Cheshire Regiment 1881-1914 - 1st & 2nd Battalions -

This post will look at regimental numbering in the Cheshire Regiment which was formed on 1st July 1881 from the 22nd (the Cheshire) Regiment of Foot.

There are over 63,000 Cheshire Regiment 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.

Use the regimental numbers and dates on which these were issued, below, to determine parameters for when your own Cheshire Regiment 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. George Henry Byrom (pictured above) was a Cheshire Regiment Special Reservist captured in 1914. You can read more about him by clicking on his name.

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

24 joined on 31st October 1881
73 joined on 20th January 1882
396 joined on 17th January 1883
984 joined on 11th January 1884
1391 joined on 5th January 1885
2165 joined on 1st February 1886
2498 joined on 12th January 1887
2617 joined on 26th November 1888
2675 joined on 1st July 1889
2868 joined on 15th January 1890
3277 joined on 7th March 1891
3562 joined on 6th January 1892
4224 joined on 7th April 1893
4629 joined on 13th February 1894
5041 joined on 9th April 1895
5204 joined on 8th February 1896
5394 joined on 15th February 1897
5669 joined on 22nd February 1898
6158 joined on 20th February 1899
6443 joined on 1st November 1900

During the South African War, The Cheshire Regiment raised three volunteer service companies. Men joining these companies were issued with numbers in the following ranges:

1st VSC: numbers within the range 7330 to 7526
2nd VSC: numbers within the range 7447 to 7578
3rd VSC: numbers within the range 7765 to 7780

On 17th February 1900, the 1st VSC comprising three officers – Captain S Thornley, Lieutenant J Bates and Lieutenant J S Craig – and 113 men, embarked for South Africa aboard SS Gascon.

6488 joined on 7th February 1901
6772 joined on 19th February 1902
7084 joined on 5th February 1903
7419 joined on 22nd February 1904
7868 joined on 7th February 1905
8099 joined on 11th January 1906
8232 joined on 21st January 1907
8850 joined on 8th January 1908
9170 joined on 16th February 1909
9408 joined on 7th February 1910
9658 joined on 27th June 1911
10002 joined on 26th November 1912
10103 joined on 27th May 1913
10523 joined on 3rd May 1914

The First World War
When Britain went to war in August 1914, men joining the new service battalions were issued with numbers from the same series in use by the two regular battalions.

Recruitment rates 1881-1911

Between 1st July 1881 and 7th March 1891, The Cheshire Regiment recruited 3,277 men, an average of 336 soldiers a year. Although still well below the national average for the decade, this was nevertheless to be the regiment’s best showing.

By 7th February 1901, the regiment had enlisted its 6,488th recruit and could claim an average recruitment rate for the decade of 324 men. A little over ten years later and the average recruitment rate had dropped again, this time to 307 men per annum. In total, between 1st July 1881 and 27th June 1911, The Cheshire Regiment recruited 9,658 men, well below the national average (353) at 322 men a year.

1st Battalion stations 1881-1914
1881 Guernsey
1883 Portland
1885 Gibraltar
1886 Egypt
1887 Burma
1891 Belgaum
1895 Bellary
1897 Secunderabad
1901 Quetta
1903 Bombay
1904 Lichfield
1909 Belfast
1912 Londonderry
1914 France & Flanders (from August)

2nd Battalion stations 1881-1915

1881 Bengal
1885 Solon
1887 Burma
1889 Sheffield
1892 Aldershot
1895 Buttevant
1898 Limerick
1899 South Africa
1902 Aldershot
1904 Madras
1909 Schwebo (Burma)
1911 Jubbulpore
1915 France & Flanders (from January)

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

Further Reading

The History of the Cheshire Regiment in the Great War

The Cheshire Regiment - The First Battalion at Mons and the Miniature Colour

Cheshire Bantams - 15th, 16th & 17th Battalions, The Cheshire Regiment

War Record of the 1/5th (Earl of Chester's) Battalion, The Cheshire Regiment, August 1914 - June 1919

East Surrey Regiment - Special & Extra Reserve

From 1908 The East Surrey Regiment fielded a 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion and a 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion, both these battalions being the natural heirs of the 3rd and 4th Militia Battalions, respectively. Men who had served with these militia battalions and who wished to complete their service with the newly formed Special and Extra Reserve battalions, retained their old militia numbers. Both of the militia battalions had operated separate number series and these series continued in use with the Special and Extra Reserve battalions into 1915 (and possibly beyond, although my database peters out then).

When Britain went to war in 1914, the East Surrey Regiment created two additional number series for men joining the 3rd and 4th Battalions for wartime service only. These two numbers series, one for the 3rd Battalion and one for the 4th, both started from 1 and both were prefixed SRGS or SR/GS or SR/GS/ES (and probably a good many other combinations as well for that matter). The letters stand for Special Reserve General Service East Surrey.

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

In search of Sergeant Newell

A couple of months back I picked up an MM to Sergeant W A Newell of the Royal Fusiliers. There appears to be no surviving service record for this man and so pretty much all I have to go on his campaign medal index card (above) and the reference in the London Gazette to his MM award.

The medal index card (MIC) notes that he arrived in France as 1444 Pte William Newell of the Royal Fusiliers on the 1st June 1915. By the time he was discharged to Class Z of the Army Reserve on the 24th February 1919 he was a sergeant, and acting Company Quarter Master Sergeant with the Cameron Highlanders; not a bad record of promotion.

My main intention (apart from reuniting his MM with his trio) is to find out how he won his gallantry award, but at this point in time I don't have a battalion for him. The Supplement to The London Gazette for the 14th September 1916 simply notes, 1444 Cpl W A Newell. So, no battalion, but we can see that he had been promoted by the time he won his MM and we also have another initial for him.

[Update, October 2019. The MM medal index card gives 8th Battalion. The schedule number also indicates that the award was for the period March to May 1916. These awards are non-immediate awards and retrospective awards].

A check through the medal rolls (using the references on his medal index card) revealed nothing on the 1914-15 Star roll, but there was additional information on the British War and Victory Medal roll. Thanks to the information contained there, I now know that he transferred to the 11th Battalion of the Cameron Highlanders, and also that he seemed to be part of a draft of men who all transferred from different regiments (see below).



I checked all the men listed on this page to see if I could ascertain when they transferred to the Cameron Highlanders but could find no surviving service records for any of them. I did however find a pension record for S/49801 Sgt Jonathan Malpas who originally joined the Northumberland Fusiliers on the 9th November 1914 and was transferred to the 11th Battalion, Cameron Highlanders in the Field on the 10th June 1918. So it looks as though that's when Sergeant Newell, and all the men listed with him, were also transferred.

As for Sergeant Newell's original number with the Royal Fusiliers, 1444; at this point in time I find it difficult to pin a precise date to it.

[Update October 2019. He enlisted in August 1914. The number should have had a G/ prefix]

The search continues...

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A 2345 Essex Regiment case study

I've just posted on my Army Ancestry blog about pulling together information from army service numbers. It may not tell regular visitors to this blog, anything they don't already know, but there is a logical process there which may be of interest to beginners frustrated by missing service records.

You can read my 2345 Essex Regiment case study HERE.

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

Yorkshire Regiment 1881-1914 - 1st & 2nd Battalions

There are nearly 28,000 pre-First World War service and pension records, and over 8,000 Yorkshire Regiment service and pension records covering the First World War which have been digitised and published online.  Clicking on the links above 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.

This post will look at numbering in the two regular battalions of the Yorkshire Regiment (the 1st and 2nd battalions) between 1881 and 1914. Service number information comes primarily from WO 97 and from WO 363 and WO 364. Battalion locations are taken from the now sadly defunct www.regiments.org.

The Princess of Wales’s Own (Yorkshire Regiment) was formed from the 19th (The 1st Yorkshire North Riding – Princess of Wales’s Own) Regiment of Foot. The naming for the Princess Alexandra, Princess of Wales, had taken place in October 1875.

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

22 joined on 20th July 1881
334 joined on 8th March 1882
776 joined on 5th October 1883
934 joined on 3rd March 1884
1333 joined on 3rd February 1885
1868 joined on 10th January 1886
2194 joined on 1st July 1887
2446 joined on 13th March 1888
2919 joined on 17th August 1889
3158 joined on 31st July 1890
3489 joined on 21st August 1891
3605 joined on 16th April 1892
4157 joined on 1st June 1893
4438 joined on 8th March 1894
4830 joined on 7th January 1895
5214 joined on 10th June 1896
5449 joined on 10th June 1897
5689 joined on 14th February 1898
5978 joined on 3rd January 1899
6260 joined on 17th January 1900

During the South African War, the Yorkshire Regiment raised two volunteer service companies and allocated numbers as follows:

1st VSC: numbers within the range 7235 to 7350
2nd VSC: numbers within the range 7353 to 7384

On 17th February 1900 the 1st VSC departed for South Africa aboard the SS Guelph. It comprised Captain Bell, lieutenant R W T Ewart, Lieutenant F C Houseman and 113 men. The 2nd VSC departed six days later. It departed aboard the SS Avondale Castle on the 23rd February 1900 with Captain T W Simpson, Lieutenant F Head, and 113 men.

6469 joined on 31st January 1901

In 1902 the regiment became Alexandra, Princess of Wales’s Own (Yorkshire Regiment). Numbering was unaffected by the name change.

6838 joined on 5th April 1902
7127 joined on 15th January 1903
7778 joined on 4th July 1904
8060 joined on 23rd February 1905
8355 joined on 28th May 1906
8648 joined on 1st January 1907
9242 joined on 5th May 1908
9375 joined on 30th November 1909
9423 joined on 21st March 1910
9701 joined on 30th June 1911
9973 joined on 22nd January 1912
10159 joined on 3rd April 1913
10421 joined on 22nd February 1914

The First World War
When Britain went to war in August 1914, men joining the new service battalions were issued with numbers from the same series in use by the two regular battalions.

Recruitment rates 1881 – 1911

The years 1881 to 1891 were the most effect recruiting years as far as the regiment was concerned. Between 1st July 1881 and 21st August 1891 The Princess of Wales’s Own recruited 3,489 men, a rate which saw the regiment fall within the top fifty per cent of infantry recruiting regiments for the decade.

Between August 1891 and January 1901 however, the regiment recruited fewer than 3000 men and fell to forty-ninth position in the recruitment league stakes. It was the same story in the early 1900s. The regiment had recruited 316 men per annum in the 1890s and in the 1900s this fell slightly to 314. By September 1911, the regiment was issuing number 9821 to its latest recruit.

1st Battalion stations 1881-1914
1881 Halifax, Nova Scotia
1885 Malta
1885 Sudan
1888 Cyprus
1889 Portsmouth
1892 Jersey
1895 Curragh
1897 Dublin
1898 Gibraltar
1899 South Africa
1902 Sheffield
1904 Aldershot
1908 Egypt
1910 Sudan
1912 Sialkot
1914 Rawalpindi (remained in India throughout WW1)


2nd Battalion stations 1881-1914
1881 Belfast
1882 Curragh
1885 Buttevant
1886 Aldershot
1890 Bangalore
1892 Burma
1897 Rhaniket & Jullunder
1897 Tirah
1898 India
1899 Dagshai
1902 Cawnpore
1904 Bombay
1906 South Africa
1909 York
1911 Blackdown
1913 Guernsey
1914 France & Flanders (from September)

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

Further Reading

A History of the 19th Regiment
Covering the period from formation in 1688 until Khartoum in 1885.

Green Howards in the Great War

South Down sample

Of all British regiments, I probably have the most detailed information on The Royal Sussex Regiment and I thought I’d illustrate this post with a small sample of data from my South Down Battalions’ database. A large number of service records survive for men in these battalions and in the attached image these are indicated by the triumphant YES within a yellow highlight. That particular column indicates a surviving record in WO 363. The column immediately to its left is for WO 364. The links will take you to the Ancestry website where these records are available to view.

With this particular number series, my process was first to identify the men by searching the FREE Campaign Medal index on The National Archives website. The results below were returned after I keyed in Suss* as the regiment and 131 as the number. Of the five returned results, only one bears the SD/ prefix and the surname Welchman fits nicely into this particular alphabetical sequence.


Not all numbers carry the SD/ prefix and where this is the case it can be guesswork as to whether a particular soldier is a South Down volunteer or not. Again, the broadly alphabetical ordering of names can help here but in some cases there are no identifiable results and I indicate as much on my own records. Of course, the easiest solution to all of this guesswork would be to consult the medal rolls but at the moment these are not published on-line.

I have some Royal Sussex Regiment medals for sale including South Down battalions.

Having built up a list of numbers and men it’s then a case of checking this information against WO 363 and WO 364 on the Ancestry website. As I say, records for this particular section of South Down men are prolific and of the 21 men listed in the sample above, service records survive for 17 of them, all of these in WO 363. Bold indicates that the man was killed in action, died of wounds or died as a result of sickness or accident. This information was compiled as a result of checking through Soldiers Died in The Great War and takes no account of those men who may have transferred out of the Royal Sussex Regiment and subsequently died whilst in the service of another regiment. The sample here shows a number range between SD/111 and SD/147 but the same sad proliferation of bold entries appears throughout this dataset.

Finally, and as mentioned in my post on the 11th Royal Sussex Regiment (1st South Down Battalion) and elsewhere, men joining the original contingents of the South Down battalions were first grouped into broadly alphabetical sections and then numbered and this can be clearly seen from the small sample illustrated on this post.

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

Royal Horse Guards 1867-1880

A little beyond the scope of this particular army service numbers blog, but as I have the data, I thought I'd post it here. This also of course, ends nicely at the point at which my previous blog post on Royal Horse Guards numbering begins. See Royal Horse Guards 1881-1914.

Service records for all of the numbers listed below, survive in a number of military series. The majority (in this small sample) are taken from the WO 97 Chelsea Pensioners series at the National Archives in Kew. These can also be viewed on-line via Find My Past which is currently offering a FREE 14 day trial. Some records here are also taken from the WO 363 Service Records and WO 364 Pension Records which are also housed at Kew and also available online, in this case with Ancestry.co.uk (which also offers a FREE 14 day trial).

447 joined on 4th November 1867
479 joined on 16th June 1868
525 joined on 1st October 1869
547 joined on 15th February 1870
605 joined on 31st October 1871
622 joined on 2nd January 1872
731 joined on 22nd December 1873
739 joined on 13th January 1874
814 joined on 6th July 1875
841 joined on 12th June 1876
916 joined on 18th April 1877
968 joined on 28th January 1878
1015 joined on 19th March 1879
1072 joined on 19th February 1880

So all in all a pretty slow recruitment rate for the Royal Horse Guards in the period outlined above with, by my rough calculations, just four men recruited on average per month.

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

Monmouthshire Regiment - 3rd Battalion

This post will look at numbering in the 3rd Battalion, The Monmouthshire Regiment, between 1908 and 1914.

The Monmouthshire Regiment was a Territorial Force regiment which was administered by the County Association for Monmouth. As well as administering the three TF infantry battalions, the County Association also administered the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Monmouthshire Batteries of the 4th Welsh Brigade, the 4th Welsh Ammunition Column and the 1st Welsh Field Ambulance.

The Territorial Year Book, published in 1909 notes:

"Officer Commanding: Lt-Col W D Steel VD; Adjutant: Capt R S Gwynn, S Wales Bord; Headquarters: Abergavenny; Strength (Oct [1909]), 17 officers, 657 men. Camp 1908 for 8 days: 247 all ranks; for 15 days 408; former unit: 4th Volunteer Battalion, South Wales Borderers. Uniforms: scarlet, facings green. South Africa 1900-02."

In His Majesty's Territorial Army, published in 1910, Walter Richards notes:

"... it [the 4th Volunteer Battalion] contributed largely - seventy-six in all - to the Service Companies sent out by the Volunteer battalions of the South Wales Borderers, and one of its officers, Captain W J R Marsh, who served in the 1st Battalion Imperial Yeomanry, was mentioned by Lord Roberts in despatches... In the last year of its existence as a Volunteer corps, the strength of the 4th Volunteer Battalion, South Wales Borderers was returned as 956 out of an establishment of 1160. The strength at present is 917 out of 1009. The headquarters of the battalion are at Abergavenny where A Company is stationed; B, C and D Companies are at Ebbw Vale, Cwym and Sirhowy respectively; E and F are at Abertillery; G at Tredegar and H at Blaina."

Surviving records for the 3rd Battalion are not as abundant as those which survive for men in most other infantry regiments. The following snapshot has been compiled from surviving service records in WO 363 and WO 364; both of these now on-line courtesy of Ancestry.co.uk which - for anybody out there who is not yet a subscriber - offers a FREE 14-day trial.

675 joined on 1st October 1908
1043 joined on 7th December 1909
1118 joined on 20th June 1910
1193 joined on 24th March 1911
1264 joined on 6th March 1912
1503 joined on 7th March 1913
1888 joined on 10th August 1914
2476 joined on 2nd October 1914
2881 joined on 21st November 1914
2932 joined on 1st December 1914

When it was re-numbered in early 1917, the number block 290001 to 315000 was allocated to the 3rd Monmouths.

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Royal Irish Fusiliers - 1st & 2nd Battalions

This post will look at regular enlistments into the Royal Irish Fusiliers between 1881 (when the regiment was formed out of the old 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) and 89th (Princess Victoria's)Regiments of Foot) and 1914.

Service records for all of the numbers listed below, survive in a number of military series. The majority (in this small sample) are taken from the WO 363 (Burnt Documents) and WO 364 (Pensions) series at the National Archives in Kew. These can also be viewed on-line via Ancestry.co.uk which is currently offering a FREE 14 day trial. Some records here are also taken from the WO 97 Army Pensions series which is available to search on the Find My Past website. Find My Past also offers a FREE 14 day trial.

In fact, there are over 26,000 Royal Irish Fusiliers service andpension 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.

Use the regimental numbers and dates on which these were issued, below, to determine parameters for when your own Royal Irish Fusiliers ancestor would have joined up. Note though that these numbers are only for regular enlistments. Special Reserve and Extra Reserve battalions operated completely separate regimental number sequences.

68 joined on 30th July 1881
745 joined on 23rd January 1882
1231 joined on 27th January 1883
1544 joined on 22nd February 1884
1740 joined on 9th January 1885
1979 joined on 26th January 1886
2585 joined on 8th January 1887
2879 joined on 5th January 1888
3216 joined on 14th March 1889
3496 joined on 7th January 1890
3900 joined on 1st June 1891
4242 joined on 26th September 1892
4636 joined on 28th September 1893
4839 joined on 13th February 1894
5259 joined on 26th February 1895
5602 joined on 17th March 1896
5900 joined on 19th February 1897
6119 joined on 12th January 1898
6548 joined on 8th March 1899
6792 joined on 11th January 1900
7104 joined on 21st March 1901
7565 joined on 7th July 1902
7959 joined on 13th April 1903
8292 joined on 9th January 1904
8945 joined on 9th August 1905
9154 joined on 14th March 1906
9591 joined on 15th January 1907
10008 joined on 13th August 1908
10312 joined on 16th August 1909
10497 joined on 8th September 1910
10673 joined on 9th May 1911
10947 joined on 23rd February 1912
11235 joined on 6th March 1913
11411 joined on 14th January 1914

When Britain went to war with Germany a few months later, the Royal Irish Fusiliers continued with the same number series when the new service battalions were formed, there then being no distinction in numbering between men who were joining up for war-time service only, and men joining as career soldiers.

I've borrowed the image on this post from Fine Rare Prints and trust that this acknowledgement and the link will be sufficient discharge of obligations.

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

Royal Scots - 3rd (militia) Battalion 1895-1908

My records for the 3rd (militia) Battalion of the Royal Scots Regiment are incomplete but I publish below a sample run between 1895 and 1908.

6194 joined on 21st October 1895
6301 joined on 21st January 1896
6657 joined on 4th January 1897
7062 joined on 4th January 1898
7520 joined on 3rd January 1899
8146 joined on 4th January 1900
8622 joined on 2nd January 1901
9014 joined on 3rd January 1902
9381 joined on 5th January 1903
9706 joined on 12th January 1904
9997 joined on 11th October 1904

A new numbers series commenced when the battalion reached 9999

1 joined on 13th October 1904
94 joined on 4th January 1905
447 joined on 3rd January 1906
827 joined on 23rd January 1907

The militia gave way to the Special Reserve in 1908 and men who had been serving with the militia and who wanted to join the Special Reserve, retained their old militia numbers. Thus, when you look at the numbers of men joining in 1908, there is a real mixture of old militia numbers and new numbers issued for the first time. So for instance, 1193 Alexander Burnett and 120 Samuel Gaw both joined the Special Reserve in 1908. Alexander was a new recruit who joined in January that year, whilst Samuel, who joined eight months later, was a seasoned old hand who was joining up to complete his six years' service which had begun with the 3rd (militia) Battalion in 1905.

As for the number series used by the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion, it was simply a continuation of the same series which had been used by the 3rd (militia) Battalion; a practice which appears to have been widely adopted throughout the British Army.

With the exception of Burnett and Gaw whose records survive in WO 364, all the other records referenced above survive in the WO 96 militia series, which are, since I published this post, now online courtesy of  Find My Past .

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

The Militia Reserve

I've just picked up a copy of Scarlet into Khaki which is really a most excellent book, detailing as it does, the British Army at the turn of the 19th Century. I was particularly interested to read the short paragraph on the Militia Reserve and quote from it below. I had always thought that this body of men was a reserve for the Militia. Not so:

"The militia reserve is not, what it's name seems to imply, a reserve for the militia, but for the regular army. It consists of militia-men, whose number must not exceed a quarter of the establishment of a battalion of infantry, or a third of a battalion of garrison artillery; and who bind themselves, in return for a bounty of £1 a year, to remain with the militia either 6 years or the whole time of their service. In case of war they enter the regular army on the same terms as the army-reserve men and can be employed in every quarter of the world. On entering the militia-reserve the men must be between 29 and 34 years of age, and must have passed through two drill periods of the militia; they are liable to be called out to a yearly practice of 56 days. Service in the militia-reserve cannot be extended beyond the age of 34. If called out to continuous service they are to be regarded as regular soldiers, and are discharged earlier or later on the same terms as the men of the army-reserve. In times of peace the men of the militia reserve stand on the same footing as the other militia men, and join in the yearly practice of their militia district."

All very interesting but it's the italicised sentence (my italics) that I'm particularly interested in. A man recalled from the Army Reserve retained his army number but what about the Militia Reserve man? What number did he use? Did he use his original militia number when fighting with a regular battalion, for argument's sake, of his county regiment?

The Militia Reserve for each regiment appears to have maintained its own separate series of numbers and whilst records for these men can be difficult to find in WO 363 and WO 364, they do exist. Later this year however, Find My Past will be publishing the complete WO 96 series of Militia records on-line; an event which looks certain to keep me pre-occupied for some time.

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

Somerset Light Infantry 1881-1914

Prince Albert’s Light Infantry (Somersetshire Regiment) was formed on 1st July 1881 from the 13th (1st Somersetshire) (Prince Albert’s Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot.

The newly formed regiment was established as the county regiment for Somersetshire and started numbering from 1 in 1881. On the 13th December 1881, Prince Albert’s Light Infantry (Somersetshire Regiment) became Prince Albert’s (Somersetshire Light Infantry). Numbering in the regiment was unaffected.

This post will look at army service numbers issued to men joining the regular battalions of the Somerset Light Infantry between the regiment's formation in 1881 and the outbreak of war in August 1914. As with all my other posts on army service numbers, what follows should be considered a snapshot of numbering in the regiment; a series of break points published here to help researchers determine when their own Somerset Light Infantry relative joined the regiment.

There are over 20,000 Somerset Light Infantry serviceand pension records (for this regiment - and its antecedents) in various War Office series held at the National Archives. Clicking on the link above 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.

I've compiled the list below as a result of looking at service records in the WO 97, WO 363 and WO 364 series (and the majority of these records are in WO 364). These are held at the National Archives in their original state (WO 97) and on microfilm, although the WO 363 and WO 364 records are now available via both the Ancestry website and Findmypast. Findmypast has indexed far more of these records than you'll find on Ancestry so their version of these crucial records is well worth checking out. Ancestry is also currently offering a FREE 14 day trial. The WO 97 Chelsea Pensioner records (and many other smaller series) are accessible through Find My Past.  

19 joined on 13th September 1881
238 joined on 21st December 1882
501 joined on 11th October 1883
846 joined on 5th December 1884
1059 joined on 22nd January 1885
1377 joined on 8th January 1886
1841 joined on 1st January 1887
2229 joined on 16th February 1888
2449 joined on 14th January 1889
2744 joined on 6th February 1890
3163 joined on 30th May 1891
3486 joined on 14th January 1892
3960 joined on 13th March 1893
4047 joined on 22nd January 1894
4359 joined on 18th March 1895
4665 joined on 9th June 1896
4823 joined on 22nd April 1897
5101 joined on 15th April 1898
5388 joined on 15th February 1899
5891 joined on 15th February 1900

During the South African War, the Somerset Light Infantry raised one volunteer service company and allocated numbers within the range 6781 to 6915 to the men who joined it. The 1st VSC started numbering in January 1900 and was complete by February.

6049 joined on 18th June 1901
6398 joined on 9th April 1902
6753 joined on 19th February 1903
7262 joined on 7th March 1904
7628 joined on 25th January 1905
7880 joined on 22nd January 1906
8097 joined on 9th January 1907
8583 joined on 20th January 1908
8881 joined on 3rd December 1909
8936 joined on 14th February 1910
9182 joined on 25th April 1911
9347 joined on 21st February 1912

In 1912 the regiment became Prince Albert’s (Somerset Light Infantry). Numbering was again unaffected.

9546 joined on 3rd February 1913
9748 joined on 9th June 1914

The First World War

When Britain went to war in August 1914, men joining the new service battalions were issued with numbers from the same series in use by the two regular battalions.

Recruitment Rates 1881-1911

Between 1st July 1881 and 30th May 1891, The Somerset Light Infantry recruited 3,163 men, an average of 319 men each year. Of the sixty-nine infantry regiments recruiting at this time, the Somerset Light Infantry was the fifty-first most effective recruiter of infantry.

Recruitment dropped away further over the next decade and up until the 18th June 1901, the regiment added just under 2,900 men to its books, an average of 286 new recruits a year.

Recruiting in the regiment picked up in the 1900s however, and by 25th April 1911 the regiment was issuing number 9182 to its latest recruit. For the decade, the regiment recruited at an average rate of 319 men per annum, and for the years since July 1881 it had averaged 308 new soldiers each year.

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

Further Reading

The following titles have been re-printed by The Naval & Military Press.

History of the Somerset Light Infantry 1685-1914

History of the Somerset Light Infantry 1914-1919

The History and the Book of Remembrance of the 1/5th Battalion (Prince Albert's) Somerset Light Infantry
In actual fact this history covers the 1/5th and 2/5th Battalions and includes a roll of honour for each.

Northamptonshire Regiment - 4th Battalion

This post will look at numbering in the 4th (Territorial Force) Battalion of The Northamptonshire Regiment between 1908 and 1916. It is respectfully dedicated to the two officers and 88 other ranks who died as a result of operations on Gallipoli.

The 4th Northants Regiment was formed on the 1st April 1908, its initial composition largely drawn from men who had previously served with the 1st Volunteer Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment. There seems to have been an enthusiastic take-up in Northamptonshire with close to a thousand men joining the battalion by the end of that year. Numbering began at 1 in 1908.

73 joined on 8th April 1908
1045 joined on 17th February 1909
1339 joined on 16th February 1910
1478 joined on 24th January 1911
1670 joined on 31st January 1912
1889 joined on 21st January 1913
2276 joined on 5th August 1914
2407 joined on 10th September 1914
2618 joined on 1st October 1914
3215 joined on 10th November 1914

A reserve battalion was formed at Northampton on the 27th November and this became the 2/4th Battalion whilst the original 4th Battalion now became the 1/4th.

3684 joined on 14th December 1914

As well as recruits into the 2/4th Battalion, I have men in my Northants database who were also signing up for service with supernumerary companies. These men were also numbered in the same number series as the regular TF recruits, albeit their four digit numbers were converted to five digit numbers in 1915 by prefixing their original numbers with a 2. So for instance, 3893 George Gossage who joined on the 2nd March 1915, was later re-numbered 23893.

3761 joined on 5th January 1915
3851 joined on 8th February 1915

A second reserve battalion - designated the 3/4th Battalion - was formed at Northampton on the 12th February 1915.

3908 joined on 15th March 1915
4005 joined on 16th April 1915
4135 joined on 3rd May 1915
4369 joined on 7th June 1915
4475 joined on 2th July 1915
4531 joined on 7th August 1915
4712 joined on 10th September 1915
4762 joined on 8th October 1915
4917 joined on 8th November 1915
5059 joined on 2nd December 1915
5275 joined on 28th January 1916
5341 joined on 8th February 1916
5463 joined on 3rd March 1916
5473 joined on 4th April 1916
6210 joined on 24th June 1916
6549 joined on 3rd July 1916
6994 joined on 29th September 1916
7319 joined on 14th November 1916

A word of warning. Whilst the numbers presented here run in a sequential order, there are gaps and it is quite possible that blocks of numbers within this sequence of 7000 numbers were taken out of sequence and issued overseas to men transferring in from other regiments.

All of the number / enlistment date information above has come about as a result of trawling through service records, pension records and medal index cards. These can be viewed at the National Archives or accessed on line via Ancestry.co.uk. Other acknowledgements due on this post are to The Long, Long Trail website for information regarding the formation of the second and third line battalions, and to Martin Kender whose correspondence suggested this post.

The photo of the young second lieutenant on this post comes courtesy of Martin Kender and shows Alban Goderick Arthur Hodges photographed in 1915 shortly before his departure for Gallipoli. He was born in 1893 and happily survived the war and a good many years after that. His medal index card notes that he arrived overseas as a lieutenant with the Northants Regiment in August 1915 and later transferred to the RAF. He received the 1914-15 Star, British War and Victory Medals and silver war badge. The latter was sent to him at 10 St Barnabas Street, London SW1.

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