14 year old living in Lambeth London joins Wiltshire reg in 1891 -Odd?

[violetqueen]

I am ignorant about military history so perhaps this isn't odd.

The boy's father had died in 1889 and I find in 1891 census his siblings in a school for pauper children in Norwood and the widow as servant.

Did some regiments recruit from such "schools" ? Were some more keen to take "musicians" which was what this young lad joined up as ?

Just curious and a bit sad for this one who was discharged as an invalid (malaria)6 years later.

[maddys52]

You may be interested in this blog, though it does talk about the 1903 regulations.
https://blogs.bl.uk/untoldlives/2018/11/boy-soldiers.html

[violetqueen]

Thank you maddys. I can't imagine many resembled that healthy, fresh faced recruit portrayed in that image
such hard times

[Jebber]

My grandfather born October 1881 enlisted at fourteen after his father died in  1896. In turn, after he died, my uncle enlisted at fourteen. Nowadays they can enlist in boys service, my own son enlisted in his father’s regiment at sixteen, he spent  two years in boys service prior to joining the regiment.

[violetqueen]

It wasn't so much the age as I know there were drummers. I was puzzled by a Londoner , living in London , signing up to the Wiltshire regiment.

[Jebber]

They couldn’t pick and choose, he would have gone where there was a vacancy.

[violetqueen]

Thank you Jebber ,I really know nothing of the organisation etc of the military for wars at this time.I had imagined that volunteers went to a local recruiting office and assumed that the local office would recruit for regiments with a nearby geographical link .
But from your comment there was a centralised system where people applied and waited for a vacancy .I guess there were a limited nos of musicians wanted and recruited so quite different from the 18 year olds ,or those passing for 18 .
Could you say more or point me to a source for more info ?