Child Soldiers of WW1 28th March 2014 This presentation is about Child Soldiers in WW1. It is known that significant numbers of children, some as young as 12 years old, enlisted during WW1 and that many lost their lives. This presentation tells the stories of a few of them.

Youngest Soldier of WW1 Momcilo Gavric, is said to have been the youngest. He joined the Austro-Hungarian troops om 1914 after the death of almost his entire family. He was said to have been 8 years old.

Boys as young as 12 enlisted early in the conflict due to the ‘overwhelming tide of patriotism’. Sometimes their ages were discovered and they were sent home, but many were not and often did basic duties at the front, in the trenches, as shown here, and many also died.

Served with the Royal Irish Regiment John Condon, Ireland: Served with the Royal Irish Regiment Died on 24th May 1915 in a German gas attack near Ypres It was popular belief that the youngest to serve in the British forces was John Cordon, who was born in Waterford, Ireland. He joined the Royal Irish Regiment in 1915 and died as a result of a German gas attack at the 1st Battle of Ypres, when he was said to have been 14. However, it has been difficult to verify this and other sources say John was 18 years old at the time of his death.

Died of wounds received in the Battle of Jutland, 2nd June 1916 John Cornwell, VC Born 8th January 1900 Died of wounds received in the Battle of Jutland, 2nd June 1916 Ship’s Boy was a position in the Royal Navy open to children aged 16. One of the best known Ship’s Boys to die in conflict in WW1 was John Cornwell who was posthumously awarded the VC for his role in the Battle of Jutland in 1916. Cornwell was seriously wounded but stayed at his post. He died in hospital a few days after the battle. The photograph was actually of his younger brother as there had been no photograph of John before the battle. The book ‘Standing Alone’ by Jim Eldridge (2011) gives an account of John’s life. At one time the Scouts had an award for bravery named after him.

Alec Campbell, Australian Enlisted aged 16 Landed with the Australian Forces at Gallipoli in 1915 Invalided home six weeks later Died in Hobart Australia on 16th May 2002, aged 103 Alec Campbell was an Australian who enlisted at the age of 16 and later recalled his experience of Gallipoli, where his fellow soldiers called him ‘The Kid’. He was invalided out of the army after 6 weeks of combat and lives to be 103.

German students as soldiers About 15% of German volunteers at the beginning of the war were students and many were victims of the 1st Battle of Ypres. The German cemetery near Ypres called Langemarck is called ‘The student’s cemetery’ due to the high proportion of student casualties buried there.

Albert French, aged 16 Albert French who enlisted at the age of 16 having lied about his age, was killed one week before his 17th birthday in 1916. He was born on 22nd June 1899 near Wolverton, Oxfordshire and died on 15th June 1915. After a campaign by his family in 1980, his age was added to is gravestone by the CWGC.

Valentine Strudwick, aged 15 Valentine Strudwick was one of the youngest British casualties when he died aged 15, and he is remembered in the Essex Farm Cemetery (shown here). Son of Louisa Strudwick, his citation reads ‘One of the youngest casualties of the war’.

A P Antrobus (OS), aged 18 On the Silcoates Roll of Honour AP Antrobus is one of our youngest casualties, being just a few weeks after his 18th birthday when he died in June 1916. He was the son of Alfred and Sarah Antrobus of Scunthorpe, and his father was a minister of the Congregational church.

My boy Jack "If any question why we died posted by illovich at 6:56 PM on August 30, 2006 My boy Jack "If any question why we died Tell them, because our fathers lied," Kipling, after his son Jack died at the Battle of Loos, 6 weeks after his 18th birthday. ‘My boy Jack’ is the name of a film about the son of the writer Kipling, who died in the Battle of Loose just after his 18th birthday. After being assessed as unfit for service, his father, at that time very pro-war, arranged for him to be admitted to the Irish Guards as an officer. His death in action on 27th September 1915 devastated his whole family and lead to the famous lines mentioned. Kipling would not have been the only father to have lied about his son’s age in WW1.

After WW1 attitudes towards children serving in the British military did change and that change has also gradually expanded across the world. Even so there are known to still be child soldiers in many conflicts today inspite of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. See www.child-soldiers.org and www.warchild.org.uk for more information.