Army Form W.3291 - Classification Certificate

Army Form W.3291 first saw the light of day in August 1916 and this version dates from October 1916. It was certainly used for men who had attested under the Derby Scheme and may also have been used for men who were conscripted. 

In this particular case this Derby Scheme recruited has been classified as A. Fit for general service, having attested over a year earlier on the 9th December 1915. This man was examined and classified on the 22nd January 1917 and he was mobilised on the 23rd February 1917, ultimately serving overseas with the Cheshire Regiment until demobilised in October 1919.

The reverse of this document refers to Army Form W.3195 which I have covered on a previous post and which refers specifically to Derby Scheme attestations. It is interesting that this Army Form addresses the candidate as "Mr", a title rarely seen pre-printed on army forms and probably one of the last times, until late 1919, that this particular man would have been addressed as such.

Army Form W.3491 - Medical Board examination

This particular version of Army From W.3491 was printed in November 1916. The man in question here was a Derby Scheme recruit who had originally attested in December 1915 but it would appear that this was used for conscripts as well. 

The reference to Group and Class No refers to Derby Scheme (Group) and conscripted men (Class) and, as I mentioned, this man was a Derby Scheme recruit, a single man born in 1896 and hence in Group 2.

Army Form W.3194 - Group Scheme, proof of attestation

I suspect that this document is uncommon. Army Form W.3194 appears to be proof of attestation under the Group Scheme or Derby Scheme. This man fell into Group 37 which indciates that he was a married man, born in 1884, when he attested on the 15th December 1915. Apart from this useful information, we also see the man's home address and that he attested at Melton Mowbray.  Apart from a postage stamp, the reverse of this form is blank.

Army Form B.2512 - Short Service Attestation

 

 

Army Form B.2512 is the attestation form that was introduced in December 1915 in response to the creation of the Derby Scheme which it references in paragraph 11:

 

 

This form was to be used for wartime enlistments only with the most noticeable addition being the box, top right, in which the man's Derby Scheme group number was to be written. In this particular example the man fell into Group 33 and this number also appears on the top left of his form, presumably written there as a filing aid at the time of his attestation.

 

You can read more about the Derby Scheme on The Long, Long Trail website. All document images reproduced on this post are Crown Copyright, The National Archives. Service and Pension records can be searched and downloaded from Ancestry and Findmypast. Both companies offer FREE 14-day trials.



Army Form W.3195 - Mobilisation of Derby Scheme men

 

Form W.3195, as can be seen in the example below, was sent to men who had attested under the Derby Scheme and who were now being mobilised. It's a very useful form for family historians as it gives the man's home address and group number. In this particular case, the man's group is noted as 28 which tells us that at the time of his attestation he was a married man who had been born in 1893. There is also a stamp on the form which tells the recruit to bring his marriage certificate and children's birth certificate/s with him when he presents himself.

 

 

This man is being fifteen days notice to attend the Central London Recruiting Centre at Scotland Yard and the small print warns him that he if fails to attend he will be considered a deserter.

 

Despite the good intentions of the Derby Scheme which encouraged a further 2.4m men to join up (amongst these, my grandfather and at least two of his brothers), the scheme was ultimately adjudged a failure with 38 per cent of eligible single men and 54 per cent of married men still declining to serve King and Country. It was inevitable therefore that conscription would follow and this was introduced by The Military Service Act of January 1916 which came into force on 2nd March 1916.

 

There is much useful information on the Derby Scheme on The Long, Long Trail website.  The image of Army Form W.3195 is Crown Copyright The National Archives and is used with permission. The Military Service Act poster is used with the permission of Wikipedia.

 

All document images reproduced on this post are Crown Copyright, The National Archives. Service and Pension records can be searched and downloaded from Ancestry and Findmypast. Both companies offer FREE 14-day trials.