RAF - Militia

[LoesLamb]

In the NA file AIR 78 I see "Militia" above the name and number of Lawrence Foulkes.
He was born in Dec 1924, as far as I know he had joined the ATC, and then the RAF. He was killed in action in May 1944.

What does Militia mean here? And the letters J. M. ?
I read that there was something called Militia for a short while in 1939 until war broke out. he wouldn't have been called up for that, would he? He would have been only 14 years old.

I have ordered his service record, but it'll be a long time before I'll receive it.

Loes

[rafcommands]

The name lists for the Militiamen were created before the first group of conscripts was called up under the act.

After Sept 1939 subsequent men were entered on the NSA lists however if a man on the militia rolls enlisted into the RAFVR his card would be annotated Militia to show were his initial paperwork came from.

Regards
Ross

[LoesLamb]

But how did a 14 yr old boy get on a list like that? Was that normal?

[rafcommands]

Enrolling into the Wartime ATC would have earmaked him as a person suitable for the scheme aims of giving 6 months reserve training when conscription age reached then returning to civilian life.

The militia list initially created in 1939 planned not only for 1939 but 1940 and subsequent years so he would have been listed with a entry year 1943.

This oral reply in 1942 from Hansard shows that the scheme was still active until 26th May 1943.

MILITARY TRAINING ACT, 1939.

HC Deb 21 May 1942 vol 380 c345345

§4.Mr. Kennedy
 asked the Minister of Labour whether he has any statement to make with regard to the continuance of the Military Training Act?


§Mr. Bevin
 Yes, Sir: The Military Training Act, which was passed in May, 1939, was to remain in force for three years and then expire subject to a provision whereby, upon an Address by each House of Parliament, an Order in Council might be made continuing its operation for a year at a time. On the outbreak of war, it was superseded by the National Service (Armed Forces) Act but was not repealed. The Government have considered whether steps should be taken to prolong the Act for a further period but have decided against this course. The Act would, in any event, be inoperative for the duration of the war and it is scarcely possible now to anticipate the provisions of this nature that will be required after the war. It is therefore proposed to allow the Act to expire on 26th May next and so leave a clear field for the enactment, at a later date, of such legislation as circumstances may show to be desirable.


Ross

[LoesLamb]

Thank you Ross, that's clear now.

Loes

[jamesleeds]

Hi, sorry to bring up an old thread. But i'm also trying to find out what the initials "J.M." would mean after the service number, exactly like seen in the OP photo.

Thanks,
James.

[rafcommands]

They are mostly seen on service men that served post war and national service rather than 1939 to 45 hostilities only.

No definitive answer has been given by authority but the working premise is that they were a error trapping code added when service numbers were being transferred to an early computerised record system eg punched cards.

Use is much in the same way that todays data streams use CRC redundancy codes to say if the bit stream had been corrupted.

Ross