* WW1 Conscription

[miffywebb]

I have read about WW1 conscription ans understand who was called up and when, I think!  What I dont understand is where the information to call the men up came from, was is bmd records? or something else such as electoral registers?  can you please enlighten me.

ID:3305

[IzzardResearcher]

Hello Miffy

Interesting question - I'd never really thought about it until I read your message!

There's some info about this on the National Archives web site at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/cata ... s=True&j=1.  It looks like there was a census to determine who was eligible for conscription.

There's also an informative summary at http://www.1914-1918.net/recruitment.htm, covering the various acts.

Regards

Lindsey

[miffywebb]

I must confess I had never thought about where the info came from, it was my son who posed the question when we were discussing how to find an ancestor who I can find no birth for.  NA web site states this about conscription in WW2, wonder if this info will become available

'Under the provisions of the National Registration Act 1939, civilian households were enumerated on 29 September 1939 to compile a National Register. The primary purpose was to provide identity and ration documents and to control the call-up for the forces. National registration was discontinued in February 1952.'

Especially useful in view of the lack of census data for 1931 & 1941

[miffywebb]

'By spring 1915 it had become clear that voluntary recruitment was not going to provide the numbers of men required. The Government passed the National Registration Act on 15 July 1915 as a step towards stimulating recruitment and to discover how many men between the ages of 15 and 65 were engaged in each trade. The results of this census became available by mid-September 1915.'

http://www.1914-1918.net/recruitment.htm
thanks for this link, I have not come accross this site before, very useful.

[KSS]

The Family Records Centre, now closed, told me that this register was destroyed in 1954.