Stephen Barker Posted 19 April , 2004 Share Posted 19 April , 2004 My great uncle 13566 Pte Samuel Barker enlisted in the 10th Cheshires on the 31st August 1914. He weighed 108lbs and stood at 5' 3" tall. Should he have been permitted to enlist at this height at this time? Incidentally, I'm 6' 3" & 182lbs. We have all shapes and sizes in our family! Thanks Stephen Barker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBettsMCDCM Posted 19 April , 2004 Share Posted 19 April , 2004 My great uncle 13566 Pte Samuel Barker enlisted in the 10th Cheshires on the 31st August 1914. He weighed 108lbs and stood at 5' 3" tall. Should he have been permitted to enlist at this height at this time? Incidentally, I'm 6' 3" & 182lbs. We have all shapes and sizes in our family! Thanks Stephen Barker The Minimum Height regulation @ that time was Exactly 5'3"So he was on the Button!{see The Bantams The Untold Story Of WW1 By Sidney Allinson,Pub:Howard Baker 1981 & later,which tells the story of those Below the Regulation Height of Five Foot Three Inches!!} :blink:following the decimation of the Regular Battalions the need for men meant that restrictions had to be slackened the "official" height restriction was amended to 5 Feet,adhered to more in spirit than in letter,meaning many men enlisting were under the Height Minimum in reality,"walk around the Block & grow 1" reasoning,hence the Birth of The Bantam Battalions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 19 April , 2004 Share Posted 19 April , 2004 As with all things military at the time there were some exceptions/big grey areas - here is a verbatim quote from the service record of 34457 Pte William Allen Hamps Regt: Height: 4ft 11 3/4'' Weight: 107Ibs Chest Measurement: 33.5'' Range of Expansion: 2.5'' Notes: Under height, under weight & under chest measurement Slight defects not sufficient to cause rejection: Deaf both ears So what happened............this guy was called up and sent to France Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIGEL Posted 19 April , 2004 Share Posted 19 April , 2004 My Grandad-----George Ernest Green--5' 4"--joined Royal Warwicks 1914 My GreatGrandad---GeorgeWhite--5' 2 3/8 --joined Royal Warwicks 1914 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorts Posted 19 April , 2004 Share Posted 19 April , 2004 Great grandfather joined 2/A&SH pre-war, height 5'4". Rgds, AJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muerrisch Posted 20 April , 2004 Share Posted 20 April , 2004 your man got in a fortnight before the minimum was temporarily raised to 5ft 6ins to stem the tide of recruits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen White Posted 20 April , 2004 Share Posted 20 April , 2004 My Grandad-----George Ernest Green--5' 4"--joined Royal Warwicks 1914 My GreatGrandad---GeorgeWhite--5' 2 3/8 --joined Royal Warwicks 1914 Thanks Nigel,i was going to mention George and his height. His chest expansion was only 2 inches as well (34 to 36 inches),his weight was ok at 132lbs though.He went to France in November 1914 though at the begining of the war. Was he accepted due to him being a Boer War veteran,despite him being under the required height ??, Steven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now