The Prince of Wales's Volunteers Regiment (South Lancashire Regiment) was formed on the 1st July 1881; the 1st Battalion from the 40th (2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot, and the 2nd Battalion from the 82nd (Prince of Wales’s Volunteers) Regiment of Foot.
The newly formed regiment
was established as the county regiment for south central Lancashire
and started numbering from 1 in 1881.
There are over 40,000 South
Lancashire Regiment pension and service records (for this regiment -
and its antecedents) in various War Office series held at the National
Archives. Clicking on the link will take you to the results on Findmypast but you
will need a subscription or Pay-Per-View credits to actually view the
records. Some of these records can also be viewed on-line on Ancestry although
Findmypast has by far the most comprehensive service record collection.
Use the regimental numbers and dates on which these were issued, below,
to determine parameters for when your own South Lancashire Regiment ancestor
would have joined up. Note though that these numbers are only for regular
enlistments. Special Reserve and Territorial Force battalions operated
completely separate regimental number sequences.
5 joined on 29th July 1881
349 joined on 5th January 1882
849 joined on 9th February 1883
1209 joined on 23rd June 1884
1410 joined on 2nd January 1885
1951 joined on 19th August 1886
2260 joined on 10th August 1887
2469 joined on 21st March 1888
2659 joined on 12th January 1889
3103 joined on 30th May 1890
3400 joined on 25th February 1891
3740 joined on 29th June 1892
3954 joined on 30th January 1893
4274 joined on 10th January 1894
4667 joined on 8th January 1895
4999 joined on 28th February 1896
5190 joined on 1st January 1897
5492 joined on 21st February 1898
5883 joined on 11th July 1899
6025 joined on 14th March 1900
349 joined on 5th January 1882
849 joined on 9th February 1883
1209 joined on 23rd June 1884
1410 joined on 2nd January 1885
1951 joined on 19th August 1886
2260 joined on 10th August 1887
2469 joined on 21st March 1888
2659 joined on 12th January 1889
3103 joined on 30th May 1890
3400 joined on 25th February 1891
3740 joined on 29th June 1892
3954 joined on 30th January 1893
4274 joined on 10th January 1894
4667 joined on 8th January 1895
4999 joined on 28th February 1896
5190 joined on 1st January 1897
5492 joined on 21st February 1898
5883 joined on 11th July 1899
6025 joined on 14th March 1900
The South
Lancashire Regiment raised three volunteer service companies during the South
African War. Numbers were allocated as
follows:
1st VSC: numbers within the range 7010 to 7176
2nd VSC: numbers within the range 7436 to 7584
3rd VSC: numbers 7500 to 7524
2nd VSC: numbers within the range 7436 to 7584
3rd VSC: numbers 7500 to 7524
On 23rd February
1900, the 1st VSC comprising Captain F M Appleton, Lieutenant H H Lewis,
Lieutenant E Robson and 113 men set sail for South Africa
6222 joined on 11th February 1901
6461 joined on 3rd February 1902
7280 joined on 4th November 1903
7407 joined on 11th February 1904
7919 joined on 9th January 1905
8237 joined on 7th July 1906
8655 joined on 27th April 1907
8928 joined on 30th May 1908
9254 joined on 15th February 1909
9373 joined on 4th February 1910
9677 joined on 8th October 1911
9803 joined on 14th June 1912
9955 joined on 1st January 1913
10167 joined on 1st January 1914
The First World War
When Britain
Recruitment rates
1881-1911
Between 1st July 1881 and 25th February 1891, The South Lancashire Regiment
recruited 3,400 men, an average of 352 men each year. Of the sixty-nine infantry regiments
recruiting at this time, the South Lancashire Regiment was the twenty-ninth most effective
infantry recruiter.
Recruitment in the 1890s dipped for The South Lancashire Regiment and by
February 1901 it had added just 2800 men to its 1891 total, a disappointing
average recruitment rate of 282 men per annum; the third lowest of all the
infantry regiments for the decade.
From the low of the 1890s, recruitment in the regiment picked up in the
first decade of the twentieth century and by October 1911 the regiment was
issuing number 9677 to its latest recruit; an average recruitment rate for the
decade of 324 men.
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I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.
Worth noting that the regiment didn't always draw men from Lancashire. My grandfather from Bexley, Kent (then) enlisted as 8849 on 11 March 1908. At that time the regiment was stationed at Tidworth and was recruiting 'in London'.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, and this was repeated throughout the British Army, albeit some regiments recruited from outside their recruiting areas more than others. This went against the spirit of the Territorial system but was the necessary consequence of lack of recruits in some areas in particular (although Lancashire, despite having four county regiments also had a populous area upon which to draw men and was not one of those regiments which was worst affected). See my post on Border Regiment recruitment in 1906: http://armyservicenumbers.blogspot.co.uk/2009/06/border-regiment-recruitment-in-1906.html
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ReplyDeleteMy great uncle was from Dublin and fought in WW1 in the south Lancashire regiment. He died in Belgium in 1917. Would love to see a photo of him, can’t find one anywhere. Went to Ypres to visit his grave! Lovely to finally get to see it.
ReplyDeletePlease see my tips on my British Army Ancestors website: https://britisharmyancestors.co.uk/about-us/
ReplyDeleteMy great grandfather served in the south Lancashires and lost both legs in one of the battles but I'm unsure which and wondered if there would be any information available? Pte Edgar Millen
ReplyDeleteRe 40311 Edgar Millen. Yes, there is some information available. He received campaign medals and a silver war badge. It would be possible to piece together his service history. See the research page on this blog.
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