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Army & R A F Recruiting Offices

-jules

Brummie babby
Hello all, I'm Jules and I have been researching my Grandad's Army Service Record. Most of my research to date has been the WW2 period. It was a member from a ww2 forum who told me about this Birmingham History Forum and that I may be able to get some help here.

My Grandad was born in Smethwick in August 1908 and joined the RAOC in 1929 at an army recruiting office in Birmingham. I was hoping to find the location of this office and was told there was one in Suffolk Street during WW1.

Does anyone here know if there was more than one recruiting office in Birmingham in 1929 and, if not, was the office in Suffolk Street being used that year?

Thank you for reading this post and hopefully someone here can help. Any info would be very much appreciated.

Regards,

Jules.
 
In the 1933 Kelly's directory it is given as
Arny Recruiting office
James Watt Street
recruiting officer Captn S. E. Hart
 
Dear Mike, that is a brilliant help. Thank you. Just done a google search and found a WW1 reference for Army recruiting office James Watt Street - Are you any good with ww2 and the middle east? :D

Ray what was the place like? I'm planning on writing up what I can find out for my dad and auntie and anything you could tell me about it would be a real help.

Thanks for replying so quickly too.

Jules.
 
Jules,
It wasn't a very big place,something like a travel agency,I should think.
There was a front office where your initial interview was held,at a desk in full view of any passers by.There were other rooms at the back,for a medical,and upstairs was where you went for your travel warrant, swear the oath of allegiance,and collect the Queens shilling (7/-) promptly spent in "The Old Stone Cross" Dale end.:)
Quite easy really,and painless,the pain began when you reached the god forsaken Catterick Camp in Yorkshire.:(
 
Jules,
It wasn't a very big place,something like a travel agency,I should think.
There was a front office where your initial interview was held,at a desk in full view of any passers by.There were other rooms at the back,for a medical,and upstairs was where you went for your travel warrant, swear the oath of allegiance,and collect the Queens shilling (7/-) promptly spent in "The Old Stone Cross" Dale end.:)
Quite easy really,and painless,the pain began when you reached the god forsaken Catterick Camp in Yorkshire.:(


When you got to Catterick, were you in the wooden huts, or those very posh multi storey jobs? I was at 7 Trg Regt in the wooden huts.
 
Hiya Barrie,
Not too sure but I think,my time in Catterick was spent in,Gallowgate,Mons and Le Cateu lines ,oh, and a short time as a guest of the Provost Marshall.:rolleyes:
And they were all dillapitated wooden huts,very cold in winter.:(

Do you think the Recruting office description is about right ?,it was a long time ago.
 
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the army office later moved to great charles street in the fifties and the sixtys but i do not know where they came from before moving to the grt charles street and they was ther up till around the seventys guys best wishes astonian
 
I enlisted in Great Charles Street, April 1962, ( Jnr Guardsman) , mens service April 1964, Guards Depot, Pirbright still have my prayer book and shilling piece, in a plastic holder.
paul
 
There was a recruiting office in New Street during the First World War,the grand father of a late friend of mine was a recruiting officer for the Royal Marines there (I have a photo showing a
group of the recruiting officers plus their details )
 
Wow! Thanks all for your input. And thanks so much Ray for the description. If that was the only Army Recruiting office around late 20's early 30's then I'm quite hopeful it's the one I am looking for. Would the other Recruiting offices be mentioned in the directory if they still existed do you know?

Catterick didn't sound a pleasant place to be. Looking at the papers my grandad was sent to Hilsea Barracks two days after joining. A long way from home for a young lad from Smethwick! Although, I don't really think he would have been too concerned about that. By all accounts as he wanted to see more than the foundry where he had worked since leaving school.

It's a lovely forum. Really friendly.

Jules.
 
I joined up at Christmas 1947, pretty sure the office was in New Street near the Odean cinama, it was of course, The Kings Shilling in those days, caught the train to Guards Depot Caterham on 2rd February 1948.They tell me that compared
to the Depot Catterick was like Butlins.Sixteen weeks drill, dont let you on the streets for six weeks, followed by weapon
training etc at Pirbright Camp in Surrey. I never for one moment regret joining the Coldstream family. Bernard
 
Dad signed up in December 1949, he says the recruiting office was a small place in Albert Street, where you swore allegiance, then had to go to Five Ways for your medical, then back to Albert Street with your chitty to say you were fit.
He was posted to Whittington Barracks at Lichfield, so not too far away, then went out to Hong Kong and was on border patrol.
Sue
 
Anyone know of an Army barracks/gun emplacement or the like situated in the Hollywood/Romsley area during WW11, Or even better, anywhere that the Royal Lincolnshire regiment were posted in the Midlands area,?
 
I joined the RAF in June 1948 somewhere in City Centre, possibly New St, would any one know the exact address of the recruiting office ??? I signed on with a friend and we completed our basic training (12 weeks) at Cardington, home of the ill fated R101 Airship, the huge hanger still stands we did PT in there during inclement weather, it housed inflated barrage balloons while I was there. Eric
 
Just to update this a little. I contacted Birmingham Archives and the historian there was kind enough to confirm that when my Grandad enlisted in 1929, James Watt Street was - at that time - the only Army Recruiting Office listed. Thanks again for all the help offered here.

Regards.

Jules.
 

As the New Kid I thought I'd fall in with the others who joined up at James Watt St.!

I've just dug out a fragile piece of paper that puts it at 14 James Watt St. Telephone Cent 3802.

I joined the Royal Artillery in Sep '57, at age 16, as a Junior Leader and was sent to Hereford.
 
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