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their service until called at a later date ("Class A") were transferred to
Section B Army Reserve. A khaki armband bearing the Royal Crown was provided to all who had enlisted, or who had been rejected, as well as to starred and discharged men, pictured here: (This ceased once conscription was introduced, Jan.1916). The data of each Class A enlistee was copied onto a white card, used to assign him to one of 46 married or unmarried age groups. It was promised that only entire groups would be called for active service, after 14 days prior notice. Single men's groups would be called before married, any who wed after the day the scheme began were still classified as single. Married men were assured their group would not be called if too few single men attested - unless conscription was introduced.
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immediately, rather than wait for the inevitable. The process began with each eligible man’s registry card from the August 1915 National
Registry being copied onto another card which was sent to his local constituency's Parliamentary recruiting committee. This Committee appointed 'canvassers' who they considered "tactful and influential men", and not themselves liable for service, to visit the men at their homes. Many canvassers were experienced in politics, though discharged veterans and the fathers of serving soldiers proved the most effective, while some just used threats to persuade. Although women were not allowed to canvas, they did contribute by tracking men who had moved address.
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Those who did agree to attest had to promise to present themselves at their recruiting office within 48 hours, while some were accompanied there immediately to make sure. If they passed a medical examination, they were sworn in and paid a 'signing bonus' of 2s 9d. The next day, men who chose to defer
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By mid-1915, the war was lasting longer than had been anticipated and the
British military required more recruits; 'Derby's scheme' was a survey to determine how many could be obtained, via the use of appointed canvassers visiting eligible men at home to persuade them to 'volunteer' for war service.
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The scheme was undertaken during
November and December 1915 and obtained 318,553 medically fit single men. However, 38% of single men and 54% of married men had resisted the mass orchestrated pressure to enlist in the war, so the British Government, determined to ensure a supply of replacements for
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Each man would be given a copy of a letter from the Earl of Derby, explaining the programme and rather dramatically stating that they were in "a country fighting, as ours is, for its very existence". Faced with the canvasser, each man had to say whether or not he would attest to join the forces; no
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Every eligible man, aged 18 to 41, who was not in a "starred" (essential) occupation was required to make a public declaration of whether he would enlist immediately or defer his service to a later date, to appear when called. When the scheme was announced, some went to the recruiting office
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It used strong pressure tactics to try to pressure men regarded as eligible to serve in the military to voluntarily enlist. In spite of persuading nearly 2/3 of single men and almost half of married to do so, wartime manpower needs were sufficiently great that by 1916 the
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https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/armlet-1.jpg
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1915 propaganda scheme to enlist soldiers in the United
Kingdom
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Military history of the United
Kingdom during World War I
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would be passed instituting compulsory conscription.
224:"Conscription: the First World War - UK Parliament"
154:"Attitudes Towards Conscription - WW1 East Sussex"
86:the mounting casualties overseas, had to pass the
23:Recruitment to the British Army during World War I
193:(London) Special Supplement, 3 November 1915 p. 3
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143:(London) Special Supplement, 3 November 1915
53:(1865–1948) after which it was named.
256:1915 establishments in the United Kingdom
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49:'s new Director General of Recruiting,
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78:one was permitted to speak for him.
45:in Britain in the autumn of 1915 by
32:Derby Scheme poster of November 1915
51:Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby
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120:"The Group System (Derby Scheme)"
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266:British Army in World War I
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181:October and November 1915
88:Military Service Act 1916
139:"Recruiting Supplement"
100:Lord Kitchener Wants You
41:was introduced during
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59:Military Service Act
179:Manchester Guardian
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191:The Times
141:The Times
229:April 8,
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94:See also
65:History
231:2023
166:2021
127:2023
37:The
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