Under-age Soldiers in the First World War
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Surnames/tags: great_war World_War_I military_war
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Under-age Soldiers in the First World War
Welcome to the 'Under-age Soldiers in the First World War' Project, this project is dedicated to the under-age participants (generally soldiers) of the First World War (1914-1918), who were known as child soldiers, kid soldiers, teen soldiers, and boy soldiers.
This project is for under-age participants who both survived the war, and who died during the war, it is for under-age participants of of all nations, it is for under-age participants who were under-age for the duration of the war and who became of age at some point during their participation, and it is for the soldiers, and for others who participated but were not enlisted soldiers.
If you have any questions about whether someone fits into the project please ask.
Participants of the Project
If you would like to participate in this project, please add your name to this list, or leave a message here, on my profile, A.C. Raper, or in a private message, asking to have your name listed here.
- A.C. Raper, Project Manager
- Jacky Clark, Project Leader of The Great War, 1914-1918
- Terry Wright Adding info to my underage ANZACs so far I have found two brothers who were both underage and both were killed a month apart in Belgium in 1917.
- You, Project Participant: Are you working on soldiers from a specific region, girl soldiers, notable under-age soldiers, your own family, list that here.
Who was Under-age?
As this project is dedicated to those who began participation in the First World War when they were under-age it is important to known at what age a person was legally considered old enough to participate.
The answer to that question varies by nation, context, and in some instances by date; the legal enlistment ages are listed below. If you If you have any information about legal enlistment ages about nations listed or not, please get in touch.
A person can be considered under-age if they are under the age described, not matter if it is days or years, feel free to ask for help if you are unsure.
| Nation | Legal Age to Enlist | |
| Australia | From August 1914: 19 Years Old From June 1915: 18 Years Old | |
| Great Britain England Scotland Wales | Regular Army: 18 Years Old, Territorial Force: 17 Years Old Overseas Service, for both Regular Army and Territorial Force: 19 Years Old |
The Category
The main category page is 'Category: World War I, Active Duty Military Children'. The subcategories for this category are broken down by nations.
New nation subcategories can added to the category page, the naming rule is, World War I,......., Active Duty Military Children, and the name of the nation goes where the dots are.
Under-age participants can be added to the subcategories by adding the subcategory link at the top of their profiles, the links should be in square brackets ||...|| and the text should be Category: World War I,......., Active Duty Military Children, and the name of the nation goes where the dots are.
Other Projects
Resources
The following resources provide more information on under-age soldiers, and are organised under general information and by nation. If you have any resources please add them here, or send a message about them.
Examples of Profiles
General Resources
- Rob Ruggenberg, 'Children of the Great War', "The Heritage of the Great War", http://www.greatwar.nl/frames/default-children.html
Australia
- Australian War Memorial, 'Enlistment Standards', Australian War Memorial, https://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/enlistment/
Britain
- BBC, 'How Did Britain Let 250, 000 Underage Soldiers Fight in WW1?', "iWonder", http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zcvdhyc
- BBC, 'The Teenage Soldiers of World War One', BBC News, http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29934965
- Chris Baker, 'How Men Joined The British Army', The Long, Long Trail, http://www.1914-1918.net/recruitment.htm
- C N Trueman, 'Boy Soldiers', "The History Learning Site", http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-one/the-western-front-in-world-war-one/boy-soldiers/
- Wikipedia, 'Youngest British Soldiers in World War I, "Wikipedia", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youngest_British_soldiers_in_World_War_I
- Under-age soldiers in the First World War Nov 16, 2015.
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Leslie Wilton Andrew apparently falsified his age to serve overseas, and was awarded the V.C. in 1917 when he was 20. He was enlisted with the NZEF, joining in 1915. I can't see the NZ age listed (it could have had different requirements for home and overseas service).