** World War I: Britain--Conscription and Age of Soldier








World War I: Britain--Conscription and Age of Soldiers


Figure 1.--These British cadets are participating in a winter exercise. We do not know when the photograph was taken and at what school. Th boys look to be about 13 years old which would have meant the youngest boys at the school. Given their age, they may have been lucky enough to not have been enducted in to the Army before the War ended in 1918.

England in contradt to the other major European powers maintained only a small fully volunteer, professional army. It was well-trained and disciplined, but very small. Britain relied principally on the powerful Royal Navy for military defense. One aspect we notice is that at the turn of the 20th century such as in the Bohr War (1899-1902), the Briish were still accepting quite young boys in the army to serve as musicians. This no longer appears to be the case by World War I. We know the Royal Navy still had younger teenagers, but this does not seem to have been the case for the army. No British Government had ever dared conscript men for military service--even during the Napoleonic War crisis. Prime Minister Herbert Asquith resisted army requests. The British Expeditionary Force was, however, being chewed up in the killing fields of the Western Front and the force by the end of 1915 could no longer be maintained by volunteers. Asquith finally saw no alternative. He finally introduce a conscription measure. Parliament passed the first Military Service Act (January 1916). This was the first conscription laws ever passed in Britain. At first only single men and childless widowers aged 18 to 41 were called up. The Act applied to men 18-41 years of age. The second Military Service Act made all men regardless of marital service eligible for military service (May 1916). The War Office was given authority to extend the service of men whose enlistments hadcexpired and re-examine men previously rejected for health reasons. The third Military Service Act gave the WarvOffice authority to further increase conscription (April 1917). This entiled the examination of Home Service Territorials, men earlier discharged, and individuals previously rejected. The War Office also announced a new list of Protected Occupations eccluded from conscription. Parliament passed the fourth Military Service Act which gave the Government permission to end occupational exemptions and the 2 month grace period for those whose exemptions had been terinated (January 1918). The last or fifth Military Service Act was a desperate measure taken by Parliament as the War in early 1918 reached a critical stage (April 1918). The age range was lowered to 17 and extended to men age 55. The law was also extended to Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. In addition, released or exchanged POWs were no longer exempted. The British conscripted more than 2.3 million men during the War. By 1917 the French Army had largely lost its offensivce capability. The war winning offensive of 1918 was conducted with the British and American armies.

British Army

While the fleet could be used to protect the Empire, it could not be used to oppose and defeat the Germany Army. For this Britain needed a large conscript army. For political and financial reasons the British never did this. Rather they maintained a relatively small, but highly professional army. As a result, when Germany invaded Belgium and France, the BEF which was rushed across the Channel was such a small force that the Germans almost reached Paris and won the War (1914). The BEF slowed the Germans, but it was the French Army that stopped the Germans on the Marne. Britain had fought many wars on the Continent, but as alliance in which the British deployed relatively small forces to bolster allies. World War I would be the first time that that Britain would deploy a massive army on the continent. Britain continued to fight the War with a volunteer force until losses and German presure made it necessary to instutute conscription. After the disaster on the Somme (1916), the British Army had to be rebuilt. It would be that conscript army after the near collapse of the French Army (1917) that with the new American Army that would eventually crack the German Western Front (1918). The regular Army was bolstered by the Territorials.

Royal Navy

World War I histories understandbly focus on the land battles, esecially on the Western Front. While not as dramatic, the naval war proved decisive. Britain traditionally relied principally on the powerful Royal Navy for military defense. The Royal Navy could blockade Germany, but it could not press home a battlefield victory. The much smaller Germany Navy was competent and had effective ships, but could not overcome the numerical superority of the Royal Navy. Germany's best chance of victory came at the beginning of the War. As the War turned into a war of attition, the power of the Royal Navy increasingly turned the advantage to the Allies. The Allied naval blockade had a major impact on the German economy and civilians. Not only did the shortage of raw materials affect production, but a mismanagement of agriculture and the inability to import food caused severe food shortages by 1917.

Boy Volunteers

One aspect we notice is that at the turn of the 20th century such as in the Bohr War (1899-1902), the British were still accepting quite young boys in the army to serve as musicians. This no longer appears to be the case by World War I. We know the Royal Navy still had younger teenagers, but this does not seem to have been the case for the army. Here are information, however is still very limited. I am not sure at this time just what the age limits were for recruits in the Army. Presumably the yonger recruits needed their parents permission which at the time would have presumably meant their fathers. The Army in 1914 and 15 was ebtirely volunteer. Presumably the recruiters, especially in 1915 were not very rigorous when in came to following age regulations. This changed in 1916 when conscription was introduced for males 18-45. We are not sure how this affected younger volunteers. Presumably the initial enthusiam for the war which by 1916 had disipated, affected volunter rates, but we have few details at this time.

Band Boys

Armies in the 19th century commonly used boys as musicians. American Civil War drummer boys are good examples, but this was common throughout Europe. Usually the muscians were younger teenafers, ocasionally boys 11-12 years old were alksoi saccepted. The British army used boy muscians in the Boer War at the turn of the 20th century. The armies by the time of World War I had ctopped this practice and the fighting forces weee mostly composed of youths and men from about 17 years of age. I am not sure just what the precise British regulations were. We seem some very young teenagers in uniform, but these weere mostly cadets. We see a fe boys who were musciansand not cadets. They look to be army uniforms, but we are not sure. Nor do we know just how these boys were deployed. They would have been volunteers and only serving with their father's permission. Hopefully a reader will know more about this.

Conscription

No British Government had ever dared conscript men for military service--even during the Napoleonic War crisis. (Although the Royal Navy did resort to press gangs.) The British Army that entered the War was an all-voluntary army. The Army manned it ranks during 1914 and 15 with voluntary appeals. Prime Minister Herbert Asquith resisted army requests. The BEF was, however, being chewed up in the killing fields of the Western Front and the force by the end of 1915 could no longer be maintained by volunteers. Asquith finally saw no alternative. He finally introduce a conscription measure. Parliament passed the first Military Service Act (January 1916). This was the first conscription laws ever passed in Britain. At first only single men and childless widowers aged 18 to 41 were called up. The Act applied to men 18-41 years of age. The second Military Service Act made all men regardless of marital service eligible for military service (May 1916). The War Office was given authority to extend the service of men whose enlistments hadcexpired and re-examine men previously rejected for health reasons. The third Military Service Act gave the War Office authority to further increase conscription (April 1917). This entiled the examination of Home Service Territorials, men earlier discharged, and individuals previously rejected. The War Office also announced a new list of Protected Occupations eccluded from conscription. Parliament passed the fourth Military Service Act which gave the Government permission to end occupational exemptions and the 2 month grace period for those whose exemptions had been terinated (January 1918). The last or fifth Military Service Act was a desperate measure taken by Parliament as the War in early 1918 reacged a critical stage (April 1918). The age range was lowered to 17 and extended to men age 55. The law was also extended to Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. In addition, released or exchanged POWs were no longer exempted. The British conscripted more than 2.3 million men during the War.

School Cadets

We have only limited information on school cadet programs. Cadet training in British schools began in the 1860s. The usual reason advanced was fear of a French invasion. France especially under a new Bonaparte emperor (Napoleon III) was was still perceived as the principal enemy. Many of the first schools to have cadet programs were the public schools (private secondary) schools The English program was functioning in England during World War I (1914-18). Presumably it was the genesis for cadet program in colonial countries like Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The cadet programs were organized a both public (pribate secondary) and gramma (Selective seconfary schools). The age range at these schools varied, but were for boys from about 12-13 to 18 years of age. That meant that most of the boys at the school in 1914 would eventually be involved in the War. We do not have much information at this time about the cadet orogram during the War. There were probably once a week cadet days. Here there would have been inspections and a range of exercizes. There was also some classroom work and a summer camp. I'm not sure how popular the program was during the War and how that may have changed as the War progressed. These schools still have prominently placed scrolls and other memorials listing the boys that fell in the War.

Individuals

Several British boys were involved in notable service during World War I. One of these boys was a Royal Navy sailor, John Travers Cornwell. He stood in for his brother John. He was awarded the Victoria Cross. Private E. Lugg managed to join the 13th Royal Sussex Regiment at the age of thirteen. Private Lewis served at the Somme when he was only 12 yearsold. Victor Silvester, a 14 year old schoolboy, ran away from Ardingly College in 1914 to join the army. The recruiting officer accepted Victor's claim that he was 19 years old and soon after his 15th birthday he was fighting on the Western Front. At one point Sylvester was ordered to be a member of a firing squad that executed five British soldiers for desertion. Victor's parents suspected he had joined the army and informed the authorities, but it was not until he was wounded in 1917 that he was discovered and brought home.






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Created: 3:06 AM 3/14/2006
Last updated: 7:45 AM 3/28/2010