Tony Lund Posted 26 May , 2008 Share Posted 26 May , 2008 Was the legal age for active service overseas still nineteen during the Battle of the Somme? If so, on what date was it lowered? And to what? I am curious about some local lads who were probably there illegally. Thanks. Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Messina1915 Posted 26 May , 2008 Share Posted 26 May , 2008 Hi Tony The limit was reduced to 18 years and 7 months in March 1918 due to the need for more men to resist the German offensive, it was subsequently reduced to 18 years and 6 months - it had remained at 19 until then. I've taken this info from the book Boy Soldiers of the Great War by Richard van Emden - if you are interested in the subject then I highly recommend that you read this book - it's one of my two favourite WW1 books. Cheers, Carole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Lund Posted 26 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 26 May , 2008 Thank you Carole, that is just what I needed to know. Thanks again, Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyneside Chinaman Posted 26 May , 2008 Share Posted 26 May , 2008 Hi Just noticed that your were talking about under age lads at the front illegally. I picked this card up on saturday at a postcard fair, initially for the postmark FPO 3.L.L which was in use with the 3rd Lowland Brigade of 52nd Division. It came in to use on 11/6/1915 and was only used until 29/6/1915 when the Brigade left Alexandria bound for Gallipoli. As you can see it is sent on 11/6/1915 to Master James Haddock at 733 Garscube Road, Glasgow, from his brother Thomas. SDGW shows that a Thomas Haddock from Glasgow numbered 370132 Royal Scots was Killed in action on 1/8/1918, previously 2279 Highland Light Infantry. MIC shows the same man but the HLI number is 200542. CWGC Confirm the above and he has the same home address on the card, but! when he is KiA in August 1918 his age is given as 18. If his birthday was on 1 January then when he sent the card in 1915 he was at the most 15 years 6 months makes you think he must have been one brave 15 year old. regards John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Johnson Posted 26 May , 2008 Share Posted 26 May , 2008 One thing to keep in mind is that many boys left school at 14. To my mind, a 16-year-old who had been working for two years was probably more mature than many of today's 20 year-olds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Messina1915 Posted 26 May , 2008 Share Posted 26 May , 2008 Even if he had been killed the day before his 19th birthday, then he would still have only been 15 years 10 months when he sent the card - and not yet 16 when he arrived at Gallipoli. And if he had only just turned 18 when he died - and I assume you have no documentation to narrow down when he is likely to have been born, and that 1 January is a date you've plucked from the air (correct me if I'm wrong) - then he would still have been only 14 when he landed at Gallipoli. Astonishing - I can't imagine any of the lads I was at school with willingly going off to fight at 14 or 15. Cheers, Carole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyneside Chinaman Posted 26 May , 2008 Share Posted 26 May , 2008 Carole yes I just guessed that as the possible earliest date. No I don't have any other info, like I said I picked it up for the postmark. Turned out to be an interesting buy though. regards John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Lund Posted 26 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 26 May , 2008 On July 21st 1916, Huddersfield’s Fred Kaye was discharged from the army for making a mis-statement about his age when he enlisted on February 2nd 1915. At that time he had told the army he was 18 years and 331 days old. But his birth certificate subsequently proved that he was born on December 10th 1900; making him just fourteen years old when he enlisted. He was described as a millhand who was 5 feet 4¾ inches tall, and he had served for 1 year and 173 days before being discharged. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
per ardua per mare per terram Posted 27 May , 2008 Share Posted 27 May , 2008 Age for active service overseas = 16 in the Navy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyhound Posted 27 May , 2008 Share Posted 27 May , 2008 Age for active service overseas = 16 in the Navy. I've got a chap who enlisted in the Navy pre-war at the age of 15, but according to his service papers added three years to his age. Would I be right in suspecting this may have had something to do with pay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
per ardua per mare per terram Posted 28 May , 2008 Share Posted 28 May , 2008 18 is adult age, the main reason would be pay, the other principle one would be no need for parental permission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyhound Posted 28 May , 2008 Share Posted 28 May , 2008 Tsk tsk, naughty boy! Thanks for that, pers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now