In the not so distant past, and certainly in the Nelson tradition, the Royal Navy would often resort to impressing, or press ganging men in to the service.
This often involved violence or trickery, as men were usually very reluctant to join up and just disappear for years at a time.
It has to be remembered, that not only was it a dangerous occupation, but that sailing to the Pacific for example was the equivalent of a trip to Mars. So being knocked out, and then waking up on a ship sailing on a mission that would entail several years at sea (with wife and children left to starve), was not an uncommon tail of woe. The targets were mainly "eligible men of seafaring habits between the ages of 18 and 55 years" .... of any nationality. So Europeans, and even the odd American sailor, found themselves fighting for Britain. Impressment ended shortly after 1815, with the end of the Napoleonic wars ...
Nowadays, the armed services rely on young mens propensity for excitement, organised violence and the fact that every 'defence review' has reduced needs, of what is now just a defence force really, and so recruitment is not that much of an issue in the UK ..... but the same can't be said about recruitment elsewhere.
Take Tajikstan for instance .... its annual autumn army conscription campaign has just ended, and it has been blighted by reports that once again, recruiting officers have been seen bundling men into vans at markets and street corners.
This years abuses apparently include reports that a 62 year old man, out for an evening stroll, had 'volunteered' for army service.
This is all a bit disappointing for the Tajikstan Defence Ministry, who had been stressing that this year, it would appeal solely to patriotism to fulfil the armed forces needs. Either patriotism was lower than usual this year, or the softly softly message hadn't reached the recruiters .....
Of course recruitment isn't helped by the fact that the Tajik army has a reputation as being the worst for the violence against and bullying of recruits in the region.
Reports say that included in the press ganged this year, was one Firuz Tabakov, a Russian-language teacher from Rasht District, who was apparently picked up from his school, and taken straight to an army unit near the capital Dushanbe. This even though as a village teacher, he was exempt from the draft. Just like the naval press gangs of old, his impressment has left his wife, child, parents and grandfather without their sole bread-winner, and facing poverty.
I guess old habits are just hard to break ....
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| A Royal Navy Press Gang 1780 |
This often involved violence or trickery, as men were usually very reluctant to join up and just disappear for years at a time.
It has to be remembered, that not only was it a dangerous occupation, but that sailing to the Pacific for example was the equivalent of a trip to Mars. So being knocked out, and then waking up on a ship sailing on a mission that would entail several years at sea (with wife and children left to starve), was not an uncommon tail of woe. The targets were mainly "eligible men of seafaring habits between the ages of 18 and 55 years" .... of any nationality. So Europeans, and even the odd American sailor, found themselves fighting for Britain. Impressment ended shortly after 1815, with the end of the Napoleonic wars ...
Nowadays, the armed services rely on young mens propensity for excitement, organised violence and the fact that every 'defence review' has reduced needs, of what is now just a defence force really, and so recruitment is not that much of an issue in the UK ..... but the same can't be said about recruitment elsewhere.
Take Tajikstan for instance .... its annual autumn army conscription campaign has just ended, and it has been blighted by reports that once again, recruiting officers have been seen bundling men into vans at markets and street corners.
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| The Unlucky Or the 'Patriotic' Ones? |
This years abuses apparently include reports that a 62 year old man, out for an evening stroll, had 'volunteered' for army service.
This is all a bit disappointing for the Tajikstan Defence Ministry, who had been stressing that this year, it would appeal solely to patriotism to fulfil the armed forces needs. Either patriotism was lower than usual this year, or the softly softly message hadn't reached the recruiters .....
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| Facing A Tough Time Of It .... |
Of course recruitment isn't helped by the fact that the Tajik army has a reputation as being the worst for the violence against and bullying of recruits in the region.
Reports say that included in the press ganged this year, was one Firuz Tabakov, a Russian-language teacher from Rasht District, who was apparently picked up from his school, and taken straight to an army unit near the capital Dushanbe. This even though as a village teacher, he was exempt from the draft. Just like the naval press gangs of old, his impressment has left his wife, child, parents and grandfather without their sole bread-winner, and facing poverty.
I guess old habits are just hard to break ....
You can't imagine the Tajikistan army being able to take on the Afghanistan Taliban if they tried to invade. However the terrible treatment of the Tajiks in Afghanistan means that they have little chance of popular support in Tajikistan.
ReplyDeleteYour probably true. Thanks for the comment.
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