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Remembered Today:

Enlisted June 1916 had wife and child


loujn

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Hi, i am just finishing writing up one of the soldiers named on our church war memorial - William Henry Tolley.

 

I am trying to work out why or if he was obliged to enlist when he did....

 

He was aged 25 years and 219 days old on his service record.  He was married with at least one child by then.

 

He signed his General Service enlistment papers on 24th June 1916.

 

I am wondering if there would have been a reason which made him have to enlist at that time?  or could he just have decided voluntarily to enlist?

 

I've done some googling and found that in 1916 if he had been single or later married but had NO children he would have been called up to serve, but can't find anything to include men with children.

 

Can anyone add any insight please?

 

Thank you in advance.

Regards,

Louise

 

www.fallenheroesww1.blogspot.com

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46 minutes ago, loujn said:

Hi, i am just finishing writing up one of the soldiers named on our church war memorial - William Henry Tolley.

 

I am trying to work out why or if he was obliged to enlist when he did....

 

He was aged 25 years and 219 days old on his service record.  He was married with at least one child by then.

 

He signed his General Service enlistment papers on 24th June 1916.

 

I am wondering if there would have been a reason which made him have to enlist at that time?  or could he just have decided voluntarily to enlist?

 

I've done some googling and found that in 1916 if he had been single or later married but had NO children he would have been called up to serve, but can't find anything to include men with children.

 

Can anyone add any insight please?

 

Thank you in advance.

Regards,

Louise

 

www.fallenheroesww1.blogspot.com

The military service act 1916 had two sessions, the first covered unmarried men but the second of may 1916 extended it to married men.

http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/enlisting-into-the-army/the-1916-military-service-act/the-may-1916-extension-of-the-military-service-act/

 

Craig

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17 hours ago, loujn said:

Hi, i am just finishing writing up one of the soldiers named on our church war memorial - William Henry Tolley.

 

I am trying to work out why or if he was obliged to enlist when he did....

 

He was aged 25 years and 219 days old on his service record.  He was married with at least one child by then.

 

He signed his General Service enlistment papers on 24th June 1916.

 

I am wondering if there would have been a reason which made him have to enlist at that time?  or could he just have decided voluntarily to enlist?

 

I've done some googling and found that in 1916 if he had been single or later married but had NO children he would have been called up to serve, but can't find anything to include men with children.

 

Can anyone add any insight please?

 

Thank you in advance.

Regards,

Louise

 

www.fallenheroesww1.blogspot.com

 

The Military Service (Session 2) Act 1916 extended conscription liability to ALL married men aged 18-40, regardless of whether they had children.

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2 minutes ago, Magnumbellum said:

 

The Military Service (Session 2) Act 1916 extended conscription liability to ALL married men aged 18-40, regardless of whether they had children.

Oh right thank you that helps me then.  I just couldnt find anything which specifically stated the men with or without children.

 

So as he enlisted on 24th June 1916 I can assume he enlisted as he was called up for conscription?

thank you for your help

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16 hours ago, ss002d6252 said:

The military service act 1916 had two sessions, the first covered unmarried men but the second of may 1916 extended it to married men.

http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/enlisting-into-the-army/the-1916-military-service-act/the-may-1916-extension-of-the-military-service-act/

 

Craig

Thank you Craig, i wasnt sure re the children status, but Magnumbellum has answered stating it didnt matter children or childless.  

Thanks for your help.

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  • 1 month later...

My grandad was conscripted in the middle of 1916. He was 36 and married with two children when called up. My mother is certain he would not have served if not for conscription.

Its possible your ancestor may have felt the same strong ties with his family

 

Simon

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On 26/03/2018 at 14:54, loujn said:

 

So as he enlisted on 24th June 1916 I can assume he enlisted as he was called up for conscription?

 

 

June 24th 1916 was the date that unattested married men in Classes 24 - 46 (as defined in the Act), were called up for service.  He was therefore amongst the first to be called up. The Classes mirrored the Derby Scheme Groups.

 

He was conscripted.

 

In fact an Army Council Instruction issued to recruiting offices stated the mobilisation of 'attested married men' i.e. those who had attested under the Derby or Group Scheme was to be paused to allow the mobilisation of the above Classes.

The full text the ACI was 'Classes 24 to 36 will commence to be called up on June 24th 1916 and no individual notices will be issued after June 10th to men in Groups 24 to 36 until individual notices have been sent to the men in the corresponding class.  Area Commanders will commence to issue notice papers to men in Classes 24-36 on June 10th in such numbers daily as will ensure the full quota of men being dealt with by medical boards on each day on and after June 24th"

 

Ken

Edited by kenf48
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On 27/04/2018 at 11:28, mancpal said:

My grandad was conscripted in the middle of 1916. He was 36 and married with two children when called up. My mother is certain he would not have served if not for conscription.

Its possible your ancestor may have felt the same strong ties with his family

 

Simon

Simon, so sad.  I bet they hated to leave their families.  

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On 27/04/2018 at 18:06, kenf48 said:

In fact an Army Council Instruction issued to recruiting offices stated the mobilisation of 'attested married men' i.e. those who had attested under the Derby or Group Scheme was to be paused to allow the mobilisation of the above Classes.

Thank you ken for your reply. 

So am I correct in understanding -

if a man had already voluntarily attested under the derby or Group Schemes.... these were allowed a temporary reprieve whilst those who hadn’t volunteered were called up?

so basically, if you didn’t want to go - you were going anyway? And if you’d volunteered they would keep you for later?

 

i had not heard this before, so thank you for adding this to my knowledge! Thanks again for your time, Louise 

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Not so much a reprieve, ‘attested men’, or those who attested under the Derby Scheme were already in the Army Reserve.

 

Ken

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10 hours ago, kenf48 said:

Not so much a reprieve, ‘attested men’, or those who attested under the Derby Scheme were already in the Army Reserve.

 

Ken

 

Ok thanks for the explanation.  Louise

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