Army Service Numbers 1881-1918: Rifle Brigade

Showing posts with label Rifle Brigade. Show all posts

13 July 2018

1st Battalion Rifle Brigade - Football team 1907-08

In a week when the England football team has fallen at another World Cup hurdle, here's a team photo from another era. As the caption states, these men all belong to the 1st Battalion, Rifle Brigade football team, and they won the Irish Army Cup by beating the 2nd Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers 3.0 at Dublin in April 1908.

Helpfully, the photo names the players and I have added more details to some of these men, as follows:

Sgt William James Jelley (subsequently commissioned)

5111 Acting Corporal John Mears

3408 Acting Corporal George Vaughan Laidler

7423 Acting Corporal Walter Kempton

Lieutenant Christopher William Cookson

Rifleman A Knott

Acting Corporal T Smith

Sergeant Major Leonard Eastmead

7375 Acting Sergeant Fred Midlane

9578 Bandsman Joseph Gilbert

6180 Rifleman Frank Horrocks

6158 Rifleman Sylvester Carey

6926 Acting Corporal Arthur Patrick

Corporal T Gregory

In each case I searched for the men on my British Army Ancestors website and was able to identify the men from their regimental numbers or surviving records in various series. The longest serving man here was George Laidler who enlisted in 1894. Joseph Gilbert was the most recent recruit, enlisting in January 1903.

Incidentally the "Acting" ranks were, as far as I know, peculiar to the Rifle Brigade at this time. "Acting" in the Rifle Brigade would have been "Lance" in other regiments.

Rifle Brigade Chronicles - For Sale

Tragically, Lieutenant Cookson died the year after this photogrpah was taken. His obituary appears in the Rifle Brigade Chronicle for 1909:

Christopher William Cookson joined the Regiment from the Militia, 20 May 1905, and served with the 1st Battalion in Malta and Ireland.

The tragic circumstances of his deatrh are still fresh in the minds of Riflemen. On 7 April 1909 he went with a brother officer to fish in Maine Water, Randalstown, which had been rented by the battalion from Lord O'Neill. He appears to have fallen into a deep hole and the water in his wading boots rendered swimming impossible, there was also a very swift current running, and his companion was powerless to help him, nearly losing his own life in his efforts to save his friend.

He was only 26 years of age, and was a very popular and promising officer.

27 March 2015

Rifle Brigade - other rank PoWs 1914

This is an edited roll of over 304 Other Ranks serving with the Rifle Brigade who were captured by the enemy and became Prisoners of War on or before the 25th December 1914. Read more about this data source on my 1914 PoWs page.

The majority of these men were 1st Battalion men and most of the men listed below were captured on the 26th August 1914. This data has been transcribed from a single source at the Imperial War Museum, namely B.O.2 1/184 which is a six-page typed list dated 6th January 1919.

My full transcription of this data (not reproduced here) also contains the date of capture and home address against the majority of the names, albeit home address is often given simply as "Rifle Depot, Winchester".

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

5350 Rifleman C W Abbott
4429 Acting Corporal F G Abel
8231 Rifleman G Adams
249 Rifleman G W Adie
9679 Rifleman G W Ainsworth
7267 Rifleman G Allen
3656 Bugler S F Ames
9919 Colour-Sergeant J Archer
899 Rifleman J Banister
9596 Rifleman J Barker
4418 Rifleman A R C Barklett
9534 Rifleman J Barrett
8342 Rifleman J Barry
4053 Acting Sergeant A J Bates
6616 Rifleman G Beckett
4732 Acting Corporal R E Belham
7345 Rifleman F Bell
665 Rifleman A E Bennett
132 Rifleman W Berry
3574 Acting Corporal H Biggs
1524 Rifleman A Bingham
4163 Corporal H Birch
9341 Rifleman W Blackler
4289 Rifleman R B L Blake
5100 Rifleman E Bloxham
7083 Sergeant J Bone
9985 Rifleman F Boon
3703 Corporal W Borrett
1116 Rifleman J Bowles
3297 Corporal E Brennan
6676 Rifleman M Brennan
1733 Acting Corporal E Brentnall
5777 Rifleman H Brocklehurst
4733 Rifleman F W Brown
4683 Acting Corporal R W Brown
2694 Rifleman J A Brunton
3755 Corporal N Bryant
490 Rifleman W Bryson
5076 Acting Corporal E W Buchman
7650 Rifleman H Buckley
8418 Rifleman A E Bulbeck
8516 Rifleman G S Burgum
9829 Rifleman H Canning
8093 Sergeant E Caplin
4917 Rifleman H Carpenter
4336 Rifleman H Carter
4434 Rifleman T Carter
6664 Rifleman W Case
147 Rifleman T Cave
4586 Rifleman A H Chambers
9999 Rifleman J Chapman
8764 Rifleman R Chappell
1082 Rifleman T Chessum
4933 Rifleman P H Clark
5068 Rifleman T Clark
76 Rifleman B Clayton
3449 Rifleman A S Clements
3967 Rifleman G Cleverley
113 Rifleman G R Clissold
3651 Rifleman W T Cocklin
1418 Rifleman J Coe
685 Rifleman B Cole
5589 Rifleman A Colman
2399 Sergeant B Conaron
7312 Rifleman G Conway
460 Rifleman C H Coomber
146 Rifleman A F Coombes
4469 Rifleman W H Cornish
2188 Rifleman A H Cox
8057 Rifleman G Cox
4323 Corporal R F Crawley
1183 Rifleman R Cullum
6402 Rifleman H J Currie
2469 Rifleman F Daniels
1806 Rifleman A Davenport
6703 Rifleman Arthur Edwin Davidge
9419 Rifleman D Davis
6991 Rifleman J L Daykin
1380 Rifleman R Dennis
4684 Rifleman A C Dickens
698 Rifleman J Dolan
8065 Rifleman W Donnelly
4801 Rifleman W Donovan
4506 Rifleman H L Durrant
8370 Lance-Sergeant G Eaves
971 Rifleman B Edwards
2820 Rifleman F Edwards
889 Rifleman G Ellis
2628 Rifleman F H Ely
9284 Rifleman A G Evans
6996 Rifleman M Evans
1393 Rifleman F Fagg
1349 Rifleman C H Fanthorpe
9963 Rifleman J Farr
576 Rifleman B Farrant
9614 Rifleman L H Farren
284 Rifleman J Featherston
2772 Rifleman T Ferris
7522 Rifleman A Fielder
5190 Bugler W Fitzpatrick
2541 Rifleman W H Fleming
7652 Rifleman T Fogg
970 Rifleman J Ford
5081 Rifleman S Ford
1919 Rifleman A Franklin
9597 Rifleman R Garwood
9576 Rifleman A George
4372 Corporal E W H Gibbs
2438 Rifleman A Glass
724 Rifleman F Godfrey
4590 Rifleman A Goldsworthy
2183 Rifleman E Grayson
1198 Rifleman F Green
330 Rifleman R B Green
538 Rifleman W Green
1400 Acting Corporal L Greest
4974 Rifleman L Griffiths
1397 Rifleman T G Griggs
678 Rifleman A G Groves
8130 Rifleman W F Haines
9766 Rifleman A L Haley
1264 Acting Corporal G Hall
4066 Colour-Sergeant W R Hall
18 Rifleman G W Hamilton
3202 Rifleman W Hamlyn
4299 Acting Corporal J L Harding
9601 Rifleman F H Harnes
688 Rifleman H Harrild
6386 Rifleman W J Harris
4305 Rifleman F W Hatton
9036 Sergeant T Haveron
148 Rifleman W B Hayden
9687 Rifleman M Hayes
217 Rifleman F Hendicott
5631 Rifleman G T Hepworth
1053 Acting Corporal A A Heron
1682 Rifleman W E Heron
4964 Rifleman R T Hide
4847 Rifleman G Higgs
633 Rifleman A E Hills
9364 Acting Corporal W C Hollands
1315 Rifleman W J Hollier
7562 Rifleman H Holman
434 Acting Corporal J E Honey
9380 Rifleman J Honeywell
7648 Rifleman T Horne
9510 Rifleman W H Hovey
9371 Corporal E G Howlett
1723 Rifleman A N Huggins
8211 Acting Corporal H Hughes
3760 Bugler W G Hughes
7120 Rifleman H Hulme
9215 Rifleman J Hunt
9500 Rifleman T Huntley
8611 Rifleman J Hurford
651 Rifleman A Hursell
6101 Corporal W Huxtuble
790 Rifleman C T Impett
91 Rifleman F Ingram
714 Sergeant S E Ings
4334 Rifleman S Jackman
8406 Rifleman F Jackson
8121 Rifleman A James
3641 Rifleman T C James
6154 Rifleman G J Jenkinson
9398 Rifleman A John
7571 Rifleman G Johnson
9553 Rifleman G T Josey
4674 Rifleman B Keating
9959 Rifleman J Keeble
291 Rifleman W Kelly
7423 Sergeant W Kempton
3828 Rifleman W Kenny
98 Acting Corporal H Ketchley
1174 Rifleman G Knight
805 Rifleman H Knight
1229 Rifleman S G Knight
3471 Acting Sergeant W F Last
8841 Rifleman T Latimer
9876 Rifleman C Laughlin
101 Sergeant S W Lawrence
5061 Rifleman B Ledger
6858 Rifleman C Leets
594 Rifleman W Levy
9314 Rifleman H Littlewood
1719 Rifleman A Lloyd
6339 Rifleman J Macdonald
2291 Acting Corporal David Malcolm
6861 Rifleman G Mansbridge
508 Rifleman A Mears
7606 Sergeant E Midgley
7699 Rifleman E Miles
5090 Rifleman H J Millers
7624 Rifleman J Mully
6907 Acting Sergeant A Murley
8461 Rifleman H Murray
8669 Bugler G Nash
2645 Rifleman A J Newland
1102 Rifleman H Nicholson
4567 Rifleman R L Nolan
928 Rifleman J Palmer
6096 Rifleman James Palmer
2276 Corporal C Parish
1270 Rifleman A J Parkes
3643 Rifleman J H Parrott
156 Rifleman H J Parry
9744 Rifleman F P Pawley
9303 Rifleman C H Payne
4803 Rifleman F A Penny
1069 Rifleman J Perdue
537 Rifleman J W Petch
478 Sergeant A Phelps
2443 Rifleman W Plumridge
7201 Rifleman A Pope
8328 Rifleman W Portway
9454 Rifleman T Powell
4991 Rifleman S Price
9228 Rifleman J Prior
4821 Rifleman J W Probert
2150 Rifleman J Punter
9418 Rifleman Kenneth Ralph
3856 Rifleman Frederick Ranson
4623 Rifleman S Redditch
885 Rifleman W Reed
4471 Rifleman C Revell
4998 Bugler P F Reynolds
8951 Rifleman A Richards
4694 Rifleman A Richardson
7357 Rifleman P T Richardson
8371 Rifleman P G Riddle
9818 Rifleman A Ridley
8184 Rifleman G Rimell
8364 Rifleman G Robbins
4303 Rifleman W J Roberts
4622 Rifleman H Rood
7474 Rifleman R Rowe
1182 Rifleman C R Saggers
4702 Rifleman E W Saich
152 Rifleman W Saunders
6419 Rifleman W J Saunders
5040 Rifleman C Saveton
722 Rifleman L Savory
2179 Rifleman H R Scopes
4466 Rifleman W E Sedgwick
1076 Sergeant A P Sievwright
9874 Rifleman R H Simmons
358 Rifleman F W Slipper
4186 Acting Corporal F A Smalley
3892 Corporal W J Smart
6726 Rifleman A Smith
4869 Rifleman E C Smith
9338 Rifleman J Smith
9694 Rifleman O Smith
909 Rifleman S Smith
468 Rifleman R Southgate
5159 Rifleman Frederick Spicer
8739 Rifleman George Spicer
999 Rifleman William T Spice
6729 Rifleman W Stacey
43 Rifleman J Start
7658 Rifleman W H Starte
9977 Acting Corporal A Stevens
7258 Rifleman A Stroud
5675 Sergeant E J Symons
8407 Rifleman J W Tabraham
9557 Rifleman E Taylor
6886 Acting Corporal J R Thaxyer
433 Rifleman J L Thomas
948 Rifleman H Thorpe
5351 Rifleman W H Tibbolds
818 Rifleman A Townsend
1693 Rifleman A G Travers
2204 Rifleman F Travers
4727 Rifleman G E Tugwood
8288 Lance-Corporal C Turner
140 Rifleman C W Turner
8724 Rifleman H J Tyler
419 Rifleman R Tyler
6561 Rifleman A Vicary
60 Rifleman H C Videar
7319 Rifleman J Wakeling
471 Rifleman J H Wall
380 Rifleman C J Walls
687 Rifleman C Walters
4859 CQMS E Walwyk
4975 Rifleman C Watkins
4681 Rifleman E Websdale
8851 Rifleman G Wells
9930 Rifleman G A West
8015 Rifleman W K West
280 Rifleman J White
188 Rifleman W Whiting
8732 Sergeant A Whittaker
732 Rifleman A G Wild
9830 Rifleman F Williams
9337 Rifleman H Williams
8332 Rifleman W G Wilson
4478 Rifleman G F Winkworth
8234 Rifleman W W Winsor
4707 Rifleman H Wood
39 Rifleman S J Woodhead
7667 Rifleman H Woodings
6163 Rifleman T Woods
4298 Rifleman A Woodward

Any errors in transcription are my own.

The image on this post shows detail from the Rifle Brigade memorial close to Victoria station in London. I have borrowed this particular image from DRW's blog.

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

20 March 2014

Rifle Brigade, 18th - 24th Battalions

This is a post which, I feel, will develop over time. It originates from correspondence with Jackie on another Rifle Brigade post in which she was enquiring about Ernest William Bush who was 571, later 200530 with the Rifle Brigade. Jackie's question was whether it was possible to identify his battalion and my answer was that my own data on these RB Battalions was not significant enough to hazard a guess.

Jackie has subsequently sent details of other men and I have also added to her list. What follows is a very small sample but the obvious interest is in the alphabetical grouping of men. It looks to me as though men were numbered in rough alphabetical order by battalion.

So in the examples below, 200505 to 200573 are, I would guess, all 18th Battalion men; 201497 to 201881 are all 19th Battalion men and so on. This would appear logical but this list does need to be expanded further. It has been comprised from information on medal index cards and the silver war badge roll. Note that the dates of enlistment given on the SWB roll are NOT the dates that the men joined the battalions they were being discharged from.

200505 ABBOTT, Henry; formerly 542
200510 ALDRIDGE, W. 18^th Bn
200516 BURCHALL, Bert; formerly 555
200517 BARRY, James; formerly 556
200518 BROWN, Eugene; formerly 557; arr India 25/11/1915
200520 BALLS, William G; formerly 559
200521 BIDGOOD, William; formerly 560
200525 BRADBEER, William; formerly 565
200528; formerly 569
200526 BROWN, Henry; formerly 567
200527 BATTLEY, John W; formerly 568
200528; formerly 569 [Assumption based on numbers either side]
200529 BUCK, Thomas; formerly 570
200530 BUSH, Ernest William; formerly 571
200531 BEALES, Charles W; formerly 572
200533; formerly 574
200534 Rfn BARBER, Albert F V; formerly 575. 18th Bn; enlisted 16.10.14; discharged 5.3.19 Sick aged 41 yrs
200567 BATTLEY, John W; formerly 568
200573 BOUSTEAD, Thomas; formerly 573
201497 Sgt PHILLIPS, William 19^th Bn; enlisted 2.12.14, discharged 31.7.19 Sick aged 38 yrs
201871 L/Cpl MORRISON, John 19^th Bn; enlisted 8.9.14, discharged 6.1.19 Sick aged 40 yrs
201881 Rfn THOMSON, David 19^th Bn; enlisted 17.9.14, discharged 17.3.19 Wnds aged 23 yrs
202569 Sgt LEVENY, James 20^th Bn; enlisted 7.9.14, discharged 23.1.19 Sick aged 51 yrs
202993 Cpl GARVIN, Peter 20^th Bn; enlisted 6.8.14, discharged 25.5.19 Sick aged 30 yrs
203150 Rfn BALL, Francis H 20^th Bn; enlisted 3.9.14, discharged 10.3.19 Wnds aged 24 yrs
203162 Sgt GRANT, Robert C 20^th Bn; enlisted 10.10.14, discharged 4.4.19 Wnds aged 22 yrs
203186 Rfn ROPER, Sydney C 20^th Bn; enlisted 27.5.15, discharged 18.3.19 Wnds aged 23 yrs
203188 Rfn PEARD, Richard C 20^th Bn; enlisted 19.9.14, discharged 17.7.19 Wnds aged 29 yrs
203533 ALLEN, William G; formerly 173
210977 Rfn MILLS, Albert C 20^th Bn; enlisted 2.2.16, discharged 9.8.19 aged 24 yrs
213047 Rfn RAWLINGS, Joseph W 20^th Bn; enlisted 12.1.15, discharged 31.7.19 Sick aged 24 yrs

The photograph I've used to illustrate this post shows men of the Royal Military Police, 24th (Home Counties) Battalion, Rifle Brigade, pictured in Agra in 1916. Five of the men wear medal ribbons from the Boer War and the man standing in the middle is 502, later 206610 Thomas William Deadman of Chailey in Sussex who is noted on my Chailey blog.

The 24th (Home Counties) Rifle Brigade was a Territorial Force formation formed at Halton Camp West on 10th November 1915. The Rifle Brigade had no pre-war TF battalions and the 18th through to the 24th Battalions were comprised of supernumerary TF companies from drafts men on the National Reserve who were used in guarding vulnerable points in Britain. The 24th was composed of drafts from the Queens, Norfolk, Suffolk, Bedfordshire, Royal Sussex, East Surrey, Essex, Royal West Kent and Hertfordshire Regiments and was commanded throughout by Lieut-Col F.W. Burbury, a retired officer of the Royal West Kent Regiment. All seven of these Rifle Brigade battalions were posted overseas in late 1915 or early 1916 and the 18th, 23rd and 24th Battalions all served in India.

Jackie, thank you for stimulating this interesting - but as yet incomplete - snapshot of the men in these Rifle Brigade battalions.

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

23 September 2011

Francis Roloff - Rifle Brigade

I've received a message from Ann Roloff on my Royal Engineers' post about her great grandfather, Francis Charles John Roloff which I reproduce in part, below:

"The card says he was in the Rifle Brigade - am I right in thinking that's what the 'S' stands for, in his regiment number? His rank was Private. But what does the number 10807 correspond to exactly? Can I find out, somewhere, where they were stationed? Also, on the card there is a Victory medal listed, with roll number: M/102 [looks like a]B 18 [[M/102B18]], and page:2430."

I've reproduced the Medal Index Card above and also checked to see if there is a surviving service record in WO 363 or WO 364. There isn't.

The S/ prefix indicates a WW1 enlistment for the Rifle Brigade so we know that he enlisted for wartime service only and wasn't a pre-war regular or a member of the Special or Extra Reserve. The fact that he received the British War Medal and Victory Medal only also indicates that he didn't arrive overseas until 1st January 1916 or later.

The medal index card (MIC) reference number is M/102B 18 which is the reference number for the actual medal roll. His entry appears on page 2430.

The letter M on the MIC reference is the code for the record office, in this case Winchester, and M/102B is the reference for the Rifle Brigade. This code tells us that Francis last served with the Rifle Brigade and that his medals were issued through the Winchester record office. There is no battalion mentioned on the MIC but a check of the original medal roll (housed at The National Archives) may (or may not) reveal that. You can view these rolls at The National Archives or engage a researcher to look at these for you. If you can identify the battalion, you'll then be able to consult the relevant battalion war diary.

As for Francis' number, my data suggests that it dates to around the third week of May 1915. I would also add that there are Rifle Brigade experts who regularly visit The Great War Forum and they may be able to fill in more details for you. The GWF is a fantastic resource and always worth a visit.

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

29 September 2009

Rifle Brigade - regular battalions

This post will look at army service numbers issued to men joining the four regular battalions of the Rifle Brigade. The regiment was unaffected by the 1881 Cardwell Reforms and thus continued with the numbering sequence it had been using up until that point.

Note however, as David Langley points out, that the King's Royal Rifle Corps was also "unaffected" by the 1881 Cardwell Reforms and yet it started numbering from 1 in 1881. As David suggests, the Rifle Brigade's refusal to toe the line would appear to be down to either arrogance or ignorance - unless of course, somebody else knows better.

Service records for the following Rifle Brigade regimental numbers survive in the WO 363 (Burnt Documents) and WO 364 (Pensions) series at the National Archives in Kew, London. These records can also be viewed on-line on Findmypast which is currently offering a FREE 14 day trial.

In fact There are over 70,000 Rifle Brigade service and pension records 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. 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 Rifle Brigade 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.

5037 joined on 19th November 1881
5185 joined on 7th January 1882
5539 joined on 10th April 1883
6764 joined on 30th June 1884
7779 joined on 23rd October 1885
7978 joined on 18th January 1886
8831 joined on 12th March 1887
9549 joined on 10th March 1888
9919 joined on 12th January 1889

With the numbering sequence fast approaching the 9,999 limit, application would have been made to commence a new number series. Approval was duly given and number 1 in the new series was issued in February 1889.

Also see my post on Queen's and King's Regulations regarding numbering in the British Army.

520 joined on 21st February 1890
1291 joined on 25th June 1891
2155 joined on 7th March 1892
2660 joined on 16th March 1893
3148 joined on 2nd March 1894
3629 joined on 8th March 1895
4475 joined on 6th March 1896
4839 joined on 11th January 1897
5478 joined on 21st January 1898
6571 joined on 28th March 1899
7297 joined on 1st January 1900
8475 joined on 25th June 1901
8989 joined on 7th April 1902
9565 joined on 6th January 1903

With its numbering sequence again approaching the 9,999 limit, application was again made to commence a new number series. Approval was duly given and number 1 in the new series was issued, probably in late December 1903 (number 9996 was issued to 18-year-old Albert Edward Garrett when he joined up on the 28th December 1903).

27 joined on 7th January 1904
658 joined on 4th January 1905
1472 joined on 20th January 1906
1831 joined on 1st January 1907
2459 joined on 7th November 1907
2607 joined on 16th January 1908
3340 joined on 16th January 1909
3586 joined on 4th January 1910
4186 joined on 21st March 1911
4413 joined on 2nd January 1912
4960 joined on 14th January 1913
5363 joined on 4th February 1914

By 24th July 1914, the Rifle Brigade was up to 5568 and when Britain went to war with Germany two weeks later, the regiment maintained this number series for men who still wished to enlist as career soldiers for regular terms of enlistment. Those men joining service battalions were given numbers from different number series (and often different number prefixes depending either on their status or the battalion in question).

Pictured above, my great uncle S/18321 Private John Frederick Nixon. Jack, as he was known to his friends and family, joined a service battalion of the Rifle Brigade in 1916 and was killed in action on 3rd October 1918 whilst attached to the Post Office Rifles. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Vis-en-Artois memorial in France. Read more about Jack Nixon here.

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

From: The Naval & Military Press:

Verner's History & Campaigns of the Rifle Brigade 1800-1813

History of the Rifle Brigade in the War of 1914-1918

27 August 2008

5th (City of London) Bn, The London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade)

This battalion had its origins in the 1st Volunteer Rifle Corps and, as the title suggests, it was affiliated to The London Rifle Brigade. It was headquarted in Bunhill Row in the City of London.

Unlike all of the other London Regiment battalions (and including the Inns of Court and HAC), this battalion did not start numbering from 1 in April 1908 but appears to have continued with the numbering series which had been in use for the 1st VRC. I am assuming that the old 1st VRC men re-enlisted with the 5th (City of London) Bn and retained their old VRC numbers but this is just an assumption in the absence of further evidence via attestation papers or documentation from the time. In any event, the 5th London Regiment numbering sequence is certainly unique within the London Regiment.

By the time the First World War was declared, the battalion had reached the high 9000s and it wasn't long before it got to 9999 and started re-numbering from 1 again. Number 35 was issued on 6th August 1914.

This also illustrates another point that a low number doesn't always signify an early enlistment date. Medal sellers on eBay will often point out that a medal has a low number which, they imply, must therefore mean that it was one of the first to be issued. Well, yes and no. A low number should normally indicate that it was one of the first to be issued in a particular series, but as we have seen with the 5th London Regiment, their series wasn't begun until August 1914. Anyway, here are some numbers and joining dates / enlistment dates for the 5th London Regiment.

8304 joined on 5th May 1908
8525 joined on 16th February 1909
9166 joined on 16th June 1910
9266 joined on 9th March 1911
9415 joined on 30th May 1912
9668 joined on 4th December 1913
35 joined on 6th August 1914
281 joined on 1st September 1914
1130 joined on 14th October 1914
1192 joined on 2nd November 1914
1326 joined on 10th December 1914
1438 joined on 5th January 1914
1588 joined on 6th February 1915
1701 joined on 3rd March 1915
2087 joined on 27th April 1915
2171 joined on 25th May 1915
2413 joined on 28th Jun 1915
2430 joined on 1st Jul 1915
2916 joined on 29th October 1915
2936 joined on 1st November 1915
3755 joined on 6th December 1915
4310 joined on 16th March 1916
4676 joined on 26th April 1916
4783 joined on 5th May 1916
5446 joined on 26th August 1916
5828 joined on 20th September 1916
5863 joined on 18th October 1916

Five digit service numbers in the 5th Londons

On 1st July 1916, the 5th Londons suffered heavy casualties on the diversionary attack on Gommecourt. In order to bring the battalion up to strength, men were drafted in from the 2/7th Middlesex Regiment and from other London battalions. This from the History of the London Rifle Brigade 1859-1919:

"On 16th July a move was made to rest billets at Bienvillers. The battalion by then had filled up more or less, and included 2/7th Middlesex, 494 other ranks; 6th Londons, 8; 7th Londons, 26; 8th Londons, 86; 20th Londons 1; 2/2nd Londons, 1; all wearing their own regimental badges."

These men - 616 Other ranks in total - were all given five digit numbers within the range 10501 to at least 11077 . I can break this down further:

10501(later re-numbered 303982) - 10525 (later re-numbered 304002)
These numbers, twenty five in all, were allocated to men who had previously served with the 7th London Regiment. The Rifle Brigade history mentions 26 men but I have been unable to identify the 26th. All of these men were first grouped sequentially by their 7th Londons army service numbers and then re-numbered in the 105** range. At least six of these men were killed in action or died of wounds before the year was out.

10526 (later re-numbered 304003) - 10533 (not re-numbered, trans to MGC)
These eight numbers were issued to men who had previously served with the 6th London Regiment. They appear to have been allocated their numbers randomly. At least one of these men from the 6th Londons was killed before the year was out (10530) and 10528 died in August 1917.

10534 (not re-numbered, KiA Sept 1916) - 10620 (later re-numbered 304073)
That's a range of 87 numbers against the Rifle Brigade history's 86. I have a few gaps and it's possible therefore that one of my gaps represents a number that was not used. These men had all previously served with the 8th London Regiment and, as with the transferees from the 7th London Regiment, they were first grouped sequentially by their 8th Londons numbers and then re-numbered - in two groups. The first group extends from 10534 (formerly 757, 8th Londons) to 10588 (formerly 5409, 8th Londons). The second group extends from 10589 (formerly 2932, 8th Londons) to 10620 (formerly 5515 8th Londons). At least 21 of these 86 transferees were killed in action or died of wounds before the year was out.

10621 (later re-numbered 304074) - 11077 (later re-numbered 304425)
These 459 men were transferred from the 2/7th Middlesex Regiment. They were grouped broadly alphabetically by surname and then given numbers within the 106** to 110** range. The Rifle Brigade history notes 494 transfers from the Middlesex. It seems likely that 11078 was also a former 7th Middlesex man (although I don't have confirmation of that) and also 11080 through to 11083. I am still researching these numbers and will add to this portion of this post when I have more information to report. At least 102 of these 459 transferees were killed in action or died of wounds before the year was out.

11079
This number was allocated to the former 20th London Regiment man. He wasn't re-numbered in the 5th Londons six-digit sequence but his medal index card shows a six digit number which belongs to the series issued to the 20th Londons. I am assuming that he transferred to the 5th Londons and then transferred back to the 20th Londons where he was re-numbered.

2/2nd Londons
I'm still looking for this man's five digit 5th London number.

As far as actual dates for these five digit transfers are concerned, I can offer the following information:

10520 and 10524 (formerly 7th Londons) transfered on the 9th July 1916 (and so it seems reasonable to assume that the other 7th London transferees joined on this date as well). 10668. 10669 and 10680 (all former 7th Middlesex men) transfered on the 3rd July 1916 (and so too, probably did the bulk of the other 7th Middlesex men). All of these men's service records survive in the WO 364 (pension) series held at The National Archives.

When the Territorial Force re-numbered in 1917, men in the 5th London Regiment were allocated numbers within the range 300001 to 320000.

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Read Rifleman Hubert Brown's WW1 diary, brought to life 100 years later by Allan Mornement.

SHORT HISTORY OF THE LONDON RIFLE BRIGADE

I picked up an original copy of this book some years ago for a couple of pounds. That was a bargain, and so too is this Naval and Military Press (N&MP) reprint. I can't vouch for the quality of the photographic reproductions but the original has quite a few scattered through its pages. This is what the N&MP has to say about the book:

This book gives a summary of the history of the London Rifle Brigade (LRB) prior to the outbreak of war and then goes on to record the experiences of the first line battalion, 1/5th LRB, from mobilization to February 1916. The battalion arrived in France on 5 November 1914 and was allocated to 11th Brigade (Hunter-Weston or “Hunter-Bunter”), 4th Division and served with it till May 1915 when it was transferred to GHQ troops. In October the battalion moved back to the line to join 8th Brigade, 3rd Division in the Ypres salient and this record ends in February 1916 when the battalion was again transferred, this time to its final home in 169th Brigade of the 56th (London) Division which was then being reformed in France. This short account is written with censorship very much in mind, so it does get into too much detail; it is meant to give some idea of the battalions doings to those who were not out in France at the time, and to be an aid to the memory of those who were there. There is a list of Honours and Awards, headed by the VC to Sgt Belcher in May 1915; there is an alphabetical list, by ranks, of LRB officers with service in France up to 16 August 1916 (excluding those currently serving in the battalion, banned by the censor) showing casualties; and there is a list of attached officers who have served with the battalion, again excluding any currently serving.

Army Service Numbers 1881-1918

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