1887 transfer to "1st Cl AR" from 25th Regiment (King's Own Borderers)

[kob3203]

When a soldier returned from active service (in this case with 1Bn KOB in India, late 1880s) and was transfered to the "First Class Army Reserve", where would I expect to find records of his time in the reserve? I'd assumed it would be in the depot companies related to the battalions he'd served in, but that drew a blank.

A bit more detail about the soldier in question: In WO97/2378 Soldiers Papers, Brown D-F, I found records for my great grandfather, Pte 3203 Edmond Brown. From them I know that he signed up in Tipperary in Feb 1881 and served a couple of years with 2nd Bn KOB in Fermoy.
In Jan 1883 he was transferred to 1st Bn KOB in India on HMS Crocodile.
In India he was stationed at Ambala, Dagshai, and Meerut (matching the 1 Bn KOB stations from Harts Army Lists).
He returned home on HMS Euphrates in Mar 1887 and was transferred to the first class army reserve.
He was discharged on termination of his 12 years service in Feb 1893.

I found supporting records for his Fermoy and India service in the following...
- WO16/1590 Pay Lists 2 Bn KOB 1882-4
- WO16/2819 Muster Rolls 1 Bn KOSB 1Apr86-31Dec88
...but drew a blank in the various WO16 1/2 Bn KOB Muster Rolls/Pay Lists for his 1887-1893 reserve service. I also know (from the Harts Army Lists of the late 1880s) that a new 3rd Bn (Militia Reserve) 25th Regt KOB was raised about this time - but I thought that Militia Reserve and First Class Army Reserve were different things?

Any suggestions on which records I should consult for his reserve service, (or indeed of sources I may have overlooked) would be greatly appreciated.

Pete

[km1971]

Hi Pete

Reservists do not feature in the muster rolls, as they went home. While a reservist he would receive approximately half pay and have to serve two weeks a year to ensure his musketry and drill were up to standard.

While a reservist he could be recalled if a major conflict erupted. But the reservists were only recalled for the Boer War (in 1899) and for WW1 (in 1914). Most reservists did not record the fact on census, marriages and birth certificate etc.

The Militia/Militia Reserve were a completely different organisation to the regulars, apart from the fact that they had a core of experienced NCOs on the permanent staff.

The Depot, 1st and 2nd Battalions of the regiment were regulars, and man could be transferred between these units as your GGF was.

The Ts and Cs changed a few times. In his time the 12 years was split 6 + 6; a few years later it was 7 + 5, and between the Boer War and WW1 you could do 3 + 9, when they wanted to greatly increase the size of the Reserve, due to the expected war with the Central Powers.

At all times they army had the right to delay the transfer into the army reserve by up to one year if the man was overseas. And as you have already discovered the man was discharged only after his 12 years was up, and not when he was transferred to the AR.

Ken

[kob3203]

Thanks Ken,

I'd seen your replies to a few other queries on this  board, and was keeping my fingers crossed that you might throw some light on the matter. I didn't expect such a clear and concise answer so quickly!

A couple of further queries, regarding his actual discharge in 1893:
- Would there be any records other than the papers I've already found in WO97?
- Would he be in receipt of an army pension? I'd initially assumed not, because I thought a soldier had to serve for 20 years. But then I found the following statement in the TNA Catalogue Research Guides, British Army: Soldiers' Pensions 1702-1913, Military Records Information 6, under section 2, "Entitlements to pension"...

"Soldiers who left the Army with a disabling injury, or as invalids or (for relatively few soldiers before the later 19th century) after completing an agreed term of service, were entitled to a pension from, or institutional care at, Chelsea or Kilmainham."

.... This makes me think that maybe I was wrong?

Cheers,
Pete

[km1971]

Hi Paul

He would have received a pension for completing his 12 years service. It would have been about 4d a day for life for a Private. The service records (in WO97) sometimes have an original copy of the death certificate, plus bits about where the pension was paid. This suggests that all service records held similar information once, but most has been culled over the years.

You could look here - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/rdleaflet.asp?sLeafletURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Enationalarchives%2Egov%2Euk%2Fcatalogue%2Fleaflets%2Fri2006%2Ehtm&lBack=-1

Ken

[kob3203]

Thanks Ken,

In this case the WO97 records don't include his discharge certificate, or anything about where the pension was paid.

The link you gave indicates that the Length of Service Pensions 1823-1920 in WO 117 may be worth a look. I'll check them out next time I'm in Kew.

Unfortunately that won't be for another year - but what's a year when we've waited over 116 years already! 

Anyway, in the meantime I can chase up other leads on his civilian whereabouts between 1887 and 1893!

Thanks again Ken 
Pete

[km1971]

Hi Paul

I forget to add that it would be worth waiting for Findmypast to publish the Militia Attestation Papers (WO96). Army pensioners sometimes enlisted in the Militia. They served 4 to 8 weeks a year for six years. While in uniform they would be paid as a regular.

Unfortunately WO96 is filed under regiment, and as men went away for the 4 to 8 weeks they did not always enrol in their local unit. Once FindMyPast have published the papers you will be able to do a name search.

Militia papers usually give an address or where he was living, plus name and address of his last employer. Which you do not get in WO97.

Ken