Following hot on the heels of the Liverpool Pals, here are some number blocks for the Glasgow Pals, more correctly: 15th (1st City) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (Glasgow Tramways), 16th (2nd City) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (Glasgow Boys' Brigade) and 17th (2nd City) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (Glasgow Commercials).
Numbering in the Glasgow Pals battalions initially used the same number sequence that had been in use for the regular battalions and which, since August 1914, had also been used by the newly forming service battalions. At some point, however, a decision was obviously taken to commence a new number series, from 1, and this series starts appearing in August 1914 and is also shared across all service battalions.
I will list the number series - as far as I can ascertain these, in the order in which these were issued. The date range for the following numbers is mid August to mid September 1914
13000 - 14100: 15th Battalion
14101 - 15199: 16th Battalion
15200 - 16299: 17th Battalion
The new number range starts appearing, in my Glasgow Pals' database at least, in early November 1914, with numbers in the 35** range being issued as late as May 1915
0965 - 1163: 15th Battalion
1364 - 1460: 16th Battalion
2684 - 2999: 17th Battalion
3100 - 3296: mostly 15th Battalion
3355 - 3574: mostly 16th Battalion
Both Ancestry and Findmypast have data collections covering the Glasgow Pals.
The image above is borrowed from the Glesga' Pals website and shows new recruits for the 16th Battalion parading in St George's Square, Glasgow in 1914.
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My grandfathers number was 12910 Pte Hynman and he was in the HLI but I have no idea what battalion he was in. His medal card says theatre of service France from 24/03/15. I know he was from Glasgow and born in 1896 and that's it. Any info would be great.
ReplyDeleteYou're in luck because, as it happens, I like the HLI and have done quite a lot of research into this regiment. Your grandfather actually appears several times in a couple of my databases.
ReplyDeleteHe joined the 12th HLI on 5th September 1914 and has a surviving service record in WO 363 (on Ancestry) which I have not looked at in detail.
His name also appears a number of times in various issues of the HLI Chronicle as follows:
October 1914: Recruit joined since last issue [which was July 1914]
July-Oct 1915: Appears in a roll of NCOs and men wounded in action.
January 1916: Appears in a roll of NCOs and men "wounded since last issue" [which was October 1915]
April 1917: Appears in a roll of NCOs and men "wounded since last issue" [which was July 1917]
Hope this helps. The service record will obviously tell you a good deal more.
Paul