Fraudulent enlistment from RGA to RFA

[davidbohl]

I was looking at the military records of a great uncle on Ancestry and surprised to see he had joined the RGA as Harry Bohl in 1914, was recorded as absent without leave then deserter.

He rejoined in Mar 1915 as John Henry in the RFA and continued to serve no problem, receiving his medals.

In 1920 here is a clip from Anc. were he is eventually bubbled.

 

A few questions arise. Is there any record of further action or did the case simply disappear ? Was fraudulent enlistment common ? What would make him do this ?

 

Many thanks

Dave

[IPT]

They didn't seem unduly concerned, did they?

 

The first enquiry seems to be in January 1916, as far as I can see, when he was already abroad.

[Perth Digger]

David

When being established in 1915, the 11th Royal West Kent Regiment had 17 fraudulently enlisting from other units and lost 12 who deserted to other units.

 

I went through all the District courts-martial records from January 1915 to April 1916 and found that 1309 men were court-martialled for fraudulent enlistment. The peak months for fraudulent enlistment were November 1915 to January 1916. Many others would not have been court-martialled.

 

The attached is something I wrote in an unfinished draft chapter on discipline. 

 

Mike

 

[davidbohl]

Thanks Mike, the draft explains the situation very clearly and I can surmise he dropped into the category of "demonstrating he did not intend to quit the army".

His brother William was in the RFA, perhaps a reason for him switching regiments (Wm died of wounds in Salonika).

 

Dave

 

[Perth Digger]

Hi Dave

That was a common reason for fraudulent enlistment: joining relatives or friends in another unit. In keeping with the Pals idea!

 

I suspect also that as so many changed units in the months when conscription was about to come in they had rushed to join up at the last minute, expecting to be able to choose their unit. Perhaps many were just sent to wherever there was a vacancy, so they upped sticks and went to where they wanted to be.

 

Many were also under age and were just joining up and leaving and joining up again for the money. I believe the police record for the number of enlistments by one man was about 26.

 

Mike

[MaxD]

Seems pretty clear from his records that the army took a pragmatic approach, given that his service to King and Country was essentially unbroken in May 1915 and just took pains to make sure his (RGA) records ended up in the right record office.

 

Max

[Keith_history_buff]

A slight deviation on this theme. Civilians passing themselves off as deserters. 

Army (Annual) Act (1882) and subsequent to and inclusive of the Act of 1907
Punishment for pretending to be a deserter
'152.  Any person who falsely represents himself to any military, naval, or civil authority to be a deserter from His Majesty's regular forces, shall on summary conviction be sentenced to be imprisoned, with or without hard labour, for any period not exceeding three months.'
 

Reserve Forces Act 1882
understood to have been continued by the Reserve Forces Act 1906

Desertion & Fraudulent Enlistment
'16. (2) Any person who falsely represents himself to be a deserter or absentee without leave from the army or militia reserve shall be liable, on conviction by a court of summary jurisdiction, to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for a term not exceeding three months.'

Militia Act 1882
Desertion & Fraudulent Enlistment
'24. (2) Any person who falsely represents himself to any military, naval, or civil authority to be a deserter or absentee without leave from the militia, shall be liable, on conviction by a court of summary jurisdiction, to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for a term not exceeding three months.'

Para 153 of the Army Act makes a person assisting a deserter 'liable on summary conviction to be imprisoned, with or without hard labour, for a term not exceeding six months.'

Primary Source:
Manual of Military Law 1907

https://archive.org/details/manualofmilitary00greauoft/page/267/mode/1up?view=theater&q=deserter