Highland Light Infantry - 9th (Glasgow Highland) Bn - 1908-1914

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 9th (Glasgow Highland) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry between 1908 and 1914.

The 9th Battalion, which had previously existed at the 5th (Glasgow Highland) Volunteer Battalion, Highland Light Infantry, was formed on the 1st April 1908. The Territorial Year Book for 1909 recorded that the battalion strength was 30 officers and 696 men. At the annual camp in 1908, 344 officers and men attended for eight days whilst 286 officers and men attended for 15 days. Private J Chisholm of D Company was the best shot of the battalion. 

The following year, The Territorial Year Book for 1910 recorded that the strength was 31 officers and 1000 other ranks, a steady increase on the previous year, and in line with increases in other HLI Territorial Force Battalions. At the annual camp in 1909 438 officers and men attended for 8 days whilst 477 officers and men attended for 15 days. Serjeant J W Mathieson of A Company was the best shot of the battalion. Camp for 1910 was scheduled for Stirling from the 16th July.

The battalion was headquartered at 81 Greendyke Street, Glasgow and used the Drill Hall at Glasgow Green. There was a shooting range at Patterton, five miles from HQ. It too formed part of the Highland Light Infantry Brigade in the Lowland Division. 

Here are some sample regimental numbers and joining dates for the 9th (Glasgow Highland) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry.

457 joined on the 9th April 1908
815 joined on the 15th March 1909
1207 joined on the 23rd February 1910
1295 joined on the 16th January 1911
1457 joined on the 12th February 1912
1746 joined on the 7th April 1913
1949 joined on the 28th January 1914
2205 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 1568 he would have joined the battalion between February 1912 and April 1913.

The image that I have used for this post shows officers and men of the Highlnad Light Infantry on Laffans Plain. To search for photos of your Highland Light Infantry ancestors, check my British Army Ancestors website.

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Highland Light Infantry - 7th (Blythswood) Bn - 1908-1914

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 7th (Blythswood) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry between 1908 and 1914.

The 7th Battalion, which had previously existed at the 3rd (Blythswood) Volunteer Battalion, Highland Light Infantry, was formed on the 1st April 1908. The Territorial Year Book for 1909 recorded that the battalion strength was 29 officers and 571 men. At the annual camp in 1908, 20 officers and men attended for eight days whilst 460 officers and men attended for 15 days. Serjeant J Humphreys was the best shot of the battalion. 

The following year, The Territorial Year Book for 1910 recorded that the strength was 31 officers and 928 other ranks, a significant increase on the previous year, and in line with increases in the 5th and 6th Battalions. At the annual camp at Gailes in 1909 257 officers and men attended for 8 days whilst 572 officers and men attended for 15 days. Private Doctor of E Company was the best shot of the battalion. Camp for 1910 was scheduled for Stirling from the 16th July.

The battalion was headquartered at 69 Main Street, Bridgeton and had drill halls at its HQ and another at Glasgow Green. There was a shooting range at Dechmont, Cambuslang, seven miles by road from HQ, or five miles by rail. Like the 5th & 6th Battalions, the 7th Battalion’s eight companies drew men from the city of Glasgow. It too formed part of the Highland Light Infantry Brigade in the Lowland Division. 

Here are some sample regimental numbers and joining dates for the 7th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry.

29 joined on the 28th May 1908
637 joined on the 2nd March 1909
1201 joined on the 28th February 1910
1311 joined on the 20th February 1911
1391 joined on the 9th February 1912
1625 joined on the 18th April 1913
1714 joined on the 26th February 1914
2125 joined on the 7th 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 February 1910 and February 1911.

The image that I have used for this post shows officers of the 3/7th Highland Light Infantry photographed in 1915. The photograph was published in The Tatler on the 15th December that year. To search for photos of your Highland Light Infantry ancestors, check my British Army Ancestors website.

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Highland Light Infantry - 6th (City of Glasgow) Bn - 1908-1914

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 6th (City of Glasgow) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry between 1908 and 1914. 

The 6th Battalion, which had previously existed at the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, Highland Light Infantry, was formed on the 1st April 1908. The Territorial Year Book for 1909 recorded that the battalion strength was 23 officers and 562 men. At the annual camp in 1908, 135 officers and men attended for eight days whilst 366 officers and men attended for 15 days. Lance-Serjeant E Patience was the best shot of the battalion. 

The following year, The Territorial Year Book for 1910 recorded that the strength was 21 officers and 974 men, a good increase on the previous year. At the annual camp in 1909 377 officers and men attended for 8 days whilst 553 officers and men attended for 15 days. Camp for 1910 was scheduled for Stirling from the 16th July.

The battalion was headquartered at 172 Yorkhill Street, Glasgow and had drill halls at its HQ and another at Westend Park. There was a shooting range at Dechmont, Cambuslang, nine miles from HQ. Like the 5th Battalion, the battalion’s eight companies drew men from the city of Glasgow. It too formed part of the Highland Light Infantry Brigade in the Lowland Division. 

Here are some sample regimental numbers and joining dates for the 6th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry.

425 joined on the 19th August 1908
603 joined on the 13th April 1909
1168 joined on the 3rd June 1910
1210 joined on the 2nd May 1911
1318 joined on the 6th May 1912
1469 joined on the 11th February 1913
1656 joined on the 27th January 1914
1839 joined on the 5th 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 1600 he would have joined the battalion between February 1913 and January 1914. 

The image that I have used for this post shows men of the Highland Light Infantry in camp. To search for photos of your Highland Light Infantry ancestors, check my British Army Ancestors website. 

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Highland Light Infantry - 5th (City of Glasgow) Bn - 1908-1914

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 5th (City of Glasgow) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry between 1908 and 1914. 

The 5th Battalion, which had previously existed at the 1st Volunteer Battalion, Highland Light Infantry, was formed on the 1st April 1908. The Territorial Year Book for 1909 recorded that the battalion strength was 20 officers and 397 men. At the annual camp in 1908, 109 officers and men attended for eight days whilst 265 officers and men attended for 15 days. 

The following year, The Territorial Year Book for 1910 recorded that the strength was 28 officers and 949 men, a significant increase on the previous year. At the annual camp 166 officers and men attended for 8 days whilst 701 officers and men attended for 15 days. Camp for 1910 was scheduled for Stirling from the 16th July.

The battalion was headquartered at 24 Hill Street, Garnethill, Glasgow and its eight companies drew men from the city of Glasgow. The battalion formed part of the Highland Light Infantry Brigade in the Lowland Division. 

Here are some sample regimental numbers and joining dates for the 5th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry.

53 joined on the 3rd April 1908
432 joined on the 1st February 1909
1083 joined on the 11th March 1910
1187 joined on the 25th January 1911
1340 joined on the 8th May 1912
1377 joined on the 3rd February 1913
1591 joined on the 15th March 1914
1637 joined on the 4th 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 1200 he would have joined the battalion between January 1911 and May 1912. 

The image that I have borrowed for this post shows pipers of the Highland Light Infantry ‘in the park on the march’. To search for photos of your Highland Light Infantry ancestors, check my British Army Ancestors website.

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Highland Light Infantry - Other Rank PoWs 1914

There are 148 men on this list of men from the Highland Light Infantry who were captured by the Germans on or before Christmas Day 1914. This data has been transcribed from the  following Imperial War Museum collections:

B.O.2 1/144: a 5-page hand-written list sent to Sir Ernest Goodhart by HLI (Regular Battalions) Prisoners of War Help Committee, dated 24th December 1918
B.O.2 1/145: a 4-page typed list, of which the 4th page refers to Hampshire Regt PoWs and NOT HLI.  No date.
B.O.2 1/146: a single page hand-written list from Mrs A A Wolfe-Murray and 2nd HLI Prisoners of War Care Committee.  No date.

My full transcription of these men (not reproduced here) also contains the home address and/or next of kin address of all of the men.  For more information about these so-called 'Princess Mary tin PoWs' see my 1914 PoWs page. The majority of these men will also have records published by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Searching is free; finding your man is another matter entirely.

The full transcription is available for sale for £20. Contact me if you would like to purchase a copy.

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10591 Private T Allen, 11381 Lance-Corporal W Anderson, 11402 Corporal William G Armstrong, 10319 Private James Atkins.

11538 Private A Ball, 11379 Private W Ball, 11018 Private G Bell, 11838 Private I Blackadder, 10794 Private Thomas Blaney, 9898 Private George Bond, 11013 Private John Bowman, 11125 Private George Brialey, 5337 CSM Robert Brisbane, 10433 Private Ernest Brown, 10449 Private George C Brown, 11549 Private Robert Brown, 11293 Private Albert E J Burgess, 11466 Private Stephen Burns, 10402 Private William G Burns.

11454 Private James Campbell, 11568 Corporal Paul Campbell, 11608 Private D Carmichael, 11063 Private Andrew Cleland, 9980 Sergeant George H J Connelly, 10751 Private Edward Connor, 9632 Private J Copeland, 11967 Private Robert Croft, 11668 Private James P Davidson, 11652 Private Norman W Dibley, 10904 Private William Dixon, 10514 Private J Docherty, 9765 Private P Doherty, 11239 Private J Donnachie, 11562 Lance-Corporal A Drugan.

11128 Private W Eaglesham, 11968 Lance-Corporal S Esson, 8075 Private J Fairweather, 11218 Lance-Corporal J Fraser.

11506 Private S Gaw, 11388 Private H Gibson, 11680 Private R Gillespie, 11460 Private W Gilliland, 10278 Private A Gillon, 11362 Private W Gough, 11617 Private C Graham, 8663 Private Darkin Hartog, 8508 Lance-Corporal C Head, 11458 Private Andrew Henderson, 11624 Private Robert Henry, 12036 Private Thomas Howe, 10250 Private H Hughes, 11311 Private Charles Hullock, 9904 Private F Hutchins.

11826 Private Patrick Jinks, 10555 Sergeant George A Johnson, 11533 Private James Johnstone, 11192 Lance-Corporal William Johnstone.

12237 Private J Kane, 9982 Lance-Corporal James M M Kellie, 11561 Private James Kennedy, 10807 Private James Knowles.

11368 Private Robert Lafferty, 7166 Private Stanley W Lamond, 8955 Sergeant John Lawson, 11735 Private M Lenaghan, 11263 Private Arthur W Lewis, 10068 Private R Liddell, 11326 Private Alexander Logan, 11087 Private Andrew Logie, 11678 Private J Lyttle.

11196 Piper T Macdonald, 10525 Lance-Corporal L Machin, 11688 Private John M Mackenzie, 7777 Sergeant John B Marshall, 11198 Private James Matthews, 11792 Private Bernard McAdams, 11178 Private P McAdams, 11174 Private Thomas McCabe, 7108 Private D McDougal, 11055 Private Hugh McGlashan, 11660 Private J McIntosh, 10791 Private John McKay, 11551 Lance-Corporal Alexander McKenzie, 11596 Private D McKinstrey, 11656 Private Norman McLeod, 10167 Sergeant A McMillan, 11643 Private Neil McNeil, 8128 Private W McQueen, 10037 Private J McReadie, 1234 Private Ewan McTeagle, 11057 Private W Melvin, 10420 Lance-Corporal G Messan, 5170 CSM W Miller, 10349 Lance-Corporal T Mitchell, 11137 Private A Morrow, 7677 Sergeant A Mortimer, 10775 Private John Mullen, 8986 Private Patrick Murphy, 11249 Private John Murray, 10800 Private W Murray.

11170 Private S Newlands, 8980 Private W Nicholson

8158 Lance-Corporal J O'Hare, 11213 Private C Olding.

11094 Private H Patterson, 9421 Private John F Peck, 11559 Private Charles Porter, 7853 Sergeant David Potter.

11813 Private Harry Ramsay, 10352 Private John Reddy, 11489 Lance-Corporal James L Robertson, 9364 Private D Rose, 11574 Private John Ross, 11285 Private Frederick G D Rouse.

11421 Lance-Corporal Frank Saggers, 11261 Lance-Corporal Frank Salisbury, 10983 Private P Salton, 10756 Private Ernest Sargeant, 10427 Private William T Sayers, 10821 Private David Scott, 11762 Private W Sedley, 10434 Private T Shellard, 11067 Private Peter Skivine, 11823 Private W Small, 10640 Private A Smith, 10446 Private Herbert S Solly, 11439 Corporal A Strathdee.

12021 Private Robert Tarburn, 11917 Private Ernest J Tew, 9742 Private W Tough, 11364 Private P Traynor, 10361 Private J Vennard.

11862 Private John Wallace, 11059 Private W Walsh, 10457 Corporal A Ward, 10633 Private A Welfare, 11407 Private R Welsh, 11229 Private W White, 10760 Private Robert Wildgoose, 10973 Private J Willis, 9130 Private A Wilson, 9269 Private J Wilson, 10230 Lance-Corporal R Wilson, 10764 Private E Wiltcher, 9129 Sergeant W Wolstencroft, 10647 Private C Wright.

11684 Private T Young, 10953 Private W Young.

The image at the top of this post is courtesy The Imperial War Museum and shows men of the 9th (Glasgow Highlnders) Battalion in trenches during the First World War.

10th Royal Scots transfers to the HLI

I thought I'd share some research I undertook for a client earlier in the week.

I was looking at a man who had no surviving service record but whose medal card indicated service with the Royal Scots and later the HLI. The four digit Royal Scots number could, realistically, only belong to a Territorial Force (TF) battalion or to the 3rd (Special Reserve) battalion. But which TF battalion?

The Royal Scots Regiment had seven TF battalions with five of these battalions focused on Edinburgh with the 8th Battalion and the 10th (Cyclist) Battalion covering a larger area. The 8th Battalion is particularly interesting to me as at one stage it operated three distinct regimental number series. The 10th Battalion too, also ran at least two number series for a time.

When I dug a little deeper it soon became evident that men with HLI numbers in the range that I was looking at: 434**, had all transferred from the 10th Royal Scots in August 1916. These men sailed for France on the 29th July 1916, joined the 20th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples the following day and then joined the HLI a little over a week later. Their medal index cards therefore note the Royal Scots numbers (because they arrived in France serving with the Royal Scots) but their time overseas with the Royal Scots was limited to marking time at an IBD in Etaples. All of their active service in France was with the HLI.

I do not know how drafts of 10th Royal Scots were selected, and my research shows that there were some long-serving men in these drafts as well as men who had only joined up the previous year. Most of these men found themselves transferred to the 12th Battalion HLI.

Need help researching your army ancestor. I offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.

The photo on this post, courtesy of the Scotland's War website, shows men of the Bathgate Company of the 10th Royal Scots.

Highland Light Infantry 1881-1914 - 1st & 2nd Battalions

The Highland Light Infantry was formed on the 1st July 1881; the 1st Battalion from the 71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry), and the 2nd Battalion from the 74th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot.  

There are over 39,000 Highland 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 Highland 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.

Along with The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) the newly formed Highland Light Infantry was established as the county regiment for Lanarkshire and started numbering from 1 in 1881.

370 joined on 7th October 1881
673 joined on 6th April 1882
1032 joined on 8th February 1883
1701 joined on 12th January 1884
2127 joined on 8th October 1885
2235 joined on 17th February 1886
2652 joined on 27th January 1887
2920 joined on 29th February 1888
3225 joined on 25th February 1889
3506 joined on 24th February1890
4023 joined on 15th April 1891
4698 joined on 11th October 1892
4790 joined on 31st January 1893
5170 joined on 17th January 1894
5867 joined on 17th August 1895
6157 joined on 18th November 1896
6447 joined on 17th April 1897
6629 joined on 28th April 1898
6823 joined on 23rd February 1899
7254 joined on 20th June 1900

The Highland Light Infantry raised three volunteer service companies during the South African War.  The Queen’s South Africa Medal roll at the National Archives lists 1st VSC men separately and also notes all officers and the VSCs to which each was attached.  Further pages then list all volunteers (including the 1st VSC men again), who joined the three HLI VSCs during the South African War.  What follows, is my best estimate of who belonged where.

Numbers 8150 through to 8279 are all 1st VSC men. There is then a gap in VSC numbering until 8292. Some numbers within the range 8292 to 8361 were issued to 1st VSC men, the remainder to 2nd VSC men. Numbers within the range 8362 to 8424 all appear to be 2nd VSC men.  All 1st VSC numbers, and probably the 2nd VSC numbers as well, date to early 1900.

After 8424 there is a break until 8800.  Consecutive numbers 8800 to 8860 were all 3rd VSC men and would appear to date to January 1902.

On 17th February 1900, the 1st VSC set sail for South Africa aboard SS Gascon.  It comprised Captain D S Morton, Lieutenant J R Leisk, Lieutenant J Shearer and 113 men.

7562 joined on 3rd April 1901
7811 joined on 24th January 1902
8480 joined on 6th February 1903
9203 joined on 9th February 1904
10027 joined on 27th December 1905
10167 joined on 22nd May 1906
10357 joined on 12th January 1907
11115 joined on 10th November 1908
11390 joined on 19th August 1909
11527 joined on 13th April 1910
11695 joined on 9th May 1911
11900 joined on 27th February 1912
12057 joined on 13th January 1913
12369 joined on 10th August 1914

Also see my post on regular enlistments in the Highland Light Infantry in 1914

The First World War

When Britain went to war in August 1914, men joining the new service battalions were issued with numbers from the same series that been used by the regiment’s two regular battalions. The majority of men joining the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th Battalions however, were issued with numbers from separate number series which had begun at 1 in October 1914.  Those men though, who had joined these battalions prior to October 1914 had been issued with numbers from the regular series.

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

Glasgow Pals: number sequences and battalions

Following hot on the heels of the Liverpool Pals, here are some number blocks for the Glasgow Pals, more correctly: 15th (1st City) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (Glasgow Tramways), 16th (2nd City) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (Glasgow Boys' Brigade) and 17th (2nd City) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (Glasgow Commercials).  

Numbering in the Glasgow Pals battalions initially used the same number sequence that had been in use for the regular battalions and which, since August 1914, had also been used by the newly forming service battalions.  At some point, however, a decision was obviously taken to commence a new number series, from 1, and this series starts appearing in August 1914 and is also shared across all service battalions.

I will list the number series - as far as I can ascertain these, in the order in which these were issued. The date range for the following numbers is mid August to mid September 1914

13000 - 14100: 15th Battalion
14101 - 15199: 16th Battalion
15200 - 16299: 17th Battalion

The new number range starts appearing, in my Glasgow Pals' database at least, in early November 1914, with numbers in the 35** range being issued as late as May 1915

0965 - 1163: 15th Battalion
1364 - 1460: 16th Battalion
2684 - 2999: 17th Battalion
3100 - 3296: mostly 15th Battalion
3355 - 3574: mostly 16th Battalion

Both Ancestry and Findmypast have data collections covering the Glasgow Pals.

The image above is borrowed from the Glesga' Pals website and shows new recruits for the 16th Battalion parading in St George's Square, Glasgow in 1914.

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

"No medals - No service overseas"

Here's an interesting medal index card; interesting because it's a medal index card for a man who neither served overseas (and so received no medals) nor received a silver war badge.  As such, this card is something of a rarity but in the absence of a surviving service or pension record, it's still possible to sketch an outline service career for this man.

The HLI number is easy enough.  It belongs to the series issued to the first recruits to the 15th Battalion, Highland Infantry (1st Glasgow Pals) and dates to mid September 1914. 

The Training Reserve was formed on 1st September 1916 and the TR/2 prefix indicates either the 12th or 18th Training Reserve Brigade and probably either the 52nd TRB in the 12th Brigade (originally the 13th (Reserve) Battalion, HLI) or the 78th or 79th TRB in the 18th Brigade (originally the 19th and 20th (Reserve) Battalions, HLI respectively).

The Labour Corps was formed on 21st February 1917 but this number appears to date to some while after the formation of this corps and may have been part of a batch allocated to the 461st Home Service Employment Company in October 1917.

I can't explain the 30th London Regiment number.  The 30th was formed on the 1st January 1917 and drew six-digit numbers from the block 800001 to 820000.  However, John Cameron's number is a five-digit number and therefiore does not fit the pattern I would have expected it to do.

The Royal Defence Corps number dates to after the Armistice was signed.

All in all, an extensive service record spread over four years, and quite unusual to see it thus recorded.

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

Highland Light Infantry - Regular enlistments 1914

I've just been browsing back issues of the Highland Light Infantry Chronicle for 1914.  Volume XIV, No 4 published in October 1914 (priced fourpence) gives the following list of "recruits joined since last issue and during mobilisation".  All of these men are regular recruits, the gaps in between their numbers being filled - so I believe - by men joining up for wartime service only.  I have identified some of these men as having surviving service records in WO 364 and have therefore been able to put dates next to their numbers.

12325 Pte E Semple
12326 Pte J Baker
12327 Pte S Haughey joined 6th July 1914
12329 Pte P Leith
12331 Pte E King
12332 Pte J Hall
12333 Pte G Taylor
12334 Pte John Livingstone joined 29th July 1914
12335 Pte H Whitehurst
12336 Pte R McCallum
12337 Pte T Lenaghan
12338 Pte J Goodlad
12339 Pte J McCabe
12340 Pte E Conway
12343 Pte G Braid
12344 Pte W Barrett
12345 Pte G McLeod
12346 Pte E McKay
12347 Pte R Brough
12348 Pte A Brown
12349 Pte W Miller
12350 Pte G Haynes
12351 Pte J Johnston
12352 Pte D Craig
12353 Pte J Milligan
12354 Pte W Dick
12355 Pte G Kidd
12356 Pte S Proctor
12357 Pte J Todd
12358 Pte H Forbes
12359 Pte W Anderson
12360 Pte A Osbourne
12361 Pte H Lennon
12362 Pte J McDonald
12363 Pte R Russell
12364 Pte J Summerville
12365 Pte E Connall
12366 Pte G Quigley
12367 Pte S Rankin
12368 Pte P Milligan
12369 Pte James McNaughton joined 10th August 1914
12370 Pte C Sneddon
12371 Pte J Barbour
12372 Pte P Callaghan
12373 Pte J McAulay
12374 Pte J Ross
12375 Pte G Dunn
12376 Pte W Wilson
12377 Pte P Montgomery
12378 Pte W Stevenson
12379 Pte G Monaghan
12380 Pte J Barrie
12381 Pte J Hartvig
12382 Pte L Waterston
12383 Pte J Schuman
12384 Pte A Reid
12385 Pte H McSherry
12386 Pte T McCurdy
12387 Pte E Benson
12388 Pte P Shearer
12389 Pte P Carroll
12390 Pte W Kennedy
12391 Pte D McKeegan
12392 Pte A McDonald
12393 Pte J Beverley
12394 Pte W Roy
12395 Pte T White
12396 Pte James Marshall Rankin joined 15th August 1914
12397 Pte A Watt
12398 Pte D Simpson
12399 Pte A Fleming

[Note gap between 12399 and 12901]

12901 Pte W Green
12902 Pte E Bray
12903 Pte J Scott
12904 Pte J Lugton
12905 Pte G Carter
12906 Pte Francis Gillespie joined 25th August 1914
12907 Pte W Martin
12908 Pte H Forrester
12909 Pte J Hoggan
12910 Pte H Hynman
12911 Pte S Ryder
12912 Pte E Simons
12913 Pte A Paterson
12914 Pte James Mooney joined 10th August 1914
12915 Pte R Nairn
12916 Pte W Clark
12917 Pte W Robb
12918 Pte J Watters
12919 Pte N Haggerty

[Note gap between 12919 and 16370]

16370 Pte J Ferrell
16371 Pte D McIntyre
16372 Pte P Carroll
16373 Boy H G Robinson (injured by a runaway horse and lorry on December 15th 1914)
16374 Pte J Anderson
16375 Boy W Venables
16376 Boy S Kirkland
16377 Pte T McCabe

The next volume, XV, No 1, dated January 1915, continues where the previous volume left off:

16378 Boy F H Green

16379 Boy William Button joined aged 14 years and 351 days on 26th October 1914.  Later transfered to Army Cyclist Corps and discharged from ACC on 22nd November 1918.

16380 Boy G H King

1720 Boy Joseph James Burgess joined as a 14 year old on 4th December 1914.  Discharged medically unfit on the 2nd February 1915.  I have no idea why this boy was given this number.

18279 Boy E White
18280 Boy W Short

18364 Boy George Copeland joined 20th January 1915 aged 15 years and 10 months.  Discharged medically unfit on the 13th November 1915 (but not before he'd appeared before a District Court Martial in January in September 1915 and been sentenced to 56 days detention for "when on active service stealing goods, the property of a comrade...").

18502 Pte Patrick King joined on 29th January 1915, General Service for duration of war.
18526 Pte G Davison
18527 Pte R Corinns
18528 Pte E Gittings

Note that with two exceptions, numbers 16373 to 16380 are all Boy enlistments, then there's an odd number - 1720 - and then another large gap until we get to 18279 and 18280 (two more Boys). 18502, Patrick King is a war-time service only enlistment, I'm not sure about Privates Davison, Corinns and Gittings.

The portrait is of Captain Robert Guy Ingledon Chichester, 2nd Battalion, Highland Light Infantry and a veteran of operations in India (1897-1898) and the Boer War, who was killed in action on the 13th November 1914.  He wears the India Medal and the Queen's South Africa Medal.

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

8th (Lanark) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry

The 8th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry, was another of those Territorial Force which did not start numbering from 1 in 1908. Formerly the 9th Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteer Corps, it later became the 4th Volunteer Batttalion, HLI and continued with the 4th VB number series when the 8th HLI was born in April 1908. It was the only HLI Territorial Force battalion to adopt this practice.

5053 Pte James Dudgeon joined the 8th HLI on the 28th April 1908. His number though, dates way back to the 5th February 1902. By March 1908 the 4th VB was numbering at 5683 and I'll pick up the tale at this point.

This post will look at numbering in the 8th HLI between 1908 and December 1914. As usual, all of the information recorded below is taken from surviving service records in the WO 363 and WO 364 series at the National Archives. These records can also be accessed via Ancestry.co.uk.

5683 joined the 4th VB HLI on the 20th March 1908
6060 joined the 8th HLI on 18th June 1908
6147 joined on 19th January 1908
6605 joined on 10th February 1908
6853 joined on 6th February 1911
7083 joined on 14th April 1912
7196 joined on 30th January 1913
7554 joined on 19th February 1914
7628 joined on 6th August 1914
7844 joined on 28th September 1914
7860 joined on 2nd October 1914
7893 joined on 2nd Novembber 1914
8016 joined on 23rd December 1914

When the Territorial Force was re-numbered in 1917, the 8th HLI was allocated numbers within the range 305001 to 330000. 305005, for instance, was issued to William Speirs whose original TF number, recorded on his attestation papers when he joined the TF on 28th April 1908, was 5229. This number, in turn, had originally been issued to William when he joined the Volunteer Force in 1903 or Pre-April 1904.

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