Guest Kobaaa Posted 8 January , 2003 Share Posted 8 January , 2003 I'm puzzled! During my researches into grandfathers, great uncles etc who fought in the Great War I have found that they have not always joined their local regiments. For example: - A Forest of Dean (Glos.) man joined the Worcestershire regiment - why not the Gloucestershires? - A Stalybridge (Cheshire) man joined the Royal welsh Fusiliers - why not the Manchesters? - A Welshman joined the Somerset Light Infantry - why not one of the local Welsh regiments? Are there any simple explanations for these? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Birch Posted 8 January , 2003 Share Posted 8 January , 2003 After the introduction of Conscription in May 1916 men had no choice where they would be sent. Replacements were sent to battalions as demand dictated. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annette Burgoyne Posted 8 January , 2003 Share Posted 8 January , 2003 Hi Kobaaa A chap sent me some info. about his father, who had enlisted in Blackburn along with half a dozen or so mates, at the start of the war. They all decided to join the King's Shropshire Light Infantry because it sounded a fancy name. Regards Annette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Furnell Posted 8 January , 2003 Share Posted 8 January , 2003 My great-grandad was in the machine gun corps within a London division,even though he originally enlisted in the Royal Berks,and lived 60 odd miles from London. I have come across references to men joining the Scottish Regiments for the same reasons as mentioned above,the name being just that little grander,and the kilts wowing the ladies. Some men ended up in battalions,far away from home,because they were underage and couldn't join a local Battalion for fear of getting found out. Conscription was how my G-G ended up in the MGC in 1916 and i think this was one of the main causes for men ending up miles from home,in more ways than one. Regards. Simon Furnell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robwilliams Posted 8 January , 2003 Share Posted 8 January , 2003 Kobaaa, A group of Birmingham policemen hawked themselves round various regiments until they found one prepared to take them as sergeants! Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrtle Posted 8 January , 2003 Share Posted 8 January , 2003 Kobaaa Just to give you an idea of the variety of regiments/forces to be found on one War Memorial in Mid Wales engraved with 85 names. Canadian Inf. Australian Inf. Royal Navy RAF Welsh Guards Scots Guards Grenadier Guards South Wales Borderers Royal Welsh Fusiliers Montgomeryshire Yeomanry Royal Field Artillery Royal Fusiliers Glos. Devonshire Middlesex Argyll & Suth. Worcestershire Lancashire Queens Own Border Kings Liverpool. Dorset. North Staffs Manchester KSLI RFA MGC RGA Hereford ASC RE RAOC and there are still six names that I havn't been able to trace yet. Little did I realise when I started looking for my Great step- grandfather that it would lead to such a tremendous amount of research. The irony is that he's one of the soldiers whose details I have not been able to find. However I did find my grandmother's cousin amongst the names and I hadn't known of his existence before my research began. Regards Myrtle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveo Posted 2 February , 2007 Share Posted 2 February , 2007 I know that in Martin Middlebrook's "first day of the Somme" there is a quote from a soldier in london who joined I beleive (but don't quote me) a Norfolk Regiment because it gave him the longest train ride. So it is not always easy to say which regiment a man would go to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saints & Sinners Posted 2 February , 2007 Share Posted 2 February , 2007 My Grandfather worked in Manchester but enlisted in the Cheshires he was invalided out in 1916 (No longer physically fit for war service) promptly went and re-enlisted into the RWK until 1921. Years later relating things with my Father who had just joined the RAF stating "I just could'nt leave it to my mates I had to go back one way or another to be with them". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwenlock Posted 2 February , 2007 Share Posted 2 February , 2007 After the losses on the Somme, large drafts of men were moved between regiments to make up deficiencies. In particular each Yeomanry Regiment had to provide a draft of 120 men to be posted to an infantry battalion. In the case of the Berkshire Yeomanry, the draft went to the Worcestershire Regiment. Yours aye Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMoorhouse Posted 2 February , 2007 Share Posted 2 February , 2007 Kobaa, According to Sassoon there were many midlander in the RWF. In the early part of the war you could choose which Regiment you joined - later on there was less choice. Re Welshmen in the Somerset Light Infantry - that was not uncommon. Many miners from Somerset (yes ther were mines in Somerset in ye olde days) went to work in the Welsh pits. When the war began, many joined their home county regiment - and from what I have seen, many Welshmen - presumably friends of theirs - joined up with them. It was also widely reported that the Somerset Light Infantry were Kitchener's favourite Regiment... If you want to post more details of your relatives, you may find that people can fill in some of the gaps... Regards, Brendon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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