Uniform identification help request

[Ted Carpenter]

Hi All,
Sorry to but in, at bit late on this one, but info here might help me a bit later on. i notice that the records quoted are all given different Army Service Numbers. Was this common practice during the time if a man changed regiments? having served in the Army, and undertaken a regimental/corps transfer, I kept my original Army Service number and it was explained that that number only appertained to me and that it would never be repeated or duplicated. On leaving the Regular Army and transferring into the territorials, I stil kept the same number. I question whether the records that have been viewed refer to three separate soldiers in different regiments (bet you're glad he wasn't called Jones and in the Welsh Fusiliers!?)
Ted

[Procat]

I notice that the records quoted are all given different Army Service Numbers. Was this common practice during the time if a man changed regiments?

The following is from the Long Long Trail website:

What is the soldier's number and why is it important?

Each man was assigned a number, which identified him from the other men. It was used on all of his paperwork, so all of his records carry it. Many of the records can only be found with any certainty if you know the number.

In 1920, the way the army issued numbers changed. From that point on to this day, the number was given to the man when he joined the army and it stayed his personal number regardless of what happened to him after that. This was not the case in WW1. At that time each regiment issued its own numbers, and if a man was moved from one to another, he was renumbered. It was even more complex in some regiments as each unit issued its own numbers, and if he was a Territorial he would have been renumbered in spring 1917. This is why a man might have more than one number and you may need to know them all.

[jeffersj]

Yes my G/father (killed WW1) had been a regular with Reg, No 5837 (Northumberland Fusiliers) and served 1901-1907. When rejoining from the reserves to the same Reg. in 1914 he was given a new number 9266.

I too served with a constant 8 digit number as an OR but when commissioning was given a new 7 digit number.

Jeff

[Ted Carpenter]

Could it be possible that the aforementioned Pte A Jenkinson (M/31018), being recorded as Army Service Corps, which later became the Royal Army service Corps, then the Royal Corps of Transport and, recently, the Royal Logistics Corps, could be your man. This is only conjecture, being unable to view the photo on this computer, but the Cap Badge has remained virtualy the same throughout, since the days of the Crimean war, and the Crops were always nicknamed "the Waggoners" (the regimental march being "Wait for the Wagon") The "Silver Star" as it is known (which happens to be gold, nowadays) represents the Star of India, so I was told, and within is contained the Order of the Garter surmounted by the Royal cypher (EiiR today and GvR/VR (etc) previously). I have known this badge to have been mistaken for the Laurels of the Royal Engineers at a quick glance, but believe that the Royal Engineers shako plate bears a more striking resemblance to that of the Army Service Corps, et al. It would be worth considering that the Current Royal Engineers cap badge possibly did not always look the same as it has since 1939.
Of course we need to bear in mind that each unit of the British Army were largely self contained and therefore it is possible that either he was a Royal Engineer detailed to a supply and logisitcs role within the Engineers regiment/squadron that he was posted into, or possibly he could have been a "Waggoner" (Army service Corps) attached to work in logistics and supply to any of the "Front Line" Regiments and therefore administered from within that particular regiment but still wearing his own corps cap badge. It might pay to look into the likes of th Lincolnshire Regimental records from that period and see if your man was recorded as ??company, Lincolnshire Regt. ASC Attached. or similar. You might just be able to end the confusion over which regiment he served in (or rather, alongside).
I hope this helps rather than hinders, as it seems to be adding fuel to a fire already burning!
Hope you soon get it all worked out and sorted. Good Luck!
Ted

[freddie999]

Thanks Ted, That's great food for thought, I will check with a contact I have made at the Lincoln Regiment museum (the museum doesn't have any staff, my contact is office based!!).

Can anyone confirm this information, which has been passed to me by a friend? As part of the Eletoral Register, a separate list is compiled know as the 'away register' or 'away list' this apparently contains a list of all men resident in the ward, who are away with their regiments/ fighting, and I am told the regiments for the men are named in the register. Anyone know about this? Thanks

[Procat]

Hi,

I think you are referring to the Absent Voters List. Again, see the Long Long trail site which contains links

http://www.
1914-1918.net/grandad/avl.htm