10th (Prince of Wales's Own Royal) Hussars

This post will look at numbering in the 10th (Prince of Wales's Own Royal) Hussars between 1881 and 1905. The cavalry regiments were unaffected by Cardwell's Army reforms; however, in keeping with the parameters of this blog, my starting point is 1881.

The database and information on this blog have been compiled as a result of studying service records in WO 97 (British Army pensions to 1913), WO 363 (WW1 service records) and WO 364 (WW1 pension records). All of these series are now online. Click on the links for further information.

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5466 joined on 31st August 1904

5502 joined on 6th September 1905

In December 1906, Army Order 289 changed the numbering for cavalry of the line. Prior to this, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were separated; each of the three line cavalry corps – dragoons, hussars, and lancers – beginning a new number series which started at 1 and was to extend to 49,999.

What this meant for the 10th Hussars was that from late December 1906 they began a new number sequence which they shared with the all of the Hussars regiments:

3rd (King's Own) Hussars
4th (Queen's Own) Hussars
7th (Queen's Own) Hussars
8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars
10th (Prince of Wales's Own Royal) Hussars
11th (Prince Albert's Own) Hussars
13th Hussars
14th (King's) Hussars
15th (King's) Hussars
18th (Queen Mary's Own) Hussars
19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) Hussars
20th Hussars

See also, my posts on numbering in the Corps of Hussars 1907-1914, Queen's and King's Regulations: regimental numbering and cavalry numbering in 1906.

Postings - regular battalions

Earlier, I wrote:

"The regular battalions, that is, the battalions populated by career soldiers, operate a single regimental number sequence. A new recruit is given his number at the Regimental Depot, spends up to three months training at the Depot and is then posted to the 1st Battalion which is stationed in the UK. After 18 months to two years he is then posted to the 2nd Battalion which is serving overseas in India. His posting from the Depot to the 1st Battalion, and then from the 1st Battalion to the 2nd Battalion does not affect his regimental number which remains unchanged."

Here's an example of what I meant - and you'll find similar examples awash in WO 97, WO 363 and WO 364.

 

Michael Hooper joined the Royal Dublin Fusiliers on 8th Jun 1894 and was given the regimental number 5089.  He was posted to the Depot and remained there until posted to the Home Battalion (in this case, the 1st Battalion) on the 23rd August 1894. He remained with the 1st Battalion, which was then stationed in Sheffield, until the 10th February 1896 when he was posted to the overseas battalion, the 2nd Battalion.  This battalion would have been stationed in Quetta when Michael Hooper joined it and his service record notes that he remained with the 2nd Battalion until September 1902 when he was posted back to the regimental Depot. In the intervening years, Hooper would have seen service in Bombay, Natal and South Africa, the battalion moving back to Ireland in 1902 (and becoming the Home Battalion) whilst the 1st Battalion, already overseas in South Africa as a result of the Boer War, moved on to Crete and Malta and took up the role of the overseas battalion.

 

Michael Hooper was transferred to the Army Reserve in October 1902 and on completing this period of reserve service elected to join Section D Reserve for a further four years.  He was finally discharged from Section D Reserve  on the 7th June 1910.

 

At no point during his army career, did Michael Hooper's number change.  Why would it?  He joined as a regularsoldier and moved freely between the two battalions during his army career.  Whilst on the reserve, had he been recalled to the Colours, he would have retained his service number.  However, from the moment he was discharged in 1910, his number would also have been discarded.  Even if he walked around the block and decided to re-enlist, that number would not have been re-issued to him. 

 

The image from Michael Hooper's service record in WO 363 (above) is Crown Copyright and reproduced by courtesy of the National Archives.  Interestingly, the same papers (but beautifully preserved) exist in WO 97, so here's another version of the same document:

 



Regimental number sequences - county regiments

This may be preaching to the converted, but it's a new year and probably time for a reminder that one number series doesn't fit all.

On this blog I have posted pointers to enlistment dates for many British Army regiments and battalions within those regiments. All of the 69 Infantry of the Line regiments are covered to some degree - mostly number sequences from 1881 to 1914. You'll find the five Foot Guards regiments represented here; also the majority of the Cavalry of the Line; some Special Reserve and Extra Reserve battalions, Territorial Force Battalions and Pals battalions. What is shown on these various posts is simply a snapshot of enlistment dates and numbers, a snapshot which will hopefully assist researchers in narrowing down a likely enlistment date for a soldier based on his number.

Do bear in mind though that a typical county regiment would have employed several different numbering sequences for the men in its battalions. Let's look at the hypothetical Blankshire Regiment and take August 1910 as our starting point.

The regular battalions, that is, the battalions populated by career soldiers, operate a single regimental number sequence. A new recruit is given his number at the Regimental Depot, spends up to three months training at the Depot and is then posted to the 1st Battalion which is stationed in the UK. After 18 months to two years he is then posted to the 2nd Battalion which is serving overseas in India. His posting from the Depot to the 1st Battalion, and then from the 1st Battalion to the 2nd Battalion does not affect his regimental number which remains unchanged.

Also administered from the Regimental Depot are those men who have joined the Special Reserve and Extra Reserve. These battalions are a legacy of the Militia which was disbanded in 1908 and each of these battalions has its own numbering sequence.

So the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion , the Blankshire Regiment was, prior to April 1908, the 3rd Militia Battalion whilst the 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion was, prior to April 1908, the 4th Militia Battalion. This Blankshire Regiment only has a 3rd and 4th Battalion but some County Regiments only have one Special Reserve Battalion whilst across the sea in Ireland, the Irish County regiments typically have one Special Reserve Battalion and two Extra Reserve Battalions. Each battalion has its own numbering sequence.

In addition to the regular battalions and the Special/Extra Reserve Battalions, the Blankshire Regiment has four Territorial Force Battalions. Just as the Special/Extra Reserve Battalions trace their heritage back to the militia, so the Territorial Force, formed in April 1908, traces its origins back to the Volunteer Force. The 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th (Territorial Force) Battalions of the Blankshire Regiment were formerly the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Volunteer Battalions of the Blankshire Regiment. As Volunteer Force Battalions they operated their own regimental number sequences and now, as Territorial Force Battalions, they continue to operate their own number sequences.

So far then we have the following number sequences for the Blankshire Regiment:

1st and 2nd [Regular] Battalions – Number Sequence 1
3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion – Number Sequence 2
4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion – Number Sequence 3
5th (Territorial Force) Battalion – Number Sequence 4
6th (Territorial Force) Battalion – Number Sequence 5
7th (Territorial Force) Battalion – Number Sequence 6
8th (Territorial Force) Battalion – Number Sequence 7

Britain goes to war in 1914 and soon drafts for the 1st and 2nd Battalions are required. Men from the 3rd (Special Reserve) and 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalions are sent out to France to fill the gaps. They retain their Special Reserve and Extra Reserve Battalion numbers albeit there is often nothing in surviving documentation to distinguish these men’s numbers from the numbers of the regular soldiers. Some medal index cards may prefix these SR and ER men’s numbers with S/ (for Special Reserve) or 3/ or 4/ (to designate their battalion) but this is by no means a uniform practice.

Take a hypothetical example of 3456 John Smith who was KIA with the 1st Blankshire Regiment on 1st December 1914. John Smith was only 20 when he was killed and yet looking at the number sequence posted on this blog for the 1st Blankshires, it suggests that 3456 was issued between January 1894 and January 1895 – when John was 10 years old. How can that be? The answer is almost certainly that John Smith enlisted with the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion in 1912. His number fits the sequence being used by the 3rd Battalion and this in turn suggests that he joined the 3rd Battalion but was posted overseas to the 1st Battalion, retaining his 3rd Battalion number.

I will continue to post sequences on this blog – there are many, many more to go – but in the meantime, don’t be puzzled if, on the face of it, a man’s regimental number and the suggested joining date parameters that I have posted, don’t at first appear to make much sense. Don't rule out enlistment in the Speical or Extra Reserve battalions.

8th (King’s Royal Irish) Hussars

This post will look at numbering in the 8th (King’s Royal Irish) Hussars between 1881 and 1906. The cavalry regiments were unaffected by Cardwell's Army reforms; however, in keeping with the parameters of this blog, my starting point is 1881.

The database and information on this blog have been compiled as a result of studying service records in WO 97 (British Army pensions to 1913), WO 363 (WW1 service records) and WO 364 (WW1 pension records). All of these series are now online. Click on the links for further information.

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6833 joined on 4th July 1906

In December 1906, Army Order 289 changed the numbering for cavalry of the line. Prior to this, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were separated; each of the three line cavalry corps – dragoons, hussars, and lancers – beginning a new number series which started at 1 and was to extend to 49,999.

What this meant for the 8th Hussars was that from late December 1906 they began a new number sequence which they shared with the all of the Hussars regiments:

3rd (King's Own) Hussars
4th (Queen's Own) Hussars
7th (Queen's Own) Hussars
8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars
10th (Prince of Wales's Own Royal) Hussars
11th (Prince Albert's Own) Hussars
13th Hussars
14th (King's) Hussars
15th (King's) Hussars
18th (Queen Mary's Own) Hussars
19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) Hussars
20th Hussars

See also, my posts on numbering in the Corps of Hussars 1907-1914, Queen's and King's Regulations: regimental numbering and cavalry numbering in 1906.

7th (Queen's Own) Hussars

This post will look at numbering in the 7th (Queen's Own) Hussars between 1881 and 1906. The cavalry regiments were unaffected by Cardwell's Army reforms; however, in keeping with the parameters of this blog, my starting point is 1881.

The database and information on this blog have been compiled as a result of studying service records in WO 97 (British Army pensions to 1913), WO 363 (WW1 service records) and WO 364 (WW1 pension records). All of these series are now online. Click on the links for further information.

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6834 joined on 4th October 1905
7045 joined on 2nd April 1906

In December 1906, Army Order 289 changed the numbering for cavalry of the line. Prior to this, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were separated; each of the three line cavalry corps – dragoons, hussars, and lancers – beginning a new number series which started at 1 and was to extend to 49,999.

What this meant for the 7th Hussars was that from late December 1906 they began a new number sequence which they shared with the all of the Hussars regiments:

3rd (King's Own) Hussars
4th (Queen's Own) Hussars
7th (Queen's Own) Hussars
8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars
10th (Prince of Wales's Own Royal) Hussars
11th (Prince Albert's Own) Hussars
13th Hussars
14th (King's) Hussars
15th (King's) Hussars
18th (Queen Mary's Own) Hussars
19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) Hussars
20th Hussars

See my post on numbering in the Corps of Hussars 1907-1914. For further background, also see my posts on Queen's & King's Regulations: regimental numbering and  cavalry numbering in 1906.

4th (Queen's Own) Hussars 1881-1906

This post will look at numbering in the 4th (Queen's Own) Hussars between 1881 and 1906. The cavalry regiments were unaffected by Cardwell's reforms, the localisation of Infantry of the Line and the pairing of infantry regiments on territorial lines. However, in keeping with the self-imposed parameters of this blog, my starting point is 1881.

The database and information on this blog have been compiled as a result of studying service records in WO 97 (British Army pensions to 1913), WO 363 (WW1 service records) and WO 364 (WW1 pension records). All of these series are now online.

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4768 joined on 3rd May 1906

In December 1906, Army Order 289 changed the numbering for cavalry of the line. Prior to this, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were separated; each of the three line cavalry corps – dragoons, hussars, and lancers – beginning a new number series which started at 1 and was to extend to 49,999.

What this meant for the 4th Hussars was that from late December 1906 they began a new number sequence which they shared with the all of the Hussars regiments:

3rd (King's Own) Hussars
4th (Queen's Own) Hussars
7th (Queen's Own) Hussars
8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars
10th (Prince of Wales's Own Royal) Hussars
11th (Prince Albert's Own) Hussars
13th Hussars
14th (King's) Hussars
15th (King's) Hussars
18th (Queen Mary's Own) Hussars
19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) Hussars
20th Hussars

See my post on numbering in the Corps of Hussars 1907-1914. For further background, also see:

1. Queen's & King's Regulations: regimental numbering
2. Cavalry numbering in 1906

Corps of Hussars 1907-1914

As I have noted elsewhere, in December 1906, Army Order 289 changed the numbering for cavalry of the line. Prior to this, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were separated; each of the three line cavalry corps – dragoons, hussars, and lancers – beginning a new number series which started at 1 and was to extend to 49,999.

The Corps of Hussars consisted of twelve individual regiments, each of these with long and proud histories:

3rd (King's Own) Hussars
4th (Queen's Own) Hussars
7th (Queen's Own) Hussars
8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars
10th (Prince of Wales's Own Royal) Hussars
11th (Prince Albert's Own) Hussars
13th Hussars
14th (King's) Hussars
15th (King's) Hussars
18th (Queen Mary's Own) Hussars
19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) Hussars
20th Hussars

Now, numbering by regiment was abandoned and the corps of Hussars allocated numbers from a single series.  Here are some numbers from that series which, as they were issued chronologically, should help to provide pointers towards likely enlistment dates for other Hussars recruits.

The H/ (Hussars) prefix appears on some attestation papers but there appears to be no consistency to its usage and my own research shows that more often than not this was not used.

7 joined on 5th January 1907
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8837 joined on 25th May 1912
9589 joined on 16th January 1913
10287 joined on 25th June 1913
H/10942 joined on 21st January 1914

A future post will look at numbering in the Corps of Hussars from August 1914.

The photo on this post shows my paternal great-grandmother's brother, Bertrand (Bert) Elam, who enlisted with the 20th Hussars in 1894.  He had previously served briefly with the Wiltshire Regiment but had purchased his discharge for £10, as he was entitled to do, having served with the regiment for less than three months.  He served 12 years with the Hussars, re-enlisted with the Rifle Brigade in September 1914, transferred to the Gloucestershire Regiment in 1917 (he wears the Gloucestershire Regiment cap badge in this photo, along with his QSA and 1914 Star ribbons) and finished the war with the Royal Defence Corps. Throughout his army career he served under the alias Herbert Richard Hellam (although to further confuse matters, some papers give hsi surname as Hallam). He has extensive service records which survive in WO 97 (four pages relating to his brief service with the Wiltshire Regiment) and WO 364 (40 pages).

7th (Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards

This post will look at numbering in the 7th (Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards. I've compiled the information on this post by studying 7th Dragoon Guards (and from 1907, corps of Dragoons’) service records in WO 97 (on-line with findmypast) and WO 363 and WO 364 (on-line with Ancestry). Use the numbers below (all issued chronologically) and enlistment dates to estimate joining dates for other men who served with the 7th Dragoon Guards.

2319 joined on 8th February 1881
2458 joined on 3rd January 1882
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6518 joined on 1st July 1904
6579 joined on 16th January 1905
6876 joined on 16th January 1906

In December 1906, Army Order 289 changed the numbering for cavalry of the line. Prior to this, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were separated; each of the three line cavalry corps – dragoons, hussars, and lancers – beginning a new number series which started at 1 and was to extend to 49,999.

What this meant for the 7th Dragoon Guards was that from late December 1906 they began a new number sequence which they shared with the 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards, 2nd Dragoon Guards (The Queen’s Bays), 3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards, 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards, 5th Dragoon Guards, 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers), 1st (Royal) Dragoons, 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) and 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. See my post on the 1st (Royal) Dragoons to see how the numbering sequence worked for the Corps of Dragoons post 1906.

Noting the distinction between the regimental sequence used by the 6th Dragoon Guards up until the end of 1906 and the corps sequence used by the 6th Dragoon Guards and all other regiments of Dragoon Guards and Dragoons from late 1906 is an important distinction to note. Researching a 6th Dragoon Guards man, for instance, whose number is 4073 could point to a March 1899 joining date if the number falls within the regimental sequence, or December 1909 if the man enlisted with the corps of Dragoons. Here, knowing the soldier's age might well help to rule one number series or the other.

6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers)

This post will look at numbering in the 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers). I've put the information on this post together by studying 6th Dragoon Guards and, from 1907, corps of Dragoons’ service records in WO 97 (on-line with findmypast) and WO 363 and WO 364 (on-line with Ancestry). Use the snapshot numbers below (all issued chronologically) and enlistment dates to estimate joining dates for other 6th Dragoon Guardsmen.

1946 joined on 22nd October 1881
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5834 joined on 27th June 1906

In December 1906, Army Order 289 completely changed the numbering for cavalry of the line. Prior to this, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were separated; each of the three line cavalry corps – dragoons, hussars, and lancers – beginning a new number series which started at 1 and was to extend to 49,999.

What this meant for the 6th Dragoon Guards was that from late December 1906 they began a new number sequence which they shared with the 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards, 2nd Dragoon Guards (The Queen’s Bays), 3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards, 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards, 5th Dragoon Guards and 7th (Princess Royal’s) Dragoon Guards, 1st (Royal) Dragoons, 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) and 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. See my post on 1st (Royal) Dragoons to see how the numbering sequence worked for the Corps of Dragoons post 1906.

Noting the distinction between the regimental sequence used by the 6th Dragoon Guards up until the end of 1906 and the corps sequence used by the 6th Dragoon Guards and all other regiments of Dragoon Guards and Dragoons from late 1906 is an important distinction to note. Researching a 6th Dragoon Guards man, for instance, whose number is 4073 could point to a March 1899 joining date if the number falls within the regimental sequence, or December 1909 if the man enlisted with the corps of Dragoons. Here, knowing the soldier's age might well help to rule one number series or the other.

5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Dragoon Guards

This post will look at numbering in the 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Dragoon Guards. I've put the information on this post together by studying 5th Dragoon Guards and, from 1907, corps of Dragoons’ service records in WO 97 (on-line with findmypast) and WO 363 and WO 364 (on-line with Ancestry). Use the snapshot numbers below (all issued chronologically) and enlistment dates to estimate joining dates for other 5th Dragoon Guardsmen.

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4415 joined on 13th January 1897
4668 joined on 17th August 1899
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5202 joined on 27th August 1902
5220 joined on 10th April 1904
5373 joined on 27th September 1906

In December 1906, Army Order 289 completely changed the numbering for cavalry of the line. Prior to this, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were separated; each of the three line cavalry corps – dragoons, hussars, and lancers – beginning a new number series which started at 1 and was to extend to 49,999.

What this meant for the 5th Dragoon Guards was that from late December 1906 they began a new number sequence which they shared with the 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards, 2nd Dragoon Guards (The Queen’s Bays), 3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards, 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards, 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers) and 7th (Princess Royal’s) Dragoon Guards. 1st (Royal) Dragoons, 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) and 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. See my post on 1st (Royal) Dragoons to see how the numbering sequence worked for the Corps of Dragoons post 1906.

Noting the distinction between the regimental sequence used by the 5th Dragoon Guards up until the end of 1906 and the corps sequence used by the 5th Dragoon Guards and all other regiments of Dragoon Guards and Dragoons from late 1906 is an important distinction to note. Researching a 5th Dragoon Guards man, for instance, whose number is 5208 could point to a September 1902 joining date if the number falls within the regimental sequence, or October 1910 if the man enlisted with the corps of Dragoons. Here, knowing the man's age might well help to determine which year he joined.

3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards

This post will look at numbering in the 3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards. The information on this post has been compiled from a study of 3rd Dragoon Guards and, from 1907, corps of Dragoons’ service records in WO 97 (on-line with findmypast) and WO 363 and WO 364 (on-line with Ancestry).

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5617 joined on 3rd January 1906

Army Order 289 of December 1906 completely changed the numbering for cavalry of the line. Prior to this, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were separated; each of the three line cavalry corps – dragoons, hussars, and lancers – beginning a new number series which started at 1 and was to extend to 49,999.

What this meant for the 3rd Dragoon Guards was that from late December 1906 they began a new number sequence which they shared with the 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards, 2nd Dragoon Guards (The Queen’s Bays), 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards, 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards, 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers), 7th (Princess Royal’s) Dragoon Guards, 1st (Royal) Dragoons, 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) and 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. See my post on the 2nd Dragoon Guards  to see the numbering sequence for the Corps of Dragoons post 1906.

Noting the distinction between the regimental sequence used by the 3rd Dragoon Guards up until the end of 1906 and the corps sequence used by the 3rd Dragoon Guards and all other regiments of Dragoon Guards and Dragoons from late 1906 is an important distinction to note. Researching a 3rd Dragoon Guards man, for instance, whose number is 5482 could point to a 1st September 1904 joining date if the number falls within the regimental sequence, or January 1911 if the man enlisted with the corps of Dragoons.

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6th (Banff & Donside) Battalion, Gordon Highlanders

The 6th (Banff and Donside) Battalion, Gordon Highlanders was a Territorial Force Battalion formed on 1st April 1908. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 4th and 6th Volunteer Battalions of the Gordon Highlanders, each of these battalions contributing four companies of men (the 4th VB accounted for companies E to H, whilst the 6th VB accounted for companies A to D). The 6th Battalion was headquartered at Keith and was administered by the Banff Association. The distribution of companies and drill stations was as follows:

A Company
Banff; drill stations at Aberchirder, Cornhill, Portsoy.
B Company
Dufftown; drill stations at Aberlour, Chapelton (Braes of Glenlivet), Glenrinnes, Minmore
C Company
Keith; drill station at Grange.
D Company
Buckie; drill stations at Findochty, Cullen.
E Company
Inverurie; drill stations at Pitcaple.
F Company
Alford; drill stations at Cushnie, Lumsden, Glenbuckat, Strathdon, Corgarff, Towie.
G Company
Bucksburn; drill station at Dyce.
H Company
Huntly; drill stations at Insch, Rhynie.

There were certainly two number series in use for this battalion, and what follows is largely conjecture based on what is a relatively small sample of data from my own database.

One number series (which I’ll call Series One) began at 1 in 1908. The second number series (which I’ll call Series Two for the sake of consistency) may have started at 10000 or 12000 or higher. The lowest number I have for this series is 12094 David Allen Clark. His surviving attestation papers in WO 364 show that he joined the 4th VB Gordon Highlanders on 7th April 1896. He then attested with the 6th (Banff & Donside) Battalion at Alford on 17th April 1908. He was signed up on Army Form E.502 which was the form to be used by “Imperial Yeomanry or Volunteers, enlisted or enrolled before the 1st April 1908, enlisting in the Force”. Pages one and three of his attestation papers give the number 468 which is crossed out and over-written with the number 10294.

It is this lower number series which appears to have been discontinued after war broke out. Beginning at 1, here are some sample numbers and enlistment dates up to 3rd August 1914:

167 joined on 16th April 1908
208 joined on7th April 1909
664 joined on 7th November 1910
723 joined on 2nd February1911
901 joined on 12th January 1912
1159 joined on 13th February 1913
1431 joined on 31st January 1914
1675 (the highest four-digit number on my 6th Gordons database) joined on 3rd August 1914

From the five digit series:

10394 joined on 14th June 1908
10492 joined on 16th February 1909
10701 joined on 12th September 1910

I have nothing at all after 10701 until we get to 25th August 1914 when 10705 joined the battalion. It almost looks as though in September 1910 the decision was taken to abandon the five digit number series and just continue with the series which had started at one. This decision, if indeed it was a decision, was reversed in August 1914 when the five-digit series was continued at the expense of the other series. As I said, this is all conjecture on my part, and if anyone knows any different, or can add further speculation, please do post a comment. On the face of it, given that the 6th Battalion was the result of a merger between two distinct Volunteer Battalions, logic might suggest that one series was used by men from the area previously covered by the 4th VB whilst the other series was used by men from the area previously covered by the 6th VB. Unfortunately, an analysis of places of enlistment for men from both series does not support this theory.

10705 joined on 25th August 1914
10732 joined on 6th September 1914
11119 joined on 1st October 1914

A 2/6th Battalion was formed at Keith in October 1914 and upon formation the 6th Battalion became the 1/6th Battalion Gordon Highlanders. The 2/6th Battalion used the same number sequence as the 1/6th.

11480 joined on 2nd November 1914
11664 joined on 7th December 1914
11746 joined on 14th January 1915
11816 joined on 6th February 1915
11864 joined on 22nd March 1915
12094 joined on 17th May 1915

A 3/6th Battalion was formed in May 1915 and it too used the same number sequence as that being used by the 1/6th and 2/6th Battalions.

12208 joined on 1st June 1915
12302 joined on 13th July 1915
12456 joined on 16th November 1915
12575 joined on 21st February 1916
12585 joined on 2nd March 1916
12671 joined on 14th June 1916
12870 joined on 25th July 1916
12912 joined on 4th August 1916

When the Territorial Force was re-numbered in 1917, men from the 6th Gordons were issued numbers in the range 265001 to 290000, the lowest number being issued to the man with the lowest number from the first series. For instance, 265005 was issued to J McLaren who had originally joined the battalion on the 1st April 1908 and who, before that time, had served with the Volunteer Force.

5th (Buchan and Formartin) Battalion, Gordon Highlanders

The 5th (Buchan and Formartin) Battalion, Gordon Highlanders was a Territorial Force Battalion formed on 1st April 1908. It was the natural heir to the 2nd Volunteer Battalion and the 3rd (The Buchan) Volunteer Battalion, Gordon Highlanders and was headquartered at Peterhead. It was administered by the Aberdeenshire Association with companies and drill halls in the following locations:

A Company
Strichen; drill stations at New Pitsligo, New Aberdour, New Dear and Maud.
B Company
Peterhead; drill stations at Longside and St Fergus.
C Company
Peterhead; drill stations at Boddam and Hatton.
D Company
Turriff; drill stations at Fyvie and Cuminestown.
E Company
Ellon; drill stations at Auchnagatt, Methlick, Skilmafilly and Newburgh
F Company
Old Meldrum; drill stations at Tarves, Newmacher, and Pitmedden
G Company
Fraserburgh; drill station at Rosehearty
H Company
Fraserburgh; drill station at Lonmay

414 joined on 16th May 1908
506 joined on14th January 1909
1128 joined on 15th March 1910
1262 joined on 3rd February1911
1382 joined on 31st January 1912
1548 joined on 6th January 1913
1753 joined on 19th February 1914
1872 joined on 4th August 1914
2164 joined on 2nd September 1914

A 2/5th Battalion was formed at Peterhead in October 1914 and upon formation the 5th Battalion became the 1/5th Battalion Gordon Highlanders. The 2/5th Battalion used the same number sequence as the 1/5th.

2399 joined on 19th October 1914
2497 joined on 7th November 1914
2699 joined on 7th December 1914
2840 joined on 5th January 1915
3041 Joined on 6th February 1915
3070 joined on 4th March 1915
3101 joined on 3rd April 1915
3186 joined on 4th May 1915

A 3/5th Battalion was formed at the beginning of May 1915 and it too used the same number sequence as that being used by the 1/5th and 2/5th Battalions.

3251 joined on 8th June 1915
3289 joined on 5th July 1915
3357 joined on 3rd August 1915
3404 joined on 20th September 1915
3409 joined on 4th October 1915
3507 joined on 1st November 1915
3590 joined on 3rd December 1915
3662 joined on 1st February 1916
3722 joined on 15th March 1916
3890 joined on 20th April 1916
3956 joined on 29th May 1916
4157 joined on 7th July 1916
4361 joined on 15th September 1916
4379 joined on 5th October 1916

When the Territorial Force was re-numbered in 1917, men from the 5th Gordons were issued numbers in the range 240001 to 265000, the lowest number being issued to the man with the lowest number from the first series. For instance, 240139 was issued to George Bruce who had originally joined the battalion on the 21st March 1912 and whose original number, according to his surviving service record in WO 364 was 1466.

Carolyn Morrisey's excellent website devoted to the 5th Gordon Highlanders is well worth a visit and also includes useful information on the numbering in this battalion: The 5th Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders. Map of Aberdeenshire (2012) courtesy Google.

4th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders

The 4th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders was a Territorial Force Battalion formed in April 1908.  It was the natural heir to the 1st Volunteer Battalion, Gordon Highlanders and was headquartered at Aberdeen. It was administered by the City of Aberdeen Association and recruited in the city, companies A to H and the HQ all situated there.

The following regimental numbers and joining dates will hopefully provide some pointers for likely enlistment dates of men into the battalion.

1 – 155 all joined in April 1908, the majority of these men having previously served in the 1st VB Gordon Highlanders
454 joined on16th March 1909
1016 joined on 17th June 1910
1135 joined on 3rd April 1911
1307 joined on 15th April 1912
1396 joined on 13th January 1913
1668 joined on 30th March 1914
1976 joined on 11th August 1914

A 2/4th Battalion was formed in September 1914 and upon formation the 4th Battalion became the 1/4th Battalion Gordon Highlanders. The 2/4th Battalion used the same number sequence as the 1/4th.

2502 joined on 25th September 1914
2658 joined on 6th October 1914
2969 joined on 2nd November 1914
3250 joined on 3rd December 1914
3406 joined on 4th January 1915
3544 Joined on 1st February 1915

A 3/4th Battalion was formed in February 1915 and it too used the same number sequence as that being used by the 1/4th and 2/4th Battalions.

3689 joined on 23rd March 1915
3861 joined on 7th May 1915
3950 joined on 1st June 1915
4123 joined on 9th July 1915
4201 joined on 3rd August 1915
4499 joined on 6th November 1915
4630 joined on 4th December 1915
4740 joined on 21st January 1916
4889 joined on 3rd February 1916
5126 joined on 7th April 1916
5248 joined on 1st July 1916
5554 joined on 4th October 1916

When the Territorial Force was re-numbered in 1917, men from the 4th Gordons were issued numbers in the range 200001 to 240000, the lowest number being issued to the man with the lowest number from the first series. For instance, 200061 was issued to James Lewis who had originally joined the battalion on the 31st March 1911 and whose original number, according to his medal index card, was 1129.

For further information on the 4th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders, visit Christopher McDonald's excellent 4thGordons.com.The photo I've used on this post is taken from the 4th Gordon's website.

2nd Dragoon Guards (The Queen’s Bays)

This post will look at numbering in the 2nd Dragoon Guards (The Queen’s Bays). The information on this post has been compiled from a study of the 2nd Dragoon Guards and, from 1907, corps of Dragoons’ service records in WO 97 (on-line with findmypast) and WO 363 and WO 364 (on-line with Ancestry).


2325 joined on 7th March 1881
2412 joined on 20th October 1882
2492 joined on 20th April 1883
2603 joined on 30th January 1884
2846 joined on 20th February 1885
3220 joined on 1st September 1886
3360 joined on 19th September 1887
3398 joined on 8th December 1888
3435 joined on 19th April 1889
3522 joined on 2nd April 1890
3735 joined on 31st August 1891
3810 joined on 23rd January 1892
4191 joined on 20th April 1893
4249 joined on 30th January 1894
4281 joined on 10th February 1896
4306 joined on 3rd June 1897
4505 joined on 11th May 1898
4785 joined on 20th March 1899
5119 joined on 7th March 1900
5714 joined on 26th September 1901
5869 joined on 2nd January 1902
6390 joined on 25th March 1903
6514 joined on 10th September 1906

I have some notable gaps in the sequence above with nothing for 1895 (when recruitment appears to have slowed to a trickle) and nothing either for 1904 and 1905. 1902 was a bumper year for recruitment with around 400 men joining the regiment. This drive certainly slowed the following year which also saw a number of transfers in from the 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers).

Army Order 289 of December 1906 changed the numbering for cavalry of the line. Prior to this Army Order, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were separated; each of the three line cavalry corps – dragoons, hussars, and lancers – beginning a new number series which started at 1 and was to extend to 49,999.

What this meant for the 2nd Dragoon Guards was that from late December 1906 they began a new number sequence which they shared with the 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards, 3rd (Prince of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards, 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards, 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards, 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers), 7th (Princess Royal’s) Dragoon Guards, 1st (Royal) Dragoons, 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) and 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. See my post on the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) to see the numbering sequence for the Corps of Dragoons post 1906.

Noting the distinction between the regimental sequence used by the 2nd Dragoon Guards up until the end of 1906 and the corps sequence used by the 2nd Dragoon Guards and all other regiments of Dragoon Guards and Dragoons from late 1906 is an important distinction to note. Researching a 2nd Dragoon Guards man, for instance, whose hypothetical number is 4610 could point to a September 1898 joining date if the number falls within the regimental sequence, or 1910 if the man enlisted with the corps of Dragoons.

1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards

This post will look at numbering in the 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards. The information on this post has been compiled from a study of 1st King’s (Dragoon) Guards and, from 1907, corps of Dragoons’ service records in WO 97 (on-line with findmypast) and WO 363 and WO 364 (on-line with Ancestry).

2337 joined on 22nd April 1881
2412 joined on 21st November 1882
2460 joined on 24th September 1883
2574 joined on 9th September 1884
2654 joined on 13th February 1885
3069 joined on 9th October 1886
3126 joined on 8th January 1887
3306 joined on 15th November 1888
3342 joined on 9th February 1889
3442 joined on 21st June 1890
3471 joined on 20th October 1891
3499 joined on 10th June 1892
3592 joined on 20th June 1893
3745 joined on 8th January 1894
3851 joined on 3rd April 1895
3960 joined on 12th August 1896
4018 joined on 23rd January 1897
4171 joined on 31st March 1898
4415 joined on 8th March 1899
4568 joined on 1st January 1900
5061 joined on 4th February 1901
5581 joined on 19th April 1902
5830 joined on 27th January 1903
5856 joined on 11th April 1904
5892 joined on 6th March 1905
6443 joined on 26th September 1906

Army Order 289 of December 1906 changed the numbering for cavalry of the line. Prior to this Army Order, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were separated; each of the three line cavalry corps – dragoons, hussars, and lancers – beginning a new number series which started at 1 and was to extend to 49,999.

What this meant for the 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards was that from late December 1906 they began a new number sequence which they shared with the 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen’s Bays), 3rd (Prince of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards, 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards, 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards, 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers), 7th (Princess Royal’s) Dragoon Guards, 1st (Royal) Dragoons, 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) and 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. See my post on the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) to see the numbering sequence for the Corps of Dragoons post 1906.

Noting the distinction between the regimental sequence used by the 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards up until the end of 1906 and the corps sequence used by the 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards and all other regiments of Dragoon Guards and Dragoons from late 1906 is an important distinction to note. Researching a 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards man, for instance, whose hypothetical number is 4610 could point to a 1900 joining date if the number falls within the regimental sequence, or 1910 if the man enlisted with the corps of Dragoons.

When the First World War erupted an additional General Service number sequence was introduced (recruits’ numbers being prefixed with GS/) whilst career cavalrymen continued to use the corps number series from which I’ve given examples in this post.

6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons

This post will look at numbering in the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. The information on this post has been compiled as a result of examining service records in WO 97 (online with findmypast) and WO 363 and WO 364 (online with Ancestry).

2071 joined on 7th April 1880
2153 joined on 12th January 1881
2222 joined on 22nd June 1882
2324 joined on 26th June 1883
2377 joined on 8th February 1884
2482 joined on 6th February 1885
2686 joined on 18th May 1886
2738 joined on 11th July 1887
2831 joined on 11th February 1888
2940 joined on 4th January 1889
3042 joined on 11th January 1890
3075 joined on 2nd January 1891
3240 joined on 6th October 1892
3274 joined on 16th January 1893
3486 joined on 10th August 1894
3515 joined on 2nd July 1895
3567 joined on 11th March 1896
3742 joined on 4th November 1897
4042 joined on 12th October 1898
4096 joined on 27th February 1899
4366 joined on 10th April 1900
4559 joined on 16th March 1901
4722 joined on 3rd January 1902
5004 joined on 29th April 1903
5199 joined on 10th June 1904
5368 joined on 6th March 1905
5553 joined on 5th March 1906

Army Order 289 of December 1906 changed the numbering for cavalry of the line. Prior to this Army Order, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were separated; each of the three line cavalry corps – dragoons, hussars, and lancers – beginning a new number series which started at 1 and was to extend to 49,999.

What this meant for the 6th Dragoons was that from late December 1906 they began a new number sequence which they shared with the 1st (Royal) Dragoons, 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) and the 1st (King’s), 2nd (Queen’s Bays), 3rd (Prince of Wales’s), 4th (Royal Irish), 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s), 6th (Carabiniers) and 7th (Princess Royal’s) Dragoon Guards. The following numbers and joining dates are snapshots taken from my database of this new Corps of Dragoons numbering sequence:

155 joined 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards on 29th January 1907
1598 joined the 5th Dragoon Guards on 27th January 1908
3003 joined the 3rd Dragoon Guards on 8th February 1909
4132 joined the 2nd Dragoons on 13th January 1910
5530 joined the 2nd Dragoon Guards on 12th January 1911
6624 joined the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards on 24th January 1912
D/7785 joined the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards on 11th January 1913
8707 joined the 5th Dragoon Guards on 27th January 1914

Noting the distinction between the regimental sequence used by the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons up until the end of 1906 and the corps sequence used by the 6th Dragoons and all other regiments of Dragoons and Dragoon Guards from late 1906 is an important distinction to note. Researching a 6th Dragoons man, for instance, whose hypothetical number is 4610 could point to a 1901 joining date if the number falls within the regimental sequence, or 1910 if the man enlisted with the corps of Dragoons.

When the First World War erupted an additional General Service number sequence was introduced (recruits’ numbers being prefixed with GS/) whilst career cavalrymen continued to use the corps number series from which I’ve given examples in this post.

2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys)

This post will look at numbering in the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys). The information on this post has been compiled as a result of examining service records in WO 97 (online with findmypast) and WO 363 and WO 364 (online with Ancestry).

2291 Kames Kirkaldy joined on 2nd April 1880
2397 Alexander Dickson joined on 27th January 1881
2425 John Watt joined on 29th May 1882
2476 George Walter Price joined on 2nd March 1883
2661 Thomas Foster joined on 11th November 1884
2702 Robert Hunter joined on 20th March 1885
2785 William Rolph joined on 9th January 1886
3001 Horace William Jenkins joined on 17th August 1887
3055 Owen Deary joined on 23rd January 1888
3346 Edward George Morgan joined on 13th March 1889
3426 Charles Innes joined on 10th February 1890
3548 John Cameron joined on 2nd February 1891
3653 Charles James Betts joined on 2nd January 1892
3826 William John Reeves joined on 24th July 1893
3992 George William Francis Cunningham joined on 30th August 1894
4070 John Sloan joined on 8th March 1895
4276 John Lockhart joined on 17th March 1896
4392 Thomas Hornsby joined on 11th August 1897
4420 James Bowman joined on12th January 1898
4772 George Collings joined on 30th October 1899
4964 John Brake joined on 28th March 1900
5243 George Cartrwright (aka George Richardson) joined on 4th March 1901
5497 Richard Bain joined on 14th January 1902
5755 John Henry Shepherd joined on 24th January 1903
5938 William Swallow, formerly 3980 1st (Royal) Dragoons, transferred on 1st July 1904
6026 William Anderson joined on 15th March 1905
6230 John Burns joined on 12th January 1906

Army Order 289 of December 1906 changed the numbering as far as cavalry of the line was concerned. Prior to this Army Order, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were differentiated, and each corps of line cavalry was to use a separate number series extending to 49,999.

What this meant for the 2nd Dragoons was that from late December 1906 they now shared one number sequence with the 1st and 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons and the 1st (King’s), 2nd (Queen’s Bays), 3rd (Prince of Wales’s), 4th (Royal Irish), 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s), 6th (Carabiniers) and 7th (Princess Royal’s) Dragoon Guards. The following numbers and joining dates are snapshots taken from my database of this new Corps of Dragoons numbering sequence:

30 Ernest Dear the Corps of Dragoons (5th Dragoon Guards) on 9th January 1907
1598 Edward Sidney Bast joined the Corps of Dragoons (5th Dragoon Guards) on 27th January 1908
3011 Norman Smith joined the Corps of Dragoons (2nd Dragoons) on 9th February 1909
4248 John Cullen joined the Corps of Dragoons (3rd Dragoon Guards) on 2nd February 1910
5530 Ernest Bowen joined the Corps of Dragoons (2nd Dragoon Guards) on 12th January 1911
6546 Charles James Bishop joined the Corps of Dragoons (5th Dragoon Guards) on 1st January 1912
D/7785 Albert Henry Long joined the Corps of Dragoons (4th Dragoon Guards) on 11th January 1913
8620 John Dunnett joined the Corps of Dragoons (2nd Dragoons) on 6th January 1914

Noting the distinction between the regimental sequence used by the 2nd Dragoons until the end of 1906 and the corps sequence used by the 2nd Dragoons and all other regiments of Dragoons and Dragoon Guards from late 1906 is an important distinction to note. Researching a 2nd Dragoons man, for instance, whose hypothetical number is 4567 could point to a late 1890s joining date if the number falls within the regimental sequence, or 1910 if the man enlisted with the corps of Dragoons.

When the First World War erupted an additional General Service number sequence was introduced (recruits’ numbers being prefixed with GS/) whilst career cavalrymen continued to use the corps number series from which I’ve given examples in this post.

East Yorkshire Regiment - 1st and 2nd Battalions

The East Yorkshire Regiment was formed from the 15th (the Yorkshire East Riding) Regiment of Foot. 

The newly formed regiment was established as the county regiment for East Riding and started numbering from 1 in 1881.

28 joined on 16th September 1881
187 joined on 22nd June 1882
400 joined on 17th January 1883
910 joined on 1st February 1884
1428 joined on 11th March 1885
1972 joined on 15th January 1886
2656 joined on 26th April 1887
2794 joined on 18th January 1888
2845 joined on 10th January 1889
3035 joined on 7th June 1890
3116 joined on 13th January 1891
3588 joined on 11th February 1892
4105 joined on 13th January 1893
4583 joined on 15th January 1894
4908 joined on 8th January 1895
5232 joined on 10th January 1896
5431 joined on 15th March 1897
5642 joined on 22nd January 1898
5978 joined on 6th January 1899
6344 joined on 17th April 1900

The East Yorkshire Regiment raised one volunteer service company during the South African War.  The 1st VSC was raised in early 1900, men being issued with numbers in the range 7000-7116. 7055, for example, was issued to a serving member of the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment on the 20th March 1900.

The company sailed for South Africa aboard SS Pembroke Castle on the 21st April 1900.

6645 joined on 5th March 1901
6846 joined on 20th January 1902
7236 joined on 2nd January 1903
7674 joined on 27th February 1904
8082 joined on 13th January 1905
8268 joined on 1st January 1906
8488 joined on 4th March 1907
8989 joined on 25th August 1908
9088 joined on 2nd February 1909
9425 joined on 14th March 1910
9685 joined on 29th August 1911
9803 joined on 22nd January 1912
10032 joined on 7th April 1913
10152 joined on 9th January 1914

The First World War

When Britain went to war in August 1914, men joining the new service battalions were issued with numbers from the same series being used by the two regular battalions.

Recruitment rates 1881-1911

Between 1st July 1881 and 13th January 1891, The East Yorkshire Regiment recruited 3,116 men, a below average rate of 325 men a year and one which placed the regiment in the forty-fourth position out of sixty-nine infantry recruiting regiments.

Recruitment in the 1890s improved somewhat and by March 1901, the regiment was issuing number 6645 to its latest recruit; an improved recruitment rate for the decade of 347 men on average per annum.

Between January 1901 and August 1911, the regiment added a further 3000 men to its ranks, an average of 292 men per year and the regiment’s worst recruiting period between 1881 and 1911. 

 

Image courtesy Wikipedia.

Royal Fusiliers - Regular Battalions

The Royal Fusiliers (City of London) Regiment was formed on the 1st July 1881 from the 7th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot.  (The Derbyshire title, granted in 1782, was never used and in 1823 had been re-granted to the 95th Regiment). 

The newly formed regiment was established as the city regiment for London and started numbering from 1 in 1881. 

14 joined on 3rd October 1881
335 joined on 9th June 1882
976 joined on 11th June 1883
1191 joined on 31st January 1884
1827 joined on 15th May 1885
2363 joined on 30th January 1886
2798 joined on 18th March 1887
3078 joined on 17th April 1888
3224 joined on 25th June 1889
3465 joined on 25th January 1890
3701 joined on 7th January 1891
4049 joined on 9th January 1892
4579 joined on 2nd February 1893
4964 joined on 3rd April 1894
5283 joined on 19th April 1895
5479 joined on 13th June 1896
5800 joined on 20th October 1897
5929 joined on 15th March 1898 

On the 1st April 1898 a 3rd regular battalion was raised at The Curragh, Ireland, from the nucleus of two companies from the 2nd Battalion.  Recruits joining the 3rd Battalion were issued with numbers from the same series that was being used by 1st and 2nd Battalion men.  The 3rd Battalion would eventually be disbanded on 16th July 1922.

7173 joined on 22nd February 1899 [L/ prefix added later] 

On the 30th January 1900, The Royal Fusiliers raised a 4th Battalion from the nucleus of the 3rd Battalion.  This battalion also shared the same number series that was in use for the other three regular battalions.  The 4th Battalion would eventually be disbanded on the 16th July 1922.

The Royal Fusiliers also fielded two volunteer service companies during the South African War.  Numbers issued to VSC recruits were within the range 8901 to 9144. Numbers 8901 through to 9026 were all 1st VSC men.  Numbers 9040 through to 9144 were all 2nd VSC men.  Numbers 9027 to 9039 are a combination of 1st and 2nd VSC men. 

7825 joined on 5th February 1900 [L/ prefix added later]

8635 joined on 10th January 1901
RF/9364 joined on 24th January 1902 [L/ prefix added later] 

In 1901 alone, and with four regular battalions in place, The Royal Fusiliers recruited well over 700 men and recruitment showed no signs of slowing in 1902.  Queen’s Regulations stated that, “When the [number] series approaches 9,999, application should be made to the Adjutant-General in sufficient time to obtain authority to commence a new series.”  This instruction was either overlooked or ignored by the Royal Fusiliers, or the application was submitted too late.  Although a revised King’s Regulations would extend numbering in infantry regiments to 19,999, this wouldn’t come into effect until 1904, and by November 1902, the Royal Fusiliers had passed 9,999 and just kept going.  The regiment would recruit over 800 men in 1902 alone.  

The L/ prefix was introduced for regular enlistments into regiments administered by the Number 10 Grouped Regimental District at Hounslow around October 1902.  This practice was also adopted by The Royal Fusiliers at the same time.  An RF/ prefix was already in use for the Royal Fusiliers and certainly appears to have been more consistently used than the L/ prefix when this was introduced for regulars joining the regiment. The numbers above and below are as they appear on attestation papers.  In all cases the L/ prefix appears to have been added some time after the man had attested.

RF/10145 joined on 1st January 1903 [L/ prefix added later]
RF/10830 joined on 23rd January 1904
RF/11128 joined on 16th January 1905
RF/11891 joined on 1st January 1906
RF/12477 joined on 4th February 1907 [L/ prefix added later]
RF/13039 joined on 15th January 1908
RF/13742 joined on 6th July 1909
RF/14193 joined on 20th October 1910
RF/14344 joined on 4th January 1911 [L/ prefix added later]
RF/15158 joined on 12th June 1912
RF/15459 joined on 11th January 1913
RF/16125 joined on 27th July 1914 [L/ prefix added later]

The First World War

When Britain went to war in August 1914, men joining the new Royal Fusiliers service battalions for wartime-service only were issued with numbers from new number series. The number series outlined above, continued to be used but was reserved for those men who wished to join the Royal Fusiliers on regular enlistment terms. 

This practice was adopted by The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment), The Buffs (East Kent Regiment), The Royal Fusiliers, The East Surrey Regiment, The Royal Sussex Regiment, The Royal West Kent Regiment and The Middlesex Regiment. With the exception of the Royal Fusiliers, these regiments were all administered by the Number 10 Grouped Regimental District at Hounslow. The Royal Fusiliers also raised a number of Pals-type battalions, most of which operated separate number series, many of these being additionally differentiated by letter prefixes.   

Recruitment rates 1881-1911

Between 1st July 1881 and 17th January 1891, The Royal Fusiliers recruited 3,701 men, an average of 386 soldiers a year and the fourteenth best recruitment rate of all the British infantry regiments that decade. 

The following decade showed further improvement with a grand total of 8635 men recruited by 10th January 1901 and an average recruitment rate for the decade which stood at 493 men per annum. 

Recruitment into the Royal Fusiliers showed no sign of abating during the period 1901 to 1911 and by 4th January that year, the regiment had issued number RF/14344 to its latest recruit.  By 1911 The Royal Fusiliers was the fifth most successful recruiter of all the British infantry regiments and could claim a high annual average of 483 men recruited per annum between 1881 and 1911.

 

The well-known photo that I've used to illustrate this post shows men of A Company, 4th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers at rest on the 22nd August 1914.  The following day they would be in action at the Battle of Mons. Photo source: Wikipedia.