Dock Battalions WWI

[MaryA]

Credit and thanks to Gareth (golflimatango) for the following information that may help others.

According to a post on The Great War Form
Quote:
the best source of information on the Liverpool Docks Battalions is Keith Grieves article ‘The Liverpool Dock Battalion: Military Intervention in the Mersey Docks, 1915-1918' in Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire for the year 1981.

I managed to read the article and for the sake of completeness it seems appropriate that I post a very brief summary.

The Dock Battalions were an experiment sponsored by Lord Derby who subsequently became their commanding officer. The aim was to relieve chronic congestion in the Port of Liverpool by providing an organised and disciplined workforce, in contrast to the otherwise predominantly casual workforce, allegedly depleted by the loss of those who had enlisted and left. There was also some suggestion, naturally enough denied, that the Battalion was formed to overcome any disruption caused by strikes. It was seen as a model that might be used to mobilise major war industries such as shipbuilding and munitions.

All recruits were members of the trade union (NUDL) and they were attested and placed under military law, so they were “proper.” soldiers albeit non-combatant. Rates of pay were generous enough to create some enthusiasm to enlist because they were given military pay in addition to their normal pay.

The idea was not a great success, less than 2,000 men were involved and it was not extended to be used elsewhere (there were some volunteer schemes but they were not attested or under military law)

It did not cure the congestion in the Port
It caused friction in the workforce
It was very costly because the guaranteed wage was a burden when the battalion was not fully employed.


Eventually the Battalions were depleted as suitable men were combed out to join combatant units in France.