Derby Scheme armbands issued post-June 1916

[Josh]

Hi all,

Couldn't find a thread on this, so here goes. Were Derby Scheme armbands issued after the scheme closed in June 1916? Anecdotal evidence suggests that they were issued to men under nineteen who attested, is that right? I'm assuming this practice stopped with the reorganisation of the T.R. and the introduction of Young Soldier battalions the following year. Any help would be greatly appreciated, many thanks

[RussT]

When the Military Service Act became law in, I think, May 1916, then every man who fulfilled the criteria was deemed to have enlisted and placed on the reserve - men were then subsequently called up according to their class.

On that basis, I think armbands no longer made sense and therefore were not necessary/issued.

I could be wrong, so I await to learn more if different.

Regards

Russ

[Andrew Upton]

11 hours ago, Josh said:

Couldn't find a thread on this, so here goes. Were Derby Scheme armbands issued after the scheme closed in June 1916? Anecdotal evidence suggests that they were issued to men under nineteen who attested, is that right? I'm assuming this practice stopped with the reorganisation of the T.R. and the introduction of Young Soldier battalions the following year. Any help would be greatly appreciated, many thanks

 

10 hours ago, RussT said:

When the Military Service Act became law in, I think, May 1916, then every man who fulfilled the criteria was deemed to have enlisted and placed on the reserve - men were then subsequently called up according to their class.

On that basis, I think armbands no longer made sense and therefore were not necessary/issued.

I could be wrong, so I await to learn more if different...

When the Volunteer Training Corps was given official recognition in 1916 the old type armlets (a wide red backing with the letters GR in black on them) showing membership were withdrawn and replaced with armlets that were of identical pattern to the Derby Scheme armlets but with the addition of the letters G and R in red felt either side of the crown. Some original examples of these show clear indications that the letters were added after the rest of the armlet had been finished and stamped up ready for issue. It is my belief that after Conscription came into effect and basically rendered the Derby Scheme null and void existing unissued stocks of the armlets were simply modified into a slightly new pattern to avoid wastage. So in a sense they did continue to be issued, just not for their original intended purpose.

 

[Josh]

Hi both,

RussT, it certainly wouldn't make sense to issue armbands after the introduction of conscription. Yet, I'm wondering if they did as a means of distinguishing those who'd volunteered from those who were called up, as this remained an important distinction even after the MSA was implemented. 

Andrew, I'd agree with you about the V.T.C., they most certainly reused surplus armbands rather than waste them. However, the accounts I have are of men joining the army not the V.T.C. It's a tricky one as I can't find anything official, so it's difficult to verify.

[RussT]

I have examined 1000s of Service Records of men who attested under the Derby Scheme (Army Form B2512) and those who were conscripted (Army Form B2513) often for overlapping periods in 1916.

I have come across numerous examples of B2512 Service Records that record the issuing of an Armlet together with its number. I don't recall seeing similar for a conscript joining with a Service Record based on a B2513 - but then again I was not looking explicitly for such an example so I may have missed any such instance. 

But if you have the patience, one method would be to search through as many examples of B2513 Service Records as you can in the hope of finding evidence.

If you do, please let us know.

Regards

Russ