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Jack

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Still quite a lot of non combat losses even then.

 

Oh yes between the Crimea & WW2 there were more deaths due to disease than any enemy action.

 

Apart from that as a general trend diseases of their various kinds are higher amongst less experienced troops.

 

During peace time STDs go up but malaria & dysentery goes down.

 

In conflicts the ratio is reversed.

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Tim you've rumbled me, any knowledge is simply knowing were to look it up :D

 

Some of these documents give a great insight to the health of the population & attitudes of the time. In the recruiting period 1903-1912 some 580,799 recruits were examined & some were rejected on these diverse grounds:

 

Flat feet - 6,050

Over height - 191

Under height - 5,945

Under chest measurement - 27,333

Diseases of heart - 17,477

Defective vision - 15,672

Defective intelligence - 752

Haemorrhoids - 441

Syphilis - 1,167

Impediment of speech - 812

Decayed teeth - 31,721

Not likely to be an efficient soldier - 1,449

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just started on this, even prefaced with a picture of none other than Lord Cardwell, responsible for many reforms.

 

DSC03602.jpg

 

This was published in Jan 1914 so is a nice adjunct to Hampden Gordon's 1935 The War Office.

 

I have been looking for Capt Wheeler's book since seeing it quoted in Dr Sweetman's 1984 War & Administration - The Significance of the Crimean War for the British Army.

 

Only paid £10 for this on ebay, no other bidders. Being Jan 1914 I suspect if it was published a year or two later there would have been some competition, strange. I suppose not being about a specific war or campaign it does not command much interest.

 

I notice this attitude in many antiquarian book shops when I enquire about the location of the military section. I am usually asked "What particular campaign are you interested in?" When I reply "None in particular" I can see the expression indicating that there is pleb in their shop. When pressed further I say "Sanitation, administration just basically anything to do with the British Army other than guns or uniforms" that really confirms that they don't think they have a serious collector in their shop.

 

So being allowed to look in the locked glass cupboard can be difficult. :-D

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  • 1 month later...

Wow adrenaline still flowing from an auction.:nut:

 

Just bought a copy of Queen's Regulations, with postage about 70 quid. Never paid that much before for a book. I do have a copy of QR already but it is relatively recent, so hope the one coming has some significantly different content.

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Wow adrenaline still flowing from an auction.:nut:

 

Just bought a copy of Queen's Regulations, with postage about 70 quid. Never paid that much before for a book. I do have a copy of QR already but it is relatively recent, so hope the one coming has some significantly different content.

 

So, is this one from Queen Victoria's reign?

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So, is this one from Queen Victoria's reign?

 

As always you are on the ball Richard, not a moderator for nothing :D

 

Some years ago I paid £5 for a 1959 copy, but this one 1859 & is indeed VR.

 

It will be interesting to see how the Regulations & indeed penalties have changed.

 

Although I suspect there have all manner changes from 1959 to now even.

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As always you are on the ball Richard, not a moderator for nothing :D

 

Some years ago I paid £5 for a 1959 copy, but this one 1859 & is indeed VR.

 

It will be interesting to see how the Regulations & indeed penalties have changed.

 

Although I suspect there have all manner changes from 1959 to now even.

 

 

We will await some of your more interesting snippets from this book when you get into it. :)

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Yes because it pre-dates things like the Contagious Diseases Act & the deduction of pay whilst being treated for VD (which wasn't a great public health message). These Regulations were in the period (1851-1879) when deserters were branded. So it will be interesting to see what it says about that.

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