Postings - regular battalions

Earlier, I wrote:

"The regular battalions, that is, the battalions populated by career soldiers, operate a single regimental number sequence. A new recruit is given his number at the Regimental Depot, spends up to three months training at the Depot and is then posted to the 1st Battalion which is stationed in the UK. After 18 months to two years he is then posted to the 2nd Battalion which is serving overseas in India. His posting from the Depot to the 1st Battalion, and then from the 1st Battalion to the 2nd Battalion does not affect his regimental number which remains unchanged."

Here's an example of what I meant - and you'll find similar examples awash in WO 97, WO 363 and WO 364.

 

Michael Hooper joined the Royal Dublin Fusiliers on 8th Jun 1894 and was given the regimental number 5089.  He was posted to the Depot and remained there until posted to the Home Battalion (in this case, the 1st Battalion) on the 23rd August 1894. He remained with the 1st Battalion, which was then stationed in Sheffield, until the 10th February 1896 when he was posted to the overseas battalion, the 2nd Battalion.  This battalion would have been stationed in Quetta when Michael Hooper joined it and his service record notes that he remained with the 2nd Battalion until September 1902 when he was posted back to the regimental Depot. In the intervening years, Hooper would have seen service in Bombay, Natal and South Africa, the battalion moving back to Ireland in 1902 (and becoming the Home Battalion) whilst the 1st Battalion, already overseas in South Africa as a result of the Boer War, moved on to Crete and Malta and took up the role of the overseas battalion.

 

Michael Hooper was transferred to the Army Reserve in October 1902 and on completing this period of reserve service elected to join Section D Reserve for a further four years.  He was finally discharged from Section D Reserve  on the 7th June 1910.

 

At no point during his army career, did Michael Hooper's number change.  Why would it?  He joined as a regularsoldier and moved freely between the two battalions during his army career.  Whilst on the reserve, had he been recalled to the Colours, he would have retained his service number.  However, from the moment he was discharged in 1910, his number would also have been discarded.  Even if he walked around the block and decided to re-enlist, that number would not have been re-issued to him. 

 

The image from Michael Hooper's service record in WO 363 (above) is Crown Copyright and reproduced by courtesy of the National Archives.  Interestingly, the same papers (but beautifully preserved) exist in WO 97, so here's another version of the same document:

 



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Royal Fusiliers - Regular Battalions

The Royal Fusiliers (City of London) Regiment was formed on the 1st July 1881 from the 7th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot.  (The Derbyshire title, granted in 1782, was never used and in 1823 had been re-granted to the 95th Regiment). 

There are over 55,000 Royal Fusiliers 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.

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

14 joined on 3rd October 1881
335 joined on 9th June 1882
976 joined on 11th June 1883
1191 joined on 31st January 1884
1827 joined on 15th May 1885
2363 joined on 30th January 1886
2798 joined on 18th March 1887
3078 joined on 17th April 1888
3224 joined on 25th June 1889
3465 joined on 25th January 1890
3701 joined on 7th January 1891
4049 joined on 9th January 1892
4579 joined on 2nd February 1893
4964 joined on 3rd April 1894
5283 joined on 19th April 1895
5479 joined on 13th June 1896
5800 joined on 20th October 1897
5929 joined on 15th March 1898 

On the 1st April 1898 a 3rd regular battalion was raised at The Curragh, Ireland, from the nucleus of two companies from the 2nd Battalion.  Recruits joining the 3rd Battalion were issued with numbers from the same series that was being used by 1st and 2nd Battalion men.  The 3rd Battalion would eventually be disbanded on 16th July 1922.

7173 joined on 22nd February 1899 [L/ prefix added later] 

On the 30th January 1900, The Royal Fusiliers raised a 4th Battalion from the nucleus of the 3rd Battalion.  This battalion also shared the same number series that was in use for the other three regular battalions.  The 4th Battalion would eventually be disbanded on the 16th July 1922.

The Royal Fusiliers also fielded two volunteer service companies during the South African War.  Numbers issued to VSC recruits were within the range 8901 to 9144. Numbers 8901 through to 9026 were all 1st VSC men.  Numbers 9040 through to 9144 were all 2nd VSC men.  Numbers 9027 to 9039 are a combination of 1st and 2nd VSC men. 

7825 joined on 5th February 1900 [L/ prefix added later]

8635 joined on 10th January 1901
RF/9364 joined on 24th January 1902 [L/ prefix added later] 

In 1901 alone, and with four regular battalions in place, The Royal Fusiliers recruited well over 700 men and recruitment showed no signs of slowing in 1902.  Queen’s Regulations stated that, “When the [number] series approaches 9,999, application should be made to the Adjutant-General in sufficient time to obtain authority to commence a new series.”  This instruction was either overlooked or ignored by the Royal Fusiliers, or the application was submitted too late.  Although a revised King’s Regulations would extend numbering in infantry regiments to 19,999, this wouldn’t come into effect until 1904, and by November 1902, the Royal Fusiliers had passed 9,999 and just kept going.  The regiment would recruit over 800 men in 1902 alone.  

The L/ prefix was introduced for regular enlistments into regiments administered by the Number 10 Grouped Regimental District at Hounslow around October 1902.  This practice was also adopted by The Royal Fusiliers at the same time.  An RF/ prefix was already in use for the Royal Fusiliers and certainly appears to have been more consistently used than the L/ prefix when this was introduced for regulars joining the regiment. The numbers above and below are as they appear on attestation papers.  In all cases the L/ prefix appears to have been added some time after the man had attested.

RF/10145 joined on 1st January 1903 [L/ prefix added later]
RF/10830 joined on 23rd January 1904
RF/11128 joined on 16th January 1905
RF/11891 joined on 1st January 1906
RF/12477 joined on 4th February 1907 [L/ prefix added later]
RF/13039 joined on 15th January 1908
RF/13742 joined on 6th July 1909
RF/14193 joined on 20th October 1910
RF/14344 joined on 4th January 1911 [L/ prefix added later]
RF/15158 joined on 12th June 1912
RF/15459 joined on 11th January 1913
RF/16125 joined on 27th July 1914 [L/ prefix added later]

The First World War

When Britain went to war in August 1914, men joining the new Royal Fusiliers service battalions for wartime-service only were issued with numbers from new number series. The number series outlined above, continued to be used but was reserved for those men who wished to join the Royal Fusiliers on regular enlistment terms. 

This practice was adopted by The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment), The Buffs (East Kent Regiment), The Royal Fusiliers, The East Surrey Regiment, The Royal Sussex Regiment, The Royal West Kent Regiment and The Middlesex Regiment. With the exception of the Royal Fusiliers, these regiments were all administered by the Number 10 Grouped Regimental District at Hounslow. The Royal Fusiliers also raised a number of Pals-type battalions, most of which operated separate number series, many of these being additionally differentiated by letter prefixes.   

Recruitment rates 1881-1911

Between 1st July 1881 and 17th January 1891, The Royal Fusiliers recruited 3,701 men, an average of 386 soldiers a year and the fourteenth best recruitment rate of all the British infantry regiments that decade. 

The following decade showed further improvement with a grand total of 8635 men recruited by 10th January 1901 and an average recruitment rate for the decade which stood at 493 men per annum. 

Recruitment into the Royal Fusiliers showed no sign of abating during the period 1901 to 1911 and by 4th January that year, the regiment had issued number RF/14344 to its latest recruit.  By 1911 The Royal Fusiliers was the fifth most successful recruiter of all the British infantry regiments and could claim a high annual average of 483 men recruited per annum between 1881 and 1911.

The well-known photo that I've used to illustrate this post shows men of A Company, 4th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers at rest on the 22nd August 1914.  The following day they would be in action at the Battle of Mons. Photo source: Wikipedia.

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Further Reading

Historical Records of the Seventh or Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
Covers the period form the raising of the regiment in 1685 to 1875. Includes a roll call of every officer who served in the Regiment during these 190 years with his record of service, listed in alphabetical order.
Royal Fusiliers in the Great War
The appendix gives the Roll of Honour of officers (1054 names); a table showing the numbers of Warrant Officers, NCOs and Men on the Roll of Honour, by battalions; a table summarising decorations awarded, including foreign awards; brief biographies or notes on a number of RF general ranking officers; and several accounts of soldiers who took part in the various operations.2nd City of London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) in the Great War 1914-1919
The Roll of Honour lists 1,345 dead and the summary of awards shows 65 British decorations to officers and 246 to other ranks, excluding MiDs.The War History of the 4th Battalion The London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) 1914-1919
Includes a list of Honours and Awards, including foreign decorations, as well as a list of officers and men of other regiments who won their awards serving with the 4th London Regiment.The History of the old 2/4th (City of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers)
There is no Roll of Honour nor list of Honours and Awards, all these are noted in the text and the last ninety pages contain the service records of every officer and man of the battalion where such information can be found, including details of any wounds received.The Kensington Battalion
This books draws on first hand material (diaries, letters and official documents) as well as interviews from the 1980s. History of the 22nd (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (Kensington)
A Roll of Honour gives dates of death of the officers, and in the case of other ranks, they are grouped by companies for each year of the war without number, rank or date of death. There is also a list of recipients of honours and awards, which includes mentioned in despatches. Names are grouped alphabetically for each medal, but no number, rank or date of award. Hard as Nails: The Sportsmen's Battalion of World War One
Michael Foley's history of the 23rd (Service) Battalion.