Enlistment age Before 1914

[Nightryder]

Does anyone have any idea what age you needed to be before you could enlist in the army before the outbreak of WW1 & would you have had to prove it. I can not find any record of my grandfather in the 1911 census, he would have been about 15 & as I know his home situation was not good im wondering if theres any chance he might have joined the army to escape & if on enlistment he did not have to prove his identity he could have even used another name, He did serve during the war but the regimental museum can find no record of him.

[Nightryder]

Thank you Notanotherminer,I cant find him in any military records on either FMP or Ancestry (or anywhere else) ive looked under all sorts of names thinking he might have been mistranscribed. He was Victor Kirkbride Pegg born Salford Manchester March qtr of 1896, he was illigitimate & Pegg was his mothers name & Kirkbride was his fathers, in the 1901 census he is living with the Sabin family
in Leicester, the next record of him is his marriage to Hilda Rose Dawkins( I think they met on the Isle of Man )in the march qtr of 1918, I know he served in WW1 & I believe he was in the Leicesters,but even they have no record of him.

[Geoffers]

IF your chap enlisted as a boy and IF he was a career soldier, he may well have continued serving after WW1.

IF he served after 1919, his service record should have survived and next-of-kin should be able to apply for it.

See this TNA research signpost and scroll down to 'What other records can I find..........'

There are three Victor PEGGs in the medal index cards - two of whom have middle initials which may discount them.

Do you know when your chap married? Does a marriage certificate show him as a soldier? Same for birth certificates of any children.

[olliecat]

I can not find any record of my grandfather in the 1911 census, he would have been about 15

Perhaps he is here in Leicester. Adopted

1911: RG14PN19250 RG78PN1151 RD407 SD2 ED33 SN291

[Nightryder]

Geoffers, How did you find that? Ive been on the TNA site today but search brought up 0 results for Victor Pegg I even searched for Reginald Robinson Lee who not only served in the Navy as an assistant paymaster but was in the crows nest of the Titanic when she hit the iceberg he must be mentioned on the site somewhere but again 0 result,what am I doing wrong..
ollicat, it looks like its him Thank you, but how did you search for him.

[olliecat]

ollicat, it looks like its him Thank you, but how did you search for him.

Just a straightforward search - Victor Pegg 1896 +/- 2

This may be of interest ...

Medal Rolls Index Cards
Victor Pegg
Regiment or Corps: Leicestershire Regiment
Regimental Number: 2964, 208521

Could be the same as one of the results that Geoffers found on the TNA - I haven't looked.

[Geoffers]

Geoffers, How did you find that? Ive been on the TNA site today but search brought up 0 results for Victor Pegg

Starting at documentsonline in the section for medal index cards

Click on 'Search'

Forename enter - Victor
Surname enter - Pegg

result 3 hits

I even searched for Reginald Robinson Lee who not only served in the Navy as an assistant paymaster but was in the crows nest of the Titanic when she hit the iceberg he must be mentioned on the site somewhere

Again you need documentsonline. Start here

Look to the left of the page and under 'Quick Links' select Navy

Paymasters will be in amongst the Officers records so click on Royal Navy Officers' Service Records (ADM196)

Click on 'search'

In the forename enter - Reginald
In the surname enter - Lee

Remember - Keep Searches Simple (KiSS), if you get too many hits you can always refine it by adding criteria

Search on those details and you get two hits.

I'd recommend the second in the list - ADM196/82 Reginald Robinson LEE bn 19 May 1870
It will cost you £3.50 which at today's exchange rate comes out at 5.63AUD - a bit cheaper than a day return to Kew.

If all the above is as clear as mud, please ask again and I'll try to clarify things.

[Geoffers]

Further to my last, The London Gazette has at least a couple of entries relating to Reginald Robinson LEE:

Issue 26168 Page 2926 2nd June 1891 - promotion from Clerk to Acting Paymaster

Issue 27160 Page 691 2nd February 1900 - Placed on retired list.

He is recorded here on the crew list of RMS Titanic

[Nightryder]

Ollicat, Thanks I now know what im doing wrong when I search, too much information =0 results.That is him that you found in 1911.
Ive had a look at the medal card index & although this Victor looks the most likely I not too sure its him, This Victor was demobbed in
1919 & re inlisted in 1921, he married my grandmother in 1918 & my mums birth cert in Jan 1922 records his occupation as Iron & Steel dresser in a foundry, If he was in the army when He married there will be a record,my next thing to look for.
Geoffers,Thank you for the links I was making the same mistake in searching,too much info,interesting Reginald was placed on the retired list at his own request, thats not the story I know, If I pay the few pounds to view will it be his full record .

[Geoffers]

Geoffers,Thank you for the links I was making the same mistake in searching,too much info,interesting Reginald was placed on the retired list at his own request

No, the London Gazette link just notes that he was placed on the retired list; no mention is made of this being voluntary or involuntary.

If I pay the few pounds to view will it be his full record .

It will be, but don't expect the same detail that you get for Army service records. If you look at the page on documentsonline which describes officers' services you'll be able to view the record of George VI which will probably be the same format as your chap. It is the cheapest way to get hold of his record; you download it as a .pdf file so will be able to enlarge it.