The Volunteers (army) pre WW1, how do I find information?

[Redmoore]

I am at a brick wall with regard to my Great Grandad and I am trying to find more information no matter how small. Whilst going through his WW1 Army enlistment form he states that he was in the volunteers for 6 years, I am making the assumption that this was army volunteers. At this time he lived in Newton-In-Makerfield. Is there any way I could find any information about the volunteers and maybe get hold of any records if there are any?

Many thanks

[Rena]

My grandfather and his brothers-in-law volunteered in 1911 and all were enlisted in the regular army as a matter of course in 1914.  They each had a volunteer regimental number and this same number went forward with them in the regular army.  My grandfather was invalided out of the army in 1916 and I was lucky enough to find his complete records including his volunteer/Territorial Army + Regular Army + Hospital treatment on the ancestry website.

This National Archives webpage gives information on how to find records if they still exist.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/volunteers-territorials/

[Redmoore]

Thank you for your help. I have all my Great Grandfathers War records pertaining to WW1. He was killed in action and the file makes very sad reading as he was missing for years. These have come from Ancestry but I have not come across any records relating to The Volunteers. I had not really thought to look until now.

[Rena]

I had a think about you saying you had the WWI records.  I downloaded my records when they first appeared on a....y and was commenting in the chat room about them and mentioned the number of pages.  A curious member inthe chatroom decided to have a look on a...y and mentioned there were far more pages.  The website had only directed me to his WWI records and by clicking backwards to view the previous record I discovered it was my grandfather's Volunteer record (training was local but there was an annual visit to the main Regiment's barracks for intensive training).   -  then clicking forwards to the next person's record I found it was his hospital/pension record. I checked other people with same surname but given names were missing due to age or burning, and was satisfied not more of his records were amongst those.

Have you checked records of other people with same surname, just in case it's your ancestor?

[ainslie]

The Volunteers were forerunners of the Territorial Force which was established in their place in 1908.  The Territorial Army succeeded the TF after WW1.
They were all part time soldiers, training in evenings and weekends, with an annual summer camp, probably of two weeks.  I suspect that those who have found records of Volunteers or TF soldiers have been very lucky.
A

[medpat]

I found my grandfather's on Find my Past.

He was attested on 13 August 1907 and put on special reserve 14 June 1908 - he served in WW1 but those docs are missing. He was in the South Staffordshire Regiment and was attested in Lichfield. He was 17 yrs 10 mths at the time. He lived in Walsall.

[Rena]

I found my grandfather's on Find my Past.

He was attested on 13 August 1907 and put on special reserve 14 June 1908 - he served in WW1 but those docs are missing. He was in the South Staffordshire Regiment and was attested in Lichfield. He was 17 yrs 10 mths at the time. He lived in Walsall.

That's interesting as I didn't know they also had military records - glad you posted that medpat.

[Martin Briscoe]

The Long Long Trail is an excellent source of information on WWI and there is an associated Great War forum.

One thing I did not realised about the Territorial Force was that they only signed up for home service.  This had been overlooked and they had to ask people who had been sent abroad whether they wanted to sign up for overseas service or return home.  Many chose to go home. 

Can't remember details but I think even those who agreed to overseas service, only had signed for a fixed period then could go home.  It was later when it became compulsory with conscription.

As I wrote, I am going from memory so details might not be exactly correct.