This post will look at regimental numbering in the 7th Battalion, King's (Liverpool Regiment) between 1908 and 1914.
The 7th Battalion was a Territorial Force unit which was formed on the 1st April 1908 and, prior to this, had been the 4th Volunteer Battalion, the King's Liverpool Regiment. In 1908, as The Territorial Year Book for 1909 records, the battalion strength comprised 32 officers and 602 men. 217 men attended camp in 1908 for 8 days and 255 attended for 15 days.
The following year, The Territorial Year Book for 1910 recorded that the strength of the battalion in 1909 stood at 25 officers and 866 men; a good increase on the previous year. At the annual camp that year, 303 officers and men attended for eight days whilst 348 officers and men attended for 15 days.
The battalion was initially headquartered at 77 Shaw Street, Liverpool; later at 99 Park Street, Bootle, and recruited in Bootle , Southport, Formby and Crosby as below:
A, B, C, D and F Companies: recruited in Bootle
E Company: recruited in Crosby
G & H Company: recruited in Southport, with a drill station at Formby
Here are some sample regimental numbers and joining dates for the the 7th Battalion, King's (Liverpool Regiment). The majority of men signing up from April 1908 would have been men who, up until the 31st March, had been serving members of the 4th VF Battalion.
141 joined on the 2nd April 1908
853 joined on the 8th March 1909
1098 joined on the 31st March 1910
1151 joined on the 25th February 1911
1297 joined on the 9th March 1912
1639 joined on the 6th February 1913
1955 joined on the 19th March 1914
2051 joined on the 4th August 1914
The battalion does not appear to have had any trouble recruiting and with the outbreak of war in August 1914, a reserve battalion was formed in Bootle in October 1914. The original 7th Battalion now became the 1/7th Battalion and the new reserve battalion became the 2/7th Battalion. A 3/7th Battalion would be formed in May 1915.
Use the regimental numbers above to estimate when a man would have joined this battalion between 1908 and August 1914. For example, if your man had the number 1678 he would have joined this battalion at some time between 6th February 1913 and 19th March 1914 (and probably in about April 1913).
