Author Topic: Reserved occupation WW2  (Read 3414 times)

Offline bykerlads

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Reserved occupation WW2
« on: Monday 04 February 19 22:23 GMT (UK) »
Is there any way of finding out if a man was in a reserved occupation in WW2? Do records exist?
Or if he was excused military service on health grounds?
Also, how would the wages and financial situation of a serving soldier have compared with that of a man who was in a reserved occupation? One hopes that there would have been no financial advantage in not being on active service.
The mystery is why a relative aged 21 in 1939 did not serve in the military. Too late to ask him now, or course.

Offline Rena

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Re: Reserved occupation WW2
« Reply #1 on: Monday 04 February 19 22:33 GMT (UK) »
This website might give you some insight into reserved occupations.

Perhaps your 21 year old had flat feet, or some other medical reason?

https://www.1900s.org.uk/reserved-occupations.htm
Aberdeen: Findlay-Shirras,McCarthy: MidLothian: Mason,Telford,Darling,Cruikshanks,Bennett,Sime, Bell: Lanarks:Crum, Brown, MacKenzie,Cameron, Glen, Millar; Ross: Urray:Mackenzie:  Moray: Findlay; Marshall/Marischell: Perthshire: Brown Ferguson: Wales: McCarthy, Thomas: England: Almond, Askin, Dodson, Well(es). Harrison, Maw, McCarthy, Munford, Pye, Shearing, Smith, Smythe, Speight, Strike, Wallis/Wallace, Ward, Wells;Germany: Flamme,Ehlers, Bielstein, Germer, Mohlm, Reupke

Offline Kiltpin

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Re: Reserved occupation WW2
« Reply #2 on: Monday 04 February 19 23:15 GMT (UK) »
The Australians would not enlist anybody who had bad teeth. Every army had it's criteria. 

Regards 

Chas
 
Whannell - Eaton - Jackson
India - Scotland - Australia

Offline stanmapstone

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Re: Reserved occupation WW2
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 05 February 19 08:54 GMT (UK) »
Guy Etchells has a free download to the Anguline site containing the booklet Schedule of Reserved Occupations (Provisional). It may be found on the free downloads page at
http://anguline.co.uk/free.html


See https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=674198.msg5191880#msg5191880

Stan
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Offline melba_schmelba

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Re: Reserved occupation WW2
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 05 February 19 16:39 GMT (UK) »
Guy Etchells has a free download to the Anguline site containing the booklet Schedule of Reserved Occupations (Provisional). It may be found on the free downloads page at
http://anguline.co.uk/free.html


See https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=674198.msg5191880#msg5191880

Stan
Thanks for this, surprised to see there was such a large number of different occupations, also wasn't aware of the age qualifiers - i.e. if you were under 25 or under 30 you still had to fight.

Offline bykerlads

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Re: Reserved occupation WW2
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 05 February 19 17:19 GMT (UK) »
Thanks for the info. Very interesting.
It looks as if our man given his age, must have been excused military service on medical grounds.
I wonder exactly how stringent the rules were to be considered too unfit to serve.

Offline Malcolm33

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Re: Reserved occupation WW2
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 05 February 19 19:13 GMT (UK) »
  Take a look at him in the 1939 register.  There is sometimes a clue there such as stressing their occupation.     My Dad has his occupation shown as 'Electrician Heavy Power Worker', but I don't think he would have passed a medical anyway as he had some 'curvature of the spine'.

   Our good friend next door but one Mr. Henry is shown as Carpenter, Joiner, Foreman, but over to the right of the page and on the next part which is usually blank there is an added note A.R.P. HUDC Rescue and Demolition.

    Unfortunately they had removed 'Fallen Arches' from the not wanted list, by 1951, and that just earned me an 'A2' classification when I went for my medical.   Since it was a 'done' decision, I enlisted instead.
Hutton: Eccleshill,Queensbury
Grant: Babworth,Chinley
Draffan: Lesmahagow,Douglas,Coylton, Consett
Oliver: Tanfield, Sunderland, Consett
Proudlock: Northumberland
Turnbull:Northumberland, Durham
Robson:Sunderland, Northumberland
Dent: Dufton, Arkengarthdale, Hunstanworth
Currie: Coylton
Morris and Hurst: East Retford, Blyth, Worksop
Elliot: Castleton, Hunstanworth, Consett
Tassie, Greenshields

Offline Malcolm33

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Re: Reserved occupation WW2
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 05 February 19 19:22 GMT (UK) »
    Just another thought.    Maybe he was a Keel Man from Byker?

     Well, judging by the song?

THE KEEL LAD

 He's an ug'ly body,
 A lovely Body,
 An ill faced hideous fyeul,
 But Aah hev married a Keel Lad,
 And my guid days are done.

 Now Aah thowt te marry a Parson,
 to make us say me prayers,
 But Aah hev married a Keel Lad,
 And he kicks me doon the stairs.

 Aah thowt te marry a Dyer,
 to dye me Apron Blue,
 But Aah hev married a Keel Lad,
 and he meks me Sally Roo.

 Aah thowt te marry a sailor,
 te bring us beads and lace,
 But Aah hev married a Keel Lad,
 and he's a bloody disgrace.

 Aah thowt te marry a joiner,
 te mek us a chair and stool,
 But Aah hev married a Keel Lad,
 and he's a perfect fyeul.

       And then you only had to live in Consett and be a Steel Man.   But they got me Uncle Dick cos he was a grocer so it was the DLI for him.    Nevertheless he ended up in a different kind of reserved occupation - Italian POW camp after being taken prisoner in North Africa, then a German POW camp after he escaped and got picked up by the other lot.
Hutton: Eccleshill,Queensbury
Grant: Babworth,Chinley
Draffan: Lesmahagow,Douglas,Coylton, Consett
Oliver: Tanfield, Sunderland, Consett
Proudlock: Northumberland
Turnbull:Northumberland, Durham
Robson:Sunderland, Northumberland
Dent: Dufton, Arkengarthdale, Hunstanworth
Currie: Coylton
Morris and Hurst: East Retford, Blyth, Worksop
Elliot: Castleton, Hunstanworth, Consett
Tassie, Greenshields

Offline Redroger

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Re: Reserved occupation WW2
« Reply #8 on: Tuesday 05 February 19 21:31 GMT (UK) »
My Dad was in a reserved occupation in WW2 (Railway fireman later train driver) He had volunteered at the age of 15 in 1914, and was told to come back next year if it's still going (it was!) and don't be 16!! He volunteered with the Cambridgeshire regiment and served from 1915 until the Armistice.
During WW2 he was also a Homeguard sergeant, refused a commission so served as a Sergeant. From documents I stumbled on when he died in 1971, and their nature only being confirmed on a visit to Kew a few years ago, he also seems to have been a "Staybehind". One designated to stay behind German lines after invasion and commit sabotage etc. Life expectancy around 7-10 days. Luckily the invasion never happened. So, even if you were in a reserved occupation there was plenty of active war service for such people to do.
One such was a future Prime Minister Harold Wilson who I understand volunteered for service on the outbreak, only to be drafted into The Ministry for Economic Warfare the following day!!
Shows how much information Government had on high flyers even at that time!
Ayres Brignell Cornwell Harvey Shipp  Stimpson Stubbings (all Cambs) Baumber Baxter Burton Ethards Proctor Stanton (all Lincs) Luffman (all counties)