[The following has been specially written by Lord Derby’s Private secretary, Captain B. S. Townroe, in order to explain in a homely way how the new recruiting scheme affects us all.]
“Hello, have you seen the King’s Appeal?” said Harold, looking up from the morning paper.
“No,” said Jack; “what is it all about?”
“The King has spent out a special appeal from Buckingham Palace saying that the end of the war is not yet in sight, and he wants more men to join his Army and Navy.”
“Humph,” exclaimed Bob, “that’s all very well for you, Harold. You could go at a pinch, but what about me?” Now I am working on torpedo nets, the firm won’t let me go.”
“Well,” replied Harold, “as a matter of fact I have been thinking of joining for some time. May has been telling me that she thinks I ought to be in khaki like the other boys.”
“I will join you,” said Jack “but it will take me a month or two to settle up my affairs at the office.”
“I would go, if my Boss would let me,” added Bob.
The three brothers that very evening talked the matter over with their mother who was a widow. She finally gave her verdict that she thought two of them ought to go, but she could not spare all three.
Jack put in a word: “I wish I could come with you, Harold, I will talk to the governor tomorrow morning and see whether he could let me go in a week or two.”
The following morning the three brothers read in the paper Lord Derby’s Mansion House speech, and spent most of the time at breakfast arguing over the proposed group system.
“That will just suit me,” said Jack.
“But I am going to wait a week or two to see how it works, and to see to which group I belong.”
Harold went that evening to the recruiting officer and asked him if he could join the Lancashire Fusiliers.
“Yes,” said the recruiting officer, “there are plenty of vacancies in the 8th Battalion. You are not a ‘starred’ man, are you?”
“No,” said Harold. “I am a draper’s assistant, and I can join up I two day’s time. Before I join I would like to know if I can get into the Life Guards: I have always wanted to join a cavalry regiment.”
“No,” said the recruiting officer, “there are very few vacancies in the cavalry, and none at all in the Life Guards. We want all the men we can get in the infantry to shoot Germans.”
“Thank you,” said Harold. “I will be round here in two days’ time,”
Accordingly by the week-end Harold had been accepted by the doctor, attested, and had gone to the doctor, attested, and had gone to the depot of the distinguished regiment which he had joined.
The following day Jack received Lord Derby’s letter asking him to enlist and whether the reason he had given hitherto still held good for not joining. He kept thinking about the letter the whole day through, and in the evening went to his master’s office and asked whether he had permission to enlist.
“Certainly,” replied Mr. Cavanagh, a local solicitor. “In fact, I have been wondering for some time when you would want to go. I am glad you came and asked me like this, and I will be very glad to pay you half your wages when you have gone.”
“Thank you very much,” said Jack.
“But if you could stop with me another few weeks,” said Mr. Cavanagh, “it would be a great convenience. You could finish the work on which you are engaged and leave things square here. Have you seen the proposals for joining under the group system?”
“No,” said Jack.
“This is the Scheme, and a great help to employers it is,” said Mr. Cavanagh. “This group system has been organised expressly for men like yourself – men who are not prepared to serve immediately, but are willing to come up when called on. If you join under the group system you will be medically examined, sworn in as a soldier, registered and put in your group. Let me see, how old are you?”
“Twenty-four,” said Jack.
“Well, you will be in group 7, and some time in the future you will see a proclamation in Post Offices and on public buildings stating that group 7 will commence to be called up in a few week’s time. Then you will get a notice paper from the recruiting officer telling you exactly when you have to attend, and where you have to go.”
“Shall I get any pay?” asked Jack/
“You will get your pay for the day on which you are attested, but you won’t get any further pay until you actually join the colours. But, of course, while you are working with me I shall give you your weekly wage all the time .”
“But shan’t I be worried by people giving me white feathers?” asked Jack.
“No; when you join you will be given a card showing that you belong to group 7, and you will also receive an armlet to put round your arm showing that you are a soldier of the King.”
“Thank you, Sir,” said Jack. “I will go off to-day and join under the group system.”
So Jack presented himself to the recruiting officer. He asked to join the Lancashire Fusiliers, as that was the regiment to which his brother had gone.
The recruiting officer wrote on the attestation paper that his was the regiment Jack wished to join, and told him that so far as possible he would go to the regiment which he chose when he was called up later.
Jack then asked for the armlet.
. . . . . . . . . . .
Jack went home that night in high glee, and told his mother what a sensible, simple, system this was of joining the Army, giving everybody plenty of time to settle up their affairs.
“It is rather hard on Lord Kitchener, though, isn’t it?” said his mother. “Surely he wants men now. He said he wanted more and more men.”
“Yes, but don’t you see, mother,” explained Jack, “if most of the men join in the group system and have been passed by the doctor, Lord Kitchener will know exactly how many men he can call upon in case of nee, so he will be able to rely on a regular supply to keep up the British Army in the field.”
Bob sat very grumpy during this conversation, and finally burst out. “Bad luck on me,” he said. “Harold will be swanking about in uniform. You will have an armlet, and I shall simply be making torpedo nets 10 hours a day, and only have a war badge to show for it.”
His mother tried to soothe him down and said how much she needed him at home. But Bob the following day went off himself to the recruiting officer and asked to join. The recruiting officer looked him up in the register and them said: “I am very sorry, but you are a ‘starred’ man, and we cannot take you. You are doing just as good work, Sonny, at the bench as you would do in the trench.”
This was not very satisfactory to Bob and judge of his delight when a few days later he read that Lord Derby had made arrangements with Mr. Lloyd George and the Ministry of Munitions, and other Government Departments that all “starred” men could join Army Reserve B, provided they agreed to return immediately to their civil occupation.
He went straight off to the recruiting officer and was accepted. He was told that he would be given a khaki armlet to wear just like Jack. But he was further told that he would only be called up for service if, and when, it had been decided that he would be more useful fighting than making torpedo nets, and that for the time being he was to go back and help to win the war by working like steam at the wire works.
Now the mother of the three brothers is going round telling her neighbours how proud she is of her three sons. They are all in His Majesty’s Army, having responded to the King’s call, and all will soon be wearing the King’s mark showing they have been accepted for service.
