Which Battalion was my grandfather in?

[Peter Goodey]

most service records were destroyed

Should read "most WW1 service records were destroyed..."

[SueNSW]

The Territorial Force were all renumbered in 1917 from (generally) 3 and 4 digit numbers to 6 digits.

His 6 digit number - 731641- puts him at that time in either 266 Brigade RFA -or 341 Brigade RFA

The War Diary for 266 Brigade is at the National Archives but unfortunately not yet digitised
https://discovery.nationalarchives.go...ils/r/C7359509 - descriptions suggests they were in Egypt Palestine and Syria with the 53rd Welsh Division

341 Brigade stayed in the UK on home defence duties - so no War Diary

As he received at least the British War Medal and the Victory Medal he would have served overseas so 266 Brigade seems most likely - but bear in mind this is NOT an exact science.

[Roaming Roberts]

My Grandfather had on his medal index card that he was TF but didn't receive a TF medal which led me to believe that he'd enlisted with them after 1918. Would I be right in my thinking?

[Roaming Roberts]

So what I can't work out is why his photo shows him as part of the Welsh Royal Garrison Artillery yet his medal index card shows him as part of the Royal Field Artillery or were they pretty much one and the same?
I know he RGA name was discontinued in 1924, when the RGA was re-amalgamated into the Royal Artillery but that was after the medals were issued in 1920?

[SueNSW]

Don't think so - I'm no medal expert but looking at the conditions of issue for the Territorial War Medal it was pretty strict - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_War_Medal and he could certainly have enlisted before 1918 and not received it

The other point is that he had to have been enlisted before March 1917 when the renumbering of the TF took place to be allocated his new 6 digit number - and to have his original 3 digit number inscribed on his medal and recorded on the Medal Roll he must have served overseas prior to the renumbering, with the original number too

[SueNSW]

So what I can't work out is why his photo shows him as part of the Welsh Royal Garrison Artillery yet his medal index card shows him as part of the Royal Field Artillery or were they pretty much one and the same?

Where did he live? If he was a pre war Territorial, it might be possible to identify the original RGA Battery he was with from that - but again bear in mind once the war started their was a fair bit of fluidity between the different sections - especially as initially TF men were not obliged to serve overseas - some chose to - others didn't so if their local battery went overseas early and they had not elected to go with it - a change would probably have been needed.

[Roaming Roberts]

I've just found this link that backs up what you've said https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldi...llery-in-1917/
So yes, I'm inclined ti think that he was 266 Brigade, RFA/ 1/2 WELCH Brigade. Now to start and work out where that took him! I know there was a lot of shifting around etc.

[SueNSW]

It's a shame that the war diary hasn't been digitised - maybe worth starting with the progress of the 53rd Division from February 1916 onwards when 266 Brigade joined up with them in Egypt

Good Luck