, even if they had not been separately notified, hence the public notices. This system appears to have worked very smoothly in August 1914. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry_Reeves Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 From WO 162/23 - General mobilization and review of arrangements, 1914: "Distribution of the Display of Mobilization Posters To ensure the upmost despatch in the display of the poster ordering a general mobilisation , when the necessary proclamation had been made by the King, the following systems were initiated. A number of copies of the poster ordering mobilization of the Army Reserve and also those embodying the Territorial Force, were distributed throughout Great Britain and Ireland. These were distributed by the Chief Constables among their subordinates with clear instructions as to the conditions which they were to be posted. Each subordinate police official was required to select the place where he would display each poster, to keep a list showing these places and to make all arrangements when the contingency arose for the prompt carrying out of these arrangements. The whole machinery was set in motion by a telegram from the Home Office. In practice these arrangements went without a hitch and the posters were displayed everywhere within a very few hours of the signature of the proclamation by the King." TR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 Thanks as ever Terry. I wonder if the police still have records of these locations somewhere. It would be nice to know exactly where in my town they were posted. Has anyone ever tried the police for records. One man I am researching was a policeman, and Perth still have the letter he sent applying for permission to join the Army. They also still have his birth certificate. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry_Reeves Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 Mike Try the Chief Constable's Annual Report for the town or city. Also, the minutes of the local Watch Committee can be useful which can be found in the council minutes books. TR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 Thank Terry. I will do that. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry_Reeves Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 Thank you for publishing my real name Mike, I have restored yours :-) TR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 Thank you for publishing my real name Mike, I have restored yours :-) TR Miuke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_hughes Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 Frank Richards in Old Soldiers Never Die records the atmosphere in a Monmouthshire pub on 4 August when someone ran in to say that the police were posting up mobilisation notices. He still had a few drinks before he started off on his journey to Wrexham depot! Anyone got some specimen photos of the two poster types mentioned? Clive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss002d6252 Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 Frank Richards in Old Soldiers Never Die records the atmosphere in a Monmouthshire pub on 4 August when someone ran in to say that the police were posting up mobilisation notices. He still had a few drinks before he started off on his journey to Wrexham depot! Anyone got some specimen photos of the two poster types mentioned? Clive http://photo-sleuth.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/your-king-country-need-you-scarratts.html Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Upton Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 Indeed. Particularly the PO, as there appears to have been some kind of scheme whereby soldiers, who had served their term, but were in the reserve, seem to have had a 'leg-up' into the PO.... http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=219908 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 Thanks Andrew. I did have look but didn't find that one. Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_hughes Posted 20 April , 2015 Share Posted 20 April , 2015 Thanks Craig! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tullybrone Posted 8 June , 2015 Share Posted 8 June , 2015 Hi, I toook advantage of free ancestry weekend and turned up a couple of Scots Guards service records - regimental numbers 44"" - for men who enlisted early 1902 and were time expired in early 1914. The files contained pre completed Army Forms D463 - the mobilisation forms - ready for posting out when and if required. Steve Y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss002d6252 Posted 8 June , 2015 Share Posted 8 June , 2015 Hi, I toook advantage of free ancestry weekend and turned up a couple of Scots Guards service records - regimental numbers 44"" - for men who enlisted early 1902 and were time expired in early 1914. The files contained pre completed Army Forms D463 - the mobilisation forms - ready for posting out when and if required. Steve Y Interesting Steve, I think I'll take a look. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tullybrone Posted 8 June , 2015 Share Posted 8 June , 2015 You're welcome Craig. I was looking at various Guards regiment service records and only found the mobilisation forms on Scots Guards files. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tullybrone Posted 8 June , 2015 Share Posted 8 June , 2015 Craig, The ancestry free weekend link is still working for me! I have been back on line and truned up one of the records I mention - Pte 4462 George Allison - see link below. Regards Steve http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=1114 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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