Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Hi can any one help with this question please? We believe from research that the gent I am interested in served in the Liverpool police during the war 1914/1918 being too old to be conscripted in the army,would there be any records still held for these men. Thanks for any suggestions.

I would suggest that any information would be contained in the Reports of the Liverpool Watch Committee which are held at Liverpool Record Office.

I did find this about ages involved in conscription to the armed forces

Conscription : In January 1916, Parliament passed the first conscription laws (compulsory enrollment) ever passed in Britain. At first only single men and childless widowers aged 18 to 41 were called up. By 1918 compulsory service had been extended to include all men aged 18 to 51. More than 2.3 million conscripts were enlisted before the end of the war in November, 1918.

Presumably your man was older than this?

Hi Hilary, thanks so much for your input sounds a good piece of advice but do you know can I contact the records office by e.mail and request info or do you have to write formally and pay for search's to be done, have not gone down this road before, cheers L.B

Check the Record Office Catalogue If you enter the words Watch Committee into the search you will see the holdings, however, I'm not sure which would be on microfilm and which in document form. I would suggest that when you know what you want to check you contact them by email http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/libraries-a ... y-history/

Microfilms can be viewed presently at the World Museum, William Brown Street but an appointment needs to be made to view documents at the satellite office at Sandhills. See this post for location details etc. and if you can go on a Tuesday afternoon please see details of the Help Desk as there are some very friendly and helpful members there to assist you.

The Minutes/reports books of the Liverpool Watch Committee will be at Sandhills. You will either have to pay for them to research them, which would be long task, amd therefore expensive, as you have no date or visit them and do it yourself.

First I would see if you can find some evidence that your man was actually in the Police Reserve. Was he over the age of conscription? I would also research to see if there was such a Police Reserve in Liverpool first.

Thank you both so much for your help, I only have family stories that this chap was in Liverpool ploice but the dates and occupations on some of the birth certs for his children dont support this, but we have a photo of him in uniform and one of his family do remember that he was in the police so I can only presume it was during the war as he was to old for conscription.
As I cant get to Sandhills personally I will do as much research as possible.
Cheers L.B

How about posting the photo on the forum to see if someone can identify the uniform?

What was the man's occupation in the 1911 census?

Check out directories 1913 - 1919 to see if he appears and what is given as his occupation.

How old was he?