Joining Army Reserve

[torre]

My great grandfather joined the Scots Guards on 10 Jan 1872. He was discharged on 9 Jan 1878
He was transferred to 1st Class Army Reserve on 10 Jan 1878 until 12 Apr 1878.
He rejoined the army on 13 Apr 1878 until 31 Jul 1878.
He was then 'retransferred' to 1st Class Army Reserve on 31 Jul 1878.

My questions are
1) Was it mandatary to be transfered to army reserve when leaving the army or did soldiers join to get a pension?

2) Why would he leave and rejoin the army and reserves after a few weeks?

I have a copy of his army record which is just one page. There is nothing about his conduct, good or bad.

I hope someone can make sense of this for me

[MaxD]

Most engagements were for X years with the colours (active service) followed by Y years reserve service - throughout the whole of X plus Y they were "in the army".  It was often the case that men decided to alter their engagement to serve more years with the colours, this it what it looks like with your man, although it looks as if he changed his mind.
As to conduct, his record is probably incomplete (140 years ago!!) and it depends whether it is a discharge paper or part of his record.

If his record is on line, it would help if you gave his details.

MaxD

[MaxD]

Presumably John Mitchell joined in Winchester.

Although he served for 6 years, for pension purposes he lost 1 year 284 days, presumably connected with the loss of good conduct pay in 1876.  His transfer to the reserve (not "joining the reserves") would have been the second part of his engagement.  He was then allowed to rejoin active service for another 110 days active service which looks as if it was an attempt to retrieve the service towards pension he had lost.  For whatever reason, this was cut short and he went back to civilian life again, still with a commitment to being called back for whatever his engagement was.

There are two pages (use the right arrow) his conduct is described on page two.  Although he obviously lost his GC pay in 1876, the army would have sent him off with a decent "reference".

There were complicated rules in place allowing some men to go early to the reserve part of their engagement.  This may have been connected with that but without his full record I would hesitate to speculate.

MaxD

[MaxD]

Looking at other enlistments at the same time, his engagement was in all likelihood a 12 year term consisting of 6 years with the colours and 6 years in the reserve.  The 4 plus years he put in first towards completion of his engagement was added to by another 110 days which still doesn't make a full 6 years active service.  There should be further entries dealing with the completion of his service from 1878.
Bottom line - the record is not complete so not entirely sure what the full story is here.

MaxD

[torre]

Thank you for all the replies.
I've now seen page two of his service record and it does seem to raise more questions. Thanks for pointing that out to me.
I'll keep looking to see if anything else materialises on-line in the future.

Yes, it is John Mitchell

[Rena]

If it's any help.

My late husband served 12 years in H.M. Forces and was demobbed 1969 when his contract to serve ended.  At that time he was given a document that stated he would be on the official Reserve List for two years and should expect to be called upon if his country needed him.   Two years later he received an official letter in the post to say he was no longer on the Reserve List. During those two years he wasn't called upon and had an ordinary job in civvy street.

[torre]

Rena 

All information is a help. It helps me to build up the bigger picture

Many thanks

[MaxD]

Just for info (Torre is in the picture), this has turned out to be a perfect illustration of what an engagement of X years with the colours followed by Y years on the 1st Class reserve meant in practice.

Our man completed his 6 years colour service in January 1878.  Just his luck, on 1 April 1878, in response to unrest in the Balkans (not for the last time!!), all army reservists were recalled as the army was put on a war footing in case of conflict.  In July 1878 following the Treaty of Berlin and the (temporary?) easing of tension, the reserves were demobilised, given pay up to 31 July 1878 and sent home.  All reflected clearly in the remnant of his record that survives.

A most interesting query.

MaxD

[torre]

MaxD

Thank you much for that. You are a star!