Unit & Service Number Identification

[Guest Dovelea]

Have just been checking Medal Rolls and was lucky to find 2 ancestors, they are :-

John Leonard HAWKE Pte 1st/7th Worc. Reg Number 5105

Charles Graham HAWKE Pte MGC Reg Number 55107

As far as I am aware,both would have joined up in Plymouth, what I would like to know is why different Regiments, yet the Reg Number last 4 digits is very close, is that a means of identifying the regiment or is it part of their service number ?

John served in France,was wounded and died in UK

Charles was sent to Turkey and survived

Any help appreciated. Thanks

Mike

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

A lot of the early MGC men were either brigaded into the MGC from Infantry MG Sections or they were men who were wounded and compulsorily transferred. Therefore it could be that Charles first served with an Infantry Regiment and was transferred across.

Why the Worcestershire Regt for a men from Plymouth - he could have enlisted in the Devonshires and could have been transferrred to fill a gap.

You really need to do a service record search to get the definitive answers.

Re Numbers each Regt/Corps had its own number systems, therefore in theory every unit in the British Army could have had a soldier with the number 5105.

Ian