British regimental number research. First World War research. Military research. British Army regiments. Regimental numbering sequences between 1881 and 1918. Regimental number series. Other rank prisoners of war 1914.
The 16th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (Queen's Westminster Rifles), had its origins in the 12th Middlesex (Queen's) Volunteer Rifles Corps. Its headquarters was at 58 Buckingham Gate, Westminster.
Here are some army service numbers and corresponding joining dates for the 16th Londons:
401 joined on 24th April 1908 531 joined on 4th February 1909 1280 joined on 21st November 1910 1381 joined on 20th November 1911 1610 joined on 22nd November 1913 1699 joined on 5th August 1914 2673 joined on 1st September 1914 3304 joined on 7th November 1914 3638 joined on 28th December 1914 3724 joined on 18th January 1915 3784 joined on 3rd February 1915 3869 joined on 6th March 1915 3989 joined on 17th April 1915 4103 joined on 13th May 1915 4233 joined on 2nd June 1915 4401 joined on 15th July 1915 4460 joined on 11th August 1915 4512 joined on 25th September 1915 4570 joined on 18th October 1915 4651 joined on 1st November 1915 5066 joined on 4th December 1915 5356 joined on 3rd January 1916 5558 joined on 9th February 1916 5825 joined on 2nd March 1916 6220 joined on 6th April 1916 6444 joined on 3rd May 1916 6952 joined on 11th June 1916 7092 joined on 31st August 1916 7235 joined on 15th September 1916 7319 joined on 6th October 1916 7509 joined on 10th November 1916 7742 joined on 4th December 1916
By January 1917, the 16th London Regiment was numbering with the new six figure Territorial Force numbers. It did so within the range 550001 - 570000.
WAR HISTORY OF THE FIRST BATTALION QUEEN’S WESTMINSTER RIFLES 1914-1918
This from the Naval & Military Press website regarding their reprint of the above book:
"With the formation of the Territorials in 1908 the Westminsters became the 16th (County of London) Battalion, London Regt (Queen’s Westminster Rifles). It was in the 2nd London Division at the outbreak of war, but left the division and landed in France on 3 Nov 1914; shortly after it was posted to 18th Brigade, 6th Division (regular) till Feb 1916 when it joined 169th Brigade of the 56th (1st London) Division which was then re-forming in France, and with which it remained to the end of the war.
"For the first six months the battalion was in the Armentieres sector before moving up to the Salient at the end of May 1915. The next eight months were spent in the Ypres Salient during which time they occupied practically every portion of the northern half from the Ypres-Roulers railway to about a mile NW of Wieltje, as clearly shown on an excellent, accompanying map. Then it was down to the Somme front where, with the 48th Division, their division took part in the disastrous attack on Gommecourt on 1 July which, according to the battalion history, cost them 600 casualties out of the 750 who went into action. Subsequently they were in action in other Somme battles, in the Arras offensive of 1917, in Third Ypres, at Cambrai, Canal du Nord and the advance to Victory.
"The battalion was awarded 24 battle honours and the roll of honour lists 1,219 dead of all ranks. As a single-battalion history this contains plenty of detail and the supporting maps are excellent in their clarity and the amount of tactical detail. Most useful is the appendix containing an itinerary showing battalion locations and periods spent in the line. There is a list of honours and awards and a list of all the officers who served with the battalion overseas. The author was the battalion 2nd in command who embarked with it in November 1914 as a company commander."
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Read my other posts on numbering in the London Regiment battalions:
The 15th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (Civil Service Rifles), had its origins in the 12th Middlesex (Civil Service) Volunteer Rifles Corps. Its headquarters was at Somerset House, Westminster. Pictured above are officers from the 2/15th London Regiment. This photograph originally appeared on page 41 of part 44 of the Illustrated War News, 5th June 1915. Click on the images above for readable versions. I've also added more 2/15th Londons photographs on a separate post. Clicking the link in the previous sentence will take you there.
The good news for you if you have a relative who served in the 15th Londons is that, relatively speaking, the WO363 series is 'awash' with Civil Service Riflemen. I've looked at thousands and thousands of records and in my opinion, the 15th Londons are well represented and appear to have fared rather better than some other regiments.
Anyway, here are some sample army service numbers and corresponding joining dates for the 15th Londons:
473 joined on 2nd April 1908 1068 joined on 24th March 1909 1185 joined on 23rd February 1910 1286 joined on 22nd February 1911 1387 joined on 19th February 1912 1536 joined on 27th January 1913 1760 joined on 19th January 1914 1983 joined on 4th August 1914 2465 joined on 1st September 1914 3138 joined on 7th October 1914 3179 joined on 7th December 1914 3227 joined on 4th January 1915 3287 joined on 5th February 1915 3349 joined on 4th March 1915 3447 joined on 6th April 1915 3632 joined on 3rd May 1915 3922 joined on 7th June 1915 4247 joined on 13th July 1915 4344 joined on 4th August 1915 4414 joined on 6th September 1915 4481 joined on 6th October 1915 4584 joined on 8th November 1915 5080 joined on 6th December 1915 5515 joined on 24th January 1916 5721 joined on 1st February 1916 6019 joined on 1st March 1916 6445 joined on 5th April 1916 6607 joined on 1st May 1916 6885 joined on 31st July 1916 6904 joined on 4th August 1916 7297 joined on 11th September 1916 7462 joined on 4th October 1916 7681 joined on 17th November 1916 7742 joined on 4th December 1916 7786 joined on 8th January 1917
HISTORY OF THE PRINCE OF WALES’S OWN CIVIL SERVICE RIFLES
From the Naval & Military Press:
"This is a great history, one of the best of its kind. Just look at the wealth of information contained in the appendices: the nominal roll of all officers and other ranks who served 1914-1919, identifying those who died (1,227); list of officers of 1/15th who embarked for France in March 1915; casualty details in tabular form showing separately monthly figures for the first line and second line battalions and those attached to other units and distinguishing between killed in action, died of wounds, missing presumed dead, died of illness and died as PoW; list of decorations and awards; staff list showing all COs, adjutants and RSMs from 1860 to 1920 ; list of those who served in the S African War; annual strength states from 1860 to 1914 and even an appendix on the Regimental Plate with photo and identification of the various trophies. This is the heart of a regiment.
"The narrative is as good and informative as the appendices and is arranged in three parts, each by a different member of the Regiment. The first part traces in considerable detail the pre-1914 history from the early days of 1859 to the eve of war by which time the title had become “the 15th (County of London) Battalion the London Regiment. The second part is concerned with the first line battalion, 1/15th, which landed in France on 17th March 1915 with the 4th London Brigade, 2nd London Division (in May these became 140th Brigade 47th Division). It was at Festubert, in May, that the battalion first became acquainted with the realities of war, even though the men were employed throughout in holding the line.
"The story is based not only on the War Diary but also on the Regimental Diary which contained all the “personal gossip” in the unit as well as accounts of tours in the line. The latter was discontinued early in 1918 but the CO decided that to make up for this the War Diary should contain every item of interest to the battalion, not just operational matters. The 2/15th was formed in September 1914 and assigned to 179th Brigade 60th Division and went to France in June 1916; the list of officers, WOs and CQMS’s embarking is given. After four months in the line north of Arras the division was shipped out to the Macedonian theatre, arriving at Salonika in December 1916. Six months later the division moved again, this time to Palestine to join Allenby’s EEF. After a year’s campaigning in Palestine the battalion was one of seven taken from the division and sent back to France where the situation was critical in the wake of the German offensive."
Read my other posts on numbering in the London Regiment battalions:
This battalion had its origins in the London Scottish Volunteer Rifles Corps. Its headquarters was at 59 Buckingham Gate, Westminster. The battalion holds the distinction of being the first territorial infantry battalion to see action against the Germans in the First World War. This occurred at Messines on 31st October 1914, the London Scottish territorials fighting alongside regular battalions of the British Army.
Here are some army service numbers and joining dates for The London Scottish.
689 joined on September 14th 1908 807 joined on January 20th 1909 1241 joined on February 7th 1910 1404 joined on January 23rd 1911 1586 joined on January 22nd 1912 1782 joined on February 17th 1913 2002 joined on January 12th 1914 2202 joined on August 4th 1914 2798 joined on 1st September 1914 3379 joined on November 5th 1914 4099 joined on December 9th 1914 4256 joined on January 11th 1915 4377 joined on February 11th 1915 4492 joined on March 12th 1915 4615 joined on April 12th 1915 4746 joined on May 3rd 1915 4911 joined on June 3rd 1915 5050 joined on July 19th 1915 5111 joined on August 7th 1915 5235 joined on September 30th 1915 5327 joined on October 27th 1915 5381 joined on November 3rd 1915 6034 joined on December 7th 1915 6401 joined on January 8th 1916 6642 joined on February 4th 1916 7003 joined on March 1st 1916 7443 joined on April 6th 1916 7679 joined on May 1st 1916 8141 joined on July 17th 1916 8411 joined on August 31st 1916 8509 joined on September 15th 1916 8653 joined on October 9th 1916 8756 joined on November 9th 1916 8805 joined on December 4th 1916 8854 joined on January 9th 1917
When the Territorial Force was re-numbered in 1917, The 14th Londons re-numbered within the block 510001 to 530000.
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This battalion had its origins in the 4th Middlesex Volunteer Rifles Corps. Its headquarters was at Iverna Gardens, Kensington.
201 joined on 4th April 1908 570 joined on 19th February 1909 1044 joined on 8th February 1910 1147 joined on 10th January 1911 1293 joined on 14th May 1912 1367 joined on 21st January 1913 1540 joined on 3rd March 1914 1725 joined on 5th August 1914 2430 joined on 1st September 1914 3311 joined on 10th November 1914 3672 joined on 10th December 1914 3846 joined on 20th January 1915 3944 joined on 9th February 1915 4025 joined on 8th March 1915 4091 joined on 12th April 1915 4249 joined on 12th May 1915 4313 joined on 8th June 1915 4421 joined on 14th July 1915 4461 joined on 9th August 1915 4489 joined on 9th September 1915 4518 joined on 5th October 1915 4550 joined on 8th November 1915 4651 joined on 11th December 1915 4690 joined on 12th February 1916 4753 joined on 31st March 1916 4814 joined on 1st April 1916 5282 joined on 2nd May 1916 5403 joined on 5th June 1916 5717 joined on 4th July 1916 6384 joined on 21st August 1916 6483 joined on 1st September 1916 6629 joined on 17th October 1916 6784 joined on 20th November 1916
When the Territorial Force was re-numbered in 1917, The 13th Londons re-numbered within the block 490001 to 510000. Here are some sample army service numbers and corresponding joining dates within the six digit range:
490025 originally joined on 19th February 1909 490057 originally joined on 9th January 1912 490149 originally joined on 16th September 1913 490252 originally joined on 5th August 1914 490510 originally joined on 1st September 1914 490928 originally joined on 12th November 1914 491130 originally joined on 17th December 1914 491216 originally joined on 13th January 1915 491307 originally joined on 5th February 1915 491367 originally joined on 5th March 1915 491585 originally joined on 28th June 1915 491720 originally joined on 8th November 1915 493278 originally joined on 30th August 1916 493924 joined on 16th January 1917 494058 joined on 14th February 1917 494264 joined on 30th March 1917 494291 joined on 23rd April 1917 495322 joined on 9th May 1917 495671 joined on 11th June 1917 495897 joined on 11th October 1917 496075 joined on 9th January 1918 496634 joined on 21st May 1918
BEWARE!
It is wrong to assume that numbers were issued in a strict sequential sequence. They weren't. As the war progressed and casualties grew, large numbers of men were often transferred from one battalion to another and allocated numbers within blocks which did not fit the sequential patterning seen to date. This becomes particularly evident in most battalions from 1916 onwards.
As an example, take a look at these six digit numbers for the Kensingtons beginning 505***.
c505004 to 505027 Numbers in this range were issued to men who transferred in France, from the 23rd Londons to the 13th Londons. This transfer took place on 14th April 1917 and NOT in 1918 as could be implied from the sequential list above. c505038 to 505045 Issued to men who had transferred from the 8th Londons to the 13th Londons. c505049 to 505063 Issued to men who had transferred from the 17th Londons to the 13th Londons. c505073 to 505096 Issued to men who had transferred from the 18th Londons to the 13th Londons
It gets messier from here, men with numbers in the 5051** and 5052** range being transferred from a variety of regiments, the majority of which are other London Regiment battalions but also men from the Sussex Yeomanry, Monmouthshire Regiment and others. I suspect that men in the 505*** range were all transferred in April 1917, but I'll check this.
Read the history of The Kensingtons (first published in 1936) this from the N&MP blurb on their advertised reprint below:
"A brief account of the history of the Kensingtons before the Great War is given in the opening chapter of this book. When war broke out the battalion was already allocated to the 4th London Brigade, 2nd London Division, but in November 1914 it left the division and went to France, arriving on 4th; it was allocated to 25th Brigade, 8th Division, a newly formed regular division, with which it fought its first major action, at Neuve Chapelle in March 1915. After a spell on the Lines of Communication the battalion joined the re-formed 1st London Division (now numbered 56th) in 168th Brigade, and it fought in that brigade on the Western Front for the rest of the war.
"In September 1914 a second line battalion was formed (2/13th) which was assigned to179th Brigade 60th Division. An unexpected diversion occurred at the end of April 1916 when the brigade was sent to Ireland on internal security duties following the Easter rebellion. A fortnight later it returned to England and on 21 June the 60th Division began its move to France. After about four months in the Vimy sector the division was transferred to Macedonia where the battalion arrived at the end of November 1916. Its spell in that theatre was comparatively short for in May 1917 the division moved again - to Palestine where it served with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force until the end of the war.
"This history is arranged in two parts, the first deals with the first line battalion, 1/4th, and is written by Sgt Bailey; the second part is the history of the 2/4th, written by Sgt Hollier. There is a final chapter covering the post-war period up to 1935, written by one of the commanding officers. The Roll of Honour lists the dead (60 officers 1003 men), alphabetically by ranks, without identifying battalion, nor does the list of Honours and Awards identify the battalion."
I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.
Read my other posts on numbering in the London Regiment battalions:
