Proof of Age

[peter nicholl]

What, if any, proof of age was needed for someone to join the Navy in 1914? For example, a Birth Certificate, or just a statement of date of birth?
Peter

[sueannbowen]

Hi Peter - not sure about the formal requirement but there is a lot of anecdotal evidence of young people lying about their ages in order to sign on. On that basis perhaps just a declaration rather than a birth certificate might have been all that was needed.

[Kerrywood]

The formal requirements, as laid down in King's Regulations and Admiralty Instructions 1913, are set out here

www.
pbenyon1.plus.com/KR&AI/Index.html

Para. 353(d) suggests that written proof of birth was required, at least for boys.

[sueannbowen]

Oi! It's supposed to be your birthday!!!!!

[Kerrywood]

Bo Peep very kindly gave me most of the day off -- but not quite all of it.

[sueannbowen]

Harsh but fair!! xx

[peter nicholl]

Thanks to both of you and a belated Happy Birthday Kerrywood. The chap I'm looking at was 16, but if he said he was 17 he wouldn't need written permission from his parents,so what would he need? Were birth certificates the norm, if so, full or short? With 16 children and an out of work father would they have a birth certificate as a matter of course, were they given or sold? What would be the answer to using an older brother's and saying "Yes, I know it says Fred, but the family call me Bill, so can I sign on as Bill?"
Ah! the joys of family history.
Peter

[arthurk]

Hearsay: I remember talking to an old chap, who said that when he was at school, some (army?) recruiting officers visited and asked him to sign up there and then, without any chance to go and discuss it with his parents. I got the impression that this was during WW1, but as I've now found his birth registration in 1903, I could be wrong on that. However, I'm not sure whether this would be exactly how it happened, whether his memory might have been distorted, or whether he was trying to impress upon us young whippersnappers that we had it easy compared to his generation.

I'm also not sure whether it helps with the original question, but I thought I'd throw it in...

Arthur