Army Service Numbers 1881-1918: July 2009

29 July 2009

Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment - 1st & 2nd Battalions

This post will look at army service numbers and the dates on which these were issued to men joining the regular (1st and 2nd) Battalions of the Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment. The period covered in this post is July 1881 to July 1914.

The Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment was formed on 1st July 1881 out of the old 2nd (The Queen's Royal) Regiment of Foot. What follows should be considered a snapshot of army service numbers and joining dates for Queen's regulars - one date and one number per year from 1881 until 1914. Service records for all of the numbers listed below, survive in WO 363 (Burnt Documents) and WO 364 (Pensions) in the National Archives and can also be viewed on-line via the Ancestry.co.uk website.

157 joined on 1st December 1881
283 joined on 27th February 1882
413 joined on 17th February 1883
940 joined on 5th July 1884
1266 joined on 22nd June 1885
1724 joined on 19th August 1886
1934 joined on 28th July 1887
2214 joined on 24th January 1888
2639 joined on 20th February 1889
2926 joined on 25th February 1890
3451 joined on 19th February 1891
3795 joined on 1st February 1892
4258 joined on 10th August 1893
4447 joined on 25th June 1894
4722 joined on 10th January 1895
4994 joined on 15th June 1896
5307 joined on 10th May 1897
5669 joined on 8th June 1898
6120 joined on 12th October 1899
6440 joined on 26th April 1900
6833 joined on 18th July 1901
7132 joined on 5th June 1902
7707 joined on 6th January 1903
8001 joined on 21st January 1904
8566 joined on 4th September 1905
8823 joined on 7th March 1906
9019 joined on 5th March 1907
9439 joined on 8th September 1908
9505 joined on 27th January 1909
9778 joined on 11th October 1910
9822 joined on 12th January 1911
10102 joined on 5th February 1912
10330 joined on 23rd January 1913
10641 joined on 27th July 1914

When Britain went to war with Germany a week later, the number series above was continued for men enlisting with the Queen's under regular enlistment terms of service. Recruits to the service battalions, joining up for war-time service only, were given numbers from a new series which began with the number 1 and was prefixed with the letter G/.

The L/ prefix - which appears to have been inconsistently used for regular enlistments up until August 1914, continued to be used (inconsistently) for men enlisting for regular service from August 1914.

From The Naval & Military Press:

History of The Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment in the Great War

Despite the fact that the book gets off to the worst possible start by placing the brackets on the cover in the wrong place - it's Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment , not Queen's Royal (West Surrey) Regiment - this is good account of the regiment during the First World War. Click on the image above to read the Naval & Military Press blurb.

27 July 2009

Lancashire Fusiliers - Regular Battalions

This post will look at army service numbers issued to men joining the regular battalions of the Lancashire Fusiliers between July 1881 (when the regiment was formed) and February 1914. The regiment was formed out of the old 20th Regiment of Foot (Lancashire Fusiliers) and up until April 1898 comprised two regular battalions, the 1st and 2nd. However, two more regular battalions, the 3rd and 4th, were formed in 1898 and 1900 respectively and I'll deal with these as we come to them.

Service records for all of the numbers listed below, survive in WO 363 (Burnt Documents) and WO 364 (Pensions) in the National Archives and can also be viewed on-line via the Ancestry.co.uk website.

112 joined on 26th July 1881
425 joined on 29th April 1882
571 joined on 22nd June 1883
766 joined on 28th May 1884
1122 joined on 6th July 1885
1739 joined on 8th June 1886
2126 joined on 11th February 1887
2538 joined on 23rd February 1888
2877 joined on 12th January 1889
3321 joined on 2nd July 1890
3362 joined on 14th April 1891
4048 joined on 23rd April 1892
4510 joined on 8th August 1893
4718 joined on 18th January 1894
5117 joined on 15th January 1895
5464 joined on 4th June 1896
5818 joined on 7th September 1897
5953 joined on 18th March 1898

A 3rd regular battalion was raised on 6th April 1898 in Ireland and would be disbanded in 1906. The same number series as that used for men joining the 1st and 2nd Battalions, was used for the newly formed 3rd Battalion.

6722 joined on 27th January 1899

A 4th regular battalion was raised on 3rd February 1900 in England and would be disbanded in 1906. The same number series as that used for men joining the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions, was used for the newly formed 4th Battalion.

7839 joined on 9th May 1900
8462 joined on 7th May 1901
9068 joined on 19th August 1902
9381 joined on 21st January 1903

The addition of two regular battalions had had a dramatic effect on recruitment into the Lancashire Fusiliers. Whereas in the three years prior to the formation of the 3rd Battalion it had taken the regiment over three years to recruit a thousand men, in the four years between January 1899 and January 1903 (and with Britain at war with the Boers) the regiment recruited 2,600 men. In 1903, with the number series fast approaching the limit of 9,999, the regiment applied to the Adjutant-General to commence a new number series. Approval was duly given and before the year was out, the Lancashire Fusiliers had started numbering from 1 again.

378 joined on 3rd August 1904
559 joined on 20th April 1905
1035 joined on 23rd January 1906
1305 joined on 19th August 1907
1486 joined on 11th May 1908
1793 joined on 2nd January 1909
2015 joined on 8th February 1910
2292 joined on 12th January 1911
2652 joined on 16th September 1912
2847 joined on 8th October 1913
2911 joined on 16th February 1914

The famous photograph reproduced on this post shows men of the 1st Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers in a communication trench near Beaumont Hamel, possibly on 1st July 1916.

23 July 2009

Northamptonshire Regiment - 1st & 2nd Battalions

This post will look at army service numbers and the dates on which these were issued to men joining the regular (1st and 2nd) Battalions of the Northamptonshire Regiment between 1882 and July 1914.

The Northamptonshire Regiment was formed in July 1881 out of the old 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot (which became the 1st Battalion), and the 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot (which became the 2nd Battalion).

Service records for all of the numbers listed below, survive in WO 363 (Burnt Documents) and WO 364 (Pensions) in the National Archives. They can also be viewed on-line via the Ancestry.co.uk website.

150 joined on 4th April 1882
580 joined on 14th August 1883
932 joined on 1st June 1884
1314 joined on 24th May 1885
1660 joined on 1st May 1886
1952 joined on 5th June 1887
2132 joined on 19th January 1888
2415 joined on 9th March 1889
2631 joined on 23rd January 1890
3059 joined on 5th April 1891
3676 joined on 11th January 1892
3976 joined on 19th July 1893
4309 joined on 5th April 1894
4524 joined on 10th January 1895
4842 joined on 23rd March 1896
5228 joined on 7th August 1897
5370 joined on 6th January 1898
5902 joined on 10th August 1899
6053 joined on 2nd January 1900
6313 joined on 28th January 1901
6556 joined on 24th March 1902
6828 joined on 7th January 1903
7504 joined on 8th August 1904
7759 joined on 7th September 1905
7971 joined on 21st April 1906
833o joined on 1st January 1907
8672 joined on 6th February 1908
8927 joined on 21st January 1909
9084 joined on 5th January 1910
9279 joined on 11th January 1911
9478 joined on 1st April 1912
9615 joined on 1st January 1913
9906 joined on 3rd July 1914

One month and one day later, Britain went to war with Germany, and when new Northamptonshire Regiment service battalions started forming shortly afterwards, they continued with the same number series above.

Northamptonshire Regiment titles fromThe Naval & Military Press

The Northamptonshire Regiment 1914-1918

This history is almost entirely taken up with the two regular battalions on the Western front, though there is a chapter on the 4th (TF) Battalion which fought at Gallipoli and in Palestine, and there are a few pages on the 5th, 6th and 7th (Service) Battalions, all three of which were also in France and Flanders. Of the six VCs awarded, four were won by the 6th Battalion, including an officer from the Bedfords and one from the ASC attached to the battalion, though in the latter case that is not made clear.

Fifty-eight battle honours were awarded and the book is dedicated to the six thousand and forty soldiers of all ranks who gave their lives. The 1st Battalion was among the first to go overseas, arriving in France on 13th August 1914 with 2nd Brigade, 1st Division. The first three chapters are devoted to the battalion and its actions at Mons, the retreat, the Marne, the Aisne and First Ypres. The 2nd Battalion was in Egypt when war broke out, came home and joined the newly formed 24th Brigade of the 8th Division, arriving in France in November 1914. Both battalions remained in the same brigades throughout the war, though for a period of nine months (October 1915-July 1916) the brigade was exchanged with the 70th Brigade of the 23rd Division.

The narrative contains plenty of descriptive detail about the fighting with officers casualties named and individuals acts of gallantry recorded. Appendices list the battle honours gained by the regiment and also the Honours and Awards, less the foreign ones. There is a good index. CLICK HERE TO ORDER.

Northamptonshire & The Great War 1914-1918

A thorough and well-illustrated account of the efforts of Northamptonshire Regiment servicemen during the Great War. The regiment was amongst the first in France with the BEF in 1914, taking part in the retreat from Mons and the first battle of Ypres. 1915 was a year of disasters with the Northamptons taking heavy casualties in the catastrophic attacks at Aubers Ridge and Loos and enduring what the book calls ‘a dreadful winter in the trenches’. Meanwhile the regiment’s reserve battalions were serving in the Middle East where they helped to drive the Turks from the Holy Land.

The Northamptons served on the Somme at Trones Wood and Thiepval, where they lost their Colonel; but took part in the final breaking of the HIndenburg Line in 1918. The book has additional chapters on the county’s Victoria Cross winners. CLICK HERE TO ORDER.

21 July 2009

Suffolk Regiment - 1st & 2nd Battalions

This post will look at army service numbers and the dates on which these were issued to men joining the regular battalions (1st and 2nd Battalions) of the Suffolk Regiment.

The Suffolk Regiment was born on 1st July 1881; formed out of the old 12th (East Suffolk) Regiment of Foot. This post will look at army service numbers issued between 1881 and August 1914. Service records for all of the numbers listed below, survive in WO 363 (Burnt Documents) and WO 364 (Pensions) in the National Archives. They can also be viewed on-line via the Ancestry.co.uk website.

5 joined on 12th July 1881
241 joined on 4th February 1882
444 joined on 27th January 1883
1055 joined on 18th November 1884
1196 joined on 27th January 1885
1815 joined on 8th September 1886
1968 joined on 27th January 1887
2111 joined on 16th January 1888
2648 joined on 27th May 1889
2877 joined on 15th September 1890
2999 joined on 15th January 1891
3361 joined on 24th October 1892
3457 joined on 9th February 1893
3808 joined on 31st March 1894
4162 joined on 4th February 1895
4389 joined on 5th February 1896
4710 joined on 21st September 1897
4966 joined on 19th January 1898
5315 joined on 2nd June 1899
5490 joined on 24th January 1900
5809 joined on 8th July 1901
6018 joined on 18th February 1902
6319 joined on 6th January 1903
6716 joined on 4th January 1904
7155 joined on 8th December 1905
7463 joined on 4th December 1906
7524 joined on 2nd February 1907
7882 joined on 15th December 1909
7936 joined on 27th January 1910
8182 joined on 12th January 1911
8634 joined on 3rd January 1913
8918 joined on 10th March 1914
9014 joined on 7th August 1914 (regular terms of enlistment)

Pictured on this page, Lt Charles Frederick Lennock c1883, courtesy of the excellent Soldiers of the Queen website.

Suffolk Regiment titles from The Naval & Military Press:

History of the 12th (The Suffolk Regiment) 1685-1913

A very detailed history by an experienced author who observes that he was much assisted by the wealth of personal diaries, journals and varied reminiscences of the old 12th. There are informative appendices such as the succession of Colonels with biographies, succession of COs and Adjutants, and a chapter on uniform, equipment and the Colours.

During the almost 230 years covered by this history, the Suffolks served in India (Seringapatam is a principal battle honour), in Africa during the Kaffir and Boer Wars, in New Zealand in the Maori War, on the NW Frontier in the 2nd Afghan War, in the West Indies and Mauritius. Colour plates depict uniforms, battle scenes and the Colours in 1686 and 1849. CLICK HERE TO ORDER.

History of the Suffolk Regiment 1914-1927

This volume begins on 1st January 1914 when the Suffolk Regiment consisted of the 1st and 2nd Battalions, the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion, and the 4th, 5th and 6th (Cyclist) Battalions of the Territorial Force. After the outbreak of war sixteen more battalions were raised and added, and in 1917 the Suffolk Yeomanry converted into the 15th Battalion, making a grand total of twenty-three. Battalions of the Regiment served in France and Flanders, Gallipoli, Macedonia, Egypt and Palestine, and at home.

This book, based on war diaries, private diaries, letters and interviews, tells the stroies of the men who served. 6,650 officers and men died for King and Country and two VCs were won and 73 Battle Honours awarded.

Given the scope of this volume and space considerations there is no Roll of Honour and the list of Honours and Awards is a very limited one showing only some of the more important honours gained. Inevitably some battalions get fuller treatment than others but the main events are clearly described.

The narrative appears in chronological order, beginning in 1914 with the 1st Battalion moving from Egypt to Khartoum and the 2nd Battalion in the Curragh with 14th Brigade, 5th Division, one of the original BEF divisions. As the story unfolds so the various battalions on active service are brought into the picture and the part they played in the battles is described. One chapter is given to the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion at home and another to all the other battalions that did not go on active service. There is a comprehensive, 26-page index. CLICK HERE TO ORDER.

Diary of Colonel Bayly, 12th Regiment, 1796-1803 (Seringapatnam 1799)

Entertaining, if bloody, account of the 12th Regiment of Foot in India and their struggles against Tippoo Sultan. CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

Centurions of a Century

Nostalgic look back at Britain’s military campaigns, battles and leaders as well as (Suffolk) regimental actions and regimental life, all spread over more than a hundred years. Published in 1914, the book deals with Britain's colonial wars up until the death of Queen Victoria. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.

18 July 2009

Welsh Guards - 1st Battalion officers, June 1915

I've recently scanned a number of pages from the Illustrated War News and have added the one above to the post for the Welsh Guards.

Unlike many publications of the day, the Illustrated War News often published the names of those appearing in regimental group photos; a simple editorial decision which can reap benefits for future generations of military history researchers.

15 July 2009

Norfolk Regiment - 1st & 2nd Battalions

This post will look at army service numbers issued to men joining the regular 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Norfolk Regiment between 1881 and August 1914. The regiment was created on 1st July 1881 from the 9th (East Norfolk) Regiment of Foot.

Service records for all of the numbers listed below, survive in WO 363 (Burnt Documents) and WO 364 (Pensions) in the National Archives. They can also be viewed on-line via the Ancestry.co.uk website.

49 joined on 14th October 1881
117 joined on 14th January 1882
328 joined on 13th January 1883
753 joined on 29th January 1884
1139 joined on 31st January 1885
1624 joined on 11th January 1886
1917 joined on 7th January 1887
2175 joined on 7th June 1888
2373 joined on 5th January 1889
2593 joined on 6th June 1890
2818 joined on 7th March 1891
3168 joined on 13th March 1892
3580 joined on 9th February 1893
3932 joined on 2nd May 1894
4342 joined on 23rd July 1895
4501 joined on 27th January 1896
4730 joined on 31st March 1897
4863 joined on 5th January 1898
5122 joined on 19th January 1899
5554 joined on 2nd March 1900
5820 joined on 24th June 1901
6013 joined on 7th January 1902
6503 joined on 19th February 1903
6838 joined on 4th February 1904
7058 joined on 30th September 1905
7257 joined on 20th June 1906
7470 joined on 11th June 1907
7603 joined on 11th May 1908
7874 joined on 11th February 1909
8100 joined on 18th January 1910
8364 joined on 9th February 1911
8606 joined on 9th January 1912
8861 joined on 10th March 1913
9107 joined on 1st August 1914

Three days later, Britain went to war with Germany.

I've borrowed the undated photograph of men from the Norfolk Regiment's 2nd Battalion from The Diehards website.

13 July 2009

Cambridgeshire Regiment 1908-1915

The Cambridgeshire Regiment, which was a Territorial Force regiment, had its origins in the 3rd (Cambridgeshire) Volunteer Battalion, The Suffolk Regiment. When the Territorial Force came into being in 1908, the 3rd Volunteer Battalion became The Cambridgeshire Battalion, The Suffolk Regiment. The following year, it was constituted as a separate regiment with the title, 1st Battalion, The Cambridgeshire Regiment.

This post will look at army service numbers issued to men joining the Cambridgeshire regiment between 1908 and 1915. During the First World War, the regiment raised 2nd, 3rd and 4th line battalions - expressed as 2/1st, 3/1st and 4/1st - but all men joining these battalions were given numbers from the same number series.

Service records for all of the numbers listed below, survive in WO 363 (Burnt Documents) and WO 364 (Pensions) in the National Archives. They can also be viewed on-line via the Ancestry.co.uk website.

179 (an old 3rd VB man) joined on 8th April 1908
493 joined on 14th January 1909
1171 joined on 17th December 1910
1165 joined on 9th February 1911
1334 joined on 15th March 1912
1597 joined on 4th October 1913
1770 joined on 19th January 1914
2089 joined on 3rd August 1914
2187 joined on 2nd September 1914
2926 joined on 9th October 1914
3113 joined on 2nd November 1914
3246 joined on 2nd December 1914
3332 joined on 15th January 1915
3403 26th February 1915
3416 joined on 1st March 1915
3524 joined on 12th April 1915
3753 joined on 3rd May 1915
3937 joined on 7th June 1915
4059 joined on 27th July 1915
4075 joined on 6th August 1915
4185 joined on 20th September 1915
4265 joined on 19th October 1915
4371 17th November 1915
4576 11th December 1915

See also the Suffolk Regiment website which contains a separate section on the Cambridgeshire Regiment. I have borrowed the cap badge image from this site.

12 July 2009

2/15th London Regiment - Illustrated War News 1915

I've added a cracking photograph of 2/15th London Regiment officers to the page for the 15th London Regiment. That photo, and the two pages above, were originally published in volume 44 of the Illustrated War News, published on 5th June 1915. Click on the images for readable versions.

10 July 2009

The King's (Liverpool Regiment) - 1st & 2nd Battalions

This post will look at army service numbers issued to men joining the 1st and 2nd Battalions of The King's (Liverpool Regiment) between the regiment's formation in 1881, and the day Britain went to war with Germany: 4th August 1914.

The King's (Liverpool Regiment) was formed in July 1881 from the 8th (The King's) Regiment of Foot. Service records for all of the numbers listed below, survive in WO 363 (Burnt Documents) and WO 364 (Pensions) in the National Archives. They can also be viewed on-line via the Ancestry.co.uk website.

157 joined on 21st October 1881
210 joined on 18th February 1882
376 joined on 5th July 1883
690 joined on 18th March 1884
1028 joined on 1st January 1885
1647 joined on 29th April 1886
2055 joined on 21st April 1887
2373 joined on 1st February 1888
2880 joined on 30th March 1889
3344 joined on 18th April 1890
3541 joined on 29th May 1891
3811 joined on 10th May 1892
4098 joined on 16th February 1893
4443 joined on 1st February 1894
4874 joined on 31st July 1895
5290 joined on 16th April 1896
5659 joined on 5th March 1897
6125 joined on 9th July 1898
6351 joined on 4th February 1899
6733 joined on 20th February 1900
7332 joined on 9th January 1901
8151 joined on 22nd May 1902
8418 joined on 24th February 1903
8774 joined on 28th April 1904
9316 joined on 8th July 1905
9622 joined on 10th September 1906
9923 joined on 25th April 1907
10477 joined on 9th November 1908
10578 joined on 9th June 1909
10799 joined on 11th January 1910
11102 joined on 15th March 1911
11226 joined on 12th February 1912
11588 joined on 26th May 1913
11987 joined on 4th August 1914

Number 11987 enlisted as a career soldier for 12 years' long service, and there would be many thousands of men following in his footsteps, albeit the vast majority of these for shorter, war-time only service.

The King's did not start a separate series for the Kitchener volunteers but used the same number series that had been in use by the regulars up until then. The only differentiation between a man enlisting for a regular period of service was - initially at least - the prefix before the number. Numbers for the volunteers were prefixed with the letter K/ whilst those enlisting for regular service had the letter L/ placed before their numbers. The King's appear to have abandoned the K/ prefix by around mid November 1914, but the L/ prefix continued to be used - inconsistently - for regular enlistments; certainly into 1915 at least.

I've borrowed the image on this post from the Wikipedia page about the King's (Liverpool Regiment). It shows men from The King's (D Company; battalion not stated) at Wellington Barracks, Nova Scotia in 1890.

From the Naval & Military Press:

Click on the image for more information.

"Liverpool Pals, is a record of duty, courage and endeavour of a group of men who, before war broke out in 1914, were the backbone of Liverpool's commerce. Fired with patriotism, over 4,000 of these businessmen volunteered in 1914 and were formed into the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th (Service) Battalions of the King's (Liverpool Regiment); they were the first of all the Pals battalions to be raised, and they were the last to be stood down. It is commonly held that the North of England's Pals battalions were wiped out on the 1st July, 1916, certainly this befell a number of units, but the Liverpool Pals took all their objectives on that day. From then on they fought all through the Somme Battle, The Battle of Arras and the muddy hell of Passchendaele in 1917, and the desperate defence against the German offensive of March 1918.

9 July 2009

Essex Regiment - 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion

This post will look at numbering in the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion, The Essex Regiment. Service records for all of the numbers referred to in this post survive at the National Archives in the WO 363 (Burnt Documents) and WO 364 (Pension) series. They can also be viewed on-line via the Ancestry.co.uk website.

The Essex Regiment was one of those regiments which, under the Army Order of 23rd December 1907, lost a militia battalion when the Militia was converted into the Special Reserve.

The old 3rd (Militia) Battalion was converted into the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion, but the 4th (Militia) Battalion was one of 23 militia battalions to be disbanded. These battalions are listed in the Army Order appendices.

My data suggests that 3rd Militia Battalion men transferring to the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion, retained their old militia numbers whereas old 4th Militia Battalion men and new recruits were given numbers from a new series beginning with 1.

So 6472 Pte Thomas Page and 9507 Pte John Ballinger, who both joined the 3rd Essex on 12th July 1908, were old militia men of long-standing. Thomas Page had originally joined the 3rd Militia Battalion in March 1900 and had fought against the Boers in South Africa. John Ballinger had enlisted later, probably in 1902 or 1903, but both men retained their militia numbers when they joined the 3rd Essex in 1908. Leonard Collard, on the other hand, who was given the number 8820 when he joined the 4th Militia Battalion on 11th June 1902, was re-numbered 77 when he transferred to the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion on 10th February 1908. I've reproduced a letter from him (above) which outlines his extensive military service with the Essex Militia, the Essex Special Reserve, the 2nd Essex Regiment and finally the Machine Gun Corps. The image is Crown Copyright.

Here then, are some sample 3rd Essex army service numbers from the 'new' number series, and their corresponding joining dates.

3/460 joined on 19th August 1908
3/695 joined on 29th March 1909
949 joined on 26th May 1910
1256 joined on 24th Match 1911
1614 joined on 16th May 1912
1938 joined on 11th June 1913
3/2218 joined on 20th April 1914
3/2304 joined on 8th August 1914
2583 joined on 4th September 1914
3321 joined on 5th October 1914
3/3547 joined on 4th November 1914

My data for 3rd Essex enlistments ends at this point, and as can be seen from the small series above, the 3/ prefix was used on some but by no means all numbers issued to 3rd Battalion men.

Also see my posts on other Essex Regiment battalions:

1st and 2nd Battalions

4th Battalion (TF)
5th Battalion (TF)
6th Battalion (TF)
7th Battalion (TF)
8th (Cyclist) Battalion (TF)

9th – 14th (Service) Battalions

8 July 2009

Royal West Kent Regiment - 1st & 2nd Battalions

This post will look at army service numbers issued to men joining the regular battalions - the 1st and 2nd Battalions - of the Royal West Kent Regiment between 1881 and 1917.

The regiment was formed in July 1881 from the 50th (Queen's Own) Regiment of Foot and the 97th (Earl of Ulster's) Regiment of Foot.

I've compiled the list below as a result of looking at service records in the WO 363 and WO 364 series and as usual this is a snapshot of Royal West Kent Regiment army numbers - one per year from 1881 until 1913 - from a far larger database. Service and pension records for all of the numbers listed below are held at the National Archives on microfilm and are also available on-line through a FREE 14 day trial via the Ancestry.co.uk website.

The L/ prefix was used inconsistently for regular enlistments and I've omitted it - on those numbers where it appeared - in the list below.

61 joined on 5th September 1881
328 joined on 25th January 1882
627 joined on 22nd January 1883
848 joined on 25th January 1884
1122 joined on 29th April 1885
1410 joined on 20th February 1886
1893 joined on 5th May 1887
2310 joined on 28th February 1888
2456 joined on 15th January 1889
2751 joined on 11th March 1890
2909 joined on 2nd January 1891
3246 joined on 5th February 1892
3697 joined on 6th January 1893
4077 joined on 8th January 1894
4228 joined on 11th January 1895
4683 joined on 3rd February 1896
4859 joined on 13th February 1897
5105 joined on 12th January 1898
5483 joined on 18th April 1899
5819 joined on 24th February 1900
6211 joined on 25th June 1901
6485 joined on 9th April 1902
6586 joined on 19th August 1903
7509 joined on 27th January 1904
8009 joined on 14th January 1905
8228 joined on 3rd January 1906
8689 joined on 15th July 1907
8897 joined on 27th January 1908
9240 joined on 11th January 1909
9368 joined on 3rd February 1910
9523 joined on 9th January 1911
9790 joined on 17th January 1912
10031 joined on 1st January 1913
10398 joined on 2nd July 1914

When Britain went to war with Germany a month later, the Royal West Kent Regiment started a new number series for men joining the service battalions for war-time service only. In common with some other regiments like the Buffs (East Kent Regiment) the Middlesex Regiment and The Royal Sussex Regiment, it continued with the series above for men who, during war-time, wished to enlist as career soldiers for regular 7&5 terms of enlistment.

Service battalion recruits were issued with numbers from a new series beginning with 1 and prefixed with G/ or GS/. Regular enlistment service numbers were prefixed with L/.

L/10456 joined on 26th August 1914
L/10491 joined on 3rd September 1914
L/10542 joined on 22nd October 1914
L/10550 joined on 5th November 1914
L/10600 joined on 5th December 1914
L/10709 joined on 21st March 1915
L/10730 joined on 12th April 1915
L/10758 joined on 1st May 1915
L/10899 joined on 21st June 1915
L/10923 joined on 7th July 1915
L/10976 joined on 10th August 1915
L/11043 joined on 19th September 1915
L/11067 joined on 2nd October 1915
L/11128 joined on 8th November 1915
L/11161 joined on 21st December 1915
L/11171 joined on 11th January 1916
L/11180 joined on 1st February 1916
L/11200 joined on 9th March 1916
L/11320 joined on 11th July 1916
L/11394 joined on 2nd September 1916
L/11448 joined on 9th January 1917

Pictured above, L/9457 Corporal Horace Frank Wood of the 8th Royal West Kent, bearing two wound stripes on his left cuff; the result of wounds at Loos in 1915 and Arras in 1917. His number indicates that he must have joined as a regular in May or June 1910. His story appears on my Chailey 1914-1918 website.

Royal West Kent Regiment literature from The Naval & Military Press:

INVICTA: With the First Battalion The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment in the Great War. Click the image for more information.

History of the 50th (or the Queen's Own) Regiment from the earliest date to the year 1881
A little earlier than the scope of this blog but nevertheless a widely researched history. Contains 40 plates (some of these in colour) and ten maps.

Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment 1881-1914
Picking up from where the previous volume left off. This first part of a 3-volume history of the Royal West Kents takes the regiment from its formation out of the 50th and the 97th Regiments of Foot. The regiment fought against Pashtun tribesmen on the North-West frontier of the Punjab in 1897-98, and in South Africa during the Boer War from 1900-1902.

Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment 1914-1919
The second volume of the three volume series details the regiment’s part in the Great War from 1914-1919. The regiment lost 6,866 killed out of a total of 21,000 casualties. Click on the link for more information about this volume.

Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment 1920-1950
The third and final volume of the three volume history. Again, beyond the scope of this site but a volume which tells the story of the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment from the aftermath of the Great War in 1920 down to the wake of the Second World War in 1950. Click the link for more information.

7 July 2009

Can I ascertain a man's battalion from his number?

In most cases, the answer is probably no but I've just done a little research on a Royal Fusiliers casualty which - up until a point - does suggest a battalion based on his number and his age.

I've posted that research - and my conclusions - on a separate blog: WW1 Remembrance - George John Albrecht.

Knowing the different army number series used by the regular battalions and the special and extra reserve battalions up until 1914 at least, is generally going to be useful. Take, as an example of this, the four regular battalions of the Royal Fusiliers, the 5th (Special Reserve) Battalion, the 6th (Special Reserve) Battalion and the 7th (Extra Reserve) Battalion.

In 1913 the four regular RF battalions were numbering in the 15000s, the 5th Battalion in the 9000s, the 6th Battalion in the 2000s and the 7th Battalion in the 8000s. This would make it a straightforward task if, for argument's sake, a new RF recruit in 1913 was given the number 2100. He could only have joined the 6th Battalion (and his number may also have been prefixed with SR/ - Special Reserve). Even without knowing the year of joining we'd be able to narrow our hypothetical recruit down to the 6th Battalion and from there, come up with a rough estimate of when he joined, which actually would be January 1913. However, there'd be no way of telling - if the man's number was 15800 - whether he'd joined the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th Battalion because all four battalions shared the same number series. We'd know that he was a regular and that he'd joined in October 1913 but we wouldn't know which battalion.

George Albrecht's number marked him out as either a candidate for the 5th or the 7th Battalion, and a little extra digging to determine his age has ascertained that he would have been too young for the 5th Battalion and therefore must have joined the 7th and transferred shortly after that (but keeping his 7th Battalion number).

And that's where the trail goes cold. George was killed on the Somme whilst serving with the 8th RF but he'd already been to the Balkans, arriving there in September 1915, and to have done so means he must have served with another RF battalion. The medal rolls may reveal exactly which one.

But army service number series (particularly if blocks were set aside for specific battalions) and army service number prefixes, can certainly help in identifying which battalion a man initially joined, even though they may not reveal subsequent postings within the same regiment.

Puzzled image from Marquette University.

6 July 2009

Middlesex Regiment - 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Battalions

This post will look at army service numbers issued to men joining the regular battalions of the Middlesex Regiment between 1881 (when the regiment was formed) and 1916.

From 1881 to 1900 the Middlesex Regiment comprised two regular battalions: the 1st Battalion - formerly the 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot - and the 2nd Battalion - formerly the 77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot. In 1900, during the Boer War, two more regular battalions were authorised and these became the 3rd and 4th Battalions. This presented a problem for the two Middlesex Regiment Militia battalions - the Royal Elthorne Militia and the Royal East Middlesex Militia - which prior to 1900 had been the 3rd and 4th Battalions respectively. With the addition of the two new regular battalions they now became the 5th and 6th Battalions.

After the conclusion of the Boer War, the Middlesex Regiment retained its two additional battalions and therefore went to war in 1914 with four regular battalions. Three of these four battalions - the 1st, 2nd and 4th - were fighting in France before the year was out. The 3rd Battalion was stationed in India in August 1914 and didn't reach the Western Front until January 1915.

The L/ prefix was generally, but by no means uniformly used for regular Middlesex Regiment enlistments and I have omitted this prefix (where it occurs) from the list below. The data - which should be regarded as a snapshot - has been compiled as a result of looking at service records held in the WO 363 and WO 364 series at the National Archives and now accessible on-line. All of the following records can be viewed via Ancestry.co.uk which is currently offering a FREE 14 day trial.

121 joined on 15th November 1881
462 joined on 20th November 1882
539 joined on 10th January 1883
888 joined on 12th January 1884
1344 joined on 29th April 1885
1735 joined on 29th April 1886
2244 joined on 6th September 1887
2356 joined on 2nd January 1888
2562 joined on 9th February 1889
3033 joined on 24th October 1890
3233 joined on 15th May 1891
3490 joined on 28th January 1892
4049 joined on 18th January 1893
4631 joined on 29th March 1894
4710 joined on 16th August 1895
4792 joined on 21st February 1896
5160 joined on 16th September 1897
5332 joined on 14th February 1898
5669 joined on 16th January 1899
6165 joined on 23rd March 1900
6865 joined on 15th January 1901
7729 joined on 30th January 1902
8326 joined on 2nd January 1903
9590 joined on 15th January 1904
10063 joined on 16th February 1905
10888 joined on 2nd January 1906
11492 joined on 12th February 1907
12137 joined on 10th March 1908
12466 joined on 26th January 1909
12818 joined on 4th January 1910
13356 joined on 30th January 1911
14082 joined on 13th May 1912
14442 joined on 29th January 1913
14821 joined on 2nd March 1914

When Britain went to war with Germany in August 1914, the Middlesex Regiment maintained the number series above for men enlisting for regular periods of service and started new number series for those men enlisting for wartime service only. It also started new series for war-time enlistments joing the 5th (Special Reserve) & 6th (Extra Reserve) Battalions which I'll deal with in future posts.

War-time only enlistments in the 11th - 15th service battalions, the 20th - 22nd Battalions, the 28th - 32nd Battalions and the 1st Garrison (Home Service) Battalion had their numbers prefixed with the letter G/ (or GS/ in some cases). Those men enlisting as regular, career soldiers, still received their numbers from the old series, prefixed with the letter L/.

L/15019 joined on 15th August 1914
L/15278 joined on 2nd December 1914
L/15371 joined on 18th February 1915
L/15446 joined on 14th March 1915
L/15449 joined on 14th April 1915
L/15680 joined on 11th May 1915
L/15807 joined on 1st June 1915
L/16013 joined on 21st July 1915
L/16079 joined on 6th August 1915
L/16314 joined on 26th October 1915
L/16315 joined on 1st December 1915
L/16433 joined on 10th February 1916

I've borrowed the image in this page from Norfolk County Council's (NCC) website. NCC notes the soldier as Private Reginald Eugene Kerridge of the 1st Middlesex. Private Kerridge's number was G/24450 indicating that although he may have served with the regular 1st Battalion, he joined up for war-time service only.

From The Naval & Military Press:

The Die-hards in the Great War
"The ‘Die-Hards’ is the nickname of the Middlesex Regiment, earned at the battle of Albuera in the Peninsular War in May 1811. The Regiment was one of five that had four regular battalions before the outbreak of war, it also had two Special Reserve battalions (5th and 6th) and four Territorial battalions, 7th to 10th..." Click the link to read more.

5 July 2009

Army Service Numbers 1881-1918 - Index

2 July 2009

King's Shropshire Light Infantry - 1st & 2nd Battalions

The King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) was formed in July 1881. The old 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot became the 1st Battalion and what had been the 85th (King's Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot became the 2nd Battalion.

This post will look at army service numbers issued to men joining the regular battalions of the KSLI between the regiment's formation in 1881 and the outbreak of war in August 1914. As with all my other posts on army service numbers, what follows should be considered a snapshot of numbering in the Shropshire Light Infantry; a series of break points published here to help researchers determine when their own KSLI relative joined the regiment.

I've compiled the list below as a result of looking at service records in the WO 363 and WO 364 series (and the majority of these records are in WO 364). These are held at the National Archives on microfilm and are now also available via the Ancestry website. Ancestry is also currently offering a FREE 14 day trial.

35 joined on 25th July 1881
496 joined on 15th May 1882
1098 joined on 3rd July 1883
1203 joined on 3rd January 1884
1613 joined on 16th June 1885
1940 joined on 19th March 1886
2215 joined on 11th March 1887
2758 joined on 1st March 1888
2982 joined on 4th February 1889
3158 joined on 4th January 1890
3413 joined on 25th February 1891
3703 joined on 9th June 1892
3999 joined on 27th January 1893
4264 joined on 5th March 1894
4753 joined on 5th January 1895
5001 joined on 18th January 1896
5204 joined on 11th February 1897
5523 joined on 3rd January 1898
5894 joined on 4th January 1899
6288 joined on 1st March 1900
6653 joined on 27th May 1901
7026 joined on 22nd July 1902
7175 joined on 2nd January 1903
7598 joined on 11th January 1904
7944 joined on 18th May 1905
8084 joined on 30th January 1906
8409 joined on 18th February 1907
8732 joined on 1st January 1908
9091 joined on 29th January 1909
9375 joined on 19th February 1910
9615 joined on 24th January 1911
9908 joined on 22nd March 1912
10167 joined on 8th January 1913

I don't have any data for the first half of 1914 but by August 6th, George Middleton who joined up for 7 & 5 with the regiment, was given the number 10480. The newly forming service battalions too (5th - 9th Battalions) would also allocate numbers from the same series that had originally been used by the regular battalions.

I've 'borrowed' the photograph on this post from the excellent Roll of Honour website, and more accurately, that part of the site which deals with memorials and rolls of honour in Shrosphire. The image shows KSLI Territorial Force soldiers (4th Battalion) outside their billets in 1914.

Literature from The Naval & Military Press

Click on the book covers for more information.

The 85th King's Light Infantry
In 1881, the 8th Regiment of Foot became the 2nd Battalion, The King's Shropshire Light Infantry. This volume deals with the 85th from its incarnation in 1759 until its demise in 1881. Includes many fine illustrations including 11 colour plates illustrating the evolution of regimental uniforms; five appendices listing officers of the regiment; and many maps, drawings and sketches.

History of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in The Great War 1914-1918
"On the outbreak of war in 1914 the regiment consisted of four battalions: the 1st (Ireland), 2nd (India), the 3rd and the 4th (Territorial) were in Shrewsbury. During the course of the war the establishment of the regiment was raised to thirteen battalions, eight of them (1st, 2nd, 1/4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 10th) went on active service while the remainder furnished drafts and took part in home defence. Fifty-two battle honours and one VC were awarded; 4,710 died."

Army Service Numbers 1881-1918

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