My thanks to all those who respondedto my queries on this topic and particularly to Forrest for his detailed response as below. Regards to all Peter Gardner > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2007 02:37:24 +0100 > From: Forrest Anderson <listmail@military-researcher.com> > Subject: Re: [GREATWAR] Age of service > To: GREATWAR-L@rootsweb.com > Message-ID: <ghn083p50ettkohkeeb1ck0g8m1772oib7@4ax.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:33:38 +0100, "Peter Gardner" > <pgassoc@tiscali.co.uk> wrote: > >>Can anyone offer advice please on the upper age of service of men in the >>British army in WW1? >> >>What was the upper age limit for a man to volunteer? >> >>If serving in the regular army already in 1914, to what age could he be >>expected to serve? >> >>Having served earlier in the army pre-1914 , up to what age might he be >>recalled? > > Before the war there were upper and lower age limits for enlistment, > and upper age limits for discharge. Several factors governed these > ages, including type of engagement, rank, trade, and arm or service. > > For example, the lower age limit of enlistment into the Territorial > Force before war broke out was 17 (excluding Boys); the upper age > limit for enlistment was 35 (with exceptions for ex-Regulars and > certain trades, which could take the limit up to 50); and the upper > age limit for discharge was: > > Sergeants 50 (55 with Bde Comd's permission) > Rank and File and trumpeters etc 40 (45 with Bde Comd's permission) > Bandsmen and Clerks 55 > > The enlistment age limits for wartime volunteers was increased as war > progressed. An idea can be obtained by looking at the recruiting > posters that appeared in The Times ("Your King and Country Need You"), > since the ages were usually given. Here are some samples: > > 7 Aug 1914 Unmarried 19-30 > > 28 Aug 1914 Another 100,000 wanted. Extended to 19-35. > Ex-soldiers up to 45. Selected ex-NCOs up to 50 > > 28 Oct 1914 19-38, ex-soldiers up to 45. > > 4 Jan 1915 19-38 > > In 1916 conscription applied to men aged 18-41, and in 1918 the upper > age limit was extended to 50. > > As you can see, it's a bit of a complicated subject, with various > exceptions to the rule. it is made all the more difficult because so > many men lied about their age, with the young ones adding a few years, > and the older ones subtracting a few years. > > Forrest > > > -- > Forrest Anderson, Edinburgh, Scotland. > E-mail: forrest@military-researcher.com > Website: www.military-researcher.com > Forrestdale Research - Military Genealogical Researcher > > > > > ------------------------------ > > To contact the GREATWAR list administrator, send an email to > GREATWAR-admin@rootsweb.com. > > To post a message to the GREATWAR mailing list, send an email to > GREATWAR@rootsweb.com. > > __________________________________________________________ > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GREATWAR-request@rootsweb.com > with the word "unsubscribe" without the quotes in the subject and the body > of the > email with no additional text. > > > End of GREATWAR Digest, Vol 2, Issue 118 > **************************************** >