How? where? what?

---

Request for Question Clarification by kriswrite-ga on 26 Mar 2004 16:56 PST

Hello hudson!

I just wanted to let you know that I'm already working on your Answer,
but it looks like it may take some deep digging, and I may not be able
to do much more research until Monday.

Regards,
Kriswrite

Hi Hudson~

I?m so glad that my ?diggin?s? are helpful to you; thank you for
requesting that I post them as an Answer.  Here goes:



In 1914, the British army was what some have called a purely
?professional? one. Unfortunately, it was a very small army, compared
to the draft-produced armies of the enemy. There were only 450,000 men
and about 900 trained staff officers, plus about 250,000 reservists.
Even though many thought the war would be over by Christmas, some
suspected a longer, bloodier war.

One of those people was Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War.
Yet Britons resisted conscription. So Kitchener asked for volunteers.
On August 6, the Parliament decided to allow an increase of 500,000
men to the British army. A few days later, Kitchener asked for 100,000
volunteers. They only had to be between the age of 19 and 30, at least
5?3? tall, and have a chest more than 34 inches.

General Henry Rawlinson suggested that volunteers might be more likely
to come forward if they knew they could serve with their pals. And so
the ?Pals Battalions? were formed, made up of men all from a certain
vicinity. In a matter of days, Liverpool had four all-volunteer
battalions. ?The Times? reported that on August 4th, it took the
recruiting officer at Great Scotland Yard 20 minutes to wade through
the crowds wanting to volunteer, and soon, the police were kept handy
to help control the crowds.

In September, recruitment began in Accrington. In three hours,  104
men were enlisted. In  Sheffield, an all-volunteer battalion was
enlisted in two days. By the end of August, about 30,000 men enlisted
every day. The army was overwhelmed, and soon local magistrates helped
organize, feed, and drill the volunteers. Most of these Pal
Battalions, according to the BBC, trained through 1915.

Yet, with all this eagerness to volunteer, conscription (what we yanks
call "the draft") began in 1916.

Generally, new recruits were sent to a Regimental depot, where they
received basic marching and disciplinary training. Typically, this
lasted about 3 months. Then they were sent off to a main training
camp, where they learned tactics. Not unusually, the first three
months were in England, and further training was seen to in France.
One writer suggests that the reason so little has been written about
British training during WWI is that is was boring and very repetitive.
As training got more advanced, sometimes a battlefield was marked
outin the countryside, and a mock battle took place.

New techniques were taught on a regular basis, and working with tanks
and learning storm-troop tactics were a must. Men in the artillery
were taught ?modern? techniques for better accuracy. Later in the war,
American troops were brought into British camps to teach trench
fighting.

During training, demand usually outnumbered supply, so many men ended
up training in their own clothes. Sometimes, old uniforms were issued.
Some men wore ?emergency? uniforms, popularly known as ?Kitchener
Blues? because they were almost plain blue and mostly worn by
volunteers.


OFFICERS:

According to government websites, WWI began with ?a small and
privileged elite? of officers, about 15,000 in total. As the war
progressed, an addition 235,000 men were given commissions?most of
them temporary. When the war to end all wars *began,* officers were,
indeed, only ?gentlemen,? but as the need for officers continued, more
and more men who were not wealthy or established enough to be ?regular
gentlemen? were allowed to become officers. (JRR Tolkien was among
these fellows; see Officer?s Service Record: Tolkien, National
Archives, http://www.pro.gov.uk/pathways/firstworldwar/people/tolkien.htm
)

The two training schools that come up again and again when looking
into the history of WWI officers are:

The Staff College, Camberley (later the Royal Military College). For a
brief look at this college?s history, see RMA?s website history page:
http://www.atra.mod.uk/Atra/RMAS/history/history5.htm

And The Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. For more information on this
institution, see the page devoted to it on the Royal Engineers
website: http://www.royalengineers.ca/RMA.html


Although it isn?t necessarily WWI specific, you may also find this
article, ?Gone for a Soldier? by Richard Holmes of interest; you?ll
find it on the BBC?s website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/lj/warslj/soldier_01.shtml


You might enjoy looking at some training camp photos, here, on
?Pictures of the Past:?
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/dms/past/ww1/pontoons.html

You?ll also find volunteer & recruitment photos here, at the BBC
history of WWI: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwone/soldiers_stories_gallery_01.shtml

Regards, 
Kriswrite


KEYWORDS USED:

soldiers training WWI
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=soldiers+training+WWI&btnG=Google+Search

soldiers training WWI British
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=soldiers+training+WWI+British&btnG=Google+Search

soldiers trained WWI British
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=soldiers+trained+WWI+British&btnG=Google+Search

army training WWI British
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=army+training+WWI+British&btnG=Google+Search

basic training WWI
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=basic+training+WWI&btnG=Google+Search

"training camp" WWI British
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22training+camp%22+WWI+British&btnG=Google+Search

enlisted WWI British
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=enlisted+WWI+British&btnG=Google+Search

Kitchener WWI British
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Kitchener+WWI+British&btnG=Google+Search

conscripts WWI
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=conscripts+WWI&btnG=Google+Search

conscription WWI
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=conscription+WWI&btnG=Google+Search

volunteers WWI British
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=volunteers+WWI+British&btnG=Google+Search

recruitment WWI British
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=recruitment+WWI+British&btnG=Google+Search

"officer training" British WWI
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22officer+training%22+British+WWI

"officer training" British 19th century
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22officer+training%22+British+19th+century

"military academy" British 19th century
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22military+academy%22+British+19th+century&btnG=Google+Search

Royal Military Academy
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Royal+Military+Academy+&btnG=Google+Search

Kriswrite is really a first rate researcher. The question, and a prior
one - have been answered with precision and clarity, not to mention
with great alacrity. What a useful service this is; but not just
because of the ease and speed - but because of researchers like this -
responsible, reliable,who go the extra distance, I will come back
often, even if only to confirm my own research.

Hi Hudson~

I have done extensive web searches, and visited my library, hoping to
find the information you need. Unfortunately, I haven?t found enough
to feel I can post my findings as an Answer?so I?m supplying them as a
comment. If what I have manages to answer your question, let me know,
and I will post it formally. But I suspect it does not, and I hope
that another Researcher (perhaps a Brit) will be better able to assist
you.


Here?s what I discovered:




In 1914, the British army was what some have called a purely
?professional? one. Unfortunately, it was a very small army, compared
to the draft-produced armies of the enemy. There were only 450,000 men
and about 900 trained staff officers, plus about 250,000 reservists.
Even though many thought the war would be over by Christmas, some
suspected a longer, bloodier war.

One of those people was Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War.
Yet Britons resisted conscription. So Kitchener asked for volunteers.
On August 6, the Parliament decided to allow an increase of 500,000
men to the British army. A few days later, Kitchener asked for 100,000
volunteers. They only had to be between the age of 19 and 30, at least
5?3? tall, and have a chest more than 34 inches.

General Henry Rawlinson suggested that volunteers might be more likely
to come forward if they knew they could serve with their pals. And so
the ?Pals Battalions? were formed, made up of men all from a certain
vicinity. In a matter of days, Liverpool had four all-volunteer
battalions. ?The Times? reported that on August 4th, it took the
recruiting officer at Great Scotland Yard 20 minutes to wade through
the crowds wanting to volunteer, and soon, the police were kept handy
to help control the crowds.

In September, recruitment began in Accrington. In three hours,  104
men were enlisted. In  Sheffield, an all-volunteer battalion was
enlisted in two days. By the end of August, about 30,000 men enlisted
every day. The army was overwhelmed, and soon local magistrates helped
organize, feed, and drill the volunteers. Most of these Pal
Battalions, according to the BBC, trained through 1915.

Yet, with all this eagerness to volunteer, conscription (what we yanks
call "the draft") began in 1916.

Generally, new recruits were sent to a Regimental depot, where they
received basic marching and disciplinary training. Typically, this
lasted about 3 months. Then they were sent off to a main training
camp, where they learned tactics. Not unusually, the first three
months were in England, and further training was seen to in France.
One writer suggests that the reason so little has been written about
British training during WWI is that is was boring and very repetitive.
As training got more advanced, sometimes a battlefield was marked
outin the countryside, and a mock battle took place.

New techniques were taught on a regular basis, and working with tanks
and learning storm-troop tactics were a must. Men in the artillery
were taught ?modern? techniques for better accuracy. Later in the war,
American troops were brought into British camps to teach trench
fighting.

During training, demand usually outnumbered supply, so many men ended
up training in their own clothes. Sometimes, old uniforms were issued.
Some men wore ?emergency? uniforms, popularly known as ?Kitchener
Blues? because they were almost plain blue and mostly worn by
volunteers.



You might enjoy looking at some training camp photos, here, on
?Pictures of the Past:?
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/dms/past/ww1/pontoons.html

You?ll also find volunteer & recruitment photos here, at the BBC
history of WWI: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwone/soldiers_stories_gallery_01.shtml

Regards, 
Kriswrite


KEYWORDS USED:
soldiers training WWI
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=soldiers+training+WWI&btnG=Google+Search

soldiers training WWI British
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=soldiers+training+WWI+British&btnG=Google+Search

soldiers trained WWI British
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=soldiers+trained+WWI+British&btnG=Google+Search

army training WWI British
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=army+training+WWI+British&btnG=Google+Search

basic training WWI
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=basic+training+WWI&btnG=Google+Search

"training camp" WWI British
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22training+camp%22+WWI+British&btnG=Google+Search

enlisted WWI British
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=enlisted+WWI+British&btnG=Google+Search

Kitchener WWI British
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Kitchener+WWI+British&btnG=Google+Search

conscripts WWI
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=conscripts+WWI&btnG=Google+Search

conscription WWI
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=conscription+WWI&btnG=Google+Search

volunteers WWI British
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=volunteers+WWI+British&btnG=Google+Search

recruitment WWI British
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=recruitment+WWI+British&btnG=Google+Search

K:
This is somewhat useful  -- however -- If you could look into one
further aspect -- I'll have my answer: The Officer CLASS. What was
their version of Westpoint?  Where were military 'leaders' trained --
Sandringham?

According to government websites, WWI began with ?a small and
privileged elite? of officers, about 15,000 in total. As the war
progressed, an addition 235,000 men were given commissions?most of
them temporary. When the war to end all wars *began,* officers were,
indeed, only ?gentlemen,? but as the need for officers continued, more
and more men who were not wealthy or established enough to be ?regular
gentlemen? were allowed to become officers. (JRR Tolkien was among
these fellows; see Officer?s Service Record: Tolkien, National
Archives, http://www.pro.gov.uk/pathways/firstworldwar/people/tolkien.htm
)

The two training schools that come up again and again when looking
into the history of WWI officers are:

The Staff College, Camberley (later the Royal Military College). For a
brief look at this college?s history, see RMA?s website history page:
http://www.atra.mod.uk/Atra/RMAS/history/history5.htm

And The Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. For more information on this
institution, see the page devoted to it on the Royal Engineers
website: http://www.royalengineers.ca/RMA.html


Although it isn?t necessarily WWI specific, you may also find this
article, ?Gone for a Soldier? by Richard Holmes of interest; you?ll
find it on the BBC?s website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/lj/warslj/soldier_01.shtml

Does this help further? I hope so.

Regards,
Kriswrite


KEYWORDS USED:
"officer training" British WWI
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22officer+training%22+British+WWI

"officer training" British 19th century
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22officer+training%22+British+19th+century

"military academy" British 19th century
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22military+academy%22+British+19th+century&btnG=Google+Search

Royal Military Academy
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Royal+Military+Academy+&btnG=Google+Search

K:
This is more than enough - thank you so much - post it all as an
answer -- I very much appreciate your fine work.

Hudson, you have me blushing. Thank you for the praise--and for the
tip! I appreciate it.

Kriswrite