The Lincolnshire Regiment - 5th Battalion

The 5th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment was a Territorial Force Battalion formed on 1st April 1908 out of the embers of the old 3rd Volunteer Battalion, The Lincolnshire Regiment.

In early 1914, the distribution of battalion headquarters and the eight companies was as follows: HQ and A and B Companies at Grimsby, C Company at Spilsby, D Company at Louth, E Company at Barton, F Company at Alford, G Company at Frodingham, and H Company at Gainsborough. (Courtesy Ray Westlake's The Territorial Force 1914).

Here are some army service numbers and corresponding joining dates for the 5th Lincolns:

480 joined on 28th April 1908
716 joined on 5th March 1909
1075 joined on 10th May 1910
1175 joined on 12th January 1911
1359 joined on 19th March 1912
1520 joined on 24th February 1913
1723 joined on 19th March 1914
1785 joined on 3rd August 1914
2851 joined on 9th September 1914
3031 joined on 1st October 1914
3331 joined on 11th November 1914
3624 joined on 19th January 1915
3681 joined on 9th February 1915
3736 joined on 15th March 1915
3847 joined on 14th April 1915
4130 joined on 18th May 1915
4204 joined on 15th June 1915
4292 joined on 22nd July 1915
4330 joined on 10th August 1915
4415 joined on 6th September 1915
4435 joined on 11th October 1915
4484 joined on 6th November 1915
4553 joined on 28th December 1915
4580 joined on 26th January 1916
4786 joined on 8th February 1916
4908 joined on 7th March 1916
5479 joined on 10th May 1916

My data becomes thinner from here on in and numbering patterns are less reliable. By the end of 1916 however, the battalion was numbering in the 6200s (6265 joined on 31st December 1916). When the Territorial Force was re-numbered in 1917, men from the 5th Lincolns were re-numbered within the series 240001 to 265000. Here are some sample numbers and dates from this series:

240001 originally joined on 1st April 1908
240044 originally joined on 12th January 1911
240113 originally joined on 1st July 1912
240194 originally joined on 26th November 1913
240229 originally joined on 8th April 1908
240262 originally joined on 7th August 1914
240418 originally joined on 2nd September 1914
240689 originally joined on 2nd October 1914
240865 originally joined on 23rd November 1914
240933 originally joined on 9th February 1915
240977 originally joined on 25th March 1915
241077 originally joined on 7th May 1915
241164 originally joined on 8th June 1915
241233 originally joined on 22nd July 1915
241273 originally joined on 30th August 1915
241310 originally joined on 5th November 1915
241365 originally joined on 26th January 1916
241530 originally joined on 8th February 1916
241785 originally joined on 10th May 1916
242057 originally joined on 3rd October 1916
242219 originally joined on 31st December 1916

Number 1, Number 2 and Number 3 Supernumerary Companies were also attached to the 5th Lincolns (and there may have been other supernumerary companies as well) but the numbers issued to men joining these companies were from the same series as those issued to the regular 5th Battalion men - at least initially. Thus 46 year old Alfred Dows who attested with Number 1 and Number 2 Supernumerary Companies (attached to the 2/5th Lincolns) on 10th May 1915 was given the number 3954 which, if you consult the first list above, falls correctly between these numbers/dates:

3847 who joined on 14th April 1915 and 4130 who joined on 18th May 1915

However, Alfred transferred (and the word "transferred" appears on his service record rather than "posted") to Number 3 Supernumerary Company on 4th September 1915 and was given a new five digit number: 20270. This is an entirely new numbering series which was probably introduced around June/July 1915 for men joining the supernumerary companies attached to the 5th Lincolns.

Incidentally Alfred, who had joined the National Reserve, was an old soldier who had originally enlisted with the Border Regiment in March 1889, transferring to the Lincolnshire Regiment that same November. He saw service in East India and Singapore before being discharged medically unfit in June 1894. He would later be discharged from his supernumerary company duties in November 1915 for the same reason.

Also see my other posts regarding the Lincolnshire Regiment:

The 1st & 2nd Battalions, The Lincolnshire Regiment
The 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion, The Lincolnshire Regiment
The 4th Battalion, The Lincolnshire Regiment
The Lincolnshire Regiment - Service Battalions
The Lincolnshire Regiment - 10th Battalion - Grimsby Chums
Donald Banks - A Lincolnshire Terrier

And also:

The Lincolnshire Yeomanry

View Lincolnshire Regiment service records, pension records and medal index cards on-line via the Ancestry.co.uk website

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

6th Battalion, The Essex Regiment

I've updated the data for the 6th Essex Regiment, giving further examples of army service numbers and joining dates up until 1916, explaining how men enlisting for local guard and supernumerary company duty were numbered (and then re-numbered) and giving sample numbers and joining dates from the six digit series allocated to the 6th Battalion in 1917.

Find photos of Essex Regiment soldiers on my British Army Ancestors website.

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

The 10th Manchester Regiment

The 10th Manchesters, headquartered at Oldham, was a Territorial Force battalion which, prior to 1908, had been the 6th Volunteer Battalion, the Manchester Regiment. I list below, sample army service numbers and corresponding joining dates for the 10th Battalion, The Manchester Regiment.

240 joined on 7th April 1908
517 joined on 28th January 1909
1056 joined on 3rd March 1910
1243 joined on 11th May 1911
1378 joined on 4th July 1912
1581 joined on 9th October 1913
1668 joined on 30th January 1914
1947 joined on 14th August 1914
2086 joined on 3rd September 1914
3044 joined on 2nd October 1914
3079 joined on 3rd November 1914
3101 joined on 2nd January 1915
3294 joined on 26th February 1915
3337 joined on 22nd March 1915
3356 joined on 6th April 1915
3458 joined on 7th May 1915
3661 joined on 3rd June 1915
3792 joined on 2nd July 1915
3838 joined on 18th August 1915
3851 joined on 4th September 1915
4023 joined on 4th October 1915
4285 joined on 8th November 1915
4454 joined on 9th December 1915
4517 joined on 21st January 1916
4785 joined on 17th February 1916
5056 joined on 10th March 1916
5232 joined on 20th April 1916
5253 joined on 1st May 1916
5423 joined on 24th July 1916

My data currently stops short here. I'll add to this though, in due course.

When the Territorial Force re-numbered in 1917, the 10th Battalion, Manchester Regiment, was allocated numbers within the block 375001 to 400000. Here are some six digit numbers for the 10th Manchesters.

375003 originally joined on 1st April 1908 (and was almost certainly a 6th VB man to boot)
375074 originally joined on 19th July 1909
375102 originally joined on 13th April 1911
375144 originally joined on 9th May 1912
375234 originally joined on 8th December 1913
375310 originally joined on 9th February 1914
375553 originally joined on 4th September 1914
375983 originally joined on 13th October 1914
376069 originally joined on 18th January 1915
376199 originally joined on 6th April 1915
376262 originally joined on 7th May 1915
376397 originally joined on 3rd June 1915
376469 originally joined on 2nd July 1915
376545 originally joined on 27th September 1915
376679 originally joined on 11th November 1915
376841 originally joined on 16th February 1916
377179 originally joined on 20th April 1916
377316 originally joined on 25th July 1916
377597 originally joined on 9th August 1916
377662 originally joined on 18th September 1916
377929 originally joined on 17th October 1916

There was a third series of numbers used by this battalion and that was for (mostly) National Reservists who joined Supernumerary Companies attached to the 10th Battalion. These men, who had often seen previous military experience - and in many cases, several years earlier - signed up for one year's service in the United Kingdom on Army Form. E.514. My data for these men is not extensive, but James Brierley, who joined up at Oldham on 23rd July 1915, is a typical Supernumerary Company man. He was 49 years old and indicated that he had previously served with the 4th King's Lancaster Regiment. When the Royal Defence Corps was formed the following year, he transferred to it, assigned to No. 309 Protection Company. His army service number as a 10th Bn Supernumerary man was 20063. When he joined the RDC (on 29th April 1916) he received a new number: 27064.

James Brierley's service record survives in the WO 363 series which can be accessed on-line via Ancestry.co.uk

Read my other posts on The Manchester Regiment:

The Manchester Regiment, The Regular Battalions 1881-1914
The Manchester Regiment, Special & Extra Reserve Battalions 1908-1914

5th Bn, Manchester Regiment (TF)
6th Bn, Manchester Regiment (TF)
7th Bn, Manchester Regiment (TF)
8th Bn, Manchester Regiment (TF)
9th Bn, Manchester Regiment (TF)

Manchester Regiment Service Battalion numbers 1914-1916
16th, 17th & 18th Manchesters (1st, 2nd and 3rd City Battalions)
19th, 20th & 21st Manchesters (4th, 5th and 6th City Battalions)
22nd, 23rd & 24th Manchesters (7th & 8th City Battalions and the Oldham Pioneers)

A Manchester Pal's War - 9814 Pte Harry Bardsley, 18th Manchesters

Caveat
It is wrong to assume that numbering sequences in battalions always followed a sequential pattern. They didn't. As the war progressed and casualties grew, large numbers of men were often transferred from one battalion to another and allocated numbers within blocks which did not fit the sequential patterning seen to date. This becomes particularly evident in most battalions from 1916 onwards. For an example of this, see my post on the 23rd London Regiment.


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