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

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

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

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

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

Here are some sample regimental numbers and joining dates for the the 6th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. The majority of men signing up from April 1908 would have been men who, up until the 31st March, had been serving members of the 2nd VF Battalion.

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

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

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

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

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

Northumberland Fusiliers - 5th Battalion (Territorial Force)

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

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

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

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

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

Here are some sample regimental numbers and joining dates for the the 5th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. The majority of men signing up from April 1908 would have been men who, up until the 31st March, had been serving members of the 2nd VF Battalion.

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

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

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

Use the regimental numbers above to estimate when a man would have joined this battalion between 1908 and August 1914. For example, if your man had the number 800 and lived in the West Moor area, he would have joined this battalion at some time between January 1909 and March 1910, and furthermore he would probably have served with G Company.  

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

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

Northumberland Fusiliers - 7th Battalion (Territorial Force)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Use the regimental numbers above to estimate when a man would have joined this battalion between 1908 and August 1914. For example, if your man had the number 1500 and lived in the Morpeth area, he would have joined this battalion at some time between February 1913 and April 1914 and furthermore, he would probably have served with A Company.  

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

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

Northumberland Fusiliers - 4th Battalion (Territorial Force)

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

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

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

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

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

Here are some sample regimental numbers and joining dates for the the 4th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. The majority of men signing up from April 1908 would have been men who, up until the 31st March, had been serving members of the 1st VF Battalion.

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

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

Use the regimental numbers above to estimate when a man would have joined this battalion between 1908 and August 1914. For example, if your man had the number 500 and lived in the Corbridge area, he would have joined this battalion at some time between the 22nd January 1909 and the 17th May 1910. Furthermore, he would have served with E Company. 

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

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

Are regimental numbers unique?

Are regimental numbers unique? I am asked this question often enough to unapologetically publish another post on this topic. The short answer is No, regimental numbers are not unique. As I wrote last September, 

"A typical line infantry county regiment [pre 1908] could expect to administer one regimental number series for its regular battalions, and a separate number series for each militia battalion. Volunteer Force battalions also each had a separate regimental number series and later, so too would EACH Territorial Force battalion... and with some battalions running multiple number series to boot."

You can see this very clearly demonstrated if you run a simple number search on my new British Army Ancestors website. The site is free to use but if you want to view any of the returned results - usually a service record or a medal index card - you'll need to pay The National Archives or Findmypast.

Running a search of 1234 Essex Reg* (use the wildcard to widen or indeed restrict results) returns eight results, all for different men with the regimental number 1234 who served with the Essex Regiment.  There are Territorial Force men here, militia men, career soldiers; all serving with the regimental number 1234 which would have been issued from different number series or number blocks at different times.

Queen's & King's Regulations

For the majority of line infantry regiments, regimental numbering started at 1 on the 1st July 1881. The regimental number was issued to the man when he presented himself at the regimental depot, and he kept this regimental number at the depot and if he was posted between regular battalions (usually the 1st and 2nd Battalions). 

Infantry regiments were to number to 9999 and, when they approached this number, were to to seek permission from the Adjutant General to commence a new series. The extract above is from Queen's Regulations 1884.  In 1904 the rules changed and infantry regiments were told they could number to 19999 before seeking permission to start a new series. This was further relaxed by Army Order 453 of 1914 which gave line infantry regiments permission to number to 39999, which was just as well with the influx of men to the colours from August that year. 

But the point is that as well as seeing duplicates across the various battalions in a regiment - and my 60 second regimental numbering overview goes into more detail here - duplicates also occur because of this need to start new number series. The Essex Regiment was a fairly typical steady recruiter of regular soldiers, an average of around 320 men signing up each year between 1881 and 1911. It only used the number 1234 once for a regular enlistment and that was in January 1884.  Regiments with more than two regular battalions though, got through their allotted numbers more quickly and thus we see, for instance, the Northumberland Fusiliers reaching 9999 on the 2nd December 1903 and commencing a new number series starting with 1. For this regiment's regular battalions, the number 1234 makes an appearance in December 1885 and again, nearly twenty years later, in May 1905.

The image on this page shows Private Dore, 2nd Battalion, Devonshire Regiment; winner of the Rifle Championship Cup at Aldershot in 1899. Judging by the three chevrons on his lower left sleeve he had been in the army for at least 12 years when this photograph was taken. The photo was published in Navy & Army Illustrated on the 2nd September 1899.

I research soldiers! Contact me if you need help with your military ancestor.

Every roll tells a story

The following list of Northumberland Fusiliers men wounded in action was published in The Times on the 6th February 1915. Apart from knowing that these casualties were reported to the War Office on the 6th December 1914 (because The Times tell us so) what else can we glean from this information?

8049 L-Cpl Joseph Atkinson 
892 Pte H Brown 
145 Pte H Causon 
682 L-Cpl S Cooper 
767 Pte W Craze 
8732 Pte E Deeming 
1491 Sgt J Drayson 
8755 Pte T Forrest 
3519 Pte J Foster 
8184 Pte B Ginn 
2013 Pte J Glynn 
2303 Cpl J F Jordan 
2199 Pte J E Langford 
219 Pte C E Loughman 
3616 Pte Tom Lumb 
554 L-Cpl J Marlow 
9636 Pte J Purdy 
9597 Pte B Ryley 
1068 Pte W Schofield 
1096 Pte P Shoosmith 
545 Pte T E Smith 
8663 Pte C E Turton 

There is broad range of regimental numbers here and below I have sorted these into the order in which they would have been issued. The Northumberland Fusiliers reached the number 9999 on the 2nd December 1903 and them commenced a new number series beginning at 1. 

Search 11.5m British Army records on my new website: British Army Ancestors. 

Searching is FREE and fast - and you can upload photos too.

Assuming that all of the men here were regular, career soldiers, here's that same list organised in the order in which these regimental numbers would have been issued.

8049 L-Cpl Joseph Atkinson 
8184 Pte B Ginn 
8663 Pte C E Turton 
8732 Pte E Deeming 
8755 Pte T Forrest 
9597 Pte B Ryley 
9636 Pte J Purdy 
145 Pte H Causon 
219 Pte C E Loughman 
545 Pte T E Smith 
554 L-Cpl J Marlow 
682 L-Cpl S Cooper 
767 Pte W Craze 
892 Pte H Brown 
1068 Pte W Schofield 
1096 Pte P Shoosmith 
1491 Sgt J Drayson 
2013 Pte J Glynn 
2199 Pte J E Langford 
2303 Cpl J F Jordan 
3519 Pte J Foster 
3616 Pte Tom Lumb

Lance-Corporal Joseph Atkinson's number dates to June 1901 whereas Privates Joseph Foster and Tom Lumb were recent recruits from 1913.

In 1904, King's Regulations regarding regimental number series were revised so that infantry regiments could number to 19,999 before they needed to apply to commence a new series beginning from 1.

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

Northumberland Fusiliers - PoW Other Ranks 1914

The following men were all serving with regular battalions of The Northumberland Fusiliers, when they became prisoners of war of the Germans on or before Christmas Day 1914. There are 152 names in this list. Read more about this Prisoner of War data source on my 1914 PoWs page.

This data has been transcribed from B.O.2 1/194 at the Imperial War Museum. This is a seven-page typed list of men dated 20th January 1919 and sent by the officer in charge of infantry records at York.

My full transcription of this Northumberland Fusiliers Prisoners of War roll call of other ranks (not reproduced here) also contains battalion, home address or next of kin address, additional notes and remarks.

The full transcription is available for sale as a download or CD for £10. Contact me if you would like to purchase a copy.

1109 Private Philip Abthorpe
9376 Private Thomas Adams
905 Private J Anderton
7743 Private S Ashton
3/9716 Private G W Atkinson
2055 Private Albert Barnett
8047 Private J Barrass
1522 Corporal William Beech
1835 Private H A Beighton
9215 Private T Beswick
515 Lance-Corporal J W Beatmead
2106 Lance-Corporal P Black
8809 Private J Blueitt
2427 Private J Bradley
9485 Private J F Browning
9641 Private G Burrell
1672 Private J Cain
2607 Private F Carter
958 Private Herbert Chastney
9267 Private Walter J Crouch
9965 Lance-Corporal Frederick W Crowe
9979 Private Watson Crozier
5379 Lance-Corporal J Dixon
8871 Private James Downey
1493 Private E Duck
3746 Private J W Durham
1025 Private C Edler
1427 Private A G Edwards
239 Lance-Corporal C Elmey
1379 Private P Evans
488 Private B Finnett
9143 Private J Fitchett
9235 Corporal J Franks
8793 Private H Fraser
9191 Private A Fuller
2356 Sergeant F J Gammon
3586 Private Henry Garrett
9615 Private J Gibbon
8783 Private H Gibbons
2005 Lance-Corporal R Gibbs
823 Private H Gillespie
63 Private H Gowanlock
1592 Private J T Gray
3/9160 Private G Gray
8838 Private J Green
2108 Private A Grimes
8722 Private John Grindle
9242 Lance-Corporal E C Grinling
2905 Corporal J Hamilton
2226 Private G Harman
215 Private C Harris
8687 Private J Harrison
8858 Private Frederick A Harrison
9752 Private R Hayes
1450 Private J Hanson
1552 Private A C Hewitt
1042 Private J E Hills
6035 Sergeant Lionel A Hobbs
1081 Private Isaac Hodgkinson
91 Private George Holland
9288 Private James W Holyoak
4898 CSM C Hone
9907 Lance-Corporal J Hood
1615 Private L Howe
2658 Private T Hughes
9489 Private F S Hurst
2684 Private A Jackson
207 Lance-Corporal H Kealing
8031 Private William Keene
9642 Private J Kennedy
592 Private George Kerwin
196 Lance-Corporal Michael King
782 Private J King
3667 Private F Kingsbury
60 Corporal J Knowles
9320 Private Robert Ladzrie
86 Private Allen Long
8815 Private George McCarthy
9270 Private McMahon
669 Private A Macmillan
9374 Private W Macmillan
2371 Private W Martin
922 Lance-Corporal Le Roy Marquis
1306 Private J Mason 8844 Private E Maycock
1223 Private H Meadows
9315 Private William V Moore
9105 Private Arthur E Morris
1079 Private James M Newman
99 Lance-Corporal T Nicholson
2446 Private C Nicholson
6302 Private Thomas Norwich
2383 Corporal G Page
393 Private T Patterson
9736 Private Robert Patterson
3227 Private Charles Pearson
3782 Private Cecil Peers
398 Private W Pennison
1350 Private F Plowman
9623 Private S Pointer
7316 Sergeant George Poole
1637 Private David L Potter
838 Private J Powell
9159 Lance-Corporal George W Pratt
2614 Lance-Corporal David L Quinn
8715 Private Robert Ramshaw
3579 Private S Rawson
1621 Private James Reed
138 Private Arthur G Robinson
9645 Private H Robson
1083 Lance-Corporal H Rush
9770 Private W Saville
1805 Private J Scorer
9371 Private J Scott
9291 Private J Scrowther
1136 Private Charles Seabridge
977 Private F Seager
3721 Private H Settle
9862 Private G Slyth
1108 Private M Stirling
9637 Private J Stolk
987 Private Robert G Sutton
674 Corporal Matthew Telfer
9524 Private Herbert Tomlinson
9181 Lance-Corporal A W Towle
9901 Private Herbert Tuffee
9160 Private Harry Unwin
1056 Private Robert Vaughan
320 Lance-Corporal Albert Vincent
9148 Sergeant William Warriner
879 Private Ernest Webster
9184 Private W Wildman
755 Private David L Will
523 Private W Williams
1971 Private H T Wiltshire

The following men were all reported as having since died:

2840 Lance-Corporal J W Bell
344 Private W B Brookbank
3492 Sergeant G W Cullingworth
9963 Private R Cowell
3950 Private J Ford
9592 Private J Green
8366 Lance-Corporal J Higgins
833 Acting Corporal Henry H Jeffries
7917 Private John McCullagh
3340 Private Eugene O Monachan
9113 Private H Powell
1982 Private Henry Richardson
8328 Private B Blanks
1575 Private J Thompson
9241 Private William T Westlake
2707 Private W Wright

For help with your own regimental numbering or military research conundrums, check out my military research service.

Northumberland Fusiliers - Regular battalions

This post will look at regimental numbers in the regular battalions of the Northumberland Fusiliers between 1881 and 1914. The Northumberland Fusiliers was formed on the 1st July 1881 from the 5th Regiment of Foot (Northumberland Fusiliers).

The newly formed regiment was established as the county regiment for Northumberland and started numbering from 1 in 1881. 

There are over 48,000 Northumberland Fusiliers service records which survive in various National Archives' series, and clicking on the link will take you to the results on Findmypast, although you will need a subscription or Pay-Per-View credits to actually get into the records.

21 joined on 29th August 1881
96 joined on 5th January 1882
253 joined on 23rd January 1883
518 joined on 17th January 1884
803 joined on 14th January1885
1314 joined on 23rd January 1886
1757 joined on 26th January 1887
2028 joined on 11th January 1888
2355 joined on 5th January 1889
2632 joined on 9th January 1890
2964 joined on 8th January 1891
3284 joined on 7th January 1892
3798 joined on 6th January 1893
4042 joined on 12th January 1894
4451 joined on 16th January 1895
4825 joined on 6th January 1896
5053 joined on 22nd January 1897
5307 joined on 10th January 1898
5695 joined on 7th January 1899
6341 joined on 10th January 1900

With Great Britain at war with the Boers, the Northumberland Fusiliers had been given permission to raise two more regular battalions. The 3rd Battalion was raised at York on the 10th January 1900 and the 4th Battalion at York on the 17th February 1900. Men joining these battalions were given numbers in the same series that was already in use for the 1st and 2nd Battalions. There was no numbering distinction between the four battalions.

The regiment’s volunteer battalions also contributed enough men for four volunteer service companies and one volunteer section. Numbers within the range 7400 through to 7742 were issued in early 1900 to men joining the 1st and 2nd VSCs. Numbers within the range 8891 to 9090 were issued in 1901 to men joining the 3rd and 4th VSCs. Numbers within the range 9401 to 9456 were issued in 1902 to men joining Number 3 Volunteer Section.

Men from the 1st and 2nd VSCs sailed with their officers for South Africa aboard the SS Avondale Castle on the 23rd February 1900.

7799 joined on 16th January 1901
8395 joined on 17th January 1902
9137 joined on 22nd January 1903

The addition of two regular battalions had had a dramatic effect on recruitment into the Northumberland Fusiliers and by October 1903, the regiment had passed 9800. Application was made to the Adjutant-General to obtain authority to commence a new series and on 2nd December 1903, the regiment issued number 9999 to a new recruit and then immediately commenced a new number series starting from 1.

236 joined on 7th January 1904
862 joined on 4th February 1905
1900 joined on 26th January 1906

The 4th Battalion was disbanded on the 26th January 1907, the 3rd Battalion in April 1907.

2069 joined on 7th June 1907
2326 joined on 30th July 1908
2501 joined on 13th January 1909
2845 joined on 28th July 1910
3090 joined on 1st June 1911
3356 joined on 14th February 1912
3544 joined on 9th May 1913
3883 joined on 1st August 1914

The First World War

When Britain went to war in August 1914, men joining the new wartime-service only battalions were issued with numbers from the same series that had, up until that point, been the sole preserve of the regiment’s two regular battalions. The Northumberland Fusiliers also raised a number of ‘Pals’ battalions and these battalions operated different number series again, all of these numbers prefixed by the number of the battalion. For instance, 22/96 was the 96th man to be issued with a number from a new series issued by the 22nd (Service) Battalion (3rd Tyneside Scottish), Northumberland Fusiliers. He received his number in November 1914.

Recruitment rates 1881-1911

Between 1st July 1881 and 28th March 1891, The Northumberland Fusiliers recruited 3,039 men, an average of 312 men each year. Of the sixty-nine infantry regiments recruiting at this time, The Northumberland Fusiliers was the fifty-fourth most effective recruiter.

Recruitment rates leapt during the next decade, largely as the result of the addition of another two regular battalions during the South African War period. Between 28th March 1891 and 3rd July 1901 The Northumberland Fusiliers recruited a further 5,040 men, an average of 488 men a year. The regiment’s recruitment ranking leapt from 54th to 4th place.

Recruitment continued apace in the early 1900s and by 1st June 1911 the regiment had well and truly passed 9,999 and was issuing number 3090 from a new number series to its latest recruit, an average of 505 men recruited per annum during the decade, and an overall average of 435 men per annum since the regiment had been formed thirty years earlier. Overall, the Northumberland Fusiliers was the fifth most successful recruiting infantry regiment.

1st Battalion stations 1881-1914

1881 Portsmouth
1882 Ireland
1885 Dublin
1887 Colchester
1892 Dover
1894 Aldershot
1895 Gold Coast
1896 Gibraltar
1897 Egypt
1898 Sudan
1898 Crete
1899 Gibraltar
1899 South Africa
1903 Mauritius
1905 Peshawar
1912 Bombay
1913 Portsmouth
1914 France & Flanders (from August)

2nd Battalion stations 1881-1914

1881 Bengal
1888 Black Mountain expedition (NW Indian frontier)
1889 Hazara
1892 Peshawar
1894 Cherat
1895 Singapore
1896 Gibraltar
1897 UK
1899 South Africa
1903 Gravesend
1909 Dover
1912 Sheffield
1913 Sabathu (India)
1915 France & Flanders (from January)

3rd Battalion stations 1900-1907

1900 Raised at York on the 10th January
1902 Antigua
1902 South Africa
1907 England, disbanded in April

4th Battalion stations 1900-1907

1900 Raised at York on the 17th February
1901 Ireland
1907 Disbanded on the 26th January

Pictured, 237082 Sergeant Alfred James Woodley of the 1/5th Northumberland Fusiliers (formerly Welsh Regiment) who died on the 27th May 1918.

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Further Reading

The following books can all be obtained from the Naval and Military Press. Click on the links to read more.

What the Fusiliers Did
An account of the 5th Regiment of Foot and the Afghan Campaigns of 1878-1880

A History of the Northumberland Fusiliers 1674-1902
One of the appendices contains extracts from the Army List between 1688 and 1900.

The Fifth in the Great War.
A History of the 1st and 2nd Northumberland Fusiliers, 1914-1918. A rare history now reprinted by Naval & Military Press.

A record of the 17th and 32nd Battalions, Northumberland Fusiliers
The NER Pioneers 1914-1919.  Nominal rolls which consist of the embarkation roll of officers, a list of officers joining subsequently with dates, the roll of men who served with the battalion showing number, rank, name, company, whether embarked with the battalion, casualty details and any awards.

18th Service Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers
The volume includes this Pioneer Battalion's embarkation roll from January 1916; its Roll of Honour; honours and awards and appendices

Story of the Tyneside Scottish
The 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd Battalions, Northumberland Fusiliers during the Great War

Tyneside Irish
The 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th Battalions, Northumberland Fusiliers during the Great War. Appendices contain the complete nominal roll of every man who served in these battalions.

Irish Heroes in the War
Includes alphabetical lists of officers of the Tyneside Irish brigade, with biographical details, along with lists of NCOs and men, all shown by battalion and by company within each battalion.

Regimental numbering series

Section XXII of the Queen's Regulations for the Army 1895 reads as follows:

31. The regimental series of numbers will commence with 1. The numbers will be given in sequence, according to the date of application. When the series approaches 9999, application should be made to the Adjutant-General in sufficient time to obtain authority to commence a new series. In the Royal Artillery the series will extend to 99,999, in the Royal Engineers to 29,999, and in the Army Service Corps and Medical Staff Corps to 19,999.

Fast forward nine years to the King's Regulations for the Army 1904 (Provisional) and paragraph 2144 reads:

The regimental series of numbers will commence with 1. The numbers will be given in sequence, according to the date of application. The series will extend to 49,999 in the Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Field Artillery, and to 49,999 in the Royal Garrison Artillery; to 29,999 in the Royal Engineers and Army Service Corps; to 19,999 in each regiment of foot guards, infantry of the line, and Royal Army Medical Corps; and to 9,999 in cavalry regiments and in corps not named above. When these numbers have been reached, a new series will be commenced.

Concerning ourselves just with infantry regiments for now, the point about commencing a new series of numbers is important. In the example I gave a couple of days ago with numbering in the regular battalions of The Essex Regiment, I showed that there was a continual uninterrupted sequence which had reached number 9242 by July 1908 and had reached the 10,000s by 1914. For the most part, recruiting in infantry regiments was a desperately slow business but there are a number of regiments which, having reached 9999, started a new series of numbers and I'm going to note those regiments here.

The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
By August 1907 this regiment had passed the 9999 mark and was numbering in the 10500s. By 1908 however, a new series had commenced, number 2 being issued on 16th June that year.

I am at a loss to explain why this regiment started re-numbering from 1 in 1908. Under existing King's Regulations it should have continued numbering up to 19,999. Possibly the decision to start afresh had something to do with the newly created Territorial Force battalions starting their numbering series from 1 (albeit in April that year). I don't know the answer but I'd like to know.

The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)
Had reached 9981 by September 10th 1904 and by 1905 was on a new series of numbers. Number 209 was issued on 2nd May 1905.

The Gordon Highlanders
Like the A&S Highlanders, men in the two regular battalions of this regiment were already numbering in the 10,000s when they commenced a new series. On 27th April 1908, number 10717 was issued to a new Gordon Highlanders recruit but by March 2nd 1909 a new series was already well under way with number 274 issued on this date.

The King's Royal Rifle Corps
Reached number 9981 by March 1897 and two months later, on May 14th, was already well into a new series of numbers with number 274 issued on this date.

The Lancashire Fusiliers
Had reached 9504 by March 12th 1903 and on September 8th 1904 issued number 445 of a new number series.

The Manchester Regiment
Started a new number series in 1904. Number 9992 was issued on 8th June and on July 8th, number 39 was issued to a new recruit.

The Northumberland Fusiliers
Started re-numbering in 1903. Number 9998 was issued on December 1st and 9999 the following day. It was at this point that the regiment commenced a new numbering series from 1 and by April 6th 1904 numbering had already reached 165.

The Rifle Brigade
Note, this regiment did not start numbering from 1 in 1881 but continued with the numbering sequence already in place. By 18th November 1881 the Rifle Brigade had reached number 5043 and four years later by 12th January 1889 it had reached 9919. Number 12 of a new number series was issued on 13th February 1889. By August 1903, this regiment (which had four regular battalions) was approaching 9999 (number 9932 was issued on 15th August) and applied to commence a new series. Number 27 was issued to a Rifle Brigade recruit on 7th January 1904.

The Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Reached 9968 by February 1904. Number 108 in a new series of numbers had been issued by June that year.

Note, the above refers to infantry regiments only. I will deal with the Guards regiments in future posts.

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