Another enquiry, this time from Les concerning a Seaforth Highlander enlistment with the number S/11087.
The message reads:
"I have a copy of his MIC card showing Regimental Number S/11087 and the fact that he was awarded the Victory and British medals. The reference is G/104 B10 Page 615. He enlisted with the Seaforth Highlanders. I do not know which battalion he was in. Family stories are that he spent time in India but I cannot trace any exact dates for joining / leaving or if he indeed went to France. Any clues or direction?"
The first thing to note is that the fact that he was awarded the British War and Victory Medals indicates that he served overseas in a theatre of war.
The number dates to around the 20th October 1915 and was issued to Ernest Bond. There is little to be gleaned from the MIC although the S/ prefix indicates a wartime service enlistment. The regiment raised four service battalions, the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th; the latter becoming a reserve battalion. None of these battalions served in India although the 1st Garrison Battalion, formed in July 1916, moved to Salonika the following month. It's possible that he served with one of these service battalions or indeed with the 1st or 2nd Battalions. The 1st Battalion had been in India pre WW1 but Ernest's number rules him out as being a regular (unless he had served pre WW1, been discharged and then re-enlisted in October 1915). The 1st Seaforths served in France and latterly Mesopotamia (from July 1915) and finally Palestine (from January 1918). The 2nd Battalion fought in France and Flanders.
You should check the medal rolls to see if there is a battalion noted but unfortunately there is nothing in his number to indicate which battalion (or indeed battalions) he served with.
I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.
Showing posts with label service battalions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label service battalions. Show all posts
29 September 2011
16 April 2009
The Lincolnshire Regiment - Service Battalions
This post will look at numbering in the Lincolnshire Regiment service battalions in 1914 and 1915. The battalions in question then, are the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th (Service) Battalions and the information below comes from a study of Lincolnshire Regiment service records and pension records in the WO 363 and WO 364 series respectively, held at the National Archives in London.
As I mentioned in an earlier post on numbering in the regular battalions of the Lincolnshire Regiment it looks to me as though the regiment had reached around 9762 when Great Britain declared war on Germany. The 6th (Service) Battalion was the first New Army Lincolnshire Regiment battalion to be formed (in August 1914) and it was followed by the 7th and 8th (Service) Battalions in September 1914, and the 9th (Service) Battalion in November 1914.
Men joining the service battalions were given numbers from the same series that had been in use by the regular battalions.
c9763 to 107**
Issue of these numbers dates to August 1914 and therefore, by definition, mostly to men joining the 6th Battalion.
108** to 119**
A mixture of August and September 1914 joining dates, with 7th Battalion numbering commencing in the 109**s and 8th Battalion numbering commencing in the 118**s. Note however, that there do not appear to have been distinct blocks allocated for a particular battalion. Hypothetically therefore, 11801 could have been issued to an 8th Battalion man, 11802 to a 7th Battalion man, and 11803 to a 6th Battalion man.
120** to 133**
September and October 1914 joining dates with the vast majority of these issued in September. From my research, there appear to have been very few October 1914 enlistments, presumably because the 6th, 7th and 8th Battalions had reached establishment by then and the 9th Battalion had yet to be formed.
134** to 138**
November 1914.
139** to 142**
Back to September 1914. From my research, men with numbers in this range had previously served with the Leicestershire Regiment, attesting in late August or early September 1914. They were then transferred to the Lincolnshire Regiment in September 1914; most of the men on my database transferring on the 8th and 9th September. Interestingly, some of these transferees were initially transferred to the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion (which at that time was still using its own series of numbers) and so it is common to see men with three numbers on their attestation papers: their original Leicestershire Regiment number, their Lincolnshire Regiment special reserve number and their Lincolnshire Regiment service battalion number. Numbering in the Lincolnshire Special Reserve certainly leapt from 8435 on 4th September 1914 to 9124 on 7th September 1914 and these Leicestershire Regiment transferees must have accounted for a lot of these numbers.
143**
November and December 1914
144** to 146**
December 1914
147** to 151**
January 1915
152** to 155**
February 1915
156** to 161**
March 1915
162** to 164**
April 1915
165** to 168**
May 1915
I have a 169** appearing in April 1915 and then nothing currently for numbers in the range 170** to 179**.
180**
May and June 1915
181** to 182**
June 1915
183** to 185**
July 1915
186**
July and August 1915
187**
August 1915
188*
August and September 1915
189** to 190**
October 1915
191**
November 1915
192**
Nothing currently on my database for numbers in this range
193**
December 1915
I'll extend this series into 1916 and beyond when I have significant additional information to include.
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 5th Battalion, The Lincolnshire Regiment
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
The Naval & Military Press has re-published the HISTORY OF THE LINCOLNSHIRE REGIMENT 1914-1918 and has this to say about the book:
"When war broke out in August 1914 the Lincolnshire Regiment consisted of two Regular, one Special Reserve and two Territorial battalions; during the course of the war a further 14 battalions were raised including a Labour Battalion (12th). Ten went on active service, all on the Western Front, one of them (6th) was also at Gallipoli. This volume gives an account of the doings of those ten battalions, concluding with the Roll of Honour of the officers, arranged in alphabetical order but without identifying battalion, and then the WOs, NCOs and Men, listed in alphabetical order but by battalions. A third appendix contains the list of Honours and Awards, also listed alphabetically but without dates or reference to battalion. This section of the book takes up 106 pages. There is a very short index which does at least feature each battalion, making up for the lack of such references in the contents, so you can find the battalion you are looking for. The total dead amounted to 8,800; three VCs were won and 58 Battle Honours awarded.
"This history has been compiled, principally, from War Diaries of battalions in the field, supplemented by the notes of officers who read the original draft, as well as by reference to despatches and to official and other records. The contents are arranged in chronological order in a series of nine parts, each covering a specific period in the war and describing the actions of the various battalions engaged. It reads easily, and when describing battles or engagements it mentions personalities and gives casualty figures incurred. Books like this are published primarily for those who served in the regiment, and so there should be plenty of names which not only served at the time to keep the memory fresh but also provide a bonus for those engaged in historical or genealogical research."
I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.
As I mentioned in an earlier post on numbering in the regular battalions of the Lincolnshire Regiment it looks to me as though the regiment had reached around 9762 when Great Britain declared war on Germany. The 6th (Service) Battalion was the first New Army Lincolnshire Regiment battalion to be formed (in August 1914) and it was followed by the 7th and 8th (Service) Battalions in September 1914, and the 9th (Service) Battalion in November 1914.
Men joining the service battalions were given numbers from the same series that had been in use by the regular battalions.
c9763 to 107**
Issue of these numbers dates to August 1914 and therefore, by definition, mostly to men joining the 6th Battalion.
108** to 119**
A mixture of August and September 1914 joining dates, with 7th Battalion numbering commencing in the 109**s and 8th Battalion numbering commencing in the 118**s. Note however, that there do not appear to have been distinct blocks allocated for a particular battalion. Hypothetically therefore, 11801 could have been issued to an 8th Battalion man, 11802 to a 7th Battalion man, and 11803 to a 6th Battalion man.
120** to 133**
September and October 1914 joining dates with the vast majority of these issued in September. From my research, there appear to have been very few October 1914 enlistments, presumably because the 6th, 7th and 8th Battalions had reached establishment by then and the 9th Battalion had yet to be formed.
134** to 138**
November 1914.
139** to 142**
Back to September 1914. From my research, men with numbers in this range had previously served with the Leicestershire Regiment, attesting in late August or early September 1914. They were then transferred to the Lincolnshire Regiment in September 1914; most of the men on my database transferring on the 8th and 9th September. Interestingly, some of these transferees were initially transferred to the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion (which at that time was still using its own series of numbers) and so it is common to see men with three numbers on their attestation papers: their original Leicestershire Regiment number, their Lincolnshire Regiment special reserve number and their Lincolnshire Regiment service battalion number. Numbering in the Lincolnshire Special Reserve certainly leapt from 8435 on 4th September 1914 to 9124 on 7th September 1914 and these Leicestershire Regiment transferees must have accounted for a lot of these numbers.
143**
November and December 1914
144** to 146**
December 1914
147** to 151**
January 1915
152** to 155**
February 1915
156** to 161**
March 1915
162** to 164**
April 1915
165** to 168**
May 1915
I have a 169** appearing in April 1915 and then nothing currently for numbers in the range 170** to 179**.
180**
May and June 1915
181** to 182**
June 1915
183** to 185**
July 1915
186**
July and August 1915
187**
August 1915
188*
August and September 1915
189** to 190**
October 1915
191**
November 1915
192**
Nothing currently on my database for numbers in this range
193**
December 1915
I'll extend this series into 1916 and beyond when I have significant additional information to include.
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 5th Battalion, The Lincolnshire Regiment
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
The Naval & Military Press has re-published the HISTORY OF THE LINCOLNSHIRE REGIMENT 1914-1918 and has this to say about the book:
"When war broke out in August 1914 the Lincolnshire Regiment consisted of two Regular, one Special Reserve and two Territorial battalions; during the course of the war a further 14 battalions were raised including a Labour Battalion (12th). Ten went on active service, all on the Western Front, one of them (6th) was also at Gallipoli. This volume gives an account of the doings of those ten battalions, concluding with the Roll of Honour of the officers, arranged in alphabetical order but without identifying battalion, and then the WOs, NCOs and Men, listed in alphabetical order but by battalions. A third appendix contains the list of Honours and Awards, also listed alphabetically but without dates or reference to battalion. This section of the book takes up 106 pages. There is a very short index which does at least feature each battalion, making up for the lack of such references in the contents, so you can find the battalion you are looking for. The total dead amounted to 8,800; three VCs were won and 58 Battle Honours awarded.
"This history has been compiled, principally, from War Diaries of battalions in the field, supplemented by the notes of officers who read the original draft, as well as by reference to despatches and to official and other records. The contents are arranged in chronological order in a series of nine parts, each covering a specific period in the war and describing the actions of the various battalions engaged. It reads easily, and when describing battles or engagements it mentions personalities and gives casualty figures incurred. Books like this are published primarily for those who served in the regiment, and so there should be plenty of names which not only served at the time to keep the memory fresh but also provide a bonus for those engaged in historical or genealogical research."
I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.
2 March 2009
The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders - service battalion numbers
If at times the Territorial Force army service numbers for some battalions of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders seem to confound logic, so too - at times - do those numbers issued to men joining the service battalions from August 1914.
By 8th June 1914, numbering in the 1st and 2nd (Regular) Battalions of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders had reached 1377 and when Britain went to war with Germany two months later and the 10th (Service) Battalion of the A&S Highlanders was formed in August 1914, it (and later the other service battalions too), continued with the numbering series in use by the regular battalions. The 1st and 2nd still recruited men for regular periods of enlistment (seven years with the Colours and five on the Reserve) but whereas these men's numbers carried no prefix, those joining the service battalions for war-time enlistment only, had their numbers prefixed with S/.
So in theory, S/1600 would have been an August 1914 war-time enlistment, whereas 1601 enlisted at around the same time time but as a regular, career soldier.
I list below, sample army service numbers and joining dates or date ranges for the A&S Highlanders during the First World War. There are significant gaps as you will see, and the numbers that I have listed below could give the impression that they ran sequentially and consistently. They didn't. Treat these dates with caution as there are exceptions which I'll try to point out.
It is also worth pointing out that as far as I am aware there are no patterns within the general number series which would identify a man as belonging to a particular battalion. The numbers listed below will give a rough indication of when he was likely to have joined but they are of no help in determining a battalion. Furthermore whilst the 3rd (Special Reserve) and 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalions maintained their separate numbering series in the initial months of the war, these appear to have been abandoned later. My data for these battalions only extends to October 1914 and as the war progressed it was quite common to see an S/ prefix man with a number in the service/regular battalion series, joining what had once been the Special/Extra Reserve. I'd love to see an ACI or Army Order dealing with this.
Anyway, on with the numbering:
S/3033 joined on 31st August 1914
S/5422 joined on 23rd September 1914
S/6126 joined on 29th October 1914
S/6758 joined on 25th November 1914
S/7158 joined on 26th December 1914
S/7711 joined on 18th January 1915
S/8152 joined on 27th February 1915
S/8279 joined on 10th March 1915
S/8641 joined on 28th April 1915
S/9385 joined on 27th May 1915
S/9750 joined on 27th June 1915
S/9986 joined the 14th (Service) Battalion on the 12th July 1915, but by this time, numbers in the S/121* range had already begun to appear, thus S/12155 was issued on 5th July 1915. S/12198 on 10th July 1915, S/12250 on 17th July 1915 and so on. S/12483 was issued on the 27th July 1915.
NB - see also the section below headed The return of the S/10***s
S/13186 joined on 21st August 1915
S/13565 joined on 21st September 1915
S/14141 joined on 27th October 1915
In November and December 1915, the numbering goes awry and I think for the purposes of this post, I'll just pull additional data from my database to try and illustrate this. Battalion (or D for Depot) indicated in brackets. The 13th and 15th were local reserve battalions.
S/14062 - 17th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14100 - 8th Nov 1915 (D)
S/14109 - 24th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14125 - 15th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14246 - 8th Nov 1915 (13th)
S/14133 - 15th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14170 - 2nd Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14259 - 3rd Nov 1915 (D)
S/14324 - 9th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14352 - 9th Nov 1915 (14th)
S/14387 - 2nd Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14390 - 8th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14438 - 22nd Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14962 - 19th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/15057 - 23rd Nov 1915 (15th)
S/15260 - 24th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/15310 - 26th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/15439 - 16th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/15156 - 1st Dec 1915 (D)
S/15164 - 1st Dec 1915 (D)
S/15292 - 10th Dec 1915 (15th)
S/15350 - 10th Dec 1915 (D)
S/15477 joined on 24th January 1916
S/16083 joined on 15th February 1916
The return of the S/10***s
In June 1915, the numbering had appeared to leap from the 97**s to the 12***s. For me, this illustrates the point that it's generally advisable to be suspicious of unexplained gaps in numbering sequences. The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders is a case in point as these "missing" S/10*** numbers start appearing in March 1916.
Army service number S/16204 was issued to a man joining the 4th Battalion on 2nd March 1916, but by the 8th of that month, S/10256 was issued to a man (who also joined the 4th Battalion).
Numbers from S/10256 were issued, largely sequentially, through March, April and into May 1916 before the numbering returned to the 16***s in June 1916, thus:
S/10526 joined on 28th March 1916
S/11606 joined on 26th April 1916
S/11909 joined on 31st May 1916
S/16329 joined on 13th June 1916
S/16674 joined on 24th June 1916
S/16934 joined on 25th July 1916
S/17161 joined on 12th August 1916
S/17477 joined on 4th September 1916
S/17747 joined on 25th October 1916
S/18237 joined on 27th November 1916 [and again, another large jump]
S/18583 joined on 21st January 1917
S/20419 joined on 30th April 1917
S/20838 joined on 15th May 1917 [another large jump]
S/21380 joined on 14th June 1917
S/21680 joined on 18th July 1917
S/21810 joined on 4th August 1917
S/22332 joined on 18th September 1917
S/22548 joined on 22nd October 1917
My data becomes decidedly patchier from here on in; to the point where it would probably be unhelpful, rather than helpful, to publish it. So for the time being I'm going to leave service battalion numbering in the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders at this point, and this also concludes my look at numbering patterns in the regiment as a whole. I will update posts with additional information as and when I have something useful to publish.
I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.
Find British Army WW1 Records by clicking this link. Also see my posts regarding army service numbers issued to men in the following Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders battalions:
1st & 2nd Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders 1881-1914
3rd (Special Reserve) & 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion A&S Highlanders
5th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (TF)
6th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (TF)
7th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (TF)
8th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (TF)
9th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (TF)
By 8th June 1914, numbering in the 1st and 2nd (Regular) Battalions of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders had reached 1377 and when Britain went to war with Germany two months later and the 10th (Service) Battalion of the A&S Highlanders was formed in August 1914, it (and later the other service battalions too), continued with the numbering series in use by the regular battalions. The 1st and 2nd still recruited men for regular periods of enlistment (seven years with the Colours and five on the Reserve) but whereas these men's numbers carried no prefix, those joining the service battalions for war-time enlistment only, had their numbers prefixed with S/.
So in theory, S/1600 would have been an August 1914 war-time enlistment, whereas 1601 enlisted at around the same time time but as a regular, career soldier.
I list below, sample army service numbers and joining dates or date ranges for the A&S Highlanders during the First World War. There are significant gaps as you will see, and the numbers that I have listed below could give the impression that they ran sequentially and consistently. They didn't. Treat these dates with caution as there are exceptions which I'll try to point out.
It is also worth pointing out that as far as I am aware there are no patterns within the general number series which would identify a man as belonging to a particular battalion. The numbers listed below will give a rough indication of when he was likely to have joined but they are of no help in determining a battalion. Furthermore whilst the 3rd (Special Reserve) and 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalions maintained their separate numbering series in the initial months of the war, these appear to have been abandoned later. My data for these battalions only extends to October 1914 and as the war progressed it was quite common to see an S/ prefix man with a number in the service/regular battalion series, joining what had once been the Special/Extra Reserve. I'd love to see an ACI or Army Order dealing with this.
Anyway, on with the numbering:
S/3033 joined on 31st August 1914
S/5422 joined on 23rd September 1914
S/6126 joined on 29th October 1914
S/6758 joined on 25th November 1914
S/7158 joined on 26th December 1914
S/7711 joined on 18th January 1915
S/8152 joined on 27th February 1915
S/8279 joined on 10th March 1915
S/8641 joined on 28th April 1915
S/9385 joined on 27th May 1915
S/9750 joined on 27th June 1915
S/9986 joined the 14th (Service) Battalion on the 12th July 1915, but by this time, numbers in the S/121* range had already begun to appear, thus S/12155 was issued on 5th July 1915. S/12198 on 10th July 1915, S/12250 on 17th July 1915 and so on. S/12483 was issued on the 27th July 1915.
NB - see also the section below headed The return of the S/10***s
S/13186 joined on 21st August 1915
S/13565 joined on 21st September 1915
S/14141 joined on 27th October 1915
In November and December 1915, the numbering goes awry and I think for the purposes of this post, I'll just pull additional data from my database to try and illustrate this. Battalion (or D for Depot) indicated in brackets. The 13th and 15th were local reserve battalions.
S/14062 - 17th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14100 - 8th Nov 1915 (D)
S/14109 - 24th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14125 - 15th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14246 - 8th Nov 1915 (13th)
S/14133 - 15th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14170 - 2nd Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14259 - 3rd Nov 1915 (D)
S/14324 - 9th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14352 - 9th Nov 1915 (14th)
S/14387 - 2nd Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14390 - 8th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14438 - 22nd Nov 1915 (15th)
S/14962 - 19th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/15057 - 23rd Nov 1915 (15th)
S/15260 - 24th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/15310 - 26th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/15439 - 16th Nov 1915 (15th)
S/15156 - 1st Dec 1915 (D)
S/15164 - 1st Dec 1915 (D)
S/15292 - 10th Dec 1915 (15th)
S/15350 - 10th Dec 1915 (D)
S/15477 joined on 24th January 1916
S/16083 joined on 15th February 1916
The return of the S/10***s
In June 1915, the numbering had appeared to leap from the 97**s to the 12***s. For me, this illustrates the point that it's generally advisable to be suspicious of unexplained gaps in numbering sequences. The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders is a case in point as these "missing" S/10*** numbers start appearing in March 1916.
Army service number S/16204 was issued to a man joining the 4th Battalion on 2nd March 1916, but by the 8th of that month, S/10256 was issued to a man (who also joined the 4th Battalion).
Numbers from S/10256 were issued, largely sequentially, through March, April and into May 1916 before the numbering returned to the 16***s in June 1916, thus:
S/10526 joined on 28th March 1916
S/11606 joined on 26th April 1916
S/11909 joined on 31st May 1916
S/16329 joined on 13th June 1916
S/16674 joined on 24th June 1916
S/16934 joined on 25th July 1916
S/17161 joined on 12th August 1916
S/17477 joined on 4th September 1916
S/17747 joined on 25th October 1916
S/18237 joined on 27th November 1916 [and again, another large jump]
S/18583 joined on 21st January 1917
S/20419 joined on 30th April 1917
S/20838 joined on 15th May 1917 [another large jump]
S/21380 joined on 14th June 1917
S/21680 joined on 18th July 1917
S/21810 joined on 4th August 1917
S/22332 joined on 18th September 1917
S/22548 joined on 22nd October 1917
My data becomes decidedly patchier from here on in; to the point where it would probably be unhelpful, rather than helpful, to publish it. So for the time being I'm going to leave service battalion numbering in the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders at this point, and this also concludes my look at numbering patterns in the regiment as a whole. I will update posts with additional information as and when I have something useful to publish.
I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.
Find British Army WW1 Records by clicking this link. Also see my posts regarding army service numbers issued to men in the following Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders battalions:
1st & 2nd Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders 1881-1914
3rd (Special Reserve) & 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion A&S Highlanders
5th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (TF)
6th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (TF)
7th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (TF)
8th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (TF)
9th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (TF)
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