Birmingham Enlistment

[Russellwoodward]

Dear All

Can you give me some guidance as to why a man born and bred in Birmingham , who enlisted in Birmingham, ended up with the Cheshire Regiment 2nd Battalion

Did the army regiments tour the country.

Did the soldier have achoice which regiment he joined

Regards

Russell

[Terry_Reeves]

Early in the war, a man had a chance of joining his local regiment, but even then that was not always the case. With the introduction of conscription in 1916 however, this choice largely disappeared.

Terry Reeves

[Muerrisch]

Birmingham, for example, was such a major recruiting area for the Royal Welch Fusiliers that the second battalion was known unofficially as the 'Birmingham Fusiliers'. This tradition was still going strong in October 1915, when several war heroes including a VC, a band and drums, the Royal Goat, and a big party of recruiters, attracted over 300 men into the regiment in less than a week. These men typically have regimental numbers around 36000.

[Russellwoodward]

Dear ALL

I have been informed that C V Russell was a career soldier especially as his number was 7526

He also enlisted in Bham - does anyone know if the Cheshires were recruiting in Bham at all

Regards

Russell

[Terry Carter]

There was a Regular Army Recruiting Office in James Watt Street, Birmingham and Birmingham was the hub of the country's rail network perhaps a pre-war recruit had a choice of where he wanted to go. Perhaps the recruiting Sergeant was a Cheshire Regiment soldier and advised him it was the best county regiment in the country.

You only have to check through Soldiers Died and look at the casualties from the opening months of the war when they were all Regulars serving. Birmingham men were serving in regiments from all over the UK.

Terry