The Navy recruited boys and many served in the First World War. Trawlers were also requisitioned by the War Office - the apprentices could be as young as 12.
Many young men and boys gave a false age in order to enlist - they weren't required to provide any proof of age. It's estimated that a quarter of a million may have been underage. At the Battle of Loos in May 1815, 50,000 were wounded - around 3,600 were younger than 19. Technically, they weren't even meant to be in the trenches. I've seen very young ages on war graves and I recall one of the youngest 'Shot at Dawn' victims was a 16-year-old from Jamaica.
There were a number of Young Soldier Battalions, too.
The number of boys enlisting fell when conscription was introduced.
In my family, a number of those who served in WW1, had been members of the local Territorials from the age of 14.
You might want to try posting this query on a specialist WW1 forum such as The Long, Long Trail.
|