Volunteers and Conscripts
The men of Ely whose names appear on the local memorials, as in all cities, were a mixture of army regulars, reservists, volunteers and conscripts. Ely had long been a centre for the local militia and their military buildings are still a feature of the streets around the current Barton Road carpark which was once their parade ground. Consequently there was a tradition of young men volunteering for seven years service with the local Suffolk Regiment, and at the outbreak of the War even more were members of the local part time Territorial Army - the Cambridgeshire Regiment- which had been formed out of the Suffolk Regiment in 1909.
By the time of the Cambridgeshires annual camp in July 1914 the Battalion was at full strength and the men were expecting war. They returned home from camp on Sunday 2nd August; two days later war was declared and they were mobilised. Other excited men flocked forward to volunteer, anxious to "do their bit" - many of these were too young to be sent abroad and were prepared to lie about their age in their keenness to serve. The Cambridgeshire and Suffolk Regiments were originally in essence "Pals Battalions", but once at the Front men could be moved between regiments in response to military need.
The qualifying age for military service changed as the war progressed:
Although there are stories of volunteers being signed up by recruiting officers who should not have been, there are also clear indications that not everyone was accepted for the army - at least seven men from Prickwillow, for example, presented themselves at the recruiting office but failed to satisfy the doctor. Their names were duly printed in the newspaper to show they were at least willing to fight.
After conscription was brought in some men preferred to volunteer before they were officially called up, so not all those men who are shown as enlisting from 1916 onwards were conscripts.
Following the German Spring Offensive of 1918, on 12th June, the Ministry of National Service gave a new order to withdraw all exemptions to agriculture and fruit growing and the rights of tribunals to make exemptions on occupational grounds, the withdrawal of this right was first used on men under 31.
By the time of the Cambridgeshires annual camp in July 1914 the Battalion was at full strength and the men were expecting war. They returned home from camp on Sunday 2nd August; two days later war was declared and they were mobilised. Other excited men flocked forward to volunteer, anxious to "do their bit" - many of these were too young to be sent abroad and were prepared to lie about their age in their keenness to serve. The Cambridgeshire and Suffolk Regiments were originally in essence "Pals Battalions", but once at the Front men could be moved between regiments in response to military need.
The qualifying age for military service changed as the war progressed:
- 4 August 1914: 19 to 30;
- 28 August 1914: 19 to 35;
- 23 October 1914: 19 to 38;
- 31 May 1915: 19 to 40;
- January 1916: introduction of conscription for single men aged 18 to 41;
- May 1916: conscription for married men up to 41
- Late 1918: extension of conscription to men up to 50.
- In August 1914 this was 5’3’’,
- by September it had risen to 5’6”,
- dropped to 5’5” on 10 October,
- dropped again to 5’4” on 23 October
- and again to 5’3” on 5 November 1914.
- In February 1915 it was further dropped to 5’2”
- and to 5’1” in May,
- by the end of May 1915 it had been raised to 5’2” again, which is where it remained until the end of the war.
Although there are stories of volunteers being signed up by recruiting officers who should not have been, there are also clear indications that not everyone was accepted for the army - at least seven men from Prickwillow, for example, presented themselves at the recruiting office but failed to satisfy the doctor. Their names were duly printed in the newspaper to show they were at least willing to fight.
After conscription was brought in some men preferred to volunteer before they were officially called up, so not all those men who are shown as enlisting from 1916 onwards were conscripts.
Following the German Spring Offensive of 1918, on 12th June, the Ministry of National Service gave a new order to withdraw all exemptions to agriculture and fruit growing and the rights of tribunals to make exemptions on occupational grounds, the withdrawal of this right was first used on men under 31.
