WW1 'Alien' Conscription

[Neil_A]

Hi

I am looking at the history of a Russian citizen and his role in WW1 and when he would have been subject to conscription in the UK. Did the withdrawal of Russia from WW1 have an impact on conscription?

Specifically as far as I can see:
1916 - Military Services Act - ultimately 18 - 41 British citizen, married/single men would be subject to conscription.
1917 July - Anglo-Russian Military Treaty allowed the respective countries to conscript the citizens of others if they lived within their borders.
1917 October - Russia withdraws from WW1 (given the Bolshevik Revolution).

I would have thought the terms of the Treaty would then be suspended. This explains why the Russian I'm researching withdrew his application for Exemption in October 1917.

However, this blog from the National Archives suggests a different timeline:
https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/friendly-aliens-in-our-fighting-forces/#return-note-8151-1

Did the Russian withdrawal from WW1 have an impact on Russian citizen conscription in the UK?

Neil

 

[jim1]

After Oct. 1917 Russia not being part of the military alliance
left it's male citizens in the UK liable to conscription.
Like any other conscript he could apply for exemption which he did
but later withdrew it meaning he was now offering to serve.
It could be he was aware the fast tracking process mentioned.
That's how I read it.
It wouldn't have had an impact on conscription as it was a requirement by law.
Applying for exemption was one way out but that was rarely successful or
refusing to fight & being charged as a conscientious objector (political) &
dealt with accordingly.

[Neil_A]

Thanks, Jim - though doing a bit more research, July 1917 was the critical date when Russians could be conscripted into the British Army (or opt to return to Russia). The October Revolution did set aside the July Treaty, and the British Government decided to pursue a policy of non-combatant conscription from its Russian immigrant population.

Source doc here (just in case others stumble across this thread):
https://londonjewsfww.lgfl.net/history-timeline.php

It relates to the Russian Jewish community but also would have applied to the Lithuanian Catholics who fled Russian Empire persecution in the late 19th century/early part of the 20th.