missing male relatives in a census = conscription?

[Andy_D]

I'm just trying to get my head around why so many male relatives seem to be missing off of just one census when they should be around 18 - 22 years old.
         So I think it might be because they are in the military because of conscription..........If they were abroad whilst in the military I guess they wouldn't be recorded?............
   
        I feel sure a lot of you have sorted 'this one' out....Is there anywhere I can start looking please? 

Thanks
Andy


     
       

[Boongie Pam]

Hi Andy D

There are some theories on conscription - I'm trying to remember where I read it?

What years are you looking at?

Pam
 

[Andy_D]

Hi Pam,

Thanks

If I start with the 81 census.....but atm I.m not after tracing an individual....I just need to sort me head out!!lol .

    I don't even know when conscription started.....but obviously we've had the military so...I have found a few barracks in the census.......but none abroad....which could mean 10,000's not recorded on each census.

Regards
Andy

      I've not found peeps from 51, 81 & 1901....

[Boongie Pam]

It depends what you mean by conscription as well.

Y'could call pressganging conscription of sorts lol.

From what I can Google I think conscription as I understand it was as a result of the Military Services Act in 1916.
But there would have been recruitment campaigns for different colonial wars. 

I don't think census returns were done fo rthe men actually out  in the field - happy to be corrected.  I know of barracks in Carlisle on the 1871 census, I presume there would be others.

I've found a number of my male ancestors tend to go walk about at the age you refer to for work.  They are mostly masons and labourers and were probably more transient before they married.

Pam
 

[trish251]

Hi Andy

Could be away with the Army, but your query reminded me of a comment by Kazza a few days ago

....  the ones who studiously avoid being on earth for the census nights

Some folks just manage to disappear at Census time. Try multiple spelling variations for surnames. The initial letter can often be wrong. I have even resorted to searching given name only to find some folks.

Trish

[Berlin-Bob]

I found this on another site.

List of Wars (with GB involvement):
1803-1815 War with France (Napoleonic Wars)
1854-6 Crimean War
1857-8 2nd Opium War
1879 Zulu War
1880-81 1st Boer War
1896-7 Sudan
1899-1902 2nd Boer War
1914-18 First World War
1939-45 Second World War
1856 Suez invasion & withdrawal
1982 Falklands War
1991 Gulf War

It doesn't exactly prove any anything, but the info. could be useful to place people in a context of events.  Especially with questions about "missing, ... maybe abroad, fighting"