In WWI, which countries used prisoners as soldiers?
score:16
Although there are a number of examples of prisoners being conscripted or allowed to volunteer for military service in other wars (see some examples here: Penal military unit), instances of this happening in World War I seem to be practically non-existent. The Military Services Act of 1916 does not appear to make any direct mention of prisoners. However, there a couple of 'near' cases worth mentioning.
- Eastern State Penitentiary. After much pressure from inmates, and services rendered in support serving soldiers such as rolling bandages and raising funds,
the inmates’ pleas to serve seem to have finally fallen on receptive ears. Warden Robert McKenty stated that men were indeed paroled so that they could serve in the military. When they returned from the war, the Evening Bulletin wrote, “they brought wound stripes, service bars, honorable discharges, a boxful of decorations, sergeants’ and corporals’ chevrons (insignias).” Their service was framed as “winning back their citizenship” and “making good” after their trouble with the law.
The French Foreign Legion. This probably doesn't qualify, but it's worth a mention as the legion did enlist criminals so it's more than likely that some served during the war. There were also cases in France (for example, in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence - pdf) where civilian prisoners were used in non-military roles.
There is an unsourced reference here to
a regular soldier sentenced to 12 months in prison in April 1914. Released from Winchester on 6/8/14 "on mobilization. Unexpired portion of imprisonment remitted."
Assuming the above to be reliable, it is quite possible that there were other such cases, though the above case may be exceptional as the man was already a 'regular soldier' when he was sentenced. There are a couple of other similar, possible examples here.
The fall in the England and Wales prison population during World War I was most likely for the same reason as the fall noted in London. Labour shortages saw workhouses and hostels practically empty as the demand for labour rose. The
...number of men received in the London prisons fell by nearly 63 % between 1913 (33,776) and 1918 (12,631). The Commissioners of Prisons, while making a predictable genuflexion to liquor control, concluded that “the prisons of the country may be largely emptied of the petty offender when the conditions of labour are such as to secure full and continuous employment for all…”
Consider also that both prisons and the military were full of young males, and that millions of these men were now in the military and were thus not around to offend on the home front.
As to why governments didn't use prisoners, I can only deduce that there would be the burden of having to prevent possible escapes from the army once prisoners were enlisted. Given that desertion was a significant problem by the time conscription was introduced in Britain, it is hard to see how this added burden would have been welcomed by the military.
Note: I have only searched in English and French. Someone else may have more luck searching in German, Italian or Russian.
More post
- 📝 Which of Hitler's peers had no more education than him?
- 📝 Why did the death rate increase in US cities in 1934, when it decreased in each year from 1929 to 1933
- 📝 From which Russian-American Company ship did Osip Volkov defect to Mexico?
- 📝 What was the pound (unit of weight) initially equal to?
- 📝 Did Roman unmarried men have a preferred hand and finger for wearing their seal ring?
- 📝 Did civilian cold war bunkers plan for inclusion of family pets?
- 📝 How can Germany be blamed for World War 1?
- 📝 Iranian casualties during the first world war (1917-1919)?
- 📝 What regions worldwide have not been conquered or colonized by nations recursively located in land once ruled by someone born in Belgium?
- 📝 How did Christianity replace Roman Paganism and other ancient religions?
- 📝 Was the "Mot Pulk" formation simply a propaganda ploy?
- 📝 What happened to Hitler's personal possessions and real estate?
- 📝 Were the animals used for gladiatorial combat in Rome trained?
- 📝 What sort of architecture existed in Catholic Eastern Europe around the late 1100's and very early 1200's?
- 📝 What is the earliest reference to King Arthur being raised by Sir Ector?
- 📝 How much did a sword cost in AD 1000 Constantinople?
- 📝 Who was the Ottoman who started as a slave boy and eventually became Grand Vizier by the time he was 80?
- 📝 Was Fascism tied to any Specific Ideology Before Nazism and Italy's Fascist Party?
- 📝 On the history of Jewish places of worship
- 📝 How did British aircraft fare against Japanese aircraft during the Second World War?
- 📝 Why didn't "Europe" support the Byzantine Empire against the Turks?
- 📝 Did Wright or Pickett set the high-water mark for the CSA Advance on Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg?
- 📝 Why was the Gilgamesh flood tablet such a sensation?
- 📝 What kept 19th century Europe's workers going?
- 📝 How popular was the name Imhotep?
- 📝 Where and how did scientists of the 18th and 19th century learn foreign languages?
- 📝 Were the Chinese Warlords backed by other countries?
- 📝 Settling legal disputes in high medieval Europe?
- 📝 Was breaching the Yellow River dykes Chiang Kai-Shek's Mers-el-Kebir?
- 📝 Did military operation names ever have any meaning?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 In WWI, which countries used prisoners as soldiers?
- 📝 Which countries (or comparable geographical units) have a lower population now than they used to at some point in history before 1950?
- 📝 Which countries have used rail bikes in their armed forces?
- 📝 Which culture used no personal names?
- 📝 Which nations have armed prisoners and sent them to war?
- 📝 Which 11 countries were democratic in 1941?
- 📝 Which European countries did not have a revolution in the aftermath of the French Revolution and why?
- 📝 Were there any Roman villas in Britain which were used rather than destroyed after the Romans left?
- 📝 What weapons were manufactured in India by the British forces which were used during world wars?
- 📝 Which countries protested against the Anschluss?
- 📝 Which Muslim factions during the Crusade used the crescent in their flags or banners?
- 📝 Which Roman general was killed by his own soldiers for not letting them to loot a newly conquered city?
- 📝 Which town or village in Britain lost the greatest percentage of men in WWI due to "Pals Battalions"?
- 📝 When did people first try to limit which weapons could be used in war?
- 📝 Which countries banned Ferdinand the bull?
- 📝 Which tax year was used to identify former Confederates belonging to the $20,000 exception of the 1865 Amnesty Proclamation?
- 📝 Which army uniform is this (2nd Boer British or WWI US)?
- 📝 Of which countries was Ludwig von Mises a citizen?
- 📝 Were 12 prisoners used to demonstrate the first steam locomotive?
- 📝 Which Field Marshal famously used to fire Staff Officers if they could not write orders within two pages?
- 📝 Did British soldiers in WWI on the Western Front get paid in foreign currency?
- 📝 How common is nostalgia for the colonial perod in countries which gained independence in the 20th century?
- 📝 How did soldiers in WWI who wore jackboots keep the boots from being sucked off in the mud?
- 📝 Why were countries which were clearly aligned to one of the two power blocs during cold war a part of the non-aligned movement?
- 📝 Which EU countries insisted on unanimous voting for trade deals?
- 📝 Which George V stamp would be used for a letter sent from London to Sweden in 1919/1920?
- 📝 What happened to dead WWI soldiers whose faith believed in cremation?
- 📝 How were Mercy Dogs of WWI and WWII trained to know which soldier is from their side and which one isn't?
- 📝 When was the term "Dravida" first used and what is the context with which it was presented?
- 📝 Protected Merchant Ships in WWII used for the relocation of Prisoners of War