An article mainly for family historians who are trying to find more about the military service of a relative.
The census of 1911 can reveal whether a man was serving with the regular army – but if he appears as a civilian, he may also have been an army reservist. It is a detail not often mentioned in that census.
Let us first examine why. Look at this chart and then read below.
The standard term of engagement for a man joining the regular army was for him to serve for twelve years. This would be made up of X years of full-time service followed by Y years on reserve. For the infantry, the most common pattern was X being seven years and Y being five, although the blend was varied at times and “eight plus four” and “three plus nine” patterns are also often found. The terms for other arms also sometimes differed. For example, the artillery was often “six plus six”, and horse drivers of the Army Service Corps and Royal Engineers might be on a “two plus ten”.
Now referring to my chart, above, and basing my explanation of the common “seven plus five” of the infantry.
Three examples chosen to illustrate what you might find that can determine the man’s status.
Example 1: Enlistment in years 1907-1913 (example shown being 1909).
If a man enlisted in 1909, he would appear in the 1911 census as a soldier. When war was declared, he was still in his full-time service. He would be mobilised at an early date and there is a fair chance he will appear in the roll of the 1914 or 1914-15 Star campaign medals.
Example 2: Enlistment example year 1905.
If a man enlisted in 1905, he would appear in the 1911 census as a soldier. By the time war was declared in 1914, he was no longer in his full-time service but was a civilian, serving in his reserve period with Section B Army Reserve (less commonly, A Section). He would be mobilised at an early date and there is a fair chance he will appear in the roll of the 1914 or 1914-15 Star campaign medals.
Had he enlisted before this, he would have entered his reserve service … and that is where the census may or may not be helpful.
Example 3: Enlistment example year 1900.
If a man enlisted in 1900, he was no longer in his full-time service but was a civilian and a reservist at the 1911 census. His original engagement would expire in 1912. He could however re-engage for four years in Section D Army Reserve and be mobilised as such in August 1914. Again, there is a fair chance he will appear in the roll of the 1914 or 1914-15 Star campaign medals. It is possible that he may be missing from the 1901 census, for many men were away in South Africa in the Second Boer War at the time.
Special Reservists
A man who was a Special Reservist may have previously been a regular soldier, but it is also possible that he was a civilian throughout peace time. The Special Reserve came into existence in 1908 and civilians could join. Those serving in August 1914 were soon mobilised and it is often very difficult (without a service record) to distinguish between them and the men of Sections A, B and D Army Reserve. A possible clue, if his number can be found from, for example, the campaign medal rolls, is that the Special Reservists often had the numeric prefix “3/” and in some regiments, “4/”.
Readers will also note that if a man appeared in 1911 as a civilian and he does not mention being a reservist, it cannot be ruled out by this evidence alone.