Search Surrey Recruitment Registers 1908-1933
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Surrey Recruitment Registers 1908-1933
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Surviving recruitment registers for the World War I period are extremely rare indeed and the Surrey Recruitment Registers offer a fascinating snapshot of the men of Surrey who served for King and Country. The registers are published here with the kind permission of The Surrey History Trust which retains all copyrights in the database. This record set comprises details of approximately 85,000 men who attested (signed up) for service with a variety of regiments in Surrey between 1908 and 1933.
Surviving recruitment registers for the World War I period are extremely rare indeed and the Surrey Recruitment Registers offer a fascinating snapshot of the men of Surrey who served for King and Country. The registers are published here with the kind permission of The Surrey History Trust which retains all copyrights in the database. The Surrey History Centre holds the original registers.
Background The 1909 enlistment and recruiting regulations stated that 'the officer commanding an infantry depot will direct the recruiting service for both the regular army and the special reserve within the limits of his regimental district, under the orders of the officer in charge of recruiting'. Surrey formed No.10 District in the Eastern Division, which was further divided into two regimental districts, numbered by the regiment's seniority; thus the Royal West Surreys formed No.2 Regimental District, based at Guildford and comprising the parliamentary divisions of Guildford (South West), Chertsey (North West), Reigate (South East), and parts of Epsom (Mid) and Wimbledon (North East). The East Surrey regimental district formed the 31st Regimental District based at Kingston-upon-Thames, comprising the remainder of the county's parliamentary constituencies. All but one of the registers published here relate to the 31st District.
With the mass influx of recruits in 1914, more recruiting officers were needed and in the East Surrey regimental area recruiting offices were also established at Richmond, Putney, Wandsworth, Streatham, East Dulwich, Peckham, Upper Norwood, Tooting, Mitcham, Wimbledon, Sutton, East Molesey, Walton on Thames, Epsom and Wallington. These recruitment registers cover these areas and those who were born in the area but attested in other regimental districts.
The majority of the records here relate to men who volunteered, or were conscripted, during the First World War. However, some registers also cover pre-war enlistments into the regular army and Special Reserve, whilst others enlistments into the regular army after hostilities had ceased. An explanation of the different types of enlistment are given below, followed by details on each individual register.
Regular Army enlistments, that is men who wished to join the British Army as career soldiers. The general terms of enlistment for line infantry were seven years with the colours and five years on the reserve. The Guards regiments recruited men for three years with the colours and nine years on the reserve. When Britain went to war with Germany in 1914 the majority of men who volunteered, did so for the duration of the war only although it was still possible to join up as a regular career soldier on regular enlistment terms.
Special and Extra Reserve enlistments The Special and Extra Reserve was a home defence force, the successor to the old Militia. Men joining the SR or ER did so for six years, the ranks generally filled by old soldiers who had previously seen service in the regular army, or by young men who were trying out military life. Many of the latter subsequently transferred to regular army battalions and a lot of Special and Extra Reserve men were called upon in 1914 and later to help make up drafts to replace casualties on the Western Front.
Volunteers Men who volunteered to fight for King and Country, many of these heeding Lord Kitchener's call for 100,000 men to form New Army battalions. These men enlisted for the duration of the war.
Derby Scheme men Lord Derby's Scheme was introduced on the 16th October 1915 by which time the rush of volunteers had long since dried up. It was opened to men between the ages of 18 and 40 who were told they could enlist voluntarily or attest with the obligation to join up later when called upon to do so. At the same time, the War Office notified the public that voluntary enlistment would soon end and that the last day to register would be the 15th December 1915. Men who registered under the Derby Scheme were classified according to their age and marital status. Group 1 was for single 18-year-olds, Group 2 for single 19-year-olds and so on up to Group 23 for single 40-year-olds. Group 24 was for married 18-year-olds, Group 25 for married 19-year-olds and so on up to Group 46 for married 40-year-olds. Men who had attested under the Derby Scheme were entitled to wear a grey armband with a red crown upon it.
Conscripted men The Military Service Act of 27th January 1916 brought an end to volunteering. Men were allocated to classes according to their year of birth and then called up by those classes. Class 1 was for men born in 1897, Class 2 for men born in 1896 and so on up until Class 23 for men born in 1875.
Voluntary and Direct enlistments Men joining the British Army after November 1918.
Full details of what is contained within each register are listed below.
31st Regimental District 1908-1917
In reference numbers 2496/18 to 2496/26 inclusive, the space below the 'eyes' column has been used for class of recruit (number between 1 and 47), the 'distinctive marks' column has been used for 'destination' (for training), the parish and county columns have been used for recruiting sub-area (Kingston, Wandsworth etc) and sub-area number (eg.C23085/37478), and the 'name of recruiter' column has been used for medical category of recruit.
In 2496/27 and 2496/29 the training destination is generally added after the regiment name in the first column; the complexion, eyes and hair columns are again completed; the distinctive marks column is used to record whether a recruit is married ('M') or single ('S'); the place of birth column is used to record recruiting sub-area; the 'name of recruiter' column is used to record medical category and the 'recruiting agent' column for place of medical examination. The class number (1-47) is no longer given. In 2496/29, after the first few entries the columns have been retitled in manuscript and give the following information: identity number (starting 60001), name, regional number, recruiting area, medical category, age, place of medical examination, name of medical officer, date of examination, address, 'allotment' (married or single and allowance), 'final disposal' (unit and training destination), date of final disposal, remarks.
South London Recruiting Area 1917-1918
2nd Regimental District 1917-1918
31st Recruiting Area 1918-1933
