Old British Army recruiting query

[cbuehler]

I have long been curious as to the how the old regiments just before WW1 and perhaps during the inter-war period actually recruited and filled their ranks.
Regiments had their local depots and I presume attempted to recruit men from their districts, but did they?
In example, the Royal Welch Fusiliers were hardly Welch according to Graves and Richards. They were mostly from the midlands.
And of course, Irishmen were to be found in every regiment and corps in the army, while many of their own regiments had many Englishmen, not to mention a kilted highlander speaking in a Cockney accent.
Were their any regiments that tended to have a primary contingent of men from their own county or district?
I can understand how this would happen during war time, but during peace time, how would a man enlist in a regiment with a depot that was very far from his home?

CB

[Alan O]

CB

The Irish were in a lot of English regiments because they needed jobs and the army needed recruits - the Y&L were so full at one time they were nicknamed the Cork & Doncaster

If a regiment was based in Ireland then they would attract local men as recruits. Likewise the Royal Irish were in the Channel Islands in 1914 and recruited many locals.

[grey_green_acorn]

My grandfather was born and bred in the Euston/St Pancras area of London yet he joined the South Wales Borderers at their Brecon Depot in South Wales in 1906 and served until 1919/1920.

See https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/fo...p?albumid=2721

Tim

[cbuehler]

It would seem that there was little local homogeneity with regard to how the county regiments filled their ranks. Perhaps some of the Scottish regiments were more local, but I don't know. Perhaps less likely for a Londoner to travel to Inverness to enlist?

CB