Guest Posted 12 December , 2021 Share Posted 12 December , 2021 Hello, I am researching a distant relative and have found that he volunteered for the Red Cross on 08/11/1916. He worked as a grocer and doesn't appear to have had any medical qualifications or to belong to a religion that would prohibit fighting. So my question is - would someone be allowed to volunteer for the Red Cross as an alternative to being conscripted into the armed forces and would they have to meet any special requirements in order to do so? Many thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEW Posted 12 December , 2021 Share Posted 12 December , 2021 This sort of links into something I've been looking into. Can't give a definite answer but depending on his age and marital status he would still have been taken under the MSA for conscription unless he had successfully appealed. There were BRCS men that volunteered earlier in the war and were driving ambulances to the front line in 2 & 4 MAC. In November 1915 things were changing and they were recalled to the BRCS depot to either attest or go home. About half attested supposedly under special conditions of pay and that their war service was only for driving ambulances as ASC men. Having attested it was then decided that they had joined up for general service and they may well have served in any Army unit. I'm not sure as yet why the above rolled out. MSA was on the horizon but it seems to have been the BRCS that recalled their men. The Army had been having problems with these volunteer drivers taking days off, getting drunk or insubordination etc. and couldn't really set a punishment. I've found another batch for volunteer drivers who supposedly attested in early 1916 into ASC as who then served abroad for a considerable time without regimental numbers which I find unlikely. By 1916 it does appear that owners, drivers & mechanics who were BRCS men were being enlisted. The same seems to apply to RAOB drivers. There are a lot of institutions that supplied volunteers to the BRCS and even after the VAD was formed men still joined the BRCS rather than becoming a VAD. Having said that the Medal Rolls to BRCS seem to show a lot of civilians (not necessarily medical) serving through to the armistice who for whatever reason were not conscripted. TEW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 12 December , 2021 Share Posted 12 December , 2021 Thank you TEW, that is fascinating. He was 24 and married at the beginning of the war. It seems odd that the MSA was brought into force in January and he didn't join the BRCS until November. The only thing I could guess is that he had avoided conscription and chose to join the BRCS instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolt968 Posted 12 December , 2021 Share Posted 12 December , 2021 A couple of thoughts: Could he have been exempt but volunteered anyway? The fact that he did not belong to a religious organisation which espoused conscientious objection does not necessarily mean that he was not a conscientious objector. On the whole I think it would make it more difficult to have the plea accepted (as did belonging to a religious organisation whose position was ambivalent). (Have you checked the local papers for reports of the tribunals? Was he a self employed grocer or worked for a grocer? RM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 12 December , 2021 Share Posted 12 December , 2021 Thank you for your reply. He was a grocer's assistant. I didn't think to check the newspapers but I will do so right now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 12 December , 2021 Share Posted 12 December , 2021 Success! Thank you for the suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolt968 Posted 12 December , 2021 Share Posted 12 December , 2021 What was the date of the newspaper article or the tribunal? Is there a report of the next tribunal? RM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 12 December , 2021 Share Posted 12 December , 2021 The newspaper date was Friday 27 October 1916. I haven't found a report of the next tribunal, but he joined the BRCS the following month so perhaps it never happened? Would they have been satisfied with him joining the BRCS rather than enlisting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolt968 Posted 12 December , 2021 Share Posted 12 December , 2021 51 minutes ago, StormPetrel said: The newspaper date was Friday 27 October 1916. I haven't found a report of the next tribunal, but he joined the BRCS the following month so perhaps it never happened? Would they have been satisfied with him joining the BRCS rather than enlisting? I am no expert on Military Service Tribunals, (There are members of the forum who are.) But I think that tribunals should not have been making a decision based on a man's health, that was for the army's doctors. In this case it's certainly to our advantage in finding information. Presumably in the interim someone somewhere caught up with all the information. Your relative certainly tried his best to join up somewhere. RM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 13 December , 2021 Share Posted 13 December , 2021 Thank you for your help, this has been fascinating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now