3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards

This post will look at numbering in the 3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards. The information on this post has been compiled from a study of 3rd Dragoon Guards and, from 1907, corps of Dragoons’ service records in WO 97 (on-line with Findmypast) and WO 363 and WO 364 (on-line with Ancestry).

2036 joined on 3rd January 1881
2064 joined on 31st August 1882
2203 joined on 4th April 1883
2313 joined on 8th March 1884
2455 joined on 5th February 1885
2736 joined on 10th July 1886
3094 joined on 11th November 1887
3154 joined on 14th January 1888
3204 joined on 18th January 1889
3284 joined on 13th March 1890
3398 joined on 2nd January 1891
3533 joined on 26th January 1892
3608 joined on 21st May 1894
3624 joined on 23rd April 1895
3658 joined on 21st January 1896
3778 joined on 12th January 1897
3985 joined on 25th January 1898
4185 joined on 6th February 1899
4355 joined on 4th January 1900
4855 joined on 5th February 1901
5108 joined on 4th January 1902
5430 joined on 13th March 1903
5460 joined on 31st January 1904
5538 joined on 16th January 1905
5617 joined on 3rd January 1906

Army Order 289 of December 1906 completely changed the numbering for cavalry of the line. Prior to this, all cavalry regiments had numbered individually by regiments. Now, line cavalry and household cavalry were separated; each of the three line cavalry corps – dragoons, hussars, and lancers – beginning a new number series which started at 1 and was to extend to 49,999.

What this meant for the 3rd Dragoon Guards was that from late December 1906 they began a new number sequence which they shared with the 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards, 2nd Dragoon Guards (The Queen’s Bays), 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards, 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards, 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers), 7th (Princess Royal’s) Dragoon Guards, 1st (Royal) Dragoons, 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) and 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. See my post on the 2nd Dragoon Guards  to see the numbering sequence for the Corps of Dragoons post 1906.

Noting the distinction between the regimental sequence used by the 3rd Dragoon Guards up until the end of 1906 and the corps sequence used by the 3rd Dragoon Guards and all other regiments of Dragoon Guards and Dragoons from late 1906 is an important distinction to note. Researching a 3rd Dragoon Guards man, for instance, whose number is 5482 could point to a 1st September 1904 joining date if the number falls within the regimental sequence, or January 1911 if the man enlisted with the corps of Dragoons.

I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.

Royal Irish Rifles - 1st & 2nd Battalions

Here's a snapshot of Royal Irish Rifles enlistments from 1881. The Royal Irish Rifles was formed on 1st July 1881; the 1st Battalion from the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot, and the 2nd Battalion from the 86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot.

The newly formed regiment was established as the county regiment for Antrim, Down and Louth and started numbering from 1 in 1881.

There are over 28,000 RoyalIrish Rifles 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 Royal Irish Rifles ancestor would have joined up. Note though that these numbers are only for regular enlistments. Special Reserve and Extra Reserve battalions operated completely separate regimental number sequences.

51 joined on 27th July 1881
207 joined on 3rd May 1882
319 joined on 9th May 1883
627 joined on 7th February 1884
1071 joined on 29th January 1885
1537 joined on 4th January 1886
1904 joined on 8th January 1887
2282 joined on 6th January 1888
2450 joined on 4th February 1889
2638 joined on 18th February 1890
2914 joined on 20th January 1891
3350 joined on 16th March 1892
3812 joined on 21st January 1893
4059 joined on 13th January 1894
4541 joined on 4th February 1895
4700 joined on 2nd January 1896
4992 joined on 15th January 1897
5422 joined on 3rd January 1898
5810 joined on 14th February 1899
6049 joined on 22nd January 1900

During the South African War, 17 officers and 400 other ranks of the London Irish volunteered to serve in South Africa. Of these, eight officers and 200 NCOs and men were selected for the City Imperial Volunteers and the volunteer service companies of the Royal Irish Rifles. The latter was commanded by Captain Charles Gerald Henty, son of the popular author (and Crimean War veteran) George Alfred Henry.

Men serving in the Royal Irish Rifles VSC were issued with numbers between 7131 and 7233.

6284 joined on 4th March 1901
6710 joined on 18th March 1902
7122 joined on 21st August 1903
7411 joined on 12th January 1904
7870 joined on 24th February 1905
8185 joined on 18th June 1906
8456 joined on 5th January 1907
8906 joined on 24th January 1908
9239 joined on 2nd January 1909
9377 joined on 24th January 1910
9559 joined on 16th January 1911
9910 joined on 15th January 1912
10133 joined on 5th June 1913
10353 joined on 19th March 1914

The First World War

When Britain went to war in August 1914, men joining the new service battalions of the Royal Irish Rifles for war-time service only were at first issued with numbers from the same number series above. This system appears to have been discontinued by October 1914 however, each service battalion having been allocated individual number series beginning at 1. Some of these new series commenced as early as September 1914.

Numbers up until around 20000 appear to be a combination of service battalion (mostly) and regular enlistments. Numbers over 20000 appear to be mostly (but not exclusively) regular enlistments.

Recruitment rates 1881-1911

Between 1st July 1881 and 20th January 1891, the Royal Irish Rifles recruited 2,914 men, an annual rate of just 304 men and the fifty-ninth most effective regiment out of sixty-nine. The years to 1891 saw a turnaround however with the regiment recruiting nearly 3,400 men and raising its annual recruitment rate to 331 men each year.

In the final decade to 1911, recruiting in the regiment slowed slightly but nevertheless the regiment improved its standing slightly overall, finishing midway in the ‘league table’ of infantry recruiting regiments in the British Army.

1st Battalion stations 1881-1914

1881 South Africa
1882 Guernsey
1889 Mullingar
1892 Fermoy
1894 Newry
1895 Aldershot
1897 Natal
1899 Dehra Dun
1903 Fyzabad
1906 Meerut
1909 Burma
1911 Kemptee
1913 Aden
1914 France & Flanders (from November)

2nd Battalions stations 1881-1914

1881 Bermuda
1883 Halifax, Nova Scotia
1886 Gibraltar
1887 Egypt
1888 Sudan
1891 Malta
1897 Poona
1899 South Africa
1903 Dublin
1906 Aldershot
1910 Dover
1912 Tidworth
1914 France & Flanders (from August)

Also see this Royal Irish Rifles case study.

I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.

King's Shropshire Light Infantry - 1st & 2nd Battalions

The King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) was formed in July 1881. The old 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot became the 1st Battalion and what had been the 85th (King's Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot became the 2nd Battalion.

This post will look at army service numbers issued to men joining the regular battalions of the KSLI between the regiment's formation in 1881 and the outbreak of war in August 1914. As with all my other posts on army service numbers, what follows should be considered a snapshot of numbering in the Shropshire Light Infantry; a series of break points published here to help researchers determine when their own KSLI relative joined the regiment.

I've compiled the list below as a result of looking at service records in the WO 363 and WO 364 series (and the majority of these records are in WO 364). These are held at the National Archives on microfilm and are now also available via the Ancestry website. Ancestry is also currently offering a FREE 14 day trial.

In fact, there are over 27,000 King's Shropshire Light Infantry service and pension 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 Shropshire Light Infantry 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.

35 joined on 25th July 1881
496 joined on 15th May 1882
1098 joined on 3rd July 1883
1203 joined on 3rd January 1884
1613 joined on 16th June 1885
1940 joined on 19th March 1886
2215 joined on 11th March 1887
2758 joined on 1st March 1888
2982 joined on 4th February 1889
3158 joined on 4th January 1890
3413 joined on 25th February 1891
3703 joined on 9th June 1892
3999 joined on 27th January 1893
4264 joined on 5th March 1894
4753 joined on 5th January 1895
5001 joined on 18th January 1896
5204 joined on 11th February 1897
5523 joined on 3rd January 1898
5894 joined on 4th January 1899
6288 joined on 1st March 1900
6653 joined on 27th May 1901
7026 joined on 22nd July 1902
7175 joined on 2nd January 1903
7598 joined on 11th January 1904
7944 joined on 18th May 1905
8084 joined on 30th January 1906
8409 joined on 18th February 1907
8732 joined on 1st January 1908
9091 joined on 29th January 1909
9375 joined on 19th February 1910
9615 joined on 24th January 1911
9908 joined on 22nd March 1912
10167 joined on 8th January 1913

I don't have any data for the first half of 1914 but by August 6th, George Middleton who joined up for 7 & 5 with the regiment, was given the number 10480. The newly forming service battalions too (5th - 9th Battalions) would also allocate numbers from the same series that had originally been used by the regular battalions.

I've borrowed the photograph on this post from the excellent Roll of Honour website, and more accurately, that part of the site which deals with memorials and rolls of honour in Shrosphire. The image shows KSLI Territorial Force soldiers (4th Battalion) outside their billets in 1914.


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Literature from The Naval & Military Press

Click on the book covers for more information.


The 85th King's Light Infantry
In 1881, the 8th Regiment of Foot became the 2nd Battalion, The King's Shropshire Light Infantry. This volume deals with the 85th from its incarnation in 1759 until its demise in 1881. Includes many fine illustrations including 11 colour plates illustrating the evolution of regimental uniforms; five appendices listing officers of the regiment; and many maps, drawings and sketches.


History of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in The Great War 1914-1918
"On the outbreak of war in 1914 the regiment consisted of four battalions: the 1st (Ireland), 2nd (India), the 3rd and the 4th (Territorial) were in Shrewsbury. During the course of the war the establishment of the regiment was raised to thirteen battalions, eight of them (1st, 2nd, 1/4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 10th) went on active service while the remainder furnished drafts and took part in home defence. Fifty-two battle honours and one VC were awarded; 4,710 died."

Border Regiment - 1st & 2nd Battalions

Prior to July 1881 when the Border Regiment was formed, the 1st Battalion was the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot, and the 2nd Battalion was the 55th (Westmoreland) Regiment of Foot. This post will look at army service numbers and the dates on which these were issued to men joining up as career soldiers with the 1st and 2nd Battalions, Border Regiment.

There are over 32,000 Border Regiment service and pension 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 Border 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.

The information published below should be regarded as a snapshot of army service numbers and joining dates for Border Regiment soldiers between 1882 and June 1914. Service records for all of the men whose numbers are shown below can be viewed on-line via the Ancestry website or Findmypast.

186 joined on 4th July 1882
447 joined on 1st September 1883
637 joined on 14th May 1884
982 joined on 30th January 1885
1569 joined on 25th January 1886
1999 joined on 15th January 1887
2341 joined on 13th January 1888
2696 joined on 7th February 1889
2947 joined on 8th January 1890
3064 joined on 24th January 1891
3448 joined on 11th April 1892
3897 joined on 3rd February 1893
4216 joined on 15th January 1894
4768 joined on 12th August 1895
5025 joined on 31st March 1896
5451 joined on 27th July 1897
5934 joined on 1st June 1898
6025 joined on 8th March 1899
6317 joined on 25th October 1900
6432 joined on 7th February 1901
6638 joined on 10th January 1902
6974 joined on 16th March 1903
7375 joined on 29th February 1904
8008 joined on 31st January 1905
8188 joined on 15th January 1906
9278 joined on 18th April 1907
9420 joined on 8th April 1908
9632 joined on 23rd March 1909
9715 joined on 3rd March 1910
9893 joined on 4th January 1911
10312 joined on 8th February 1912
10528 joined on 6th March 1913
10800 joined on 25th June 1914

The year 1906 appears, on the face of it, to have been a bumper year for recruitment if sequential numbering is to be believed. Between 31st January 1905 and 15th January 1906, only 180 men joined the regular battalions of the regiment and yet by April 1907, the numbering has leapt to 9278. I list below, sample numbers, names and joining dates for 1906.

8188 George Bygrave joined on 15th January 1906
8247 William Charles Brown joined on 2nd March 1906
8615 Charles Cornelius Barnard (alias Charles Cornelius Berning; formerly 1419 Northumberland Fus) joined on 28th August 1906
8698 Herbert Squelch joined on 12th September 1906
9011 Christopher Riley joined on 22nd October 1906
9211 Joseph Francis Doonan joined on 19th December 1906

George Bygrave's record is in the WO 363 (burnt documents) series. The other men's records are in the WO 364 (Pension) series. All can be viewed on the Ancestry website. Also see my separate post on Border Regiment recruitment in 1906.

When Britain went to war in 1914, men joining the newly forming service battalions were issued with numbers from the series which had, up until that point in time, been issued to the regulars joining the 1st and 2nd Battalions.

For Border Regiment information and discussion, visit the Border Regiment Forum. Also see my Border Regiment related post: 1908. What a difference a year makes.

I've borrowed the image for this post from John Clare's WW1 photos, which in turn formed part of a press release from Tyne Tees Televison's 1988 drama-documentary series, Voices of War. The undated photograph shows men of the Border Regiment's 8th Battalion.


I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.

Further Reading


The Border Regiment in the Great War

Before the Great War the Border Regiment, primarily recruited from the Lakeland counties of Cumberland and Westmoreland, consisted of two Regular and two Territorial battalions, plus the Regimental Depot. During the war this was increased to a total of thirteen battalions by the raising of volunteer service battalions. This history tells the story of all 13 battalions.

The regiment saw service in France from 1914, while the 1st battalion was at Gallipoli the following year. In 1916, six of the regiment’s battalions took part in the battle of the Somme, and in 1917 the regiment fought in the battle of Arras, at Bullecourt, and at the Battle of Messines. Six of its battalions took part in the third battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) while other battalions fought on the Salonika front in Macedonia and in Italy.

In this excellent and tightly written history, as the regiment’s Colonel, Maj.Gen. E.G. Sinclair MacLagan writes in his preface, the author “has recorded the doings of the different Battalions in six separate theatres of war, and has merged them into one consecutive narrative”. lllustrated by 14 photographic plates and seven maps.

Royal Dublin Fusiliers - 1st & 2nd Battalions

The Royal Dublin Fusiliers was born on 1st July 1881. The 1st Battalion was created out of the old 102nd Regiment of Foot (Royal Madras Fusiliers) and the 2nd Battalion was created out of the old 103rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Bombay Fusiliers).

The regiment was garrisoned at Naas and served the counties of Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Carlow in Ireland.

There are over 24,000 Royal Dublin Fusiliers service and pension 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 Royal Dublin Fusiliers ancestor would have joined up. Note though that these numbers are only for regular enlistments. Special Reserve and Extra Reserve battalions operated completely separate regimental number sequences.

Here then, is a snapshot of sample army service numbers and corresponding joining dates for the two regular battalions of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers from 1881 until June 1914.

92 joined on 3rd September 1881
763 joined on 10th April 1882
1240 joined on 24th June 1883
1632 joined on 18th April 1884
1968 joined on 19th March 1885
2367 joined on 11th May 1886
2537 joined on 25th February 1887
2821 joined on 9th January 1888
3178 joined on 4th January 1889
3644 joined on 22nd May 1890
3953 joined on 17th January 1891
4436 joined on 16th June 1892
4761 joined on 2nd March 1893
5137 joined on 12th July 1894
5331 joined on 3rd January 1895
5764 joined on 19th May 1896
6043 joined on 24th February 1897
6322 joined on 6th June 1898
6599 joined on 21st January 1899
7166 joined on 14th June 1900
7356 joined on 26th January 1901
7999 joined on 9th October 1902
8823 joined on 15th September 1903
8939 joined on 19th February 1904
9227 joined on 27th February 1905
9599 joined on 6th October 1906
9683 joined on 22nd January 1907
10318 joined on 4th December 1908
10476 joined on 5th May 1909
10889 joined on 16th August 1910
11019 joined on 1oth April 1911
11286 joined on 8th July 1912
11518 joined on 24th April 1913
11738 joined on 27th June 1914

Service records for all of the men noted above survive in the WO 363 and WO 364 pension series held at The National Archives in Kew, London. They can also be viewed on-line via the Ancestry website. CLICK HERE for a FREE 14 day trial.

When Britain declared war on Germany five and a half weeks later and the Royal Dublin Fusiliers formed new service battalions, they continued with the same numbering series that was in use for the regular 1st and 2nd Battalions.

See also, the website (and forum) of The Royal Dublin Fusiliers and The Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association.


CROWN AND COMPANY 1911-1922. 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers



From: The Naval & Military Press:

"The title tells the origins of the battalion. It was raised in India in 1661 by the Hon East india Company as four companies to provide the garrison for Bombay. In 1862 it was transferred to the Crown as the 103rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Bombay Fusiliers). In the Cardwell reforms of 1881 it became the 2nd Battalion of the newly formed Royal Dublin Fusiliers (RDF); the 1st Battalion of the new regiment had been the Royal Madras Fusiliers.

"This volume is concerned principally with the battalion’s service in the Great War during which it fought on the Western Front in 10th Brigade, 4th Division till the end of 1916 when it was transferred to 48th Brigade of 16th(Irish) Division.

"At the end of the war the battalion went to Constantinople and from there to India (Multan) where it was when the order came for the disbandment of the five Southern Irish infantry regiments. The last part gives a very full and often moving description of the disbandment of the battalion.

"269 officers and 4508 WOs, NCOs and men of the Regiment died during the war and an appendix lists the names of the officers showing which battalion they were serving in. There is a full list of Honours and Awards including Mentions in Despatches and foreign awards for the whole regiment. Another appendix lists the officers of the 1st and 2nd battalions serving at the time of disbandment and shows which regiments they transferred to or whether they retired. One appendix is a copy of the Regiment’s entry in Army List of July 1922, the last published before disbandment."



The image on this post is borrowed from The Second Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers in The South African War by Cecil Francis Romer and Arthur Edward Mainwaring and shows RDF sergeants photographed after the Battle of Colenso in December 1899. Click on the link to read the text at Project Gutenberg.


I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.

The Royal Sussex Regiment - 1st & 2nd Battalions

This post will look at army service numbers issued to regular soldiers of the Royal Sussex Regiment between 1881 and 1916 (where my data currently ends).

From the last quarter of 1902 onwards, numbers issued to the men joining regular battalions of the Royal Sussex Regiment were generally, but not always, prefixed with the letter L/. In the sample list or army service numbers and corresponding joining dates below, I have omitted this prefix.

There are over 32,000 Royal Sussex 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 Royal Sussex 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.

129 joined on 23rd August 1881
542 joined on 3rd January 1882
1181 joined on 12th January 1883
1494 joined on 21st February 1884
1972 joined on 11th July 1885
2197 joined on 26th January 1886
2552 joined on 25th January 1887
2866 joined on 20th July 1888
3122 joined on 20th February 1889
3549 joined on 7th November 1890
3603 joined on 4th January 1891
3902 joined on 2nd January 1892
4246 joined on 19th January 1893
4575 joined on 27th February 1894
4900 joined on 14th June 1895
5090 joined on 17th January 1896
5390 joined on 24th June 1897
5510 joined on 10th January 1898
5887 joined on 24th April 1899
6183 joined on 7th February 1900
6368 joined on 16th February 1901
6740 joined on 4th January 1902
7347 joined on 14th January 1903
7739 joined on 22nd January 1904
8153 joined on 18th January 1905
8407 joined on 9th January 1906
8647 joined on 9th January 1907
9023 joined on 18th February 1908
9210 joined on 5th April 1909
9413 joined on 7th July 1910
9556 joined on 2nd January 1911
9841 joined on 6th January 1912
10085 joined on 2nd January 1913
10276 joined on 3rd February 1914

The First World War
When Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914 and her infantry regiments expanded with new the addition of new war-time “service” battalions, it was common for these new battalions (with the notable exception of the Pals-type battalions) to continue numbering men in the same series that had, up until then, been in use by the regular battalions. Not so The Royal Sussex Regiment. War-time service enlistments – which I’ll cover in more depth in a future posts – were given numbers from a new series beginning with 1 and prefixed with the letter G/, whilst men who, during the war years, continued to join up for regular terms of enlistment with the Royal Sussex Regiment, continued to be numbered from the original series (their numbers for the most part prefixed with L/.) The South Down battalions which were Pals-type battalions also had their own separate number series prefixed with SD/.

Albert Padgham, Pictured above (seated) joined up on regular terms of service during the First World War. His number was L/10419 which means that he must have joined between the 7th and the 19th August 1914. Albert died of wounds on 24th August 1916. You can read more about him on my Chailey 1914-1918 website.

10403 joined on 7th August 1914
10476 joined on 4th September 1914
10543 joined on 26th October 1914
10574 joined on 14th November 1914
10615 joined on 11th December 1914
10630 joined on 4th January 1915
10667 joined on 1st February 1915
10706 joined on 2nd March 1915
10761 joined on 13th April 1915
10812 joined on 17th May 1915
10873 joined on 25th June 1915
10887 joined on 6th July 1915
10936 joined on 4th August 1915
10982 joined on 20th September 1915
10998 joined on 8th October 1915
11037 joined on 15th November 1915
11045 joined on 1st December 1915
11057 joined on 11th January 1916
11088 joined on 18th May 1916

It is important to make the distinction between numbers prefixed with L/ (above) and those which, from August 1914, would be prefixed with G/.

G/10290 joined a service battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment in March 1916 whereas L/10290 would have joined the 1st or 2nd Battalion around March 1914.

Looking for medals? I have Royal Sussex Regiment medals for sale,including medals to men who served with the South Down battalions.


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Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders 1881-1914

The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders was formed in July 1881 from the 91st (Princess Louise's Argyllshire) Regiment and the 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment. Click here to view images on the The House of Labhran website.

This post will look at sample army service numbers and corresponding joining dates for the A&S Highlanders from 1881 until the start of the First World War.

There are over 40,000 Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders service and pension 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 Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders 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.

I'd be interested to hear from an expert, why the regiment commenced a new numbering series in 1908, when it was still well below the 19,999 limit set by the King's Regulations for the Army 1904 (Provisional). The original series had certainly extended beyond 108** when a new series was begun in 1908. (10826 was Killed in Action whilst serving with the 2nd Battalion on 10th November 1914 and 10827 Died of Wounds whilst serving with the 1st Battalion on 23rd April 1915).

72 joined on 3rd December 1881
723 joined on 1st March 1883
1447 joined on 11th August 1884
1644 joined on 9th January 1885
2056 joined on 23rd January 1886
2479 joined on 13th January 1887
2967 joined on 25th August 1888
3077 joined on 7th February 1889
3474 joined on 7th March 1890
3980 joined on 7th April 1891
4543 joined on 22nd October 1892
4669 joined on 30th January 1893
5000 joined on 29th January 1894
5363 joined on 15th February 1895
5764 joined on 27th April 1896
5994 joined on 16th January 1897
6439 joined on 25th January 1898
7128 joined on 6th November 1899
7385 joined on 25th January 1900
7901 joined on 25th January 1901
8239 joined on 13th January 1902
9153 joined on 27th February 1903
9366 joined on 7th January 1904
9760 joined on 19th May 1905
10125 joined on 18th June 1906
10576 joined 27th August 1907

New series commences

2 joined on 16th June 1908
254 joined on 15th February 1909
613 joined on 30th August 1910
826 joined on 28th September 1911
962 joined on 8th May 1912
1116 joined on 3rd January 1913
1311 joined on 8th January 1914
1727 joined on 12th August 1914

By the time 1727 joined, and with Britain at war with Germany, men had been flocking to the colours to enlist for "3 years or duration." These latter service enlistment numbers were prefixed with the letter S/, although men who continued to enlist for regular terms of service throughout the war years had no such prefix. Thus, for example, 8203 James Robertson (regular enlistment) joined up on 3rd March 1915, while S/8229 William Christie (service enlistment) joined up four days later.

Find Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders on-line with Ancestry.co.uk - Click here!

Also see my posts regarding army service numbers issued to men in the following Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders battalions:

3rd (Special Reserve) & 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion A&S Highlanders
5th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (TF)
6th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (TF)
7th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (TF)
8th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (TF)
9th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (TF)
Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders service battalions 1914-1917


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