Lincolnshire Regiment Experts

[Potter]

A friend has a medal for 35108 Pte Arthur Robinson (later 27940 Labour Corps). Can anyone hazard a guess about his battalion and probable date of joining it from his number?

Many thanks

Phil

[jim_davies]

Late war, 1917ish. Probably not a Lincolnshire native. Have the rolls, which will show battalion, can look up over the next few days, if no one beats me to it.

Jim

[nigatt]

Late war, 1917ish. Probably not a Lincolnshire native. Have the rolls, which will show battalion, can look up over the next few days, if no one beats me to it.

Jim

Hi Jim

My great Granddad attested on 31 August 1914 at Grantham his reg no was 8386. Is it possible to find out who else signed up on this day? (BTW he had previously served in the 2nd Lincolns in 1908 with a reg no of 8053 for six months and then discharged - medically unfit) Any help very much appreciated.

[jim_davies]

Hi,

Your great-grandfather wasn't William Allen, by any chance? Original member of 8th Lincs, discharged Mar 1919.

As for the number, would suggest an enlistment into the special reserve given the enlistment date, as opposed to the new army.

I have a new army lad, 10607 George Ernest Smart who enlisted on 31st Aug 1914.

Jim

[Ivor Lee]

His Labour Corps number means he joined the Corps from the 8th Infantry Labour Company, Lincolnshire Regt.

Of course he may have been in another Battalion before the 8th ILC although I have a number of men in Lincolnshire ILCs with numbers similar to his.

Ivor

[Potter]

Late war, 1917ish. Probably not a Lincolnshire native. Have the rolls, which will show battalion, can look up over the next few days, if no one beats me to it.

Jim

Hi Jim,

I'd appreciate your look up. I suspect he came from Holbeck, Leeds

Phli

His Labour Corps number means he joined the Corps from the 8th Infantry Labour Company, Lincolnshire Regt.

Of course he may have been in another Battalion before the 8th ILC although I have a number of men in Lincolnshire ILCs with numbers similar to his.

Ivor

Ivor,

What was a Labour Company? Was it part of a Pioneers Battalion?

Phil

[nigatt]

Hi,

Your great-grandfather wasn't William Allen, by any chance? Original member of 8th Lincs, discharged Mar 1919.

As for the number, would suggest an enlistment into the special reserve given the enlistment date, as opposed to the new army.

Jim

Hi Jim

Yes that's right William Walker Allen but Bill to those that knew him. His attestation papers say enlisted in the 3rd bn Special Reserve and then transferred almost immediately to the 8th Lincolns until he was wounded on the Somme. Is it possible to identify any (local) men who joined up on the same day 31 August 1914 at Grantham?

[jim_davies]

There were several Grantham "batches" of lads who appeared to have been numbered together into the "New Army", whereas I don;t have enough data to figure out any similar groups of Grantham man into the Special Reserve. The bulk of these men initially served with 8th Lincs, with a smaller group in 6th Lincs, and a few in 7th and 2nd Lincs. One appears to have been a reinforcement to 1st Lincs.

For example, numbers 11829 through 11871 all have a Grantham connection (either through service record enlistment data, soldiers died enlistment data, residence information thru newspapersetc), which corresponds with other "batches" from other Lincolnshire towns.

From what I have been able to determine, these lads all appear to have attested in the same towns (often on different days), but all arrived at the depot in Lincoln on the same day, and thus numbered together. So in theory 11829 could have actually attested after 11871.

The above group most likely has a man enlisting in Grantham on 31 Aug 1914, although as I haven't checked the surviving service records I wouldn't be able to tell you who. For example 11845 Teddy Rudkin, 5 Sep 1614, whereas 11863 Thomas Worsdale, 3 Sep 1914.

Jim

[Bingo794]

The nearest I have seen from the collection of papers that go with medals in my collection, is from No.L/C 26135 Pte. Robert Chippendale of Halifax, born Blackburn, Lancs of the 5th ILC/44th Labour Coy., ex-Lincs Regt. later of the West Yorks Regt., who attested 13th March, 1917. (Hardly a 'Chippendale', more of a 'Baldrick' judging by his description and the diseases/conditions the poor chap had.)

Then numberwise the nearest I can see in the collection is to No.L/C 27916 Pte. Andrew Porterfield of Sunderland, no papers on this one, however. Served with 8th ILC/47th Labour Coy.

I can find no regular, TF or Service Battalions attached to the papers or on the Medal Rolls for the Lincolnshire Regiment. Your Arthur Robinson included.

(I wonder if Porterfield is related to Ian, the lad who put Sunderland's & Bob Stokoe's name in the frame by sticking one in, past Leeds United in the 1973 FA Cup Final.)

Dick

[Bingo794]

Hi Jim

My great Granddad attested on 31 August 1914 at Grantham his reg no was 8386. Is it possible to find out who else signed up on this day? (BTW he had previously served in the 2nd Lincolns in 1908 with a reg no of 8053 for six months and then discharged - medically unfit) Any help very much appreciated.

I have a 1914 Star to No. 8056 Pte. Henry Richard Woolf 2/Linc R. enlisted 17/08/1914 aged 31, discharged 11/01/1918 due to wounds while with the 10/Linc R. and after winning the MM LG 02/11/1917. Served with the 1/Linc R. between 2nd and 10th.

The nearest number but the date is somewhat out, though not being an S/R man would account for this.

He came from Shoreditch, London.

Dick

[Bingo794]

Hi Jim

Yes that's right William Walker Allen but Bill to those that knew him. His attestation papers say enlisted in the 3rd bn Special Reserve and then transferred almost immediately to the 8th Lincolns until he was wounded on the Somme. Is it possible to identify any (local) men who joined up on the same day 31 August 1914 at Grantham?

I note from his MR that he served with a number of battalions, 8th, 7th, 2/5th & 1st.

Dick

[Ivor Lee]

Phil

Infantry Labour Companies were not Pioneers or part of Pioneer Battalions.

They were formed from 1916 onwards to provide men to serve in France on the lines of communication to proivde labouring tasks like repairing roads and railways and moving stores.

Ivor

[nigatt]

Hi there Dick

Yes that's right 8th, 7th, 2/5th, 1st in that order. With the 8th Lincolns September 1914 to November 1916. He was wounded on the Ancre Nov 1916. When he returned to active service was with the 7th Lincolns for a month at Arras. Then posted to 2/5 Lincolns Polygon Wood 3rd Ypres and the Battalion took a terrible beating March 1918 when battalion reduced to 80 men. Battalion reduced to a cadre he was transferred to 1st Battalion to replenish troops. Taken POW in September 1918 on the Somme. Ended up at Dulmen POW camp. Home for Christmas 1918!