Regimental numbers research tip: duplicate number series

On this blog you will find lists of regimental number series. Back in 2003 I started to compile a database of regimental numbers and the known dates on which these were issued. I embarked on this mission because I was researching a community in Chailey and quickly realised that for the most part, the only surviving record of military service was a medal card and medal rolls. I felt sure that there was method to the way in which regimental numbers were issued, and so it turned out to be.

I want to use this opportunity though, once again, to talk about duplicate regimental number series. I have covered this topic periodically over the eight years that this blog has been in existence, but it does no harm to cover it again.

First of all, we need to have a picture in our minds of a typical line infantry regiment in July 1881. With the exception of the Rifle Brigade, all regiments have started a new regimental number series. Their designations have also changed and, with the singular exception of the 79th Regiment of Foot, single battalion regiments of foot from the 26th Regiment of Foot upwards have been formally paired with other regiments. Gone are the old numerical "Regiment of Foot" titles and in their place are county titles.  Using my own local regiment as an example, the old 44th (East Essex) Regiment of Foot and the 56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot have been formally merged to create the brand new two-battalion Essex Regiment. Men joining this new regiment from July 1881 are issued with new numbers beginning at 1. The numbers are issued when the men arrive at the regimental depot, NOT on the day on which they attest (although in many cases this will be the same day of attestation).

This is our first Essex Regiment regimental numbers series - numbers issued to regular soldiers.

The Essex Regiment also has two militia battalions in 1881. These are the 3rd East Essex Rifles and the 4th West Essex Militia. Both of these battalions have their own regimental series. 

In addition to the regular number series (covering the 1st and 2nd Battalions), a regimental number series for the 3rd Battalion, and a regimental numbers series for the 4th Battalion, the Essex Regiment also has four Volunteer Force battalions, each of these battalions operating its own regimental number series.

So in total, in 1881, the Essex Regiment has seven separate regimental number series being used concurrently.

Fast forward to 1908. There are no changes to regular battalions. The Special Reserve and Extra Reserve replace the militia. The Territorial Force replaces the Volunteer Force. The Essex Regiment is one of several regiments to lose one of its militia battalions. Men transferring into the new 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion from  the old 3rd (Militia) Battalion keep their old militia regimental numbers. Men transferring in from the old 4th (Militia) Battalion as well as new recruits who have never served in the militia before are all issued with new regimental numbers from a new series beginning at 1.

The Volunteer Force has been replaced by the Territorial Force, the old 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th VF battalions being replaced by the new 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Battalions. All of these battalions have their own regimental number series and all begin at number 1 in 1908. In 1910 an 8th (Cyclist) Battalion will also be formed and it will start numbering from 1 as well.

Fast forward to August 1914. The Essex Regiment will start to raise new service battalions. All of these battalions will issue numbers from the series being used by the 1st and 2nd Battalions.

The point is this.  There is massive duplication of regimental numbers in the Essex Regiment and in all line infantry regiments.

1. By the end of 1914 the Essex Regiment has two regular battalions (the 1st & 2nd Battalions) and five service battalions (the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th Battalions) all using regimental numbers from the same series.
2. The 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion uses numbers from another series.
3. The five Territorial Force battalions all have their own regimental number series

In theory therefore, by 1914 there could be four men in the Essex Regiment who all have the same number. The number 3000 would have been issued to:

1. A man joining the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion in September 1914
2. A man joining the 5th Battalion in November 1914
3. A man joining the 6th Battalion in October 1914
4. A man joining the 7th Battalion in November 1914

The number 3000 would also have been issued to a regular recruit in 1890. It would also be issued to a man in the 4th Battalion in January 1915 and a man in the 8th Battalion in October 1916. 

This duplication of numbers is evident across all infantry regiments to a greater or lesser degree, and similar duplication of numbers appears in Territorial Force numbers for other Corps. This was the principal reason that the Territorial Force was re-numbered in 1917 except of course that it still resulted in massive duplication of numbers across regiments. The number 200001, for instance was issued by 56 different regiments, as was the number 200002, 200003 and so on.

On this blog you will find man different regimental number sequences explained, but there are many many more sequences which I have not published. Take a look at my posts on the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders regimental number sequences (see here for the INDEX) and then imagine that same scenario repeating across the majority of the other infantry regiments (excluding Irish regiments which had no Territorial Force battalions). 

I hope this post has been helpful. Use the information here and elsewhere to narrow down the enlistment and/or transfer dates of your own British Army ancestor but remember, if you get stuck:

I research soldiers! 

Contact me if you need help with your military ancestor.

Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders - PoW Other Ranks 1914

Having just completed some interesting research on a twice-wounded Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders regular who served from 1900 through to 1918, it seems a good enough reason to publish this list of men who served with the regiment and who, according to the list that I transcribed, became prisoners of war of the Germans on or before the 25th December 1914.

This list is compiled from three sources at The Imperial War Musuem, London:

B.O.2 1/112 is a four-page typed list from the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Prisoners of War Fund; letter dated 3rd January 1919 
B.O.2 1/113 is a single typed list from the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Prisoners of War Fund; no date 
B.O.2 1/115 is a five-page typed list from the records' office to Sir Ernest Goodhart dated 4th March 1919 

Some men appear on more than one list. 

The list below is an edited version of the full transcription which typically gives date of capture and home address. The full transcription is available for sale as a download or CD for £20. Contact me if you would like to purchase a copy.

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1209 Private J Adair, 646 Bandsman W Adderley, 9442 Private Alexander, 957 Private Anderson, 9516 Private J Arbuckle.

9632 Lance-Corporal E Balchin, 7571 Corporal J Balfour, 10290 Corporal A Balfour, 9257 Corporal A Beattie, 1118 Private S Beck, 9463 Lance-Corporal A Beedie, 8319 Private J Bell, 8956 Private R Bell, 9506 Private R Bell, 9655 Private Bell, 1036 Lance-Corporal Bellingham, 9699 Private A Best, 9586 Private J Bowie, 8843 Private Boyle, 9297 Private W Breslin, 918 Private R Brooke, 9078 Private A Brough, 9949 Sergeant J Brown, 9153 Private J Brown, 7865 Private Brown, 7925 Private G Bryce, 8839 Private J Buchanan, 3/6740 H Butter, 9155 Private W Bycroft.

7749 Private G Callander, 162 Private D Campbell, 7968 Private T Campbell, 8946 Private T Campbell, 8032 Private D Cargill, 1295 Private W Cassidy, S/5480 Private D Cassidy, 9106 Private S Clark, 8205 Private D Cleghorn, 6796 Private W Cooke, 10359 Private W Cooper, 1131 Drummer M Costin, 1114 Private C Counter, 1232 Private J Craig, 9604 Private P Craig, 7823 Private J Craig, 9152 Private Crawford, 1201 Private W Crease, 7397 Private A Cummings, 7397 A Cummings.

8982 Private W Dalgliesh, 9863 Private F Daws, 1240 Private J Deas, 10223 Private J Denny, 9164 Lance-Corporal J Devlin, 260 Private E Doherty, 7794 Private W Douglas, 5913 Private J Doyle, 58 Private S Duff, 8935 Lance-Corporal J Dunbar, 7454 Pte Kennedy Dunn.

10183 Private N Elliott, 1187 Private R Ellis, 8137 Private R English.

6834 Private J Faichney, 6803 Private F Falconer, 8077 Corporal D Finlayson, 7897 Corporal Fletcher, 8603 Private Flynn, 9855 Sergeant J Forrest, 9307 Private J Forsyth, 8333 Private S Foster, 7440 Private J Fraser, 262 Corporal Fraser.

1073 Private John Gallacher, 7077 Private J Gardiner, 10159 Private German, 8897 Private A Gibb, 6826 CSM A Gibb, 9283 Private G Gibson, 7676 Private R Gilchrist, 3/5693 Private Hugh Ginlay, 10159 D Gorman, 8805 Private P Gray, 9592 Private J Gray, 8953 Private W Greenlees, 7013 Private James Griffith.

10153 Private H Hadley, 7597 Private Hall, 9144 Private J Hall, 8257 Private J Hamilton, 1167 Private R Harron, 9843 Private John Henderson, 8074 Private T Henderson, 1332 Private J Hendren, 10567 Sergeant C Hill, 9237 Private W Holehouse, 8790 Corporal J Holland, 9889 Private W Howat, 1205 Private R Howie, 9525 Private T Hughes (pictured, above), 635 Private H Hutton, 7886 Private E Hynch.

1373 Private J Jackson, 3/6475 Private S Jamieson, 6531 Private R Jamieson, 7837 Private J Jamieson, 9419 J Johnstone, 9201 Private Robert Johnstone.

9378 Private J Kennedy, 9044 Private R  Kerr, 7530 Private A Kerr, 9687 Private D Kerry.

1190 Lance-Corporal W Laing, 7378 Private M Laird, 10249 Private P Lockhart, 7125 Private J Logan, 8983 Private J Long.

8938 Private Malone, 1320 Private A McDonald, 9345 Private A McEwan, 3/3921 Private McFadden,
9513 Private McGrath, 3/6593 Private McGregor, 9864 Private McIntyre, 10244 Private G McKerrell, 7169 Private A McKinnon, 8176 Private McLaughlin, 6048 Private McLean, 1220 Lance-Corporal D McLellan, 6810 Private J Meek, 1141 Private D Meldrum, 8013 Private A Menzies, 8085 Private Moon, 10622 Private A Morton, 8942 Private C Muir, 7467 Private J Muirhead, 1130 J Murphy, 9674 Private Murray.

1033 Private W Ospreay.

6942 Private Quin.

10551 J Rae, 9064 Private N Rennie, 5994 Private Andrew Rice, 1065 Drummer H T Robertson.

8094 Private Scott, 6896 Private J Sharp, 3/6137 Corporal John Smith, 9428 Private Charles Stirling

9034 Private John Watters, 6650 Pte James Workman.

1st Battalion, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders - Boer War casualties

I was in Stirling yesterday and took the opportunity to visit the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders regimental museum in the castle. Just before you enter the castle proper there is a memorial to the men of the 1st Battalion who lost their lives during the Boer War.

The panel above is interesting, bearing in mind that the memorial was unveiled in 1907, twenty-six years since the 91st Regiment of Foot had ceased to exist. And yet the regimental pride is reserved for the old 91st, with the 1st Battalion and the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders relegated to terms within parantheses.

 

Officers and NCOs are listed in order of seniority, so note that Lieutenant Hunter of the 4th Volunteer Battalion, ranks below the two second lieutenants of the 1st Battalion. I am guessing that Lieutenant Hunter was one of the officers of the Volunteer Service Company. The officers recorded are:

 

Major S L Robinson
Captain E C H Grant
Lieutenant C E Courtenay
Second Lieutenant W V St C McLaren
Second Lieutenant W B King
Lieutenant J Hunter

Unusually, and helpfully, the regimental numbers of all NCOs and rank and file are also recorded on the memorial and I list these men below in regimental number order.

Private Collins was the longest serving soldier and must have enlisted in 1882. I have noted enlistment years next to the men, and also see my post on regimental numbering in the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders.


152 Private F Collins [1882]
1060 Private A Fraser [1883]
1279 Private C Trew [1884]
1386 Colour-Sergeant J W Gilbery [1884]
1615 Private W M Coyne [1884]
1733 Private J Kidney [1885]
1981 Private E Perry [1885]
1982 Colour-Sergeant D Christison [1885]
2076 Private J Gray [1886]
2633 Colour-Sergeant D W Hope [1887]
2745 Private R Reid [1887]
2757 Corporal T Pagan [1887]
2808 Private D Milne [1888]
2817 Private J Wiggins [1888]
2845 Private D Anderson [1888]
2867 Private A E Campbell [1888]
2935 Private W Mansfield [1888]
2960 Private J Merrilees [1888]
2963 Private A Reid [1888]
2988 Private W Harley [1888]
3053 Lance-Sergeant W Matthews [1889]
3081 Private H Boyce [1889]
3084 Private C Giles [1889]
3085 Private H Taylor [1889]
3115 Private J Donald [1889]
3119 Private P Bliss [1889]
3209 Sergeant A Barber [1889]
3254 Private J Hamilton [1889]
3261 Corporal E P Rose [1889]
3271 Private W Kay [1889]
3331 Private F Johnstone [1889]
3358 Lance-Corporal J Dodds [1889]
3373 Private D Gordon [1889]
3421 Private H Sweeney [1890]
3423 Private W Glossop [1890]
3537 Private J Evans [1890]
3542 Private H Austin [1890]
3605 Private C McKenzie [1890]
3632 Private C Giles [1890]
3635 Corporal T H Templeman [1890]
3722 Private W Tring [1890]
3723 Private R Fraser [1890]
3743 Private E Millen [1890]
3762 Corporal J Mowatt [1890]
3797 Private D McGregor [1890]
3820 Private M Delanty [1890]
3844 Private J Scott [1890]
3860 Private J Gilfether [1890]
3863 Private C McWhirter [1890]
3994 Private F Alford [1891]
4045 Private A Rushforth [1891]
4059 Private J McAnally [1891]
4065 Private J Hay [1891]
4080 Private A E Baker [1891]
4097 Private J Fulbrooke [1891]
4149 Private J Drysdale [1891]
4189 Private J McFarlane [1891]
4205 Private W Kitchen [1891]
4215 Private R Ward [1891]
4234 Private M Edwards [1891]
4236 Private N Shelfer [1891]
4245 Sergeant A K Smith [1891]
4316 Private W J Ward [1891]
4405 Sergeant B J C Kelly [1892]
4494 Private B McDermott [1892]
4537 Private M McMillan [1892]
4557 Private W Patterson [1892]
4714 Lance-Corporal A S Inglis [1893]
4759 Private J McKean [1893]
4802 Sergeant J E Meredith [1893]
4857 Private J Graham [1893]
4864 Sergeant W E Smith [1893]
4927 Private J Kennedy [1893]
4951 Lance-Corporal H Harvey [1893]
5040 Lance-Corporal H Waters [1894]
5122 Private J Campbell [1894]
5183 Sergeant D Morrison [1894]
5222 Private T Littlewood [1894]
5236 Private C Scott [1894]
5247 Corporal D Millar [1894]
5264 Lance-Corporal W T Bevan [1894]
5317 Lance-Corporal J Peebles [1895]
5444 Sergeant H Wigston [1895]
5520 Corporal C Jamieson [1895]
5664 Private H Bowman [1896]
5671 Private T Wilkie [1896]
5972 Private A Davidson [1896]
6049 Private W Johnstone [1897]
6115 Private A Wintrup [1897]
6141 Private J Howden [1897]
6147 Private J MacBeth [1897]
6164 Private J Mathieson [1897]
6283 Private T Williamson [1897]
6311 Private M Ross [1897]
6331 Private T Logan [1897]
6348 Private R Tait [1897]
6377 Private J Russell [1897]
6406 Private R Liddle [1898]
6435 Private T Lamie [1898]
6438 Private R Gillon [1898]
6442 Private A Luke [1898]
6476 Private A Greig [1898]
6514 Private J Wilson [1898]
6517 Private J Patterson [1898]
6532 Private A Hyndman [1898]
6550 Private A Carlyle [1898]
6551 Private J MacDonald [1898]
6552 Private A McNeil [1898]
6559 Lance-Corporal D Melville [1898]
6587 Private D McGillivrary [1898]
6599 Private J Russell [1898]
6611 Private H Thompson [1898]
6631 Private D Kennaway [1898]
6690 Private J Seeley [1898]
6707 Private J Ferguson [1898]
6744 Private J McAnally [1898]
6790 Private P Mattison [1898]
6820 Private W Mowbray [1899]
6841 Private P Cailey [1899]
6845 Private N Crawford [1899]
6862 Private W F Shore [1899]
6889 Lance-Corporal J Stenhouse [1899]
6945 Lance-Corporal R Wain [1899]
7000 Private J Wain [1899]
7009 Private W Somerville [1899]
7032 Private J Henderson [1899]
7072 Private W Duncan [1899]
7133 Private J McDougall [1899]
7136 Private J Currie [1899]
7152 Private A Russell [1899]
7284 Private J Campbell [1899]
7301 Private W L Fitzwilliams [1899]
7302 Private D W Moore [1899]
7303 Private J Morrison [1899]
7308 Private W R Kelly [1899]
7323 Private W Gillespie [1900]
7876 Private J G Farquhar [1901]

The following five men all served with Volunteer Service Companies (VSCs) attached to the 1st Battalion. They had formerly served as part-time soldiers with the Volunteer Force but were discharged and then re-enlisted in order to serve with the regulars for a term of one year or the duration  of the war. I have written more about the VSCs elsewhere.

The first three men listed here certainly enlisted in 1900, whereas Clanachan and Williams probably enlisted later, possibly in 1901.

8450 Private T M Stevenson [1900]
8535 Private J Gilmour [1900]
8544 Lance-Corporal R Aitken [1900]
8708 Private J Clanachan
8714 Private C Williams

Finally, it is interesting to recall the disposition of the two battalions at the outbreak of the Boer War. The 1st Battalion was the home battalion whilst the 2nd Battalion was the overseas battalion, stationed in India. It would remain in India and thus it was that the 1st Battalion, largely populated by new recruits, soon to be augmented by reservists, which was despatched to South Africa.

Excluding the five men who served with the VSCs, there are 136 NCOs and rank and file listed on this memorial, and of these, 40 men had joined in 1898 or later.

For further information on this memorial and the men whose names are inscribed upon it, have a look at the relevant Roll of Honour website page.

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Gordon Highlanders - 1st & 2nd Battalions

This post will look at army service numbers issued to men joining the two regular battalions of the Gordon Highlanders. The regiment was formed on 1st July 1881. The 1st Battalion had previously been the 75th (Stirlingshire) Regiment of Foot whilst the 2nd Battalion was formed from the old 92nd Regiment of Foot. This post will look at numbering in these battalions between July 1881 and August 1914.

There are over 30,000 Gordon Highlanders service and pensionrecords (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 Gordon 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.

219 joined on 14th September 1881
351 joined on 25th July 1882
1002 joined on 4th May 1883
1354 joined on 12th March 1884
1748 joined on 13th February 1885
2073 joined on 13th March 1886
2492 joined on 15th March 1887
2904 joined on 5th January 1888
3104 joined on 12th January 1889
3392 joined on 16th April 1890
3614 joined on 2nd January 1891
4237 joined on 9th June 1892
4840 joined on 18th July 1893
5089 joined on 27th June 1894
5315 joined on 29th January 1895
5615 joined on 3rd March 1896
5946 joined on 11th March 1897
6397 joined on 8th February 1898
6685 joined on 6th March 1899
7102 joined on 4th January 1900
7696 joined on 5th March 1901
8671 joined on 27th May 1902
8873 joined on 19th March 1903
9267 joined on 5th January 1904
9656 joined on 3rd January 1905
10053 joined on 18th June 1906
10269 joined on 8th January 1907
10560 joined on 9th January 1908

In 1908 the regiment, by now numbering in the 10500s, abruptly abandoned the series which had served it so well since 1881, and started a new series from 1. As I have mentioned elsewhere, the Seaforth Highlanders and the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders also did exactly the same thing that year. There was no reason - that I can see - for the three regiments to have done this. By 1908 King's Regulations permitted infantry regiments to continue with the same regimental number series until they approached 19,999, and all three regiments were well short of that figure. In any event, when I get to the bottom of this little conundrum, I'll post again here. In the meantime though:

274 joined on 2nd March 1909
420 joined on 21st February 1910
647 joined on 22nd February 1911
886 joined on 17th January 1912
1181 joined on 26th February 1913
1307 joined on 3rd January 1914

By August 1914, the battalions were numbering in the 1500s and when the new service battalions began forming, men who joined up as war-time only enlistments were given numbers from the same series that had been used by the regulars, albeit these war-time enlistment numbers prefixed (for the most part) with the letter S/.


The romanticised image (above) of the 2nd Gordon Highlanders storming a hill at Elandslaagte during the Boer War is taken from the British Battles website page that deals with that action.

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From The Naval & Military Press


Life of a Regiment: The History of the Gordon Highlanders from its Formation in 1794 to 1816. Vol 1. Click the link to read more about this work. Volume 2, dealing with the regiment from 1816 to 1898 is HERE.

The exception to the rule

Just when you think you've got the whole army numbering logic sorted out for a particular battalion, along comes an attestation paper - or usually several attestation papers - which completely throws you of course.

Take for instance, the example of William Buchanan who attested for one year's service with the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Special Reserve on 17th August 1914. His number - 4898 - belongs neither to the series being used by the 3rd and 4th Battalions at that time (they were numbering in the 7000s and 9000s respectively), nor for that matter, to the service battalions which had only just crossed 3000 by the end of August 1914.

In answer to question 10 on William's papers which reads, "Do you now belong to the Royal Navy, The Army...", the answer is written, "Yes, 13 years." Unhelpfully, the particular service to which William belonged is not recorded.

And so William Buchanan is a mystery to me. His service with the A&S Highlanders did not last long though: he was discharged from the 10th (Service) Battalion on 2nd October 1914 as medically unfit. "No teeth" is written on his attestation paper.

William's service record survives in the WO 364 (pension) series at the National Archives and although not much of it survives, what is there is interesting to read. He carried a number of tattoos on his arms: "Mrs Maybrick" on his left upper arm and "two pictures from Punch" on his left forearm. On his right arm was a "coat of arms, rose and one picture from Punch." You can almost hear the authorities checking him against the notes in the Distinctive Marks section: "Well it says here, two pictures from Punch, but I've definitely seen that in The Strand..."

Mrs Maybrick was probably Florence Maybrick (pictured on this post) who, in the late 1880s was found guilty of poisoning her husband and sentenced to death. There was a huge public outcry and she was finally released from prison after 15 years. William Buchanan appears to have been a fan.

British Army WW1 Records


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The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders - service battalion numbers

If at times the Territorial Force army service numbers for some battalions of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders seem to confound logic, so too - at times - do those numbers issued to men joining the service battalions from August 1914.

By 8th June 1914, numbering in the 1st and 2nd (Regular) Battalions of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders had reached 1377 and when Britain went to war with Germany two months later and the 10th (Service) Battalion of the A&S Highlanders was formed in August 1914, it (and later the other service battalions too), continued with the numbering series in use by the regular battalions. The 1st and 2nd still recruited men for regular periods of enlistment (seven years with the Colours and five on the Reserve) but whereas these men's numbers carried no prefix, those joining the service battalions for war-time enlistment only, had their numbers prefixed with S/.

So in theory, S/1600 would have been an August 1914 war-time enlistment, whereas 1601 enlisted at around the same time time but as a regular, career soldier.

I list below, sample army service numbers and joining dates or date ranges for the A&S Highlanders during the First World War. There are significant gaps as you will see, and the numbers that I have listed below could give the impression that they ran sequentially and consistently. They didn't. Treat these dates with caution as there are exceptions which I'll try to point out.

It is also worth pointing out that as far as I am aware there are no patterns within the general number series which would identify a man as belonging to a particular battalion. The numbers listed below will give a rough indication of when he was likely to have joined but they are of no help in determining a battalion. Furthermore whilst the 3rd (Special Reserve) and 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalions maintained their separate numbering series in the initial months of the war, these appear to have been abandoned later. My data for these battalions only extends to October 1914 and as the war progressed it was quite common to see an S/ prefix man with a number in the service/regular battalion series, joining what had once been the Special/Extra Reserve. I'd love to see an ACI or Army Order dealing with this.

Anyway, on with the numbering:

S/3033 joined on 31st August 1914
S/5422 joined on 23rd September 1914
S/6126 joined on 29th October 1914
S/6758 joined on 25th November 1914
S/7158 joined on 26th December 1914
S/7711 joined on 18th January 1915
S/8152 joined on 27th February 1915
S/8279 joined on 10th March 1915
S/8641 joined on 28th April 1915
S/9385 joined on 27th May 1915
S/9750 joined on 27th June 1915

S/9986 joined the 14th (Service) Battalion on the 12th July 1915, but by this time, numbers in the S/121* range had already begun to appear, thus S/12155 was issued on 5th July 1915. S/12198 on 10th July 1915, S/12250 on 17th July 1915 and so on. S/12483 was issued on the 27th July 1915.

NB - see also the section below headed The return of the S/10***s

S/13186 joined on 21st August 1915
S/13565 joined on 21st September 1915
S/14141 joined on 27th October 1915

In November and December 1915, the numbering goes awry and I think for the purposes of this post, I'll just pull additional data from my database to try and illustrate this. Battalion (or D for Depot) indicated in brackets. The 13th and 15th were local reserve battalions.

S/14062 - 17th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14100 - 8th Nov 1915 (D)
S/14109 - 24th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14125 - 15th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14246 - 8th Nov 1915 (13th)
S/14133 - 15th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14170 - 2nd Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14259 - 3rd Nov 1915 (D)
S/14324 - 9th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14352 - 9th Nov 1915 (14th)
S/14387 - 2nd Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14390 - 8th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14438 - 22nd Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14962 - 19th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/15057 - 23rd Nov 1915 (15th)
S/15260 - 24th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/15310 - 26th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/15439 - 16th Nov 1915 (15th)

S/15156 - 1st Dec 1915 (D)
S/15164 - 1st Dec 1915 (D)
S/15292 - 10th Dec 1915 (15th)
S/15350 - 10th Dec 1915 (D)

S/15477 joined on 24th January 1916
S/16083 joined on 15th February 1916

The return of the S/10***s

In June 1915, the numbering had appeared to leap from the 97**s to the 12***s. For me, this illustrates the point that it's generally advisable to be suspicious of unexplained gaps in numbering sequences. The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders is a case in point as these "missing" S/10*** numbers start appearing in March 1916.

Army service number S/16204 was issued to a man joining the 4th Battalion on 2nd March 1916, but by the 8th of that month, S/10256 was issued to a man (who also joined the 4th Battalion).

Numbers from S/10256 were issued, largely sequentially, through March, April and into May 1916 before the numbering returned to the 16***s in June 1916, thus:

S/10526 joined on 28th March 1916
S/11606 joined on 26th April 1916
S/11909 joined on 31st May 1916

S/16329 joined on 13th June 1916
S/16674 joined on 24th June 1916
S/16934 joined on 25th July 1916
S/17161 joined on 12th August 1916
S/17477 joined on 4th September 1916
S/17747 joined on 25th October 1916
S/18237 joined on 27th November 1916 [and again, another large jump]
S/18583 joined on 21st January 1917
S/20419 joined on 30th April 1917
S/20838 joined on 15th May 1917 [another large jump]
S/21380 joined on 14th June 1917
S/21680 joined on 18th July 1917
S/21810 joined on 4th August 1917
S/22332 joined on 18th September 1917
S/22548 joined on 22nd October 1917

My data becomes decidedly patchier from here on in; to the point where it would probably be unhelpful, rather than helpful, to publish it. So for the time being I'm going to leave service battalion numbering in the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders at this point, and this also concludes my look at numbering patterns in the regiment as a whole. I will update posts with additional information as and when I have something useful to publish.

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

Find British Army WW1 Records by clicking this link. Also see my posts regarding army service numbers issued to men in the following Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders battalions:

1st & 2nd Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders 1881-1914
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)

9th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders

The 9th (The Dumbartonshire) Battalion, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, was a Territorial Force (TF) battalion which, at the beginning of 1914, was headquartered at Dumbarton. A Company recruited men from Helensburgh, B Company from Kirkintilloch, C Company from Dumbarton, D Company from Milngavie, E Company from Jamestown, F Company from Alexandria, and G and H Companies from Clydebank.

Again, and in common with other Territorial Force battalions from this regiment, the numbering up until 1914 is not sequential. As an example, take a look at these enlistments from 1912 and 1913, place of joining indicated in square brackets.

1912 Enlistments

1501 joined on 10th January 1912 [Dumbarton]
1516 joined on 25th January 1912 [Alexandria]
1527 joined on 9th January 1912 [Jamestown]
1533 joined on 30th January 1912 [Jamestown]
1549 joined on 22nd February 1912 [Kirkintilloch]
1613 joined on 12th April 1912 [Clydebank]
1615 joined on 16th April 1912 [Alexandria]
1649 joined on 14th May 1912 [Clydebank]
1660 joined on 5th June 1912 [Clydebank]
1693 joined on 17th June 1912 [Dumbarton]

Service records for all of these 1912 and 1913 survive in the WO 363 and WO 364 series at the National Archives. They can all be viewed on-line via the Ancestry.co.uk website.


1913 Enlistments

1780 joined on 11th February 1913 [Clydebank]
1807 joined on 24th January 1913 [Dumbarton]
1825 joined on 5th February 1913 [Milngavie]
1860 joined on 12th April 1913 [Alexandria]
1861 joined on 14th April 1913 [Renton]
1893 joined on 18th March 1913 [Jamestown]
1920 joined on 1st April 1913 [Dumbarton]
1961 joined on 8th April 1913 [Renton]
2041 joined on 6th November 1913 [Helensburgh]

Renton was the location of the drill station for F Company (headquartered at Alexandria) and I'm just going to pull out the records for those Alexandria and Renton men:

1516 joined on 25th January 1912 [Alexandria]
1615 joined on 16th April 1912 [Alexandria]
1860 joined on 12th April 1913 [Alexandria]
1861 joined on 14th April 1913 [Renton]
1961 joined on 8th April 1913 [Renton]

Looking at this short sequence, 1860 and 1861 seem perfectly logical, 1861 joining two days after 1860. But bearing in mind that a Territorial Force Battalion company probably numbered no more than 125 men, give or take, in 1912; and given that recruitment was slow anyway (and had reached an all time low the previous year), recruiting 100 men into two and a half months (see 1516 and 1615 above) just isn't feasible.

If any logic was applied at all - and one assumes that it must have been - it seems more probable that companies were allocated blocks of numbers and when these were used up, they applied for another block. I should emphasize that this is all supposition on my part - and as a result of interesting communications with the webmaster of the excellent Sons of Galloway website.  

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

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

1st & 2nd Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders 1881-1914
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)
Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders service battalions 1914-1917