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Mar 8, 2015 · When a soldier joined the army he entered into a contract, the terms of that contract stated on the attestation papers that were signed by the soldier. In this post I want to explain in a little more detail, some commonly used terms and some variations to terms of service that were current in Great Britain's late Victorian army.
- Pre-War and 1914-1915 Attestations
- War Time Volunteers 1914-1915
- Group System (Derby Scheme) Volunteers
- Conscripted Men
“X years with the colours and Y years in the reserve”
If it reads “X years with the colours and Y years in the reserve”, then the man was enlisting into the regular army. The normal engagement was for a total of twelve years, so now look down at the date of his signature or that of the person approving it. If you add twelve years to the attestation date and that takes you out to beyond 1922, and if the man survived the war and you do not know that he was discharged early, it may imply that his record still exists and is available from the Minist...
Special reservists
A man would normally join the Special Reserve for six years although experienced men could enlist for just one year. Service was part time unless the army was mobilised. See reserves and reservists
Territorial Force
A man would normally join a unit of the Territorial Force for four years although it was also possible to engage for one or two. Service was part time unless the man and his unit were “embodied”. See Territorial Force
men could continue to enlist into the regular army, Special Reserve and units of the Territorial Force as above, but from August 1914 they could also enlist into the regular army for war service only. This is typically signified by an attestation form that may say “three years with the colours” or “the duration of the war”.
For full details, see Group System. From mid-October 1915, a man could attest and request that teh start of his service be deferred to a later date. The attestation form looks smilar to those used before but there are two clues to look for that confirm he attested this way.
For details of the Military Service Act and conscriptionsee this article. Although the old versions of the attestation forms continued to be used up (the dates of enlistment are the giveaway), a new “enrolment form” also began to appear. Cinscripted men were committed to serve for the duration of the war but could technically be enlisted into the r...
Typically, they contain the following details: name, rank, regiment, service number, date (and sometimes place) of death, name of the next of kin, and how much they received. They do not list any personal items, addresses or pension details. You can search the records for 1901-29 online.
Understanding the date and terms under which a man left the army is key to understanding whether he was awarded a pension, whether he might have served again and even the circumstances of his enlistment.
Common British Army acronyms and abbreviations of the First World War. Military records, whether of a soldier of a unit, are often packed with mysterious abbreviations. This page should help you understand what it all means. AA : Anti-Aircraft. AA : Army Act. AA & QMG : Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General.
Description: Armed forces service records containing records of individuals' service in the British armed forces. Pre First World War and general: Annotated copies of...
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