Warfare: Changes To Recruitment 1793-1914 Flashcards
Why did the french wars put a strain on resources in terms of men?
Manpower was needed for the Royal Navy ships as well as as army battalions
In the french wars, Britain continued to fight with volunteer forces, whilst other continental powers relied on conscription. Why did britain not have conscription?
Voters wouldn’t support a government that introduced conscription because they believed it was too severe
How were shortages in the armed forces dealt with during the french wars?
Borderline illegal methods
Give 3 methods of recruitment in the french wars
Press gangs
Quota system
Recruiting sergeants
What were press gangs?
When a group of seamen were sent ashore to port towns to seize and ‘impress’ men for service
Men could be legally ‘pressed’ into service
Any sailor or even men who had never been to sea could be targeted
Captains usually preferred experienced seamen
Men knew that they had to go peacefully if approached
Where were most men pressed from?
Most taken from merchant ships which was legal as long as the navy captain replaced the man taken
Most captains would take the most experienced sailors and leave the poorest quality on the merchant ship
How did merchant captains protect their best crews from being pressed into the navy?
They dropped them off in Ireland before approaching home, or hid their best sailors onboard
How did the authorities further the press gangs?
Using the quota system
What was the quota system during the french wars?
It forced each county to provide a set number of volunteers based on the size of the county and number of seaports
E..g London had to provide 5704 seamen whist Yorkshire was 1081
If counties couldn’t fill them they offered criminals the possibilities of serving out their sentences in the navy
Issues with the Quota system
Criminals- in poor physical condition so reduced the warships effiency
Counties offered large bounty rewards for volunteers which led to inexperienced land men joining the navy which created resentment among existing sailors
There was no lawful way to ‘press’ men into the army like there was in the Navy. How were men recruited into the army instead?
Recruiting sergeants
Who did recruiting sergeants tend to be?
Experienced veterans approaching retirement but with the ability to persuade and convince others to join up
Less fashionable units had to use recruiting sergeants to maintain a constant supply of new recruits at all
Tricks used by recruiting sergeants
Kings shilling
Tales of adventures enticed naive young men
Soldiers pay, without revealing ‘stoppages’
What was the Kings shilling
A legally binding indication a man had volunteered to to serve
Recruiting officers gave potential recruits alcohol in order to get them to take it
How did Recruiters trick soldiers by telling them about pay?
Well paid,steady employment was appealing
They told recruits the pay of a private without revealing stoppages which reduced this by 80%
Recruiting sergeants used criminal courts as a source of men, and offered to pay their fines, which would also be deduced from their pay, this pleased judges because it removed criminals from the local area
So soldiers might not get paid for years
Why were alcoholics prepared to serve in the french wars?
Part of the army ration was rum or gin
What did the authorities feel about an army of pressed men and how did this lead to the end of impressment?
More pressed men= more need for discipline and punishment
The successes of the french army had shown that the enthusiasm and commitment to the cause led to high moral and good performance
The idea for britain was a professional armed service filled with volunteers who wanted to serve
What about the army did the public become less willing to accept as the 19th century progressed?
Flogging and branding
Political pressure grew for them to be abolished
When did impressment in the Navy end and why?
1815
It now had too many men as battleships were being decommissioned
How were men in the navy treated after 1815 as battleships were being decomissioned and crews released?
Officers not on active duty were on half pay
Seamen not needed were dismissed
Throughout the rest of the 19th century, there was a steady stream of recruitment in the navy, so no force was required.
Why did recruitment improve in the navy?
It was a very successful branch of the armed forces so a more attractive proposition to a young man wanting to join the military
Pay was higher than in the army
Seamen given fixed terms of service and a pension
The expansion of trade meant there may be experienced seamen willing to transfer to the Navy
What was created to ensure the navy would have enough recruits in the event of another major war after the french wars?
Royal Navy Reserve in 1859
Manned by merchant seamen,fishermen
They were given gunnery training for one month every year
In 1862, merchant officers were included
They could be drafted into the Royal Navy in war
Problems of army recruitment at the end of the french wars
Dubious forms of recruitment continued until the end of the french wars until public and authority opijjn were strongly against forcing men into the Amy
All volunteers had to be willing
Problem for the army that had struggled to maintain itself at full strength on voluntary recruitment alone
4 ways men were encouraged to volunteer after the french wars?
Specialist recruiters
The print media
Terms and conditions
The economy
Explain specialist recruiters as a way men were encouraged to join the armed forces after the french wars
Recruiting sergeants still existed but were limited to the geographical region their regiments covered- recruiters had it easier in towns than in the countryside
By the end of the 19th century, they had their own offices, open to the public
The specialist recruiting officers were the navy’s replacement of press gangs
Explain the print media as a way men were encouraged to join the armed forces after the french wars
As literacy increased, people were easier to reach by printed material
Newspaper adverts were read by thousands
Regiments could select the publication best suited for their target audience
Army regiment would advertise in local press
Posters grew in usage, improved technology meant cheaper, and coloured versions could be produced
Explain terms and conditions as a way men were encouraged to join the armed forces after the french wars
Cardwell reforms encouraged men to join up e.g. abolishment of punishment and general service
Introduction of medals, recognising men made it more popular
Servicemen’s began to be seen as respectable nd wore uniforms proudly in public
Soldiers were associated with the growth of empire so a symbol of national pride
Explain the economy as a way men were encouraged to join the armed forces after the french wars
Poverty an effective recruited
Economic downturns made it easier to recruit soldiers
The economy did lead to differences in recruiting areas e.g. poverty in Ireland meant regiments almost always at strength and recruitment was steady in cities
Regiments in rural areas struggled more because families would move to the cities for better employment
