Over Age for a Company Commander?

[IanR]

I wondered what the maximum age of a Company commander was during the war.

My reason in asking is that in some research I am carrying out I have come across a Major of age fifty who led his men into the trenches in Jan '16, but was apparently "ordered out' by the War Office due to being "over age" in April '16. Whilst this seems perfectly understandable, I was interested if this order came as a result of him being unfit or unwell, or due to an official policy being implemented.

Anyone with any information on Company commander (or other officers) maximum ages?

Regards

Ian

[Guest FRANKBARTHOLOMEW]

Anyone with any information on Company commander (or other officers) maximum ages?

Ian, I think that the following rule applied to officers and enforced retirements:

2nd Lieutenant/Lieutenant/Captain (48)

Major (50)

Lieutenant Colonel (55)

Colonel and Temporary Brigadier General (60)

In addition, I think that officers who were approaching the aforementioned ages were placed on half-pay before being transferred to the retired list. Therefore, a Captain would be transferred to the half pay list at 46/47 (having been passed over for promotion on the grounds of being too old) and then moved to the retired list on their 48th birthday. From what I remember, an officer who spent two years on the half pay list would be automatically retired- Sir John French feared such a fate when placed on half pay as a Brevet Colonel.

I think that officers holding full general rank did not retire as such, but would be placed on the unattached list- Brudenell White, for example, was recalled at 63 as Australian CGS- but that may have been the exception rather than the rule.

Please don't take this as gospel- I've had to do loads of research to get this far, and I cannot promise accuracy- but it is something to go on.

Frank

[armourersergeant]

I am not sure that there was an age thing. I can tell you that Haig adopted an unofficial policy of not promoting men above 35 ish to command battalions. Realising that it was a young mans war.

regards

Arm.

[Essexboy68]

Hello All

Not sure if I can furnish any definitive information on this matter, but surely, they were not "retiring" officers, whether regular or not during the war? Did they not instead move them to jobs away from the front? Also, there hasbeen mention previously of officers well into their 50s "going over the top"

Incidently, in WW2, during the Desert campaign, the CO of the Manx Regiment was returned home when a visiting high ranking officer noticed that his uniform displayed Boer War ribbons!!!!

Cheers

Mark