Central Organising Committees and Local Emergency Committees

[Martin A Jones]

A very simple question but one for which I can not find an answer:  Did all counties have a Central Organising Committee or just those "in threat of immediate invasion?"  Is there a list of COCs with membership and the same for LECs.  Particularly interested to know if there was a COC for Northamptonshire.

Thanks

[FROGSMILE]

On 30/11/2023 at 16:45, Martin A Jones said:

A very simple question but one for which I can not find an answer:  Did all counties have a Central Organising Committee or just those "in threat of immediate invasion?"  Is there a list of COCs with membership and the same for LECs.  Particularly interested to know if there was a COC for Northamptonshire.

Thanks

I’ve only just spotted this interesting inquiry.  My guess is that it would be just the counties with coastlines facing potential invasion, but there’s an interesting thesis that covers the invasion scare of 1914 accessible here: https://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3212&context=etd

I hope that it might help with context if not the exact detail sought by your query.

There is also a JSTOR journal article here that is accessible via a variety of means including your local public library: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26004333

Edited 24 April by FROGSMILE

[Martin A Jones]

Thank you for replying to this.  I had located the first article but not the second - very helpful.  Since my original post I have been able to verify that Northamptonshire had both a COC and LEC's.  They seem to have been established in early 1915 under the control of the Lord Lieutenant of the County, Earl Spencer.  Indeed in a speech February 1919 the Earl expressed his thanks to both the members of the Central Organising Committee and the several Local Committees.  As yet I have been unable to locate any papers related to these groups and need to return to Northamptonshire Archives to continue my search.  My particular interest is the relationship of these groups to the VTC and Volunteer Force which is my primary area of research.  Again, thanks.

 

[FROGSMILE]

51 minutes ago, Martin A Jones said:

Thank you for replying to this.  I had located the first article but not the second - very helpful.  Since my original post I have been able to verify that Northamptonshire had both a COC and LEC's.  They seem to have been established in early 1915 under the control of the Lord Lieutenant of the County, Earl Spencer.  Indeed in a speech February 1919 the Earl expressed his thanks to both the members of the Central Organising Committee and the several Local Committees.  As yet I have been unable to locate any papers related to these groups and need to return to Northamptonshire Archives to continue my search.  My particular interest is the relationship of these groups to the VTC and Volunteer Force which is my primary area of research.  Again, thanks.

 

That’s very interesting Martin and I appreciate you taking the time to reply.  I too am interested in the VTC and [resurrected] VF that it became before the Armistice ended things.  I’m keen to try and get hold of one of Ray Westlake’s last publications on the same subject, but they are quite expensive and I’m not sure of his book’s scope.  I and I’m sure others here will be interested to learn of anything more that you uncover if you’re happy to share it.

Edited 24 April by FROGSMILE