Fraudulent Enlistment?

[DCLI]

I saw this phrase on another thread elsewhere on this forum. It was referring to the returning of medals (except VC) due to, among other things, fraudulent enlistment. Would this include underage enlisment?

My grandfather, like thousands of others enlisted underage - he was 17. His regimental museum has him down as 19. He went on to win the MM.

I appreciate it is hard to prove, as I suppose no one would admit to it, but are there any statistics on under age enlisment.

And to compound my ignorance, what was the minimum age for enlistment and for serving overseas?

Regards

[Guest Bill Woerlee]

DCLI

G'day mate

The BBC had a great program on Boy Soldiers which was replayed on Fox - it was the only way I could see it. They were talking in the vicinity of 100,000 boy soldiers during the Great War.

Cheers

Bill

[DCLI]

DCLI

G'day mate

The BBC had a great program on Boy Soldiers which was replayed on Fox - it was the only way I could see it. They were talking in the vicinity of 100,000 boy soldiers during the Great War.

Cheers

Bill

Thanks Bill, difficult to court marshal that many

[john w.]

There was a thread on this a while back when the programme was originally aired, many questions were raised then that might help in understanding the number who enlisted and how the figures were arrived at.

John

[Tom Morgan]

DCLI - during the period of wartime voluntary enlistment, recruits were supposed to be over 18 (and under 39, I believe). A soldier couldn't be sent overseas until he was 19. So an 18-year-old, by the time he had completed the period of training envisaged at the time, would be 19.

A fraudulent enlistment was any enlistment which, among other things, was based on false information. So a boy who hiked up his age to get in had enlisted fraudulently. Not that this seems to have made much difference. Once they were in, they were in and it was very difficult to get them out.

I'm not saying that any such underage soldier ever had to forfeit his medals.

Tom