British military service tribunals, 1916-1918 : 'a very much abused body of men' / James McDermott.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McDermott, James, 1956- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Draft--Great Britain--History--20th century.

Draft.

Courts-martial and courts of inquiry--Great Britain--History--20th century.

Courts-martial and courts of inquiry.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (254 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Manchester ; New York : Manchester University Press ; New York : distributed exclusively in the USA by Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Military Service Tribunals were formed following the introduction of conscription in January 1916, to consider applications for exemption from men deemed by the new legislation to have enlisted. Swiftly, they gained two opposing yet equally unflattering reputations. In the eyes of the military, they were soft, obstructionist 'old duffers'. To most of the men who came before them, the Tribunals were the unfeeling civilian arm of a remorseless grinding machine. This book, utilizing a rare surviving set of Tribunal records, challenges both perspectives. The Tribunals were charged with balancing the needs of the army with those of the localities from which their members were drawn; they received instructions, recommendations and polite guidance from their masters at Whitehall, yet each was in effect a sovereign body whose decisions could not be overturned other than by appeal to similar bodies. Wielding unprecedented power yet acutely sensitive to the contradictions inherent in their task, they were obliged, often at a conveyer belt's pace, to make decisions that often determined the fate of men, their families, and ultimately, their communities. That some of these decisions were capricious or even wrong is indisputable; the sparse historiography of the Tribunals has too often focused upon the idiosyncratic example while ignoring the wider, adverse impact of imprecise legislation, government hand-washing and short-term military exigencies. Evaluating in depth that impact, and illuminating the social dynamics which often marked proceedings in the Tribunal chamber, this study attempts to redress the balance of an enduringly damning historical judgment.

Contents:

Appendix 2 Central and Middlesex AppealsTribunal files, minute books, registers etc.held at the National ArchivesReferences; Index

Copyright; Contents; Acknowledgements; Note on the medical gradingof enlisted men; 1. Introduction; 2. The Tribunal system: provenance,characteristics and issues; 3. The matter of conscience; 4. Boot and shoe; 5. Agriculture; 6. Directing heads, sole tradersand the professions; 7. Rank, deference and empathy; 8. Fitness to serve; 9. The Tribunals and the Volunteer Training Corps; 10. Conclusion; Appendix 1 Appeals Tribunal files, minutes,register books held at the Northamptonshire Records Office

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 28 Apr 2026).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781847797933

1847797938

9781781702673

1781702675

9781847794185

1847794181

OCLC:

818847545