lookup request

[spof]

I have just been looking on ancestory and i have viewed 5 diffrent records of people who had the same regt number as my releative, can some one expain this to me i thought regt numbers where unique to the person?  they are these days and i thought they where back then as well

Hi Gareth

Before WW1 a regimental number was just that - a number for the regiment. So Pte Brown could join the Welsh regiment and Pte Green could join the Suffplk Regiment and have the same number.

Tell us what you are looking for in Kew and we'll help.

Glen

[km1971]

It is worse than that before 1917, most numbers were actually battalion numbers. So in a regiment like the Liverpools the same number was used about nine times before WW1. The regulars, who were in the 1st or 2nd Battalions (or on the permanant staff of the other part-time battalions), had one sequence, while the eight Militia/VB battalions had their own sequences.

This didn't matter before WW1 as only the regulars tended to switch battalions, and if a part-timer did they were simply re-numbered.

Between 1914 and 1917 another dozen or so number sequences were introduced, and (worse) men regularly switched battalions to make up the numbers in hard-hit battalions. A renumbering of the territorial battalions was carried out in 1917 - http://www.1914-1918.net/TF_renumbering_infantry.htm

7-digit unique army numbers were introduced in the early 1920s, and officers were numbered and 8-digit numbers were introduced in the 1930s.

Regimental numbers were introduced in the 1820s to prevent fraud by officers claiming pay and rations for men that did not exist.

4 digit numbers will run out after the 9,999th man. So in an army of 7 million, the same number would have been used 700 times if something wasn't done, and 70 times for 5-digit numbers.


Ken

[gnwaters]

Tell us what you are looking for in Kew and we'll help.

Glen

Basically i just want to find out as much info on his service as possiable as know one in the family knows any thing, the only thing any one can tell me is that he was caught in a gas attack which finally killed him in the 1930's.  so any info i can find in genral that i dont have on the medal roll would be good to know tbh

cheers
gareth

[spof]

Tell us what you are looking for in Kew and we'll help.

Glen

Basically i just want to find out as much info on his service as possiable as know one in the family knows any thing, the only thing any one can tell me is that he was caught in a gas attack which finally killed him in the 1930's.  so any info i can find in genral that i dont have on the medal roll would be good to know tbh

cheers
gareth

Hi Gareth

As we don't know if you're referring to an officer or a soldier, follow this link

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/militaryhistory/army/?WT.lp=-33483

and read the advice.

Look for a possible service or pension recod in the microfilms for WO 363 or WO 364.

Take the SWB reference from the medal card and look up the books near the microfilms to convert it to a modern NA reference and you'll find out when he joined and was discharged and what part of the Labour Corps he was in. You can then get a war diary in ref WO 95 for that unit.

Above all, if you get stuck ask the staff as they really are helpful.

Glen