Transfer or Conscription

[paulmac]

I have a conundrum.

Point 1: Although his service records were destroyed, I have pieced together that my uncle Albert was mobilized on March 28 or 29 1916 and posted the following day to 4/2nd Training Battalion London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers). This is reasonably clear from his regimental number #6018 and the amount of war gratuity paid for thirteen months service (KIA 12 April 1917: £5.10.00). According to the medal rolls, he disembarked on 30 July 1916, posted to the 1/2 Battalion. On the face of it, he was conscripted at the age of 19y 5m.

Point 2: I have a picture of him in the standard economy pattern service dress Jacket of the period wearing an Essex Regiment cap badge and a white lanyard denoting a transport driver. If he was a territorial (as in the 2/London above), possibly joining them at the minimum age of seventeen in 1913, why was he conscripted into another Regiment, not being time served by 1914 - 1916. The Essex Regimental Museum knows that some of their territorial’s were transferred to the 2/London territorial’s but they have no evidence that this happened to Albert.

Has anyone an alternative explanation or come across this situation elsewhere, please?

Thanks

Paul

 

[ss002d6252]

5 minutes ago, paulmac said:

I have a conundrum.

Point 1: Although his service records were destroyed, I have pieced together that my uncle Albert was mobilized on March 28 or 29 1916 and posted the following day to 4/2nd Training Battalion London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers). This is reasonably clear from his regimental number #6018 and the amount of war gratuity paid for thirteen months service (KIA 12 April 1917: £5.10.00). According to the medal rolls, he disembarked on 30 July 1916, posted to the 1/2 Battalion. On the face of it, he was conscripted at the age of 19y 5m.

Point 2: I have a picture of him in the standard economy pattern service dress Jacket of the period wearing an Essex Regiment cap badge and a white lanyard denoting a transport driver. If he was a territorial (as in the 2/London above), possibly joining them at the minimum age of seventeen in 1913, why was he conscripted into another Regiment, not being time served by 1914 - 1916. The Essex Regimental Museum knows that some of their territorial’s were transferred to the 2/London territorial’s but they have no evidence that this happened to Albert.

Has anyone an alternative explanation or come across this situation elsewhere, please?

Thanks

Paul

 

Can you post a copy of the effects entry ? - I don't have access at the moment.

What evidence do you have the indicates he served pre-war ? If he was conscripted in March 1916 then he was not a war-time discharged soldier as these men were not included in conscription until session 2 of the MSA in June 1916.
 

Craig

[paulmac]

The only 'evidence' I have for the Essex territorial's, is the photo. Pre war service is just a possible scenario.

The effects entry is in the centre.

 

[Ron Clifton]

After the introduction of conscription in 1916 men could be transferred between units as and when most needed, so it is not uncommon to see men moving between regiments, especially in the case of the Irish regiments who could not benefit from conscription.

 

Many of these transfers took place after men had been wounded, where in effect their old regiment had already received replacements for them, but other regiments still needed similar replacements.

 

Ron