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This text will have a look at the enlargement of British infantry regiments in 1914 and the impact that this had on the numbering sequence already in use on the time.
Usually in 1914, a British infantry regiment may include two ‘common’ battalions of profession troopers, a third (Particular Reserve) Battalion, and maybe a number of Territorial Pressure battalions. On the whole phrases, males becoming a member of Particular Reserve signed up for six years’ service and instantly underwent six months’ coaching with the duty to finish an extra three to 4 weeks’ coaching yearly thereafter. Equally, males becoming a member of the Territorial Pressure, signed on for as much as 4 years’ residence or Territorial service solely.
They might usually meet up each Saturday evening (therefore the time period, ‘Saturday Evening troopers’) and would attend a two week coaching camp each July or August. Males becoming a member of the Territorial Pressure weren’t obliged to serve abroad however may volunteer to take action by taking an Imperial Service obligation.
In July 1914, the Royal Sussex Regiment comprised the next battalions:
1st and 2nd (Common) Battalions
third (Particular Reserve) Battalion
4th, fifth & sixth (Territorial Pressure Battalions)
The first and 2nd Battalions shared one quantity sequence which had begun when the regiment was fashioned in July 1881 and began from 1. The L/ prefix was additionally usually used for males becoming a member of these two common battalions.
The third (Particular Reserve) Battalion had a separate quantity sequence which was a continuation of the quantity sequence that had been utilized by its predecessor, the third (Militia) Battalion. The Particular Reserve and the Further Reserve battalions changed the militia in 1908 and while among the newly fashioned particular and further reserve battalions began numbering from 1, many merely continued with the outdated militia sequence. The third Royal Sussex regiment fell into this class and furthermore, outdated militia males who now enlisted with the third Battalion, had been allowed to retain their outdated militia numbers. Thus, for instance 9759 Pte George Walter Mynett who joined the third Royal Sussex Regt on 14th June 1908 was an outdated militiaman who had initially joined the third (Militia) Battalion – and been given the quantity 9759 – in September 1906.
The 4th, fifth and sixth (Territorial Pressure) Battalions every had a separate quantity sequence which started at 1. The 4th and fifth Battalions had been fashioned in April 1908 and the sixth Battalion in 1911.
When Britain went to conflict with Germany in August 1914, and significantly following Kitchener’s enchantment on the finish of August 1914 for 100,000 volunteers, recruiting workplaces all through the nation had been inundated. Not solely did the military authorities must resolve the place to position the lads, additionally they needed to resolve the best way to quantity them. Let me keep on with the Royal Sussex Regiment in the interim as a result of, other than anything, whoever was in command of numbering on the Royal Sussex Regiment seems to have been fairly foresighted and definitely nicely organised.
What the Royal Sussex Regiment did, and what another regiments additionally did (The Buffs, The Queens and the Royal West Kents additionally adopted related patterns) was to start out utterly new quantity sequence for males who joined up for war-time service solely. On the identical time, the outdated quantity sequence had been retained for males who wished to hitch up underneath the same old common or particular reserve phrases.
By August 1914 the conventional phrases of enlistment for a person becoming a member of the first and 2nd Battalions was seven years with the Colors and 5 on the Reserve. Now although, with males thronging recruiting stations to enroll in a conflict which many believed can be over by Christmas, much less stringent war-time solely phrases had been clearly wanted. Hubert Henry Allsopp joined up at Bexhill on the seventeenth August for 3 years or the period of the conflict (with the understanding, written into the small print, that if the conflict was to final lower than three years, he “could also be discharged directly.”)
Hubert was given the quantity G/147. The G stood for Normal Service and scribbled on his attestation papers, confirming this, are the initials GSSX or Normal Service Sussex. He would later be posted to the eighth after which the seventh Battalions, retaining his G/ prefix quantity. The G/ sequence was begun in August 1914 and would run all through the conflict.
On the identical time that Hubert and hundreds like him had been becoming a member of the newly forming service battalions – that’s, war-time service solely battalions – different new recruits had been becoming a member of the third Particular Reserve Battalion. A brand new sequence was additionally began for these males which started GSSR/ or Normal Service Particular Reserve. This sequence, together with the Particular Reserve sequence would fizzle out by the tip of the yr. The final quantity on my database for a GSSR prefixed quantity is 931 which was issued on fifth November 1914.
Yet one more quantity sequence was began for males becoming a member of the South Down battalions. These had been service battalions just like the seventh, eighth and ninth Battalions however had been raised by Colonel Claude Lowther MP, proprietor of Herstmonceux Fortress in Sussex. Recruitment began on ninth September and by the tip of the yr sufficient males had volunteered to fill three battalions. A fourth, reserve battalion, would even be fashioned later. All males becoming a member of the South Down battalions got a quantity prefixed with SD/ (for South Down). Numbering began from 1 in September 1914.
Lastly, add into the combination, these older males becoming a member of the supernumerary firms hooked up to the 4th and fifth Territorial battalions (at the least yet one more quantity sequence per battalion) and also you now have ten separate military quantity sequence in use, as follows:
1st sequence: 1st & 2nd (Common) Battalions – prefixed with L/
2nd sequence: third (Particular Reserve) Battalion – prefixed, if in any respect, with 3/ or SR/
third sequence: 4th (Territorial Pressure) Battalion
4th sequence: fifth (Territorial Pressure) Battalion
fifth sequence: sixth (Territorial Pressure) Battalion
sixth sequence: war-time solely enlistments into service battalions – prefixed with G/ or GS/
seventh sequence: war-time solely enlistments into the third Battalion – prefixed with GSSR/
eighth sequence: eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth (South Down) Battalions – prefixed with SD/
ninth sequence: supernumerary firm males hooked up to the 4th (TF) Battalion
tenth sequence: supernumerary firm males hooked up to the fifth (TF) Battalion
Comparable enlargement would happen in just about each different British Military Regiment, and you may learn extra about these peculiarities and idiosyncrasies on my military service numbers weblog.
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