Death of Lt Col Edgar Mobbs, 7th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regt

[Uptodat]

Howett was in "D" Company when promoted to L.Cpl.

On FMP 16038 has been mistakenly associated to Pte Purcell, (K.I.A.) but he was actually 16638.

"Robert Leslie Howett",  Commission LG  2/12/14, Supp. 28993 p. 10274. 

A naive question: at what stage was the Regimental number allocated? When attestation papers were collated centrally or did different recruitment centres have batches of numbers allocated for numbers to be allocated at attestation? Does that sequence of numbers for the originals on 14/9/1914 indicate they all enlisted at the same place? I'm trying to fathom how it is possible to work out that Howett was probably about a week later. EG 16078 Parker enlisted at Wellingborough on 7/9/1914, 16072 Chapman 2/9/1914 at Northampton, another 3 with numbers in the 16020s joined at Uxbridge on 2/9/1914 & another one at Towcester on 19/9/1914?! You will gather that I'm totally baffled now.

Without finding Howett's service record, I guess it is not possible to say with certainty he served in D Company in September 1914?

Thanks in anticipation of your patience!

[Stebie9173]

The numbers for "D" Company seem to have been issued when they arrived at Shoreham on the evening of the 14-9-1914 or at parade on the morning of the 15-9-1914, hence they were able to allocate them alphabetically (or at least in sequence by surname initial where they may have said number the "A"'s, then the "B"s, etc. - they actually gave the lower numbers to the "W"s and the highest to the "A"s).

 

What the process was after that i don't know - men with numbers around his went to the 7th, 6th, 6th and 2nd Battalions so I think those numbers were allocated at the Depot before sending the men off to their destinations.

 

Robert Howett's service record (or the retained part of it at least) is available, just not for download:

 

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1057146

 

 

Steve.

[Uptodat]

Thank you again Steve, for the explanation & the link. My skills at searching the National Archives leave much to be desired...