Devonshire Regiment - 7th (Cyclist) Bn (TF) - 1910-1914

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 7th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment between 1908 and 1914.

The 7th Battalion had no direct Volunteer Force predecessor although it had its nucleus in cyclist sections of the 1st and 5th Volunteer Force Battalions. The 7th Battalion (TF) was formed on the 11th June 1908 with the recruiting area defined as "not restricted, but preferably the south coast of Devon."

The Territorial Year Book for 1909 recorded that the battalion strength was eight officers and 252 men. 137 Sgt W D Pyne was the best shot of the battalion and at the annual camp in 1908, 104 officers and men attended for eight days whilst 96 officers and men attended for 15 days.

The following year, The Territorial Year Book for 1910 recorded that the strength was 19 officers and 413 men. 128 Pte J L Mogridge was the best shot in 1909 and at the annual camp 108 officers and men attended for 8 days whilst 236 officers and men attended for 15 days. Camp for 1910 was scheduled for Totnes from the 23rd July.

The battalion was headquartered at Exeter, and its eight companies drew men from the following areas.

A Company: Torquay, with a drill station at Broad Clyst
B Company: Exeter, with drill stations at Topsham and Woodbury
C Company: Exeter

D Company: Cullompton, with drill stations at Bradninch and Silverton
E Company: Crediton
F Company: Dartmouth
G Company: Plymouth
H Company: Torquay

The battalion was attached to Southern Command

Understanding the company distribution is important if you know where your 7th Battalion soldier lived as it would likely suggest the company he served with. For instance, men living in Crediton and wishing to join this battalion would have logically been assigned to E Company, serving together in that company with men from the same area. 

I have fewer numbers in my 7th Devonshire Regiment database than for some other battalions and so I start here in 1910. Here are some sample regimental numbers and joining dates for the 7th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment.

387 joined on the 8th March 1910
671 joined on the 11th May 1911
736 joined on the 12th March 1912
819 joined on the 26th February 1913
1005 joined on the 18th June 1914
1077 joined on the 7th August 1914
1155 joined on the 12th October 1914
1560 joined on the 7th November 1914
1625 joined on the 1st December 1914

Use these regimental numbers to approximate when a man would have joined this battalion between 1908 and August 1914. For example if your man's number was 1555 he would have joined the battalion between February 1911 and December 1912.

The undated image that I have borrowed for this post shows a First World War era cyclist. To search for photos of your Devonshire Regiment ancestors, check my British Army Ancestors website.

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Cheshire Regiment - 7th Battalion (TF) - 1908-1914

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 7th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment between 1908 and 1914.

The 7th Battalion was formed on the 1st April 1908, taking in men from the former 5th Volunteer Battalion. The Territorial Year Book for 1909 recorded that the battalion strength was 20 officers and 677 men. The battalion had firing ranges at Congleton, Macclesfield and Nantwich, and Sergeant G Barton was the best shot of the battalion. At the annual camp at Abergavenny in 1908, 203 officers and men attended for eight days whilst 642 officers and men attended for 15 days.

The following year, The Territorial Year Book for 1910 recorded that the strength was 28 officers and 974 men. At the annual camp at Conway in 1909, 173 officers and men had attended for 8 days whilst 818 officers and men had attended for 15 days.

having been headquartered at Congleton in 1908 and 1909, by 1914 the battalion's HQ had re-located to Macclesfield, and the battalion's eight companies drew men from the following areas.

A Company: Congleton

B Company: Congleton, with a drill statioin at Bollington

C & D Companies: Macclesfield

E Company: Winsford

F Company: Nantwich, with a drill station at Crewe

G Company: Sandbach

H Company: Wilmslow

The battalion formed part of the Cheshire Infantry Brigade in the Welsh Division.

Understanding the company distribution is important if you know where your 7th Battalion soldier lived as it would likely suggest the company he served with. For instance, men living in Sandbach and wishing to join this battalion would have logically been assigned to H Company. (Note that such logic was abandoned after 4th August 1914).

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

34 joined on the 7th April 1908
1133 joined on the 31st March 1909
1232 joined on the 2nd December 1910
1251 joined on the 5th January 1911
1466 joined on the 30th May 1912
1573 joined on the 27th January1913
1888 joined on the 17th March 1914
2018 joined on the 6th August 1914

Use these regimental numbers to approximate when a man would have joined this battalion between 1908 and August 1914. For example if your man's number was 1234 he would have joined the battalion between December 1910 and January 1911. 

The photo on this post was originally published in The Tatler on the 20th October 1915 and shows officers of the 2/5th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment.

Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) - 7th Battalion (TF) - 1908-1914

Here's another Scottish Rifles post. This time I will be looking at regimental numbering in the 7th Battalion (TF), The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) between 1908 and 1914.

The 7th Battalion was formed on the 1st April 1908 and prior to this had been the 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers. The Territorial Year Book for 1909 recorded that the battalion strength was 35 officers and 453 men. Colour Sergeant J L Main was the best shot of the unit. 193 men attended camp in 1908 for 8 days, with 196 men attending for 15 days.

The following year, The Territorial Year Book for 1910 recorded that the strength was 8 officers and 774 men and at the annual camp at Troon in 1909, 360 officers and men had attended for eight days whilst 391 officers and men had attended for 15 days. Private W J Clark of A Company was the best shot of the unit. Camp in 1910 was scheduled from the 16th July at Denny.

The battalion was headquartered at Victoria Road, Glasgow and, in common with the 5th and 8th Battalions was administered by the City of Glasgow County Association, drawing all of its recruits from Glasgow. It too formed part of the Scottish Rifle Brigade with the Lowland Division.

Here are some sample regimental numbers and joining dates for the the 7th Battalion (TF), The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). The battalion started a new regimental number series from 1 on the 1st April 1908, the bulk of the numbers in 1908 being issued to serving members of the old Volunteer Force predecessor battalion.

22 joined on the 1st April 1908
554 joined on the 15th March 1909

964 joined on the 9th March 1910

1034 joined on the 28th January 1911
1110 joined on the 30th January 1912
1228 joined on the 5th February 1913
1409 joined on the 21st January 1914
1616 joined on the 7th August 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's number was 1500 he would have joined the battalion between January and August 1914. 

1st and 2nd Battalions, Cameronian, Scottish Rifles

3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion

4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion

5th Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)

6th Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)

8th Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)

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To search for photos of your Scottish Rifles ancestors, check my British Army Ancestors website.

Black Watch - 7th Battalion (TF) - 1908-1914

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 7th (Fife) Battalion (TF), The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) between 1908 and 1914.

The 7th Battalion was formed on the 1st April 1908 and prior to this had been the 6th (Fifeshire) Volunteer Battalion of the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). The Territorial Year Book for 1909 recorded that the battalion strength was 38 officers and 701 men. Sergeant A Wilkie of H Company was the best shot of the unit. 524 men attended camp in 1908 for 8 days and 139 attended for 15 days.

The following year, The Territorial Year Book for 1910 recorded that the strength was 34 officers and 1002 men and at the annual camp at Largoward in 1909, 675 officers and men had attended for eight days whilst 167 officers and men had attended for 15 days. Private H Dexter of C Company was the best shot of the unit. Camp in 1910 was scheduled from the 16th July at Kinghorn.

By August 1914 the battalion was headquartered at St Andrews with recruits drawn from the following areas:

A Company: Dunfermline

B Company: Lochgelly

C Company: Kircaldy

D Company: Cowdenbeath

E Company: Cupar, with drill stations at Newburgh, Auchtermucht and Abernethy

F Company: Leven with drill stations at Colinsburgh and Largoward

G Company: St Andrews, with drill stations at Guardbridge, Anstruther and Crail

H Company: Leslie, with drill stations at Markinch and Thornton

The battalion formed part of the Black Watch Infantry Brigade with Scottish Coast Defences.

Here are some sample regimental numbers and joining dates for the the 7th Battalion (TF), The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders).

61 joined on the 2nd April 1908
746 joined on the 27th January 1909

1294 joined on the 31st March 1910

1397 joined on the 25th January 1911
1655 joined on the 11th April 1912
1786 joined on the 14th January 1913
2025 joined on the 30th April 1914
2083 joined on the 6th August 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's number was 1500 he would have joined the battalion between January 1911 and April 1912.

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To search for photos of your Black Watch ancestors, check my British Army Ancestors website.

West Yorkshire Regiment - 7th (Leeds Rifles) Bn (TF)

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 7th Battalion (Leeds Rifles), The Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) between 1908 and 1914. 

Both the 7th and the 8th Battalions, formed in April 1908, were derived from the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment and both were headquartered at Carlton Barracks, Leeds; both drawing their men from Leeds. At the time when Britain went to war with Germany in August 1914, both battalions formed part of the 1st West Riding Infantry Brigade in the West Riding Division. 

Both the 7th and the 8th Battalions operated independent regimental number series and the numbers and dates below are taken from surviving service and pension records of men who signed up with the 7th Battalion: 

833 joined on the 10th July 1908 

1020 joined on the 18th March 1909

1297 joined on the 10th March 1910 

1445 joined on the 3rd February 1911 

1556 joined on the 8th February 1912 

1742 joined on the 21st April 1913 

1895 joined on the 30th March 1914 

2265 joined on the 11th August 1914 

A reserve or ‘second-line’ battalion was formed at Leeds on the 15th September 1914, the original 7th Battalion now becoming the 1/7th Battalion and the new reserve battalion becoming the 2/7th Battalion. Although the battalion had been formed to take in men surplus to establishment and then to provide drafts for the 1/7th Battalion, the 2/7th ultimately served overseas in its own right from January 1917. Meanwhile, a 3/7th Battalion had been formed at Leeds in March 1915 but never served overseas.  All three battalions - the 1/7th, 2/7th, 3/7th - issued numbers from the same regimental number series and from 1917 reissued numbers to serving soldiers and to new recruits from a new numbers' series which began at 265001 and extended to 305000. 

Use the regimental numbers above, which were issued sequentially, to estimate when a man would have joined this battalion between 1908 and August 1914. 

The photo on this post shows an unknown Leeds Rifles corporal.

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

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

Middlesex Regiment - 7th Bn (TF)

In this post I will be looking at regimental numbering in the 7th (Territorial Force) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment between 1908 and 1914. Use the information below to estimate when your ancestor joined this particular battalion. Note that all Territorial Force battalions had their own unique number series (and for that matter, some operated more than one number series). The Middlesex Regiment had four regular battalions, one special reserve battalion, one extra reserve battalion and four Territorial Force battalions. So if your ancestor served in the 8th Battalion, 9th Battalion or 10th Territorial Force Battalion, Middlesex Regiment, you'll need to follow those links instead. Check the site index for a list of all regimental number sequences published to date.

The 7th Middlesex Regiment was headquartered at Priory Road, Hornsey and its eight companies drew men from the following locations:

A Company: Hampstead; B Company: Barnet; C & H Company: Hornsey; D Company: Highgate; E & G Company: Tottenham; F Company: Enfield Lock, with a drill station at Enfield Town. The battalion was part of the Middlesex Infantry Brigade in the Home Counties Division.

Here are some sample regimental numbers for the 7th Middlesex Regiment. These were issued sequentially, beginning at No 1 on the 1st April 1908. The vast majority of early recruits would have been men who were serving with the 1st Volunteer Battalion.

12 joined on the 3rd April 1908
730 joined on the 16th February 1909
1163 joined on the 27th June 1910
1263 joined on the 11th January 1911
1487 joined on the 6th March 1912
1716 joined on the 20th January 1913
2097 joined on the 9th March 1914
2312 joined on the 4th August 1914
2515 joined on the 1st 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 2000 and came from Tottenham, he probably joined in early 1914 and would have probably served in one of the two Tottenham companies, E or G Company. 

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

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

Durham Light Infantry - 7th Bn (TF)

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 7th (Territorial Force) Battalion, Durham Light Infantry between 1908 and 1914. Use the information below to estimate when your ancestor joined this particular battalion. Note that all Territorial Force battalions had their own unique number series (and for that matter, some operated more than one number series). So if your ancestor served in the 6th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, this post won't be for you. Follow the link for the 6th Battalion.

The 7th Durham Light Infantry was headquartered at Livingstone Road, Sunderland and its eight companies drew men from the following locations:

A to F Companies: Sunderland; G & H Companies: South Shields. The battalion was part of the Durham Light Infantry Brigade in the Northumbrian Division.

Here are some sample regimental numbers for the 7th Durham Light Infantry. These were issued sequentially, beginning at No 1 on the 1st April 1908. The vast majority of early recruits would have been men who were serving with the 3nd (Sunderland) Volunteer Battalion.

288 joined on the 30th April 1908
873 joined on the 1st May 1909
1129 joined on the 31st March 1910
1344 joined on the 11th January 1911
1562 joined on the 24th April 1912
1860 joined on the 2nd June 1913
2099 joined on the 1st May 1914
2315 joined on the 7th August 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 South Shields, he probably joined in the first quarter of 1912 and would have probably served in G or H Company. 

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

To search for photos of your Durham Light Infantry 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.

7th (Deeside Highland) Battalion, Gordon Highlanders

The 7th (Deeside Highland) Battalion, Gordon Highlanders was the natural heir to the 5th Volunteer Battalion, Gordon Highlanders and was headquartered at Banchory. It was administered by two Territorial Force County Associations and, certainly until 1914, ran two distinct series of numbers - the first series starting at 1, the second series starting at 2000.

In 1914, the disposition of the battalion's companies was as follows:

A Company:
Banchory; drill stations at Durris and Torphins
B Company:
Portlethen
C Company:
Stonehaven
D Company:
Laurencekirk; drill stations at Auchenblae, Bervie, Fettercairn, Fordoun and Marykirk
E Company:
Ballater, drill stations at Crathie and Braemar
F Company:
Aboyne; drill stations at Tarland, Finzean and Logie Coldstone
G Company:
Kemnay; drill stations at Skene, Blackburn, Monymusk and Echt
H Company:
Peterculter; drill station at Countesswells.

Numbering in the battalion, pre 1917, appears to follow a fairly logical and sequential path but the re-numbering certainly does not and is a hotch-potch (for want of a better technical term) of numbers from both series and with no apparent logic.

As an example of this, see below the first 100 numbers from the six digit block allocated to the 7th Gordon Highlanders (290001 to 315000). I searched for the medal index cards (MICs) on Ancestry and then, armed with these numbers and names, went looking for service records in the WO363 and WO364 series.

The first thing to say is that for 42 men in that first re-numbered sequence of 100, I found no MICs at all. This high failure rate could be due to a number of factors including mis-transcribed numbers, cards not yet uploaded onto the Ancestry website (although I understand that these particular MICs should all now be present), missing MICs, and of course no entitlement to medals because the man or men concerned neither served overseas nor received a silver war badge.

Of the 58 MICs I did find, enlistment dates were recorded on five cards (dates which should always be treated with caution as they may not necessarily refer to the same regiment / battalion - see Donald McLaren below as a possible example of this). I subsequently found no records at all in the WO 363 series but did locate five records in the WO 364 pension series. My commentary is below. Links are to the main Ancestry website which is currently offering a FREE 14-day trial.

290001 - Not Found
290002 - Not Found
290003 - Not Found
290004 - Not Found
290005 (formerly) 29 William Hendry
290006 - Not Found
290007 (formerly) 5 William Lamb
290008 (formerly) 36 John Milne
290009 (formerly) 45 James Robertson
290010 (formerly) 555 George W Dunbar
290011 - Not Found
290012 (formerly) 558 Fred Davison
290013 (formerly) 51 Andrew Taylor

290014 (formerly) 53 Douglas G Wilson
Only two pages from Douglas Wilson's service record survive in WO 364. His pensioner's record card gives his enlistment date as 5th August 1914 but this is clearly incorrect and is probably his date of embodiment rather than enlistment. Douglas Wilson was born in 1879 and I think it likely that he was a pre 1908 5th VB man who enlisted with the 7th Gordons in April 1908.

290015 - Not Found
290016 (formerly) 560 James Wallace
290017 (formerly) 561 Angus Cooper
290018 - Not Found
290019 - Not Found
290020 (formerly) 103 William L Bain
290021 - Not Found
290022 - Not Found
290023 (formerly) 565 John Tough
290024 (formerly) 267 David Milne
290025 (formerly) 271 Douglas Wilson
290026 (formerly) 568 Samuel McPherson
290027 - Not Found
290028 - Not Found
290029 - Not Found
290030 (formerly) 311 Charles Duncan
290031 (formerly) 76 James A Jamieson

290032 (formerly) 61 John Jamieson
John Jamieson's MIC gives his enlistment date as 1st April 1908 and he was almost certainly on old 5th VB man.

290033 - Not Found
290034 (formerly) 86 Andrew Walker
290035 - Not Found
290036 - Not Found
290037 (formerly) 134 William Blackhall
290038 (formerly) 139 Walter C Cruse
290039 (formerly) 127 George McDonald
290040 (formerly) 157 George Reith
290041 - Not Found
290042 - Not Found
290043 - Not Found
290044 - Not Found
290045 (formerly) 253 J A McLaren
290046 (formerly) 304 William Stewart
290047 (formerly) 2136 William Anderson
290048 - Not Found
290049 (formerly) 2141 George Duthie
290050 (formerly) 2165 James Lorimer
290051 (formerly) 2167 John Lorimer

290052 (original number unknown) John Sinclair
John Sinclair's MIC gives his enlistment date as 17th May 1915 which again would appear to be incorrect and may again reflect a date of embodiment. As no original number is given on his MIC however, it is virtually impossible to tell when this man originally joined the 7th Gordons.

290053 (formerly) 2179 Frank Shivas
290054 - Not Found

290055 (formerly) 2135 William Watson
Joined on 1st April 1908, an old 5th VB man.

290056 (formerly) 2224 Robert G Bain
290057 - Not Found
290058 (formerly) 2216 Robert Dowers
290059 - Not Found
290060 - Not Found
290061 (formerly) 2009 Donald Coutts
290062 (formerly) 2011 John Cumming
290063 (original number unknown) Frank Duguid
290064 (formerly) 2015 Robert Ewan
290065 - Not Found
290066 (formerly) 2031 Alexander McIntosh
290067 (formerly) 2189 John McHardy
290068 - Not Found
290069 (formerly) 2220 Joseph Coutts
290070 (formerly) 2313 Peter Lamont
290071 - Not Found
290072 - Not Found
290073 (formerly) 2250 William Findlater
290074 - Not Found
290075 - Not Found
290076 - Not Found
290077 (formerly) 2205 William Harper Henderson
290078 - Not Found
290079 (formerly) 2069 Gordon Smith
290080 (formerly) 361 James C Greig
290081 (formerly) 2357 Charles Dunbar
290082 - Not Found

290083 620 George Wood Main
George Wood's MIC gives an enlistment date of 2nd December 1913 and this is confirmed by surviving papers in WO 364.

290084 360 William Dunbar
290085 N/A A Lawson
290086 (formerly) 356 James McGregor

290087 (formerly) 358 Donald G McLaren
Donald McLaren's MIC gives an enlistment date of 3rd March 1910 (but see below).

290088 (formerly) 327 Robert Masson
Robert Masson's service record in WO 364 gives a joining date of 28th March 1910. This, sequentially, is at odds with Donald McLaren's original three digit number and it may be that McLaren previously served with another battalion or regiment before joining the 7th Gordons. (Or it could simply be another number anomaly).

290089 (formerly) 357 Joseph R Robb
290090 (formerly) 328 Victor Valentine
290091 (formerly) 341 William Fraser
290092 - Not Found
290093 - Not Found
290094 - Not Found
290095 (formerly) 351 William Emslie
290096 - Not Found
290097 - Not Found
290098 (formerly) 2368 Alexander Cruickshank

290099 (formerly) 2328 George Ross
George Ross's MIC gives an enlistment date of 14th March 1910 which fits in perfectly with other 7th Gordons numbers I have for this four digit series.

290100 - Not Found

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The 7th (Merioneth and Montgomery) Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers

The 7th Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers was administered by two County Associations. The Montgomery County Association administered the headquarters at Newtown and four companies of the battalion, whilst the Merioneth County Association administered the other four companies.

As far as numbering in the battalion was concerned, each County Association issued numbers to new recruits from two different number series. Merioneth CA issued numbers beginning at 2000 in April 1908, whilst Montgomery CA issued numbers beginning at 1 in April 1908. Both associations ran their number series sequentially until the Montgomery series was abandoned (or discontinued) at around 1205. I don't yet have an accurate date when this series was stopped but it was certainly post September 1914 (which was when 1144 was issued).

When it came to renumbering the battalion in 1917, the 7th Battalion issued numbers from the block 290001 to 315000. Those Montgomery men who were still serving (or still 'on the books') when the re-numbering exercise took place, were issued with numbers first. When all of these men had been given new six digit numbers, the next number along went to the longest serving man from the Merioneth companies.

My lowest six digit number for a Merioneth County man is 290366 which was issued to a man who had originally joined the battalion on the 29th April 1908. It's reasonable to assume therefore that of the approximately 1205 men who'd originally joined a Montgomery-administered company, around 360 were still 'on the books' in early 1917, (and close to half of this number were men who'd joined the battalion before the First World War began).

Finally, publishing this post on the 7th Battalion, presents me with an opportunity to also publish the attached undated photograph of 7th RWF men which was taken in Ingatestone in Essex, and which I picked up in an Ingatestone antique shop at least twenty years ago.

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