Reserved Occupations WW11

[Gill D]

Does anyone know if there is an on line listing of reserved occupations in WW11. My father was a plumber and have been told he was classed as having a reserved occupation. That being said he was born in 1900 so was at the top end of the age band.

Thank you

[PeteW1959]

http://www.historyonthenet.com/WW2/conscription.htm

Plumbers are not mentioned specifically, although utilty workers (water, gas) are.

My uncle was a plumber and he was conscripted, but spent most of his war in an Italian PoW camp.

[HeleninGlos]

The Government produced a Schedule of Reserved Occupations in 1938. I believe that it was updated throughout the war. I do not know of any online copies (although in truth I have not searched exhaustively) but copies are held at the Imperial War Museum. (Local libraries or history centres may have a copy too).

Both my Grandfathers were considered as being in reserved occupations one as an engineering draftsman and the other as a grocer. Both were also required to undertake war work, one as a fire warden watching out for fires from a factory roof and the other as a night watchman at a local manor house/minor stately home which had been earmarked for the evacuation of Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. Of course this did not take place, they remained with their parents but Buckingham Palace did send up beds and tinned food for them.

[Olde Crone Holden]

Helen

That's really interesting, thankyou. My father was an engineering draughtsman at the outbreak of WW2 but he went anyway - whether he was conscripted or volunteered, I do not know. He was young and unmarried, perhaps that made a difference?

OC

[SmallTownGirl]

Oh, glad of this thread.

Was talking to someone the other day about WWII who's father was an accountant in private practice and 27yo at the outbreak. She said he didn't serve because he was in a reserved occupation, but he was a volunteer fireman. What? She also said that a friend's father, who was the borough surveyor, wasn't called up either. The borough surveyor I can understand, the accountant, I can't. Is it more likely that he wasn't deemed fit (flat feet or equivalent), perhaps?

STG

[Olde Crone Holden]

STG

I thibnk people could plead a special case, such as that a family business would collapse without the said person. I've no idea how often/successful this was. Or whether influence was brought to bear..........

OC

[Janet in Yorkshire]

Flat feet didn't stop you being conscripted, just prevented you from involvement in combat. My uncle with flat feet was assigned to serve as a motor-cycle despatch rider; friend's grandfather was assigned to catering, where he learned how to bake bread. Both were conscripts but were found to be physically under par and were channelled to serve in the army in other roles.

Jay

[JudithM]

Oh, glad of this thread.

Was talking to someone the other day about WWII who's father was an accountant in private practice and 27yo at the outbreak. She said he didn't serve because he was in a reserved occupation, but he was a volunteer fireman. What? She also said that a friend's father, who was the borough surveyor, wasn't called up either. The borough surveyor I can understand, the accountant, I can't. Is it more likely that he wasn't deemed fit (flat feet or equivalent), perhaps?

STG

Perhaps his role as volunteer (retained) fireman was what was deemed the reserved occupation. See this account of someone who was in a similar situation - though it seems that his part time role became full time. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peop...a2843804.shtml

[SmallTownGirl]

Perhaps his role as volunteer (retained) fireman was what was deemed the reserved occupation. See this account of someone who was in a similar situation - though it seems that his part time role became full time. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peop...a2843804.shtml

Oh, that makes a bit more sense. Thanks Judith.

STG

[vera2013]

My father was a shipyard riveter and did not go to War. He was however a Firewatcher although my mother always said that the only fires he ever looked for were enroute to and from the pub. I hope that was not entirely true.

Vera

[Christine in Herts]

Oh, glad of this thread.

Was talking to someone the other day about WWII who's father was an accountant in private practice and 27yo at the outbreak. She said he didn't serve because he was in a reserved occupation, but he was a volunteer fireman. What? She also said that a friend's father, who was the borough surveyor, wasn't called up either. The borough surveyor I can understand, the accountant, I can't. Is it more likely that he wasn't deemed fit (flat feet or equivalent), perhaps?

STG

STG

I thibnk people could plead a special case, such as that a family business would collapse without the said person. I've no idea how often/successful this was. Or whether influence was brought to bear..........

OC

"An accountant in private practice" could well have been a sole practitioner. In those circumstances he would be the business: no him = no business and his family destitute in no time. (The Welfare State wasn't around then to pick up the pieces!)

My father was a celrgyman - another reserved occupation - but acted as a fire warden while he was a curate. Living in a parish on the edge of Coventry, being a fire warden was no light task!

Christine

[Sylvia C]

My father was in reserved occupation in WWII

I've often wondered what he did ............... never having asked him before he died

At the outbreak of the war in September 1939, he was 35 years old, married with one child, and a second (me) on the way.

I know he worked in a secure occupation in London for some months, and then was either transferred or managed to get another secure occupation in our home town, Oldham in Lancashire.

I know he was trained in a foundry .............. by 1951, he was Foreman of the Brass Foundry in a large manufacturer of commercial kitchen equipment .......... and have presumed that foundry work was his trade during the war.

I know he managed to get my mother's brother a job at the same place in Oldham, which saved hm from being called up. And I know that he got his own brother a job as janitor in that same place, which also saved him.

Mind you, Uncle Harry (Dad's brother) was born n 1894, served in WW1, and was both wounded and gassed. The only job he could ever do was janitor or caretaker in the cotton mills .......... which was terrible for some one with gassed lungs. One of his daughters told me in the 1970s that the war years were the only relatively healthy years that she remembers her Dad ever having .............. for which she forever blessed MY Dad!

From that, I infer that the secure occupation workplace was a "clean" place


In spite of all these little pieces of information, I never ever asked Dad what he actually "made".


I've long presumed it might have been airplane parts or even bombs ................ but don't know whether there was such a factory in Oldham.


Interestingly, he never ever mentioned being a fire warden or doing anythigng similar ..... nor did my mother and brother mention anything. Which leads me to believe that he did not.

[modem]

My father who was studying for an electrical engineering degree/doing practical engineering in a local factory was classed as being in a reserved occupation. He did firewatching in Rugby, Warwickshire and talked about how the fires caused by the bombing of Coventry (14 miles away) lit up the sky.

[HeleninGlos]

My Grandad saw the glow of the Coventry bombings from his rooftop position in Worcester, probably 40 miles away as the crow flies.

[Olde Crone Holden]

Sylvia

I think that almost all factories went over to making parts for military use wherever possible, or essential goods for civilians as part of the war effort. Location was relatively unimportant, but anyway, Oldham was near to canals and docks, so well placed.

OC

[TrevorFranklin]

"but he was a volunteer fireman"
As he was in this role, it would have given him that status
My Grandfather was a Reserve fireman in the Docklands during the blitz etc

Oh, glad of this thread.

Was talking to someone the other day about WWII who's father was an accountant in private practice and 27yo at the outbreak. She said he didn't serve because he was in a reserved occupation, but he was a volunteer fireman. What? She also said that a friend's father, who was the borough surveyor, wasn't called up either. The borough surveyor I can understand, the accountant, I can't. Is it more likely that he wasn't deemed fit (flat feet or equivalent), perhaps?

STG

[Janet]

If it hadn't been for the firemen/firewatchers during W War 2 many of us woud not be here today! They were the backbone that kept the civilian people alive, well beyond the bounds of their duties and we could not have won the war without them, as they were as important as our servicemen.

Janet

[Anne in Carlisle]

My Dad did serve in Italy but it was right near the end of WW2. He was a railway mechanical engineer but when he was called up he was put into telegraphy training. He wasn't much good at it! THEN they realised he was a railway engineer and after some MORE training he was sent to Italy with the Army to reorganise the shattered locomotive stock. He had a "lucky" war having wasted so much time training.
Anne

[Gill D]

Thank you all for your information and stories. I think my Dad may have done some fire watching duties but not sure where and probably that sort of info is not documented

[TrevorFranklin]

1941 in Plaistow Road at the junction of Geer Road, West ham, London
A fire crew (retained firemen) from Bexley heath in kent were killed when a bomb was dropped on their appliance
In a sad way, rather ironic, as they were supporting my grand father's west ham crew, who were already on the Silver Town call and that the fire appliance hit was only 6 doors away from my grand father's home, there is now a block of flats on the site of where the houses were.

Kent fire service have a roll-of- honour for all fire fighters who died on duty from 1899, the Plaistow Road incident is on page 13

http://www.kent.fire-uk.org/pdf/kfrs_history_roll-honour.pdf

But there are plenty of others killed during the war listed.

If it hadn't been for the firemen/firewatchers during W War 2 many of us woud not be here today! They were the backbone that kept the civilian people alive, well beyond the bounds of their duties and we could not have won the war without them, as they were as important as our servicemen.

Janet