RFA Brigade Number from TF Number

[Guest Sandie V]

Could anybody help identify the RFA brigade number from this medal card for me? If it helps he lived in Trowbridge & Westbury in Wiltshire.

Sandie

[Paul Nixon]

I've added this information on your other post but just to repeat, I'm not sure he's TF. The RFA was re-numbered in the range 630001 - 975000.

[KONDOA]

Number is New Army, will have a look next weekend.

Roop

[Guest Sandie V]

Great, thanks.....sorry to be so naive, but whats the new army?

[Simon R]

See the 'Long, Long, Trail' top left of your browser.

In brief: instituted by Lord Kitchener when he was made secretary of state for war (at the outbreak of war) - also known as 'Kitcheners Army'.

There had traditionally been two routes open to a recruit wishing to join the British Army - he could become a regular soldier or a member of the Territorial Force (TF).

The regulars were full time and the TF part time - also known as 'Saturday Night Soldiers'.

The 'New Army' totally bypassed both of these recruiting systems - Kitchener could simply have expanded the remit of the TF but decided that a wholly new system would be a better idea. Recruitment was rapid and rapidly outstripped the ability of the Army to feed, clothe, house and arm their new recruits. Some units were funded and raised by prominent individuals, town mayors, local organisations - these were in fact totally separate from the War Office and were looked after by these civilian organisations until such time as the Army had sufficient resources to take them on. Famous units like the Leeds Pals, the 12th KOYLI (Miners btn. - raised almost entirely of men from Charlesworth Pit), Glasgow Tramways btn. etc, etc were part of the New Army.

There were many RFA New Army brigades, they weren't all infantry.

[Guest Sandie V]

Is it true that the New Army were reservists who had been in the army before for example the Boer War? The reason I ask is because I can't find him anywhere on the 1901 census, and it seems a logical reason that he may have fought in the Boer War. A relative thinks he might of. Have also found out he had a metal plate in his head!!

[Stebie9173]

Most of the Reservist were called up right at the start of the war (5th August 1914). They formed a large percentage of the initial Expeditionary Force.

What would have happened in the case of most 12 year enlistment men who saw service in the Boer War (or elsewhere in the Empire - my great-uncle was in India in 1901, then SA in 1902) would have served their active engagement (7 years) and then done their Reserve service (5 years) and been completely discharged. After that they would have had to re-enlist at the start of the War.

The New Armies were the volunteer armies rather than the Regular Army who were the Reservists and serving soldiers. A good many NCOs coming back into the Army would have been needed to train and lead the new recruits in any case. The "old" soldiers would have fitted the bill nicely.

Steve.