Reserved Occupation

[SeaJayPea]

Hi all, during WWII, my father was in what was called a reserved occupation, i.e. he wasn't conscripted into the forces because he worked in the electricity supply industry. Does anybody have any idea if there are any records of the people who fell into this category and, if so, if they're available for people to see.

Thanks a lot.

[sandyRoe]

There'd be a lot of them, police, miners, merchant navy, and occupations like your fathers.
I don't know if there are records of workers in those categories.

[boxtops]

I don't know, it would be interesting - my dad was in a reserved occupation too.

[DJHawkes]

my dad was a farmer's son and so a reserved occupation but I have never ever come across any public records that list them, but of course the process of registering in age groups meant that there is a merging of volunteers and conscripted men/women that would i think be difficult to put into any list.

[bert_h]

I doubt if there ever were lists of these. My Dad worked in the Clyde shipyards, and wasn't conscripted, but he never mentioned that any paperwork had been associated with that.

[FredPuli43]

Mine did too. He was only 36 when the war started, but was in a reserved occupation because he was a skilled engineer who was in charge of a factory which the government turned over to secretly making bomb parts in Cambridge. I never once heard him mention records of any more than the contract to do that and none came to light in any papers after he died

[SeaJayPea]

That's really interesting, thanks to you all. As I understand it, everybody within the age limits was marked for conscription and will have had to inform the authorities that they weren't liable to go into the services.

I'll do a bit more research and let you all know if there are any official lists.

Regards

[DJHawkes]

I have done a little more research into this subject and as far as I can work out, under the Military Service Act 1916, a certificate of exemption had to be applied for when claiming a reserved occupation,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Service_Act_%28United_Kingdom%29

and it looks as though the local authorities at the time were responsible for granting exemption which means records of the tribunals must be held in the county archive i guess.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Service_Tribunals

[DJHawkes]

the act and the tribunals were introduced for WW1 but i assume the same organisation was used for WW11

[SeaJayPea]

That's brilliant. Thanks a lot, Dot.