Regimental Number

[americangirl]

Hello,
I have a question and I don't want to sound foolish, Is ones regimental number the same as ones personnel service number?
Thanks, Am Girl

[ainslie]

Hello AmGirl
On enlistment a soldier was given a number which was unique to him in the battalion [or equivalent unit] that he joined.  If he was posted to another battalion or regiment/corps he would be given a new number.  If he was a Territorial soldier, the same applied, but the whole of the Territorial Force was renumbered in 1917.
Unique numbers across the board were introduced later.

The whole subject is a minefield, and if I had included 'usually' in each phrase above, some of what I have written will probably be right!
As an example, if you put a number - say 1234 - into the search box for WW1 Medal Index Cards at the National Archives Documents online site, you get 271 replies.

My reply is based on the British Army which is where most Britons served, but other factors almost certainly applied in the Royal Navy.

A
If you have an individual case, let us have the details and someone may be able to help.

[corisande]

Is ones regimental number the same as ones personnel service number 

It is when one gets it in that battalion (though it is reasonably common for 2 men in the same regiment to have the same service number)

But if he moves to another regiment, then he got another service number.

In other words in WW1 a bloke did not have one service number, it changed if he moved regiments (this was quite common too)

Your best bet is to look at his MIC card on Ancestry, and that will (should) give all the service numbers he had in different regiments (if indeed he was transferred between regiments)

[americangirl]

Hello and Thank you for answering my question.
I have the following information
Elisha Fisher b. abt 1886 Belfast, age of enlistment 30, regimental # 156848, regimental name Royal Engineers.  Any other info would be much appreciated.
Thankyou
Am girl

[km1971]

Hi Am Girl

It would have been better to mention the Royal Engineers in your first post as the RE are strictly speaking a corps, meaning they are spread thinly throughout the rest of the army, whereas the infantry serve in a finite number of places. The RE did not have the duplication of the infantry regiments.

His medal index card is available from the National Archives, or free on Ancestry. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=2384881&queryType=1&resultcount=6

If you don’t have Ancestry PM me an email address and I will send you a copy. It shows that was well as beinga warded two WW1 medals for service overseas, he was also awarded a Silver War Badge for being discharged early due to sickness or injury. If you don’t have his papers the SWB list in Kew will tell you when he enlisted and was discharged. It is not available online.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/medals.asp

The second number is more interesting. WR is for the Inland Waterways and Railways; while the number was allocated to a signal company. So it looks as if he was a signaller in the IN & R.

Unique 7-digit army numbers were introduced in the early 1920s, and increased to 8-digits during WW2.

Ken

[americangirl]

Ken,
Thank you for the great information.  I do not have Ancestry, so I wil pm you with my email address. Again thank you.
Americangirl kitty