Young men joining RNVR fall 1918 in the Baltic Campaign?

[chrisballance]

For those members of the RNVR too young to see service in Great War who served in the Baltic Campaign against the Bolsheviks, did they have a chance to see extended service during the interwar period? 

Edited 24 May , 2024 by chrisballance

[horatio2]

4 hours ago, chrisballance said:

extended service during the interwar period?

Unlikely, I think until the run-up to WW2 from 1938 but he inter-war years are off-limits for this Great War Forum

Other than for training in the Fleet, reserves like the RNVR and RNR had to be mobilised by Royal Proclamation to enter the Naval Service.

The RNVR ceased recruiting men for "hostilities" in the weeks before the Armistice and mass demobilisation and discharge to "Shore" took place from the early weeks of 1919. Other than the 2,600+ men enrolled into the RNVR for service in the post-war (1919) Mine Clearance Service, I am not aware of any other post-war mobilisation of the RNVR. Some men of the Royal Fleet Reserve (RFR) were mobilised for the national miners' strike in Apr - Jun 1921

That is my understanding. Others may have a different view.

Edited 24 May , 2024 by horatio2

[chrisballance]

So those who were entering service in the last months of the war likely ended up being demobilized and veterans end up going on the naval operations against the Bolsheviks? 

Edited 24 May , 2024 by chrisballance

[seaJane]

Sorry to hijack the thread Chris (although the only people I have ever researched on the Baltic campaigns had been in the RN for some years) but are you related to Sir Charles Ballance?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Alfred_Ballance

[horatio2]

17 hours ago, chrisballance said:

So those who were entering service in the last months of the war likely ended up being demobilized and veterans end up going on the naval operations against the Bolsheviks? 

That is the general picture but, surprise, surprise, there are numerous exceptions and the Baltic operations in 1919 provide examples (in much smaller numbers) to set alongside the 2,600 RNVR ratings of the Mine Clearance Service. In particular, the nine Coastal Motor Boats of the RN Eastern Baltic Fleet (Dec 1918 to Dec 1919) had a strong RNVR component, particularly their Chief Motor Mechanics, who won numerous DSMs. It appears that the junior rates who won DSMs with the Baltic CMBs  were all Able Seamen RN, not RNVR.

A quick review of these RNVR ratings reveals that they were enlisted as early as September 1915 and as late as April 1918. Some were retained in service after the Armistice until demobilised at the end of 1919. Others were demobilised in February 1919 and re-mobilised in July 1919 for service with CMBs in the Baltic.

Edited 25 May , 2024 by horatio2

[KizmeRD]

The issue of discontent in the British Royal Navy in the immediate post-war period was far more widespread than the relative few young men affected by enlistment into the RNVR during the final few months of 1918. In any case such men were largely untrained and so would have been little use to the navy anyway. The main concern was the much larger number of men who had already been serving for a number of years, and with peace now declared, they were keen to return to their families and civilian jobs. The politicians had promised that only volunteers would be used for the Northern Russian and Baltic intervention force, however in reality, that wasn’t the case. Not only temporary wartime recruits, but also the population in general were by this time throughly weary of war, and now that Germany and her allies had been defeated the last thing anyone really wanted was to begin a new war against Russia. Consequently there were a number of outbreaks of refusal to obey orders and mutiny, ranging from minesweeper crews to the aircraft carrier VINDICTIVE.
 

MB

[Pat Atkins]

My grandfather was in the Baltic with HMS Caradoc, having been in the navy since 1915. Never a liberal, far less left-leaning, he looks cheery enough in this souvenir photo; I do wonder about the caption he added, though I'm fairly sure he never mutinied! He never spoke about his war service except with bitterness, mostly regarding lost opportunities relating to post-war work, etc. In later life, his political input was restricted to shouting "Hanging's too good for them!" at the telly (Labourites, union members, hippies, Elvis Presley, foreigners of any description, you name it he disapproved of it).

[FROGSMILE]

2 hours ago, Pat Atkins said:

My grandfather was in the Baltic with HMS Caradoc, having been in the navy since 1915. Never a liberal, far less left-leaning, he looks cheery enough in this souvenir photo; I do wonder about the caption he added, though I'm fairly sure he never mutinied! He never spoke about his war service except with bitterness, mostly regarding lost opportunities relating to post-war work, etc. In later life, his political input was restricted to shouting "Hanging's too good for them!" at the telly (Labourites, union members, hippies, Elvis Presley, foreigners of any description, you name it he disapproved of it).

It’s a very evocative photo and I was interested to see the naval duffel coats and army woollen balaclavas.  I had for some time wondered when the duffel coat had been introduced and learned that it replaced the heavy Melton (32oz) reefer jacket or p-coat (aka bum freezer) that had previously been issued as the heavy outer garment for inclement weather.  That change seems to have taken place sometime between the 2nd Boer War and 1914.  The duffel coat was considered an improvement because it was longer, had a hood to keep out the wind and warm the ears, and most importantly a toggle fastening that was easier to manipulate than buttons with frozen fingers.

The army issued balaclava was a type made from felted wool manufactured in the Aberdeenshire area, especially around Balmoral.  The type can always be spotted by its felted appearance and a small peak above the aperture for the face.  In your photo the man seated third from left is wearing one.  They were used on the tragic Scott expedition to the Antarctic.

Edited 25 May , 2024 by FROGSMILE

[chrisballance]

On 24/05/2024 at 17:29, seaJane said:

Sorry to hijack the thread Chris (although the only people I have ever researched on the Baltic campaigns had been in the RN for some years) but are you related to Sir Charles Ballance?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Alfred_Ballance

Sorry, was pulled away by events in life, I don’t know if I’m related, can only track down a few family members from Leeds. The name is common in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and that is where both sides of my family are from. It’s interesting to read about about Charles Alfred Ballance because both of my parents were nurses. Thanks! 

[seaJane]

1 hour ago, chrisballance said:

Thanks

My pleasure! His son Alaric was one of the naval surgeons with the Royal Naval Division Medical Unit at Gallipoli.