Each person who was successfully registered under the National Registration Act received a certificate.
Front of card, Image from Daily Mail, 18 August 1915
The card had to be returned for re-issuing within 28 days of the date a person changed address.
The Parliamentary Recruiting Committees were responsible for organising and undertaking the canvas alongside the local military district.
An instruction was given to local authorities in mid September 1915 for the pink forms they held to be passed to the local recruiting officers. On 5 October 1915 local recruiting committees were instructed to canvas any men shown on pink forms and who were not ‘starred‘ . The intention was to encourage men to attest in to the Derby Scheme.
A further instruction however was issued on the 6 October 1915 to continue any preparatory work and deal with any men who presented themselves but not to begin the actual canvas. On 15 October 1915 Lord Derby announced further details of his plan in Parliament and advised that instructions were issued for canvassing to begin. The instructions were issued on 18 October.
These instructions asked that the political recruiting agents for each district, those men used by political parties to canvas areas at election time, and the local parliamentary recruiting committees be tasked to organise the canvas as they were the men best placed to do so.
Prior to canvassing a man was intended to have received a letter from Lord Derby. It was envisaged that each man would be visited a maximum of 3 times to try and encourage them to attest. in order that a card index of men available for military service could be created.
The canvassers were supplied with a blue form holding data of men in their area, these had been compiled from the pink forms. This data mirrored a series of white cards held at the recruiting committee offices and which held any updated information which was fed back by the canvassers. Recruiting committees were instructed to use only canvassers who were either over military age or otherwise outside exempt or excused from service.
The initial canvas was to be made to all eligible single men aged over 19 years of age and men not falling in to this criteria were to be canvassed only following the completion of this.
To identify those men who had attested under the Derby Scheme to serve at a later date a khaki armband was authorised.
In order to collect an armband a man had to report to an authorised distribution office and present a copy of his attestation documents. He would then be issued with a numbered armband for his use, it was an offence to wear an armband that was issued directly to that man.
An armband could also be issued to man who had tried to attest under the Derby Scheme and been rejected or to a man who had been released from the military prior to the Derby Scheme on the grounds of health.
The Derby Scheme allowed men to enlist for service in the military for immediate service as well as allowing them to attest under the group scheme. The canvassers who visited eligible men were asked to encourage them to enlist for direct enlistment where possible.
A man who enlisted was immediate service would often be sent home for a few days until the military could deal with him however once attested and approved he became a serving soldier. Whilst he was awaiting the military to recall him he was entitled to 3 shillings per day however he could be recalled with 24 hours notice.
A man had several different options as to which branch of the military to which he could enlist. A quick summary is shown below as they existed in November 1915 however these conditions did change as the war progressed:
Kitchener’s Army
Regular Army
Household cavalry
Cavalry of the line
Royal Field Artillery (RFA), Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) and Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA).
Royal Engineers (RE)
Infantry
Royal Flying Corps (RFC)
Territorial Army
.
The Derby Scheme was a scheme proposed by Lord Derby as an attempt to increase recruitment and avoid the need for conscription by allowing men to voluntarily attest for service at a later date. Men attested under the scheme would be paid 1 days wages, placed in the Class B army reserve and released to civilian life until needed by the military.
The scheme was originally intended to run only from 16 October 1915 to 30 November 1915 , this was later extended to midnight of 11/12 December 1915.
The number of men trying to enlist was such that those who had made themselves known at the recruiting office before the end of 11 December 1915 were allowed to return to complete the process up to the end of 15 December 1915. Many recruitment offices were so overwhelmed that medical examinations were dispensed with, this was done on the basis that men would be examined once they called up for service in any case.
To identify those men who had attested to served at a later date a khaki armband was authorised.
A man who had attested under the Derby Scheme was free to voluntarily enlist at a later date if he wished to so (assuming he hadn’t already been called up).
It should also be noted that between 10 December 1915 and 13 December 1915 1,070,478 men were attested under the Derby Scheme, this was nearly 48% of the total number of men who had attested up to 15 December 1915.
On 20 December 1915 Lord Derby made a report to parliament based on the figures which had been reported to him under the Derby Scheme. A breakdown of these figures is given below:
Single Men
23 October 1915 to 15 December 1915
Total Single Men
2,179,231
of which starred
690,138
Number who enlisted
103,000
Number who attested
840,000
Number rejected
207,000
Total men who attested, enlisted or tried to enlist
1,150,000
Total men who had not attested,enlisted or tried to enlist
1,029,231
Married men
23 October 1915 to 15 December 1915
Total Married Men
2,832,210
of which starred
915,491
Number who enlisted
112,431
Number who attested
1,344,979
Number rejected
221,853
Total men who attested, enlisted or tried to enlist
1,679,263
Total men who had not attested, enlisted or tried to enlist
1,152,947
Total figures
23 October 1915 to 15 December 1915
Total men available for enlistment
5,011,441
Total men who attested, enlisted or tried to enlist
2,829,263
Total men who had not attested, enlisted or tried to enlist
2,182,178
What was noted in the original report is that out of the 2,829,263 of men who had attested for future service it was estimated that a large number of these men would either be in starred occupations, deemed essential in their employment or found to be unfit at the time they were called up and as such only some 831,000 could actually be brought in to the military, only some 30% of those who had enlisted.
The figures took in to account only the period of 23 October 1915 to 15 December 1915 and the report makes a separate estimate of the number of men attested and enlisted from 16 October 1915 to 22 October 1915 and 16 December 1915 to 19 December 1915 as 59,600 direct enlistments and 61,651 attestations for future service. Attestation under the scheme had stopped on 15 December 1915 therefore any figures reported between 16 to 19 December 1915 were down to late return of numbers by recruiting offices.
Adding the late returns in to the figures gives an amended result of:
Total men available for enlistment
5,011,441
Total men who attested, enlisted or tried to enlist
2,950,514
Total men who had not attested, enlisted or tried to enlist
2,060,927
It can be seen that out of the 5,011,441 men who were available for service only around 59% did attempt to register for military service. It should be also be taken in mind that only 275,000 or 5% of the available men enlisted for immediate service and nearly 9% of the available men were rejected for military service.
On 20 December 1915, only 5 days after the end of the scheme, the first call up notice was announced for groups 2,3,4 and 5 (single men aged 19 to 22) , this was to have effect from 20 January 1916. Groups 6,7,8 and 9 (single men aged 23,24,25 and 26) were given notice on 8 January 1916 for call up on 8 February 1916.
Whilst the call up of the first groups were being announced discussions were taking place in parliament regarding the possibility of introducing conscription, this led to the resignation of the Home Secretary on 31 December 1915. Conscription would involve forcibly attesting all eligible men who were not already either serving or attested under the Derby Scheme.
On 5 January 1916 it was announced that with effect from 10 January 1916 the Derby Scheme was to be re-opened however this wasn’t to last and on 1 March 1916 the Military Service Act 1916 automatically conscripted every eligible man, not already either serving or a member of the Class B army reserve, in to the Class B reserve.
The blue forms were created from the pink forms index and used as a means of canvassing each man who was not already enlisted in to the military and encouraging them to either enlist directly or attest under the Derby Scheme.
Where a person stated on their granite blue or white form a green form was completed to form a further card index of secondary occupations in addition to the main index.
A pink form was completed for each returned granite blue form if that man was aged between 18 and 41 years of age. These forms were initially retained by the local authority in order that a card index of men available for military service could be created and were later passed to the local recruiting officers in mid September 1915 so that canvassing could be begun.
These forms were later used to compile a blue form index for canvassing of possible recruits.
Pink Form, Image from Daily Mail of 18 August 1915
Women aged between 15 and 65 completed a white coloured form for registration under the National Registration Act 1915.
The actual content of the form was identical for men and women with the exception of the footnote. In the case of men it said “It is of great importance that the occupation should be stated with the utmost care in all cased, but especially by persons having technical knowledge or skill, such as workers in engineering, ship-building, and other metal trades, and by persons engaged in agriculture. For example, state whether (1) engine-fitter, boilermaker, ship plate riveter, angle iron smith and so on; (2) shepherd, horseman, cowman, farm labourer and so on.” and for women it said “Persons engaged in household duties, other than domestic servants may enter ”household duties” in Column 6. Persons engaged in other occupations as accurately as possible –e.g., sick nurse, nurse (domestic), school teacher, worsted, spinner, sewing machinist (tailoring), and so on”.
The form had a series of other questions for which The Tamworth Herald gave the following advice:
In response to the question asking “How many other persons are dependent on you excluding employees ?” a man should not list his wife.
In response to the question asking “Are you skilled in any work other than that upon which you are at present employed?” then any skills should be entered, particularly for retired men or those who have changed occupation.
The Derby Scheme 