army recruitment 1871

[fizzybubble]

Now imagine I am a young blacksmith in Cornwall in 1870 and I am keen to join the army. How would I go about it in the absence of an army recruiting office ?

Fizzy

[manmack]

the nearest barracks,and if hes a blacksmith,the nearest cavalry or artillery one,mack

[Hackstaple]

That was the time when every county, I think, had its own County regiment. Sometimes there would be several battalions of a regional regiment such as the South Wales Borderers. Even if the regiment itself was overseas a home depot organization remained behind, That was particularly important to maintain regimental strength - replacing deaths and retirements and, for the cavalry, to find and send out remounts. Trains went eveywhere and recruiting sergeants had books of rail warrants. So, a young man need not go far even if he wished to join one of the Corps such as the Royal Artillery, Royal Horse Artillery or Royal Engineers.

[fizzybubble]

In 1869 the young man in question was in Camborne as he married there and by 1871 census he was in the Army Service Corps in Chatham.  I wonder where the nearest barracks to Camborne was or would he have been sitting in the pub one night when the mobile recruiters came in ? It may not have taken much to persuade him as his Grandad was in the army in the early 1800s.

Was it possible to go straight to the Army Service Corps or would he have been likely to join the Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry first.

Thanks for all your help.

Fizzy