Occupation 1914

[ronald]

1914 War just started
 Grandfather aged 34 years and still at home ,  He never went in the armed forces . What was the criteria not to have joined baring in mind he was of eligible age .His trade was French Polisher so it wasn't that ,that saved him .As far as I'm aware he continued his trade throughout the war . I don,t believe it was his fitness to serve , he lived to 73 years .
 So what could he be  doing

[jan57]

  he could have had  Flat  feet, which  would mean he  wouldn't pass the medical  ........ 

[bearkat]

Perhaps his eyesight wasn't too good.

[nanny jan]

My dad failed the medical for WW2 because he was deaf in one ear; looks like a variety of reasons your grandfather did not go to war.

Did they allow you to be a  pacifist in WW1?

Nanny Jan

[liverpool annie]

Thought this may be of interest ronald ! 

WW1 1914

The scale of the response was astounding, with around 30,000 men enlisting every day by the end of August. These numbers were too many for the army to handle alone; in the short term, local dignitaries and magistrates acted on behalf of Lord Kitchener and organised, drilled and fed the men until the military machine was ready to take over. By mid-September, 500,000 men had volunteered; another 500,000 had joined them by the end of the year.
Why were so many so keen to join? The year 1914 witnessed a heady rush of patriotic optimism nationwide, fuelled further by tales of (invariably fictitious) German atrocities that led to a common desire to help 'plucky little Belgium'. Most people - on both sides - believed that, even if the war would not be over by Christmas, that it would nonetheless be relatively short. Consequently, army service promised opportunities, excitement and travel denied to most Britons of the time.

Furthermore, for many in the industrial heartlands of the North - as in Scotland, Wales and Ireland - the army promised a break from the grinding poverty of everyday life. Army life meant regular pay (one shilling a day for privates) as well as proper food and clothing, not to mention barracks that would most probably have compared favourably with the living conditions experienced by many at the time. Even with an establishment eager to recruit, many would-be volunteers were rejected on medical grounds, suffering from the cumulative effects of poor diet, medicine and housing

To many, the army must have seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime and areas dominated by heavy industry and mining provided a disproportionate number of recruits. By the time the initial euphoria had faded, as Christmas passed and casualties rose, military service had become as much a duty as an opportunity for able-bodied men. Recruitment continued throughout 1915, bolstered by immense social and peer pressure that partly replaced the early enthusiasm.

Annie 

[ronald]

Many thanks for your efforts
How ever in the trade that was his good eyesight was essential , at 70plus he could certainly hear what I was upto and I don't think flat feet came into it .
After 1916 many men who were considered as unfit for service when the authorities had ,had their pick of of the available manpower  in 1914 ,found their selves being called up to do their bit .As I understand it men to the age of 41 were being concripted .Volunteering did not seem so grand in 1916 as it did in the heady days of 1914

[casalguidi]

Hi Ronald

Applications for exemption were often published in the local newspapers (applications were often filed by the employers).  It could be a long search with nil results but they can be interesting.

Casalguidi

[manmack]

he could have been a time served soldier,they are no longer obliged to serve again,unless they volunteer,mack

[bearkat]

None of my or my OHs grandparents or great grandparents served in WW1.  I think this was because of age, ill health and family circumstances.

I would think this is unusual but is probably why we're here today.