Royal Warwickshire Regiment - 7th Bn (TF)

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 7th (TF) Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment between 1908 and 1914. 

The 7th Battalion was a Territorial Force unit which had been formed out of the old 2nd Volunteer Battalion. In 1908, as The Territorial Year Book for 1909 records, the 7th Battalion strength comprised 24 officers and 808 men. The following year, The Territorial Year Book for 1910 recorded that the strength of the 7th Battalion had risen to 23 officers and 980 men. 

The battalion was headquartered at Coventry, and A, B, C & D Companies all drew their recruits from Coventry. E Company recruited in Rugby, F Company recruited in Leamington, G Company recruited in Warwick (and had a drill station at Kenilworth), and H Company recruited in Nuneaton. Pre 1914-1918 the battalion formed part of the Warwickshire Infantry Brigade in the South Midland Division. Here are some sample regimental numbers and joining dates for the the 7th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment:

935 joined on the 6th April 1908
1106 joined on the 1st March 1909
1280 joined on the 18th July 1910
1325 joined on the 8th February 1911
1484 joined on the 26th February 1912
1756 joined on the 14th March 1913
2110 joined on the 18th February 1914
2678 joined on the 5th September 1914 

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 1500 and came from Coventry, he would have joined in, approximately, March 1913 and would have served in A, B, C or D Company. 

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To search for photos of your Royal Warwickshire Regiment ancestors, check my British Army Ancestors website.

Royal Warwickshire Regiment - 5th & 6th Bns (TF)

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 5th & 6th (TF) Battalions, Royal Warwickshire Regiment between 1908 and 1914.

The 5th & 6th Battalions were Territorial Force units which were formed as independent infantry battalions on the 1st April 1908.  They had formerly been the 1st Volunteer Battalion which, prior to the transfer to the Territorial Force, had comprised no fewer than 18 separate companies and between 1800 and 1900 men. In 1908, as The Territorial Year Book for 1909 records, the 5th Battalion strength comprised 24 officers and 808 men, whilst the 6th Battalion comprised 24 officers and 845 men.

The following year, The Territorial Year Book for 1910 recorded that the strength of the 5th Battalion had risen to 30 officers and 957 men whilst the 6th Battalion, matching the 5th almost man for man, had a strength of 29 officers and 954 men. Both battalions were headquartered at Thorp Street, Birmingham, and all companies (companies A-H) in both battalions, recruited in Birmingham.

Here are some sample regimental numbers and joining dates for the the 5th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment:

136 joined on the 8th April 1908
581 joined on the 25th January 1909
1232 joined on the 25th February 1910
1361 joined on the 24th February 1911
1501 joined on the 26th January 1912
1819 joined on the 24th January 1913
2318 joined on the 22nd May 1914
2445 joined on the 1st September 1914 

For the 6th Battalion:

1 joined on the 1st April 1908
1250 joined on the 11th March 1910
1360 joined on the 17th February 1911
1511 joined on the 26th January 1912
2110 joined on the 6th June 1913
2252 joined on the 27th March 1914
2400 joined on the 13th August 1914
2651joined on the 2nd September 1914

As can be seen from the patterns above, the battalions pretty much kept pace with each other in the years up until 1914; on the 26th January 1912 the 6th battalion had issued just ten numbers more than the 5th Battalion!

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 2000 and served with the 5th Battalion, he’d have joined the battalion between January 1913 and May 1914. The same number would have been issued to a 6th Battalion man between January 1912 and June 1913. 

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To search for photos of your Royal Warwickshire Regiment ancestors, check my British Army Ancestors website.

Northumberland Fusiliers - 6th (City) Battalion (Territorial Force)

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 6th (City) Battalion (TF), Northumberland Fusiliers between 1908 and 1914. 

The 6th Battalion was a Territorial Force unit which was formed on the 1st April 1908.  This had formerly been the 3rd Volunteer Battalion. In 1908, as The Territorial Year Book for 1909 records, the battalion strength comprised 25 officers and 680 men. 247 men attended camp in 1908 for 8 days and 436 attended for 15 days.

The following year, The Territorial Year Book for 1910 recorded that the strength of the battalion in 1909 had risen to 29 officers and 884 men. At the annual camp that year, 242 officers and men attended for eight days whilst 630 officers and men attended for 15 days. 

The battalion was headquartered at Northumberland Road, Newcastle-on-Tyne and all companies drew men from the City of Newcastle.

Here are some sample regimental numbers and joining dates for the the 6th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. 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 2nd VF Battalion.

482 joined on the 9th April 1908
1015 joined on the 3rd May 1909
1329 joined on the 29th August 1910
1420 joined on the 14th April 1911
1560 joined on the 22nd April 1912
1790 joined on the 15th May 1913
1875 joined on the 22nd January 1914
2500 joined on the 16th September 1914 

As can be seen from the patterns above, recruitment was steady throughout this period, and would continue to be strong during the First World War.

A reserve or ‘second-line’ battalion was formed at Blyth in December 1914, the original 6th Battalion now becoming the 1/6th Battalion and the new reserve battalion becoming the 2/6th Battalion. A 3/6th Battalion would be formed in June 1915. Neither the 2/6th nor the 3/6th Battalion would serve overseas, rather training men who were then sent overseas as part of drafts for the 1/6th Battalion.

Use the regimental numbers above to estimate when a man would have joined this battalion between 1908 and August 1914. For example, if he had the number 1234 he would have joined this battalion at some time between May 1909 and August 1910.  

Remember. I research soldiers! Drop me a line if you need help 

To search for photos of your Northumberland Fusiliers ancestors, check my British Army Ancestors website.

Northumberland Fusiliers - 5th Battalion (Territorial Force)

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 5th (TF) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers between 1908 and 1914. 

The 5th Battalion was a Territorial Force unit which was formed on the 1st April 1908.  This had formerly been the 2nd Volunteer Battalion. In 1908, as The Territorial Year Book for 1909 records, the battalion strength comprised 22 officers and 621 men. 189 men attended camp in 1908 for 8 days and 406 attended for 15 days.

The following year, The Territorial Year Book for 1910 recorded that the strength of the battalion in 1909 had risen to 30 officers and 893 men. Colour-Sergeant Armstrong of A Company was the best shot of the battalion and at the annual camp at Berwick in 1909, 212 officers and men attended for eight days whilst 677 officers and men attended for 15 days. 

The battalion was headquartered at Walker, Newcastle-on-Tyne and drew men from the following areas:

A, B and C Companies recruited in Walker, and D E and F Companies recruited in Wallsend. G and H Companies recruited in Gosforth, with G Company having drill stations at West Moor and Seaton Burn.

Here are some sample regimental numbers and joining dates for the the 5th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. 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 2nd VF Battalion.

102 joined on the 3rd April 1908
657 joined on the 18th January 1909
1035 joined on the 3rd March 1910
1163 joined on the 1st February 1911
1352 joined on the 8th February 1912
1757 joined on the 3rd April 1913
2010 joined on the 9th March 1914
2245 joined on the 10th August 1914 

As can be seen from the patterns above, recruitment was steady throughout this period, and would continue to be strong during the First World War.

A reserve or ‘second-line’ battalion was formed at Blyth in November 1914, the original 5th Battalion now becoming the 1/5th Battalion and the new reserve battalion becoming the 2/5th Battalion. A 3/5th Battalion would be formed in June 1915. Neither the 2/5th nor the 3/5th Battalion would serve overseas, rather training men who were then sent overseas as part of drafts for the 1/5th Battalion.

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 800 and lived in the West Moor area, he would have joined this battalion at some time between January 1909 and March 1910, and furthermore he would probably have served with G Company.  

Remember. I research soldiers! Drop me a line if you need help 

To search for photos of your Northumberland Fusiliers ancestors, check my British Army Ancestors website.

Northumberland Fusiliers - 7th Battalion (Territorial Force)

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 7th (TF) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers between 1908 and 1914. 

The 7th Battalion was a Territorial Force unit which was formed on the 1st April 1908.  This was an entirely new formation and had no Volunteer Force predecessor. In 1908, as The Territorial Year Book for 1909 records, the battalion strength comprised 14 officers and 580 men. 177 men attended camp in 1908 for 8 days and 177 attended for 15 days.

The following year, The Territorial Year Book for 1910 recorded that the strength of the battalion in 1909 had risen to 17 officers and 742 men. At the annual camp in 1909, 181 officers and men attended for eight days whilst an impressive 490 officers and men attended for 15 days. 

The battalion was headquartered at Alnwick and drew men from the following areas: 

A Company recruited in Morpeth. B Company recruited in Ashington. C Company recruited in Belford and had drill stations at Ford, Wooler and Chatton. D Company recruited in Alnwick. E Company recruited in Amble, with drill stations at Broomhill and Warkworth. F Company also recruited at Alnwick and had a drill station at Rothbury. G Company recruited in Berwick-on-Tweed, as did H Company which also had a drill station at Scremerston.

Here are some sample regimental numbers and joining dates for the the 7th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. 

149 joined on the 7th April 1908
709 joined on the 18th February 1909
849 joined on the 5th May 1911
1307 joined on the 1st November 1912
1467 joined on the 20th February 1913
1656 joined on the 15th April 1914
1799 joined on the 6th August 1914  

As can be seen from the patterns above, recruitment was patchy with just 140 men recruited between February 1909 and May 1911, and then a surge in recruiting between May 1911 and November 1912 which saw over 450 men signing up.

A reserve or ‘second-line’ battalion was formed at Alnwick in September 1914, the original 7th Battalion now becoming the 1/7th Battalion and the new reserve battalion becoming the 2/7th Battalion. A 3/7th Battalion would be formed in June 1915. The 2/7th Battalion would later serve overseas in Egypt as a Garrison Battalion from 1917, but the 3/7th Battalion never served overseas, rather training men who were then sent overseas as part of drafts for the 1/7th and 2/7th Battalions.

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 1500 and lived in the Morpeth area, he would have joined this battalion at some time between February 1913 and April 1914 and furthermore, he would probably have served with A Company.  

Remember. I research soldiers! Drop me a line if you need help 

To search for photos of your Northumberland Fusiliers ancestors, check my British Army Ancestors website.

Northumberland Fusiliers - 4th Battalion (Territorial Force)

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 4th (TF) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers between 1908 and 1914.

The 4th Battalion was a Territorial Force unit which was formed on the 1st April 1908 and, prior to this, had been the 1st Volunteer Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. In 1908, as The Territorial Year Book for 1909 records, the battalion strength comprised just 17 officers and 388 men. 305 men attended camp in 1908 for 8 days and 61 attended for 15 days.

The following year, The Territorial Year Book for 1910 recorded that the strength of the battalion in 1909 had risen to 19 officers and 548 men. At the annual camp at Berwick that year, 72 officers and men attended for eight days whilst 360 officers and men attended for 15 days. 

The battalion was headquartered at Hexham and drew men from the following areas: 

A Company: recruited in Hexham, with a drill station at Acomb. B Company: recruited at Bellingham with drill stations at Plashett, Otterburn & Woodburn. C Company: recruited at Haydon Bridge with drill stations at Allendale, Langley and Newburgh. D Company: recruited at Prudhoe with a drill station at Mickley. E Company: recruited in Corbridge. F Company: recruited at Haltwhistle. G Company: recruited in Newburn, with a drill station at Whorlton. H Company recruited at Prudhoe.

Here are some sample regimental numbers and joining dates for the the 4th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. 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 1st VF Battalion.

330 joined on the 20th May1908
398 joined on the 22nd January 1909
681 joined on the 17th May 1910
826 joined on the 28th February 1911
976 joined on the 4th April 1912
1190 joined on the 17th April 1913
1291 joined on the 9th January 1914
1461 joined on the 6th August 1914 

A reserve or ‘second-line’ battalion was formed at Blyth in November 1914, the original 4th Battalion now becoming the 1/4th Battalion and the new reserve battalion becoming the 2/4th Battalion. The photo on this post shows men of the 1/4th Battalion in November 1914. A 3/4th Battalion would be formed in June 1915. Neither the 2/4th nor the 3/4th Battalion served overseas, rather training men who were then sent overseas as part of drafts for the 1/4th Battalion.

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 500 and lived in the Corbridge area, he would have joined this battalion at some time between the 22nd January 1909 and the 17th May 1910. Furthermore, he would have served with E Company. 

 Remember. I research soldiers! Drop me a line if you need help. 

And finally... to search for photos of your Northumberland Fusiliers ancestors, check my British Army Ancestors website.