Clive Temple Posted 28 November , 2005 Share Posted 28 November , 2005 My grandmothers brother lied about his age to join up on 16 May 1916. He claimed to be 18/6 but was actually 16/4. His short service form has been ammended to the real age at a later date presumably after he died and his secret was found out. From elsewhere on this site it appears the Government introduced the National Military Service Act on January 27th, 1916. All voluntary enlistment was stopped. All British males were deemed to have enlisted - that is, they were conscripted - if they were aged 18 to 41 and resided in Great Britain. So how did he get the chance to volunteer and lie about his age if all soldiers after January 27 were 'called up'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andigger Posted 28 November , 2005 Share Posted 28 November , 2005 He claimed to be 18/6 but was actually 16/4. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Pardon my ignorance, but what does the fraction of an age mean? Is that 18 yrs and 6 mos. I've never seen that before. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Temple Posted 28 November , 2005 Author Share Posted 28 November , 2005 Pardon my ignorance, but what does the fraction of an age mean? Is that 18 yrs and 6 mos. I've never seen that before. Andy <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Furnell Posted 28 November , 2005 Share Posted 28 November , 2005 Evening Clive. Only queston i have is name,rank,and number?. He may have been a volunteer. I believe men still walked in and put their hands up,even after the Conscription act. I think a similar thing happened during WW2. All the best. Simon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hambo Posted 28 November , 2005 Share Posted 28 November , 2005 I have my grandfathers records from the NA and he lied about his age in 1916 aged 17 moving his year of birth back a couple of years. He seems to have done it with his father's blessing because he's named as the next of kin! I presume they didn't doublecheck with the parents by that stage as anybody of 6ft 2 with a pulse probably qualified by that stage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Stewart Posted 28 November , 2005 Share Posted 28 November , 2005 Clive, Simon is correct you could still volunteer after conscription was introduced in 1916. Obviously it all depended on your physical build and ability to bluff your way in, as I believe Birth Certificates were something of a rarity in those days. Graham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludovica Posted 28 November , 2005 Share Posted 28 November , 2005 In the course of my genealogical research I have discovered it was practically the norm to add on a couple of years on enlistment. I'm currently looking for the birth certificates of a couple of brothers whose parents married in 1901, and who were killed in 1914 (given age 18) and 1918 (given age 19). I sincerely *hope* to discover that they were born prior to their parents marriage, especially in the 1914 case.. My own 3 grandfathers (it's complicated!) all lied about their ages by as much as 4 years as well although fortunately they all survived Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Toby V Posted 29 November , 2005 Share Posted 29 November , 2005 According to the story passed on from my grandfather, some naive youths who tried to sign up in 1914 but neglected to 'amend' their real ages were told 'try again tomorrow...' by the recruiting officer. A heavy hint! My grandfather himself (and his brother) both lied to get in. His miltary service records mysteriously shift his date of birth from 1897 to 1898 at some point – though I doubt there was much surprise or controversy on the part of the army when this emerged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt_Hazell_Great_Grandson Posted 29 November , 2005 Share Posted 29 November , 2005 My GGF added 4 years to his age when he joined up in 1885 , he was just 15. His father , my GGGF , had just died and the chance of seeing the world must of been an attraction to a poor London lad. Roland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrel Posted 29 November , 2005 Share Posted 29 November , 2005 Few people had birth certificates as the requirement was for a birth to be registered but a certificate had to be purchased so most people didn't bother to buy one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Temple Posted 4 December , 2005 Author Share Posted 4 December , 2005 Clive, Simon is correct you could still volunteer after conscription was introduced in 1916. Obviously it all depended on your physical build and ability to bluff your way in, as I believe Birth Certificates were something of a rarity in those days. Graham. Cheers Graham, that was what i wanted to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrebing Posted 4 December , 2005 Share Posted 4 December , 2005 My Great Grandfather also lied about his age....he was 16 yrs old when he joined the Royal Scots...his brother and brother inlaw had joined also....I guess he didn't want to be left out. I also believe he was in a special unit because he was short only 5feet 4 inches. I guess they didn't care as long as you were breathing and able..... He is the second one from the left Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marina Posted 4 December , 2005 Share Posted 4 December , 2005 Bantams, maybe? If he is 5'4", what on earth was the height of the soldier next to him? Marina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrebing Posted 4 December , 2005 Share Posted 4 December , 2005 Bantam...yes that's what is on the back of the picture......here are a couple more....yeah thought the one next to him was pretty short too....even with his boots on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 4 December , 2005 Share Posted 4 December , 2005 My husband's father was wounded on the Somme on 1 July 1916, his 16th birthday. He made a full recovery and served in the regular army, finally retiring in 1955, when he was 55. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kath Posted 4 December , 2005 Share Posted 4 December , 2005 (edited) That was a good prog. on Channel 4 last night: Britain's Boy Soldiers - Documentary examining the alarming number of under-age soldiers who fought in the British army during World War One, revealing new evidence that suggests the government was aware of the situation, but turned a blind eye. Featuring stories of surviving recruits, and an account of Liberal MP Arthur Markham's struggle to raise public awareness Kath. Edited 4 December , 2005 by Kath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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