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Regiments: How were WW2 recruits/ called up personnel delegated to their regiments?
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Message 1.Β
Posted by Priscilla (U14315550) on Monday, 7th November 2011
Of the several on our family all from the same town, they were all in different outfits - some unlikely, being neither county nor known to them beforehand.
Another of those questions I do so wished I had asked my father about the war.
And if someone signed up, did call up papers arrive in the same way? I always had a suspicion that my father volunteered but did not want my mother to know that. I have very good reason to believe that this is what he did
Regards, P -
Message 2
Posted by CASSEROLEON (U11049737) on Monday, 7th November 2011
Priscilla
Probably not much help, but I believe that "Bevan Boys" were allocated to the mines on the basis on one in every ten. But as conscription was based on age distribution rather than place I would imagine that it was almost certain to break the regional and local basis of regiments that had been such a prominent part of the volunteer army in the First World War.
Cass -
Message 3
Posted by Nielsen3 (U14417619) on Tuesday, 8th November 2011
Priscilla,
You may find something of interest on this, alas, now inactive board,
Regards,
Nielsen -
Message 4
Posted by Priscilla (U14315550) on Tuesday, 8th November 2011
Thanks for the tip, Per. Someone mentions 18-55 as the age range. Men of 36 were recruited in later years, it is noted there.
I am even more certain that my father was not called up.
The site has given me the impetus to search more deeply in sveral areas concerning my family in WW2.
Thank you. Regards, P. -
Message 5
Posted by Sambista (U4068266) on Tuesday, 8th November 2011
I think the experience with the "Pals battallions" in WWI might have made the authorities try to ensure members of one family were drafted into different units - although the Navy had a policy whereby an elder brother could request a younger one to be drafted to his ship (the extreme of this, of course, was the Sullivans case in the US Navy)
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Message 6
Posted by CASSEROLEON (U11049737) on Tuesday, 8th November 2011
Ur-Lugal
Amongst other considerations, when so many Northern towns and cities had streets of houses with drawn curtains during the First World War there could be no conceiling massive loss of life- or sharing the sense of loss around more equitably.
Cass -
Message 7
Posted by Sambista (U4068266) on Tuesday, 8th November 2011
Ur-Lugal
Amongst other considerations, when so many Northern towns and cities had streets of houses with drawn curtains during the First World War there could be no conceiling massive loss of life- or sharing the sense of loss around more equitably.
°δ²Ή²υ²υΜύ Just been re-reading this book
She definitely states that, even though she volunteered long before she became eligible for conscription, she had to wait till she received her call-up papers (and faced her mother's disapproval) through the post.
Cass - my point exactly. -
Message 8
Posted by LongWeekend (U3023428) on Wednesday, 9th November 2011
Priscilla
In WWII the authorities were determined to avoid the manpower chaos that resulted from the volunteer recruitment in the first two years of WWI. In particular, they wanted to make sure that skilled manpower wasn't drained from vital industry, and that manpower was properly allocated in the Services.
Therefore, conscription was introduced shortly before the outbreak of war and individuals encouraged to wait for call-up. All men had to register with the Labour Exchange at 19, and unmarried women at 21 (this was later reduced to 18 and 19 respectively, and eventually all 16 years-olds had to register. Call-up was never earlier than at 18 for men and 19 for women.
However, it was possible to express a preference for a service or arm. Also, people whose age group and/or employment group (there were various deferrments based on employment as well as age) could volunteer before their group became eligible for call-up. Women who volunteered wore a "V" to indicate this elite status, at least in the early part of the war.
People below conscription age could also volunteer for various youth schemes, which were principally a way to get apprentices into a particular service. This was not a guarantee that you would be called up into that service.
Whether you were a conscript or a volunteer, the procedure was broadly the same. Having registered, you would be notified by post that you were called-up into a particular service and then a variable time later you would receive instructions to report to a recruit training depot (some people received several notifications of call-up, indicating they had been switched to a different service). Those who had indicated a desire to join one of the Army fighting arms mostly (but not invariably) got what they wanted. However, even in the infantry, some people found themselves in regiments with which they had no obvious connection - London was such a large source of manpower, Londoners were in virtually all units. There were not enough Scotsmen for all the Scots battalions, so by the middle of the war, there were usually numbers of Englishmen in Scottish units.
There is not an easy way to establish if your father volunteered rather than was conscripted. But his age and occupation at the date of his call-up might give a clue.
Hope this helps.
LW -
Message 9
Posted by Priscilla (U14315550) on Wednesday, 9th November 2011
Very helpful, thankyou,
He was 36 - and though his work was not vital, he was very active in the ARP.
Call up year Later1940, Rough Riders - with whom we have no other connection and hustled off to Scotland for training - to a place where the pubs closed too early and too often, as I recall his complaint - and even worse, -without a piano. Otherwise he loved the army.
Regards, P. -
Message 10
Posted by LongWeekend (U3023428) on Wednesday, 9th November 2011
Priscilla
Registration for National Service was initially done by age group, and was only getting into the 30+s by the end of 940. I don't know exactly when the 36 year-olds were called forward.
The "Rough-Riders" I know of were the City of London Yeomanry. This was a Territorial Army unit and, although they were very keen on their cavalry Yeomanry identity, they were in fact a Royal Artillery unit. The RA would post personnel wherever necessary, regardless of the regional affiliation of either the individual or the unit. On the other hand TA headquarters were one of the places you could volunteer. Was your father in London in 1940?
Given your father's age, I think you may very well be right that he volunteered rather than was called-up.
The Inns of Court and City Yeomanry have a number of fairly active historians. If this was your father's unit, you could try contacting the Museum:
LW -
Message 11
Posted by Priscilla (U14315550) on Wednesday, 9th November 2011
Not in London but a small East coast town where there was a recruiting office. By extraodinary coincidence I met one of the older men stationed there in Scotland where he ran a B and B. He even remembered my mother!!! However we did not speak of my father. One of the regrets of getting older is the questions one should have asked the elders.
Thank you for the link, LW. I knew about the RA, my father got a mention - two my uncle thinks but only one oak leaf which I have. I shall delve further. My thanks for a possible starting point. I know he used another first name - being like Morse, reluctant to use his own for much the same reason.
Thank you,
Regards, P.
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