Uncle Josh, how old do I have to be?

[pud]

Source: Red Coat and Brown Bess. Museum Restoration Service, Bloomfield, Ontario. 1970. Anthony Darling. p. 8.

"During peacetime, the age limit for recruits was thirty, extended to forty-five and higher when the country went to war. Seventeen was usually the minimum age, although the recruiting sergeant rarely questioned a promising youth."

[Glengarry Fencible]

although the recruiting sergeant rarely questioned a promising youth."

This one caught my eye, because of the height. ( I was looking for men over 6', but only found one or two in all of the GLI records. It turns out there was a reason he was so short!

Name: Benjamin Saunders

Height: 4'11"

Age: 11

Complexion: Fair

Hair: Dark

Eyes: Brown

Born: Montreal

Parish: Sutton

Trade or Occupation: Labourer

Attestation: Montreal, 15 April 1814

Duration of service: 3 years

[pud]

A fine example Bill, thanks for finding it. Yes, the regs that I posted were for British in Britain at the beginning of the Napoleonic era. They generally held true for Canada, but, of course, recrutiing that went on here was rarely for "regulars".

11 years of age,.holy geez! Was he put into line service or was he a fifer, drummer or buglar,.do you know?

Pud

[Glengarry Fencible]

Unfortunately that's all I have on him. Most of the records I could find were incomplete. I'd love to get my hands on the attestation papers.

[MikeD]

term of service was 3 years, did they say what happened? I mean 14 is a little early to retire isn't it? haha. 4'11 would have been a pretty big for an 11 year old back then, I mean wasn't the average height like 5'5 or something like that?

It also makes you wonder what the circumstances were surrounding his enlistment. I don't think he did it for the free food. lol. I guess we take it for granted how good we have it now.

Mike.

[Glengarry Fencible]

Lots of the records indicated whether the soldier reenlisted, or left the army with a status of "Service expired", "Died", "Deserted" etc... This one unfortunately was incomplete. Given his young age at enlistment, it's possible that he may have been one of the last living veterans of the war.

[pud]

"4'11 would have been a pretty big for an 11 year old back then, ."

My daughter was 5'3" at 11,.of course she hasn't grown since.poor kid.lol

[pud]

"it's possible that he may have been one of the last living veterans of the war."

Could be.I wonder what his pension was like? 50 acres crown land? And he with no wife and kids to help clear the land