TonyE Posted 9 June , 2006 Share Posted 9 June , 2006 My normal habitat is over on the arms and equipment board, but I am sure that you naval types will be able to answer my questions in a flash. I am currently writing my dissertation on rifle production for the Birmingham MA course and need to know the following: What was the peace time strength of the RN in 1914 (including RM)? What was the mobilised strength in 1914? Was there a fixed ratio for the number of small arms carried on board ship to the number of seamen? I am of course aware of the Churchill memo ordering the navy to return its Enfields in exchange for Japanese Arisakas but am trying to get an estimate for the total number of rifles in RN service. Thanks in advance TonyE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
per ardua per mare per terram Posted 9 June , 2006 Share Posted 9 June , 2006 RM July 1914active 166 Officers and 5090 NCOs and men afloat; 241 Officers and 12737 NCOs and men ashore. Haven't found a reference book yet the gives the RN numbers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyE Posted 11 June , 2006 Author Share Posted 11 June , 2006 Many thanks TonyE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseph Posted 7 July , 2006 Share Posted 7 July , 2006 Tony After the Mobilisation of August 1914 we had 201,000 officers and men in the Fleet, and in September 1918 we had 409,000. (CB1515(50) Mobilisation of the Fleet) Regards Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbo Posted 7 July , 2006 Share Posted 7 July , 2006 I've been reading up on technical details of RN warships for my own dissertation, which is on the RN's conversion from coal to oil (MLitt at Glasgow). One of the books that I looked at gave the number of rifles issued to a ship amongst many other details. I think that it was British Destroyers: A History of Development 1892-1953 (London: Seely Service & Co., 1966) by Edgar J. March. Assuming that I've got the right book, then it would only give this information for destroyers, not all warships, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
per ardua per mare per terram Posted 8 July , 2006 Share Posted 8 July , 2006 Any figures for the Royal Naval Reserve and Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve or do the Fleet figers include them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horatio2 Posted 8 July , 2006 Share Posted 8 July , 2006 Tony, General Blumberg in "Britain's Sea Soldiers" quotes the following numbers for the RM: "At the outbreak of war the voted strength was 16,900 RMA and RMLI with 1,450 RMB (RN School of Music); but the actual serving numbers were 3,393 RMA 13,425 RMLI and 1,442 RMB. Recruits flowed in at once and the Order-inCouncil establishment of 1902, viz: 19,845, which had been the constitutional limit for many years, was soon passed..." He also says "The Corps had to surrender their short Lee-Enfield rifles for the use of the Army and the Royal Naval Division, and were re-armed with the old Lee-Metford long rifle which was replaced first by the Japanese rifle and later still by the Canadian Ross rifle which had been discarded by the Canadians; it was only those members of the Corps who were serving with the expeditionary forces that kept their short rifles, and for the first time in their history men of the Corps were sent on duty without their own rifles, and were armed on arrival at their place of duty." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseph Posted 8 July , 2006 Share Posted 8 July , 2006 Per, Mobilisation was carried out; IAW CB 220 Instructions for Mobilisation (Edition 1912) This was done on General Proclamation so all RFR, RNR, RNVR(5,680) and Pensioners Mobilised, but this did not include men on Auxiliary and Transport agreements. The numbers quoted did not include them or the 55,000 for RNAS. The excess "the active service and reserve officers and men not immediately required for service in the Fleet," formed the Naval Divisions and manned the ships building for foreign countries. Regards Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
per ardua per mare per terram Posted 8 July , 2006 Share Posted 8 July , 2006 Thanks Charles, I was wondering if there had been an analysis of how many men were in both reserves at various times through the war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbo Posted 8 July , 2006 Share Posted 8 July , 2006 Churchill says in Vol. I of The World Crisis (London: Odhams Press, 1938), 'I ransacked the Fleet and the Admiralty stores and scraped together another 30,000 rifles, which literally meant another 30,000 men in the field. Afloat only the Marines would have their rifles; Jack must, in the last resort, trust to his cutlass as of old.' P. 192 in the 1938 edition, pagination may be different in earlier ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseph Posted 8 July , 2006 Share Posted 8 July , 2006 Per, This is quite comprehensive; CB1515(50) [later OU 6171/31] The Technical History and Index (Part 50): Mobilisation of the Fleet. Demobilisation Records, 1918-19, which was written by the Mobilisation Department of the Admiralty in January 1921. Regards Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyE Posted 8 July , 2006 Author Share Posted 8 July , 2006 Many thanks to all who have responded. Lots of useful information. Regards TonyE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbluesboy Posted 9 July , 2006 Share Posted 9 July , 2006 Casualties for the RND during the period 1914-1919,wounded and KIA were slightly more than 45,000 the vast majority being RNVR,RM and some RNR.Regards Bob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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