Hampshire Regiment - PoWs 1914

The following list of Hampshire Regiment prisoners of war has been transcribed from the Imperial War Museum's collection, specifically the following items: 

• B.O.2 1/145 is a 4-page typed and undated list, of which the 4th page refers to Hampshire Regt PoWs.
• B.O.2 1/149 is a 2-page typed list sent to Sir Ernest Goodhart by Hampshire Regt Prisoners of War Help Fund, dated 20th January 1919
• B.O.2 1/150 is a 7-page typed list sent to The Director of Supplies & Transport, War Office, Whitehall, dated 17th January 1919.  The penultimate page, containing three names, is illegible
• B.O.2 1/151 is a 3-page hand-written list, undated and no addressee.

Uncommonly, this list of Hampshire Regiment men who had become prisoners of war on or before 25th December 1914, includes officers as well as men. Colonel Jackson is the highest ranking PoW on this roll call of 191 men. A number of the men listed here have two or more entries and entries commonly include some or all of the following information: home address, next of kin address (where a man has since died), other information, transcriber's notes.

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

7171 Private Edwin Alderman, 8364 Private John T Amy, 6913 Private Alfred J Andrews, 9462 Private John Arnold, 7539 Private C Ashford, 6582 Private Charles Austin

4887 Sergeant J Baker, 7356 Private A Baldock, 7000 Private Albert Ball, 8310 Private Ernest F Ballard, Major N W Barlow, 8963 Private F Barrow, 9305 Private F Bartlett, 6643 Lance-Corporal A Bastiani, 6457 Private George T Baulf, Captain N E Baxter, 9273 Private James Beale, 8398 Private P Bedwell, 7466 Private Bennan, 7297 Private Arthur George Bishop, 6540 Private George Blackmore, 7213 Sergeant E Booth, 4936 Sgt-Drummer George F Bowman, 7139 Private Charles H G Boxall, 8996 Private Nicolas J Bray, 7813 Private A Bullock, 5465 Private Albert E Burgess

9524 Private Arthur E Chaffe, 7358 Bandsman Jesse Chalwin, 8574 Private Reginald R Chalwin, 7005 Corporal Edward Charter, 5101 Private Alfred J Chase, 7134 Bandsman Thomas Clarke, 9359 Private George Cleal, 7314 Private William Climo, 7025 Corporal George Edward Colston, 9288 Private John Cook, 9266 Private Edwin H Cox, 3/2894 Private Albert E Croucher

9010 Private F Dann, 7938 Private Frank R Day, 6758 Private William Day, 9368 Private Thomas Digby, 7128 Private Frank Dowden, 7232 Private Alfred T J Dyer

6887 Sergeant Frederick Eldridge, 7341 Private Samuel F Empringham, 9289 Private George Etheridge

9395 Private Frederick Farmer, 6557 Private F G Fisher, 9165 Private Frederick Fisher

6425 Private A Fitzgerald, 9228 Private Charles Ford, 6710 Private Edward A Fox, 6678 Corporal Thomas A Freeman, 8767 Private A Fuller

5776 Private A Gale, 6824 Private Alfred Gilliam, 9051 Private John E Grant, 4890 Private Arthur H Greenman, 6571 Private A Grimshaw

8274 Private William H Hall, Captain S V Halls, 9066 Private George H Harfield, 7519 Private C Harmsworth, 7519 Private Charles Harmsworth, 8741 Private William G Harper, 8233 Sergeant H Harrington, 7846 Private Charles E Harris, 7266 Private F Harris

7991 Corporal Robert Harris, 9039 William H Harris, 9090 Corporal Francis S Harrison, 9201 Henry H Harvey, 7833 Private Frederick Hatcher, 7828 Private F Hawkins,

8508 Cyril James Head, 8233 Lance-Sergeant H Herrington, 6827 Louis W J Hilker, 14673 J Hillier, 8714 Denis Hinchey, 6803 Alfred V Hoare, 7001 Alfred Holder, 7875 George Holman, 6023 William Hoskins, 7275 Ernest Howe

Colonel S F Jackson, 8709 Walter Jacobs, 9302 Walter James, 7504 Harvey James Jeffery, 7270 William S Jenkins, 8031 Hubert B Jerome, 9232 Walter W J Joiner, 7546 William H Jones, 7853 Henry Kelleway,7176 William Kidd, 8831 Jesse Kimber, 9127 Private J Knapman

6917 Lance-Corporal William A Lance, 6817 Harry Langford, Captain J Le Hunts, 7576 A Leach, 7339 Frank Linzey, 8182 W Lock, 9198 Lance-Sergeant F Lockhart, 7357 William Lucock

8886 E Marsden, 7800 Stanley Martin, 7824 Harry C May, 9162 William J Maynard, 3/4448 Lance-Corporal Edward J McGrath, 6636 Lance-Corporal T A Meacher, 8763 Private William Misselbrook, 6648 Private W G Morris, 6990 Private Thomas R Mustion

7087 Private William Nicklen, 9205 Private James North

6810 Private E Payne, 5816 Private G Payne, 7537 Private T Pearson, 7506 Lance-Corporal Arthur W Phillimore, 9037 Private E Phillimore, 8151 Private E Porter, 7225 Private E Powell, 7508 Private Frank Powell (below), 9268 James Christopher Poyle, 9382 Private H Prior, 8408 Bandsman H Prosser

6743 Private William Ralph, 7254 Lance-Corporal A Randall, 7816 Corporal C Randall, 7825 Private G Read, 7287 Private G Reeves, 9129 Private Percy W Reeves, 7194 Private Arthur Ribbick, 8071 Private Sidney C Richards, 5968 Private Percy Robinson, 8674 Private A Rogers, 9387 Lance-Corporal L Rogers, 7688 Bandsman Frederick Rose, Lieutenant G T Rose, 9470 Private Cornelius Ryan

6732 Private Walter G Sansome, 5642 Private Sarkins, 9407 Private Morris Saunders, 7238 Private A C Scivier, 7330 Sergeant W Shephard, 7497 Bandsman J Sillence, 8407 Lance-Corporal Denis Smallwood, 8279 Private Harry Smith, 8887 Sergeant Sidney G Smith, 8144 Private F Souch, 7451 Lance-Corporal C Spanholtz, 7516 Private Frank Spencer, 7295 Private Jesse Sque, 9339 Private Clement Stay, 8800 Corporal Alfred Stead, 9306 Private W Steele, 9219 Private A Stevens, 5680 Sergeant Patrick Sullivan, 7081 Private G Summers, 7507 Corporal H Sumner, 8221 Corporal F Sykes

6567 Private Henry S Thomas, 6828 Private Thomas C Thomson, 9326 Private W Thurgood, 7291 Corporal Tom R Tobin, 7676 Corporal James Trigger

6852 Corporal Stephen Urry

6815 Corporal H Vaughan, 7779 Private D Venables

4524 Private E Walder, 9108 Lance-Corporal J Waterman, 6554 Private W Watts, 9163 Private Walter Wheeler, 8765 Private A J Whipp, 6768 Private Harry S Whitehead, 7837 Private Thomas John Whiting, 5764 Private Francis W Wilkins, Captain A S Williams, 7563 Private W Williams, 7184 Corporal William T Willis, 7268 Private Albert N Winter, 8016 Private Basil Withers, 7691 Corporal Albert Witt, 7180 Lance-Corporal G H Witt

Need help with your own British Army research? Read the RESEARCH page and then drop me line.

2nd Dragoons - PoW Other Ranks 1914

The following 30 men were all serving with the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) when they were captured in 1914. Read more about this data source on my 1914 PoWs page. This data has been transcribed from the Imperial War Museum's collection, specifically item B.O.2 1/43,  B.O.2 1/54 and B.O.2 1/59. My full transcription of these men (not reproduced here) also contains the following information against some or all of the names:


Date of capture
Home address
Next of kin
Next of kin's address
Notes

The full transcription is available for sale as part of a Dragoons and Dragoon Guards PoW roll - download or CD - for £20. Contact me if you would like to purchase a copy.


3194 Private A G Anderson
2799 Private J Armour
5569 Shoeing Smith C E Bennett
2180 Lance-Corporal G H Bishop
5744 W Boothroyd
1582 Private J Boyd
5668 Private R Boyd
8627 Private G Brown
7998 Private W G Clark
4639 Private D Coll
6449 Private J Davidson
4812 Private J Douglas
6019 Corporal A H Dunlop
6875 Private W J French
3263 Private J Garner
4652 Acting Sergeant Shoeing-Smith R Gilling
5683 Lance-Corporal G M Lamb
3046 Private D Legg
4067 Staff Sergeant D McBrayne
4145 Private J McDonald
5032 Sergeant A S McTaggart
1330 Private D Murray
6342 Private D P Oliver
5705 Private James Pearson
6284 Trooper P Smart
8179 Private E Swinson
6302 Sergeant H Watts
7314 Private H Wilson
6122 Cpl James Wilson
2885 Saddler J Young


Need help with your own British Army research? Read the RESEARCH page and then drop me line.

DVD-ROM bargains - Quick sharp now!

Naval and Military Press has these current DVD-ROM bargains. I have a number of these myself - and rather wish I'd invested in the Military Operations, France & Belgium instead of filling up my bookshelves with red-spined volumes. You can buy the DVD of these volumes for £180. I think I was paying around £30 a time when I was buying these Battery Press / IWM imprints in the eighties and nineties. My incomplete set goes up to the end of 1917 and takes up eighteen inches of bookshelf. What's more, I need to refer to indexes to find what I need. Here on a single DVD-ROM, you have everything at your fingertips - and it's fully searchable. After 25th January, this will cost £45 more, so make the most of it now.

The other stand-out publication here is the War Diaries' DVD-ROM: 4,500 separate war diaries of battalions which fought on the Western Front, comprising 1.52m pages in full colour - £360 now or £450 after 25th January. I was looking at my copy this afternoon - so much easier to search than on Ancestry. Remember too, that Naval & Military Press offers an interest-free easy-payment scheme where you can spread payments across four or ten months. Well, why wouldn't you?

All of these DVD-ROM and CD-ROMs  - not to mention the books from Naval & Military Press's extensive back-catalogue are offered with a 20% discount until 25th January 2016 - so you'll need to be quick to catch these deals.

Here's a list of the titles with links to each of them.

Airmen Died in the Great War 1914-1918

British & Empire prisoners of war 1939-1945

British trench map atlas - Western Front

First World War campaign medal rolls

Official Boer War casualty rolls of the British and Empire Army 1899-1902

Sailors Died in The Great War

Silver War Badge roll

Soldiers Died in the Great War

War Diaries of the Battalions who fought the Great War on The Western Front

Military Operations, other theatres

Need help with your own British Army research? Read the RESEARCH page and then drop me line.



6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons - Boer War transfers

Here's an interesting little diversion. When the Army Reserve was called out in 1899 in response to the crisis in South Africa, the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons were under strength. Other Corps of Dragoons regiments however, appear to have had men to spare. The result? Some men recalled from the 1st (Royal) Dragoons, 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) and 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards, were transferred into the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons upon their recall. Furthermore, there was nothing ad hoc about it. An examination of the regimental numbers shows that this was a well-planned out exercise.

6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons men with numbers in the range 5001 to 5178 are almost all recalled reservists. I say "almost all" because, just to make things awkward, 5004 certainly enlisted in April 1903. However, for the most part, all of these men were specially numbered out of sequence in late 1899 and early 1900. Their entries on the QSA and KSA medal rolls stand out like sore thumbs, and furthermore, there is a pre-planned and logical method in this re-numbering. There are some anomalies, to be sure - note, for instance that Karl and Roughan are oddities in the first, and otherwise alphabetical listing, below. Such is the British Army: exceptions to most rules.

The list which follows is taken from the QSA roll to the 6th Dragoons. Those men with annotated comments after their names have surviving papers in WO 97.

Numbers 5001 to 5052 were issued to men who had formerly served with the 1st Dragoons:

5001 Private Walter James Agland. Formerly 3130 1st Dns
5002 Private Harry Leonard Ashton. Formerly 3213 1st Dns
5003 Private W Baldwin
5005 Private W Cheeseman
5006 Corporal H Karl. QSA roll notes "deceased"
5006 Private T Creswell
5007 Private Harry Christensen. Formerly 3079 1st Dns
5008 Private J Campbell
5009 Private W Clarke
5010 Private J Capel
5011 Private Oswald Stephen Roughan. Also 10057 Royal Artillery
5012 Private C Dundrow
5013 Private P Devine
5015 Private T Dixon
5017 Private W Edmunds
5018 Private George William Evans. Formerly 3328 1st Dns (formerly 3371 3rd DG)
5019 Private W Edwards
5020 Private Charles Henry Edsall. Formerly 3040 1st Dns
5021 Private C E Evans
5023 Private George Freebury. Formerly 3142 1st Dns
5024 Private G Fenton
5025 Private R Fenwick
5026 Private Frederick Garrard. Formerly 3298 1st Dns
5027 Corporal G Groombridge
5028 Private G Gorett
5029 Private James Grattage. Formerly 3155 1st Dns
5030 Corporal Charles Grattage
5031 Private A Geal
5032 Private Luke Graham. Formerly 3121 1st Dns
5033 Private J Garlick
5034 Private P Glen
5035 Private Albert Edward Horne. Formerly 3300 1st Dns
5036 Sergeant D Hartland
5037 Corporal W Smith
5038 Private T H Smith
5039 Private William Alfred Stacey. Formerly 3135 1st Dns
5040 Private James Sweeney. Formerly 3137 1st Dns
5041 Private A Spratley
5042 Private A Shead
5043 Private T Williams
5044 Private Samuel Wagland. Formerly 3139 1st Dns
5045 Sergeant Charles Robert Sidney Milnes. Formerly 3222 1st Dns
5046 Private J Mustart
5047 Corporal Shoeing Smith Henry Taylor Parmenter. Formerly 3233 1st Dns
5048 Private Ernest Henry Herbert Jackson. Formerly 3234 1st Dns
5049 Private J Lawrence
5050 Private James King. Formerly 3138 1st Dns
5051 Private W Leedham
5052 Private Henry King. Formerly 3033 1st Dns

Numbers 5053 to 5063 were issued to former 2nd Dragoons men:

5053 Private Arthur Johnson. Formerly 3090 2nd Dns
5054 Corporal Albert Jenner. Formerly 3161 2nd Dns
5055 Private J Mathews
5057 Private J Kaberry
5058 Private C Brown
5059 Private Peter Dick. Formerly 3048 2nd Dns
5060 Private J Dalziel
5061 Private J Chapman
5062 Private George Louis Holder. Formerly 3135 2nd Dns
5063 Corporal Robert Raphael Birnie. Formerly 3031 2nd Dns

Numbers 5064 to at least 5156 were issued to former 4th Dragoon Guards men:

5064 Private Alfred Andrew. Formerly 3891 4th DG
5065 Sergeant Abberthue George Alliston. Formerly 3801 4th DG
5066 Private M Butler
5067 Private Albert Edward Broughton. Formerly 3823 4th DG
5068 Private William Bogle. Formerly 3785 4th DG
5069 Private H Beardswood
5070 Private J Manning
5070 Private W Jeffries QSA roll notes "deceased"
5071 Private Charles Curry. Formerly 3979 4th DG
5072 Private W W Felstead
5073 Lance-Corporal William Coleman. Formerly 3884 4th DG
5074 Private Thomas Crouch. Formerly 3848 4th DG
5075 Private Harry Clarke. Formerly 3849 4th DG
5076 Corporal George Cheek. Formerly 3852 4th DG
5077 Private William Alexander Carson. Formerly 3864 4th DG
5078 Corporal William Needs. Formerly 3832 4th DG
5079 Private J Carmichael
5081 Private C Day
5082 Private R W Epps
5083 Corporal E Ellison
5084 Private A Eager
5085 Private C Foster
5086 Corporal Fred Flowers. Formerly 3887 4th DG
5086 Private John Fortune. Formerly 3813 4th DG
5087 Private E H Osborne
5089 Private Albert Gunn. Formerly 3781 4th DG
5090 Private P Gardener
5091 Corporal C Hawkesworth
5092 Private J Hanvil
5093 Private A Hamill
5094 Private F O Jefferies. Formerly 3877 4th DG
5095 Private E Jeater
5096 Private William Lyons. Formerly 3899 4th DG
5097 Private H Love
5098 Private E Murphy
5099 Lance-Corporal J McClintock
5100 Private J Reilly
5101 Private Charles Stanley George Ralph. Formerly 3857 4th DG
5102 Sgt Farrier T Starsmeare
5103 Private C Mitchell
5104 Private Edward Lawlor. Formerly 3866 4th DG
5105 Corporal E Perrin
5105 Private J Mitchell
5106 Private Arthur McCartney
5107 Private James Thomas O'Hare. Formerly 3755 4th DG
5108 Private T Byrne
5109 Private J Smith
5110 Private A Page
5111 Corporal T Smith
5112 Private F H Smith
5113 Private M Tustin
5114 Private Justin Lawrence William White. Formerly 3812 4th DG
5115 Shoeing-Smith George Edwin Peacock. Formerly 3587 4th DG
5116 Private J Polden
5117 Corporal E J Russell
5117 Private S Padgham
5118 Private C W Robinson
5119 Private Frederick Smith. Formerly 3476 4th DG
5120 Private S Spong
5121 Private E Tatam
5122 Private W Watkins
5123 Private C E Perry
5124 Private S Stott
5125 Corporal George James Spanswick. Formerly 3565 4th DG
5126 Private W E Wedlock
5126 Private John Shevlin Formerly. 3635 4th DG
5126 Private John Thompson. Formerly 3998 4th DG
5129 Private T Quinlan
5130 Private Charles Osborn. Formerly 3689 4th DG
5131 Private Thomas Paisley. Formerly 3634 4th DG
5132 Private John Quinn. Formerly 3771 4th DG
5133 Private E Reed
5134 Private W J Shaw
5135 Private W Slavin
5136 Private H Smith. (3696 Herbert Smith, formerly 4th DG is either 5136 or 5137)
5137 Private H Smith
5138 Private J Stevens
5139 Private F G Stinchcombe
5139 Lance-Sergeant Andrew Quinn. Formerly 3369 4th DG
5140 Private Ernest Taylor. Formerly 3350 4th DG
5141 Private Albert Turner. Formerly 3541 4th DG
5142 Private Harry Unsworth. Formerly 3185 4th DG
5143 Corporal William Horace Ward. Formerly 3504 4th DG
5144 Private J Wickins
5145 Private Harry Windebank. Formerly 3558 4th DG
5146 Private M Whittle
5147 Private M Saunders
5148 Private Thomas Ward. Formerly 3532 4th DG
5149 Private John Williams. Formerly 3503 4th DG
5151 Private Herbert Charles Turley. Formerly 3816 4th DG
5152 Private Malcolm Rainey. Formerly 3669 4th DG
5153 Private Henry Smith. Formerly 3787 4th DG
5154 Private Frank Price. Formerly 3472 4th DG
5156 Lance-Corporal Alfred Edward Trinder. Formerly 3902 4th DG

Numbers 5157 (possibly) to 5178 were issued to former 4th Dragoon Guards men who had completed their time on Section B Army Reserve and had re-enlisted for Section D Army Reserve. This is entirely right and proper as the regulations stated that Section D men were to be recalled after Section B men.

5157 Private A Thompson
5160 Private J Willoughby
5161 Private C C Smith
5162 Private J Clemo
5163 Private Patrick Doyle. Formerly 3185 4th DG, Section D Reservist
5164 Lance-Corporal Robert Ives. Formerly 3270 4th DG, Section D Reservist
5165 Private Henry Rose. Formerly 3313 4th DG, Section D Reservist
5166 Private W Ritchie
5167 Private T Buckley
5170 Private Harry Haimer. Formerly 3169 4th DG, Section D Reservist
5178 Private T Wilson

Another interesting to point to note is that on none of the surviving papers that I came across are the men's new 6th Dragoons numbers written. It is clearly stated that they were recalled from the Army Reserve, but the new regimental number has not over-written their former regimental number.

Need help with your own British Army research? Read the RESEARCH page and then drop me line.

1st Highland Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, TF

This is something of a work in progress and I only stumbled upon these number series when I was doing some research on a DCM winner for a friend.


The 1st Highland Brigade comprised the 1st, 2nd and 3rd City of Aberdeen Batteries and the 1st Highland Ammunition Column. Here's the important point. Despite all being administered by the same County Territorial Force Association, the City of Aberdeen, each of the batteries and the ammunition column operated their own regimental number series. I have not researched this unit much beyond November 1915 but here's what I have found out so far.


1st City of Aberdeen Battery
Started numbering from 1 in April 1908 from a number series extending to 999. When the TF was re-numbered in 1917, the battery issued numbers between 630001 to 630300.


2nd City of Aberdeen Battery
Started numbering from 1000 in April 1908 from a number series extending to 3000. When the TF was re-numbered in 1917, the battery issued numbers between 630301 to around 630574.


3rd City of Aberdeen Battery
Started numbering from around 3001 in around 1911 (I am unclear when this battery was formed)from a number series extending to 4000. When the TF was re-numbered in 1917, the battery issued numbers from around 630575.


1st Highland Ammunition Column
Started numbering from the high 3000s in April 1908. The lowest number on my database is 4005 issued in 1911.  When the TF was re-numbered in 1917, the battery issued numbers from around 630840.


The significance of understanding this, particularly if your RFA ancestor was serving in the 1st Highland Brigade before late November 1915 is that if you know his regimental number, you'll also be able to identify which battery he served with, or whether in fact he served with the ammunition column.


For instance the men with the regimental numbers 289 (1st City of Aberdeen Battery), 1276 (2nd City of Aberdeen Battery), 3340 (3rd City of Aberdeen Battery) and 4128 (1st Highland Ammunition Column) - all of these units forming the 1st Highland Brigade RFA - enlisted in 1911.


Treat the number ranges above with a little caution. This is not an exact science, but I have enough data to be able to see significant patterns emerging for this Territorial Force artillery brigade in Aberdeen.

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

4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards - PoW Other Ranks 1914

The 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards holds the distinction of being the first British Regiment to fire a shot during the First World War and Corporal Edward Thomas, pictured above, was the man credited with firing that shot.

The following men were all serving with the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards when they became prisoners of war of the Germans on or before Christmas Day 1914. There are 78 names in this list. Read more about this Prisoner of War data source on my 1914 PoWs page.

This data has been transcribed from three separate lists (B.O.2 1/47 to B.O.2 1/49 inclusive)which are now housed at the Imperial War Museum.

This is an edited list, giving number, rank and name only. The full transcription also includes date of capture and home address or next of kin address for most men. Supplementary information is also included for a number of the men listed here. If you would like a copy of the full, un-edited list for £20, please contact me via the RESEARCH tab on this blog.

4781 Private J W Agar
1003 Private W Arthur
5234 Private E A Badcock
6140 Private A E Bailey
3526 Private A Benton
4716 Private L H Bittleston
3102 Private A Blades
7940 Lance-Corporal R Bruce
4603 Lance-Corporal E W Buckland
3017 Private H Burgess
2662 Corporal C Burr
8039 Private R Cade
3933 Private J J Cheeseman
2951 Shoeing Smith A T Cook
4866 Lance-Corporal R N Cornall
2661 Trumpeter / Pte E G Coventry
7931 Private T R Cumber
4865 Private F B De Vriese
4002 Private J B Dinsmore
5088 Private G Evans
5067 Private R French
5121 Sergeant W Gardner
1025 Private H Gray
6106 Private J Grimes
5422 Private P Halford
7755 Private J Hanley
5113 Private A R Hardy
4521 SQMS W Harnett
4985 Lance-Corporal J Harrison
2786 Private E W Harvey
5149 Private H W C Hedges
1067 Private A Hewett
1055 Corporal H Hope
8138 Private J J Hopkins
2170 Private J W Hornsey
1078 Lance-Corporal G Knight
6196 Private T C Laidlaw
8300 Private C F Lee
6474 Private F F MacDonald
6960 Private T Marygold
3930 Private W Merryweather
2963 Private F J Milborrow
5139 Private G Morton
8648 Private F Mott
4940 Lance-Corporal J Murphy
3101 Private A S Nicholls
5806 Private A H Osborne
5191 Private G W Palmer
2361 Trumpeter J Patterson
5485 Private E Penfold
5373 Private W Pennington
2928 Private F A Piercey
5169 Private J Priddey
7742 Private C M Raymond
4732 Private E Robb
7463 Private R Robinson
6656 Private A Scriven
1079 Private F W Seago
4803 Private H J Searle
5306 Private E St Ledger
6109 Private J Starr
6832 Private H Stretton
3918 Private W H Sullivan
5404 Private G H Tanner
7923 Private A V Taylor
4911 Private E J O Thunder
5915 Lance-Corporal J A Turner
5214 Lance-Corporal W F Upton
4410 Corporal J Varley
3466 Lance-Sergeant T J Vaughan
3845 Private J Veasey
6042 Private J W Vincent
6096 Private W J E Vincent
6001 Private R Wallington
6001 Private R Wallington
2855 Private R H Webb
7010 Private J E Wright
5377 Private J Wyeth

The photograph of Corporal Thomas published on this post was first published in the magazine series, The Great War, I Was There.

The importance of regimental numbers in military research

This is a well-worn topic on this blog but it doesn't harm to go over the basics again once in a while. And before I forget, the image above is borrowed from the Postcards of Cornwall website and shows men from Section 4, A Company, 10th DCLI photographed in 1915.


The reason I began my study of regimental numbers in the first place was that for many of the men I was researching at the time, a regimental number on a medal card / medal roll was all I had. Knowing how particular the army was I felt sure that there must have been a system in place when it came to issuing regimental numbers and that if I could crack the code, a man's regimental number could tell me quite a bit.


Over the years I  have built a database of men with known enlistment and/or transfer dates and the regimental numbers they were issued with. I did this for the majority of all infantry of the line battalions and for all other corps except the Army service Corps and Labour Corps. My study embraced all branches of the army: regular, militia, special reserve, extra reserve, Volunteer Force (partial), Territorial Force, Yeomanry and New Army (from 1914). I have published a fraction of this research on this blog.

So here's an example of what I mean. The eight names listed above are the first eight results you get if you run a blank search of "Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry" on Ancestry's medal index card collection. The DCLI appears to be one of the worst affected regiments when it comes to surviving documents from 1914-1918 and so understanding when numbers were issued for this regiment becomes particularly important. Here's what I make of the numbers:


36689 Percival H Abbiss
Some papers survive in WO 363 but documents dealing with his transfer to DCLI do not survive. From my database, 36689 dates to October 1917


38115 Albert E Abbott
No service record survives. The number dates to late November 1917.


5288/201891 Albert S Abbott
No service record survives. The six-digit number marks this man as a member of the 4th (Territorial Force) Battalion. Papers survive in WO 364 and show that this man enlisted in April 1916, although he had attested earlier, in December 1915, under the Derby Scheme. My army service numbers database also identifies patterns of Derby Scheme enlistments.


6326 Alfred Abbott
Some papers survive in WO 364 which show that this man was discharged from The Norfolk Regiment in June 1917. The papers show that this man enlisted in 1891 and again in October 1914. The 1891 enlistment cannot have been when he was issued with the number 6326 and therefore this number must have been issued in October 1914. The only battalion that this can have been was the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion.


676/240010 Arthur W Abbott
No service record survives. The six-digit number marks this man as a member of the 5th (TF) Battalion and an enlistment date of June 1908. This man was probably an original member of the 2nd Volunteer Battalion which pre-dated the 5th (TF) Battalion. By the time he was issued with his new six-digit number in 1917, he was the 10th longest serving man in the battalion.


28818 Fred Abbott
No service record survives. The number dates to September 1916.


23049 George Abbott
No service record survives. The number dates to August 1915.


27960 George Abbott
No service record survives. The number dates to May 1916.


So there you have it in a simple blog post: eight good reasons why regimental numbers are important.


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

Lancashire Fusiliers - PoW Other Ranks 1914

The following men were all serving with the 2nd Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers when they became prisoners of war of the Germans on or before Christmas Day 1914. There are 162 names in this list.  Read more about this Prisoner of War data source on my 1914 PoWs page.

This data has been transcribed from the following sources which are now housed at the Imperial War Museum:

1. B.O.2 1/248 is a six-page typed document from The Lancashire Fusiliers Prisoners of war Regimental Care Committee. Dated 4th January 1919.
2. B.O.2 1/251 is a three-page typed document from officer i/c No 1. Infantry Records, No 3 District. Dated 2nd March 1919.

Some men appear on both lists, Typically one list will give the man's home address whilst the other will record next of kin and next of kin address.

Note the variation in regimental numbers in the list which follows. The Lancashire Fusiliers reached 9999 in November 1903 and immediately commenced a new series beginning from 1. By August 1914, numbering in the two regular battalions had reached around 2900.  Knowing this information we can guess that most, if not all, of the men in the list below with numbers between 1 and 2900 enlisted between November 1903 and August 1914 whilst most of, if not all of, the men with numbers between 2900 and 9999 are pre-November 1903 enlistments and would, for the most part be men who had either re-engaged to complete 21 years with the colours or who had joined Section D of the Army Reserve at the end of their 12-year colour/reserve service.

The two Company Sergeant Majors on this list who have the numbers 5290 and 5358 both joined the regiment in 1895 and would have been well on the way to receiving their LSGC medals at the time of capture. Colour Sergeant Frederick Byford, on the other hand, had joined the regiment in June 1889 as a 14-year-old and was already in possession of medals for the Sudan and the Boer War as well as the LSGC. He would be repatriated in 1917 and would finally be discharged from the army in 1920 after over 30 years' service.

I say "most, if not all of, the men..." Bear in mind that some of the men in the list below could have been original members of the 3rd (Special Reserve) or 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalions and may have been posted as part of a draft to the 2nd Battalion. These two battalions, when formed in 1908, had picked up the numbering sequences of their militia predecessors and new recruits who joined between 1908 and 1914 would have been given numbers in the 3000/4000 range.


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

2642 Private T Ainscough, 9944 Private T Ainsworth, 690 Private J Anscombe, 9189 Private W Ashton, 6746 Private F Ashworth

6924 Private Henry Ballard, 9587 Private J Banks, 2359 Private W C Barr, 9435 Pte Stephen Barrett, 2636 Private A E Batchelor, 991 Private G W Bilton, 9720 Private A Blake, 2530 Private A Blue, 1706 Sergeant Arthur H Bond, 155 Private J Bramble, 301 Private N Briggs, 2721 Private R Briggs, 1456 Private R Bunting, 614 Private H Burgess, 9096 Private J Burke, 9017 Private W Butcher, 3019 Colour-Sergeant Frederick Byford, 395 Private J Byrne

1612 Private J Callaghan,9921 Private Hugh Campbell, 1158 Corporal George Cannon, 1402 Sergeant A Carrington, 730 Private S Chance, 9630 Private J Clough, 9555 Corporal John F Clowes, 706 Private J Collins, 191 Private Joseph Collins, 2855 Private P Collins, 9806 Private John Connell, 141 Private G Cooke, 40 Pte Ernest Corbett, 2730 Private J Cox, 9183 Corporal W Crossley

57 Private E Daley, 9287 Pte Edward Daly, 9924 Private A J De Massey, 749 Private James Dennehy, 9998 Private F J Dowding, 318 Lance-Corporal J Doyle

9126 Private C Eachus, 2808 Private J Eckersley, 171 Private R Edmondson 

2573 Private W E Fawley, 2522 Corporal R Fellows, 196 Private J Fenny, 2796 Private C Fenton, 2107 Private E Firth, 9709 Pte William Fitton, 9200 Private J G Fleming, 9771 Private Harry D Funnell

850 Private F Gannon, 519 Private J Gethings, 9041 Private J W Gill, 626 Private J Gorman, 250 Private A Green, 9892 Private T Grundy

68 Private F Hall, 439 Private H Hall, 2437 Private H R Hall, 2413 Private T Hall, 9667 Private D Hallam, 9253 Private B Hamer, 6840 Private J Hanlon, 618 Private E Hanson, 30 Private M E Hardman, 6267 Private J Hart, 1719 Private L Hatson, 990 Corporal H Hemsley, 9651 Pte John Henry, 886 Private J Heyes, 9915 Private B Hill, 9302 Corporal H Hilton, 9776 Private P Hines, 2841 Private J Hogan, 180 Private R Holding, 2549 Private George Holland, 1470 Private W E Hooper, 9780 Private H Horwood, 9311 Private J Howard, 2851 Private George Hurst, 682 Private R Hurst

1684 Private G Inch

156 Private A Jackson, 9411 Private P Jeffers, 157 Private T Jennings, 2799 Lance-Corporal C Johnson, 77 Private R Johnson, 377 Lance-Corporal P J Jordon 

1580 Corporal P Keegan, 751 Private T Kerfoot, 9875 Private G Knight

39 Private W G Lawrence, 9136 Private W Leah, 2660 Private M Lee, 125 Private P Logan, 304 Private Thomas H Lowe, 2794 Private W L Lupton

2862 Private R G Magin, 1013 Private H Mann, 502 Pte James Markland, 351 Private G Marsden, 2837 Pte Thomas Mason, 2491 Corporal A Massey, 5290 CSM C J R Maxwell, 9477 Private M McBride, 9477 Private M McBride, 9139 Private C McCormick, 
5358 CSM H McCready, 9441 Private T Melia, 9465 Private W Metcalf, 82 Private G Mottershead (above, Rochdale Observer, 31st Oct 1914), 329 Sergeant H Mowbray, 1009 Corporal J Mullen

9293 Private T Nuttall 

1476 Private A E Oliver, 9882 Private G W Oliver, 19 Private C T O'Malley, 158 Private R Orrell, 2760 Private H Osborne, 9067 Private T W Owen

8800 Private J Park, 9294 Private J C Paul, 9047 Private J H Pearce, 1901 Private W J Pembery, 264 Private C Preston, 9357 Private W H Price 

9092 Corporal W Riley, 9040 Private T Rogers 

720 Sergeant Stanley H Sayer, 9394 Private H Sherrin, 2765 Private G Snape
9303 Private Richard Stansfield (above, Rochdale Observer, 31st Oct 1914), 6399 Private J Steel, 9157 Pte Benjamin I Steele 

306 Private G Tarrant, 9680 Private J W Taylor, 9389 Corporal R Thomas, 9606 Private J Tobin, 9444 Private E Toole, 297 Private H Travers, 9881 Corporal P Tumhelty, 8765 Private R Turnbull

8656 Private R Waddington, 5526 Private J Walker, 9061 Private E Walmsley, 631 Private John Walters, 276 Private J Watthey, 553 Private S Waugh, 1435 Private H W Wheeler, 2529 Private J White, 9958 Lance-Corporal A Wilson, 2456 Private H W Wilson, 2833 Private Harry Wilson, 330 Private T Winstanley, 2579 Private C F Wooten, 2908 Private J Worsley, 2644 Lance-Corporal F L Wyatt

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