what was the enlistment process at chatham

[Guest]

hello,

 first post for me. what would of been the enlistment process to join the Royal Navy at chatham?just before or indeed during the Great War?

when I enlisted many years ago into the army, we went to Crayford, then to Sutton Coldfield ,then eventually to basic training at our chosen regiments, would it of been similar

many thanks

les.

Edited 19 August , 2019 by Guest
predictive text

[horatio2]

A prospective rating or marine would apply at a local recruiting office. Naval ratings joining as boy seaman (under 18) would be required to complete a Parental Consent Form. A rating  could be entered under three types of engagement: a Continuous Service (CS) Engagement of 12 years (from age 18); a Non-Continuous Service (NCS) Engagement (applicable to certain 'domestic' branches only); and a Special Service (SS) Engagement (seamen and stokers only) which required 7 years service in the Fleet followed by discharge to 5 years in the Royal Fleet Reserve. Men joining the RMLI and RMA signed Attestation Forms and served on 12 year engagements.

Recruit training would be carried out in training ships (boys only), at Chatham Barracks (HMS PEMBROKE), at the RMLI Depot, Deal, Kent (for RMLI) and at RMA HQ, Eastney Barracks.

WW1 also saw the introduction of Short Service (duration of the war) engagements.

There are many exceptions to the above broad description.

 

Edited 23 August , 2019 by horatio2

[Guest]

Thanks horatio2,

 so, they could enlist as a 16 year old with a consent form and do one of these 2 engagements? Not the cs, till 18

so I’m guessing most 16 year olds wanting to be seaman would take the special service, would they of changed at the outbreak of the war?

 Many thanks 

les

[horatio2]

5 minutes ago, les said:

I’m guessing most 16 year olds wanting to be seaman would take the special service,

Not so. SS enlistment was for men only (age 18 or over). Boy seaman under 18, with parental consent, would enlist for CS but their 12 years 'time' would not start until their 18th birthday. No changes in this regard during the war.

[Ex-boy]

18 hours ago, horatio2 said:

Not so. SS enlistment was for men only (age 18 or over). Boy seaman under 18, with parental consent, would enlist for CS but their 12 years 'time' would not start until their 18th birthday. No changes in this regard during the war.

 

In those days boys could probably have joined up well before 16, too. Even in the 1960s I joined the army at age 15. Coincidentally I applied to join at Crayford ACIO but actually signed on at the Chatham office.

 

Steve

[horatio2]

8 hours ago, Ex-boy said:

In those days boys could probably have joined up well before 16,

The minimum age for Boy Seaman 2nd Class was 15 1/2 (KR&AI (1913)). Boys joined the RMLI and RMA as buglers much younger - some as young as 13 (before 1907) and 14 was common.

Edited 25 August , 2019 by horatio2