Time expired, then further service

[GrenPen]

This comes up on a regular basis, but I wanted to document one of a group of men whom I have been researching, and who happens to fall into the above category. I have tagged the post to aid subsequent searches. There are more Time Expired men where I am not aware of there being subsequent service. In some cases, when the medical examination at the time of discharge took place, they were in addition medically discharged under Para 392 (xvi) with a resultant Silver War Badge being issued.

 

Herbert Northeast enlisted on 12 January 1903 as a Private in the South Wales Borderers, service number 7863. He served not only the 12 years, but an additional year too (more on that later) and was discharged, Time Expired, from a reserve battalion on 11 January 1916. He fell foul of the Military Service Act and was recalled to the colours on 21st September 1916. Yet again he joined a reserve battalion, before being transferred to the Labour Corps.

I did find a very interesting thread on here, in relation to that subject, but could not find it again. Now it has been relocated, the link to it is below.

 

With regard to the extra year:
Clause (or question) 17.2 on the Attestation Form states:

Quote

if so called out, you will be liable to be detained in Army Service for the unexpired portion of your term of service in the Army Reserve and for a further period not exceeding 12 months if so directed by the competent Military Authority

 

This refers back to the text of 17.1 on the Attestation Form

Quote

you are liable to be called out, or detained whilst called up for training, in case of imminent national danger, or great emergency on permanent service in the United Kingdom or elsewhere until otherwise ordered

 

There is similar text in
Army Form B 221 Descriptive Return of Soldier Desirous of Extending Service

The one difference is that the purpose of the "extra year" relates to retaining a soldier overseas for several months until the trooping season starts

Quote

(b) I am desirous of extending my period of Army Service to complete 12 years with the Colours, and I understand that, if at the termination of sich period of Army Service I am serving beyond the seas, I shall be liable to serve for a further period of one year (or such lesser period as may be determined), after which I shall be sent home with all convenient speed.

I daresay other people out there have similar examples of Time Expired men recalled to the colours.

[GrenPen]

The following thread is also of interest
 

 

With regard to Grumpy's table, the source "VAH" refers to:

Skelley, Alan Ramsay (1977). The Victorian army at home: the recruitment and terms and conditions of the British regular, 1859-1899 (illustrated ed.)

 

Herbert Northeast is also mentioned here:

https://swb1914.uk/index.php/the-1st-battalion/regular-2/

[GrenPen]

I have come across one Time Expired man who served 12 years, not 13, but there may be circumstances around this as to why he was not retained for a further year.

 

John Robert Alphin Franklin enlisted on 4th August 1905. In October 1915, he was hospitalised with myalgia, and was shipped back to the UK. Thereafter, he was associated with the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, for payment purposes. At this time, he was doing war work at the Vickers factory in Barrow in Furness (his home town) from December 1915 onwards. He was discharged from the army, clause XXI, Time Expired, on the 12th anniversary of his enlistment.

 

I have come across one of his colleagues, similarly employed in a factory near Birmingham. The factory owners wrote to the regiment to advise that he was ill, and that when he was well enough, they did not want him back! My understanding is that the army would have discharged him, if he were to be willingly taken on by the factory for war work.

There is a bit more detail on Franklin, discharged from the army the day before war broke out, on the following page
https://swb1914.uk/index.php/the-1st-battalion/regular-4/

[ss002d6252]

It's not hugely uncommon to see men who did not either serve the extra year or only served part of it (the same occurs with territorial serving the extra year as well). I suspect a lot of it was based on medical grounds and general fitness as the men I have seen were all getting on a bit in age.  Some of them were conscripted or voluntarily re-enlisted but a large number don't appear back in the military - presumably either they deemed unfit for further service or they'd returned to civilian work (most of them were miners and iron workers)

 

Craig

[kevinrowlinson]

24 minutes ago, GrenPen said:

but there may be circumstances around this as to why he was not retained for a further year.

 

According to his records he was discharged Termination of Engagement under ACI 316 of 1917. This ACI is listed under Discharges; Released for munition work. There were quite a few published after this just for 1917  including 789, 864 and 1338.  Kevin

[GrenPen]

Thanks for the extra info Kevin.

[GrenPen]

An interesting quote from Grumpy re the trooping season

Quote

The Trooping Season was from October outbound from UK, to March last homebound from India.

Depending on drop-offs/ pick-ups on the way [Gib, Malta, Cyprus, Aden, for example] the India trip took as little as three weeks and as long as six.

 

[Keith_history_buff]

Clause 11 (Prolongation) within the Army Enlistment Act is of interest on the following thread