Guest somme Posted 18 May , 2004 Share Posted 18 May , 2004 I have read elsewhere on the site that the prefix G before a soldier's number signifies enlistment in the home counties. Could anyone let me know exactly what was meant by the "home counties" in the 1914-18 army? Would it have included East Anglia? Thanks, Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 18 May , 2004 Share Posted 18 May , 2004 Home counties are: Surrey, Middlesex, Kent and Sussex - not East Anglia. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muerrisch Posted 18 May , 2004 Share Posted 18 May , 2004 Surely not. How can Sussex be a Home County: it is not a neighbour of London, being fortunately insulated therefrom? I come from Hove: we do not regard ourselves as Home Counties. Most of the Captain Grumpy clones come from thereabouts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeppoSapone Posted 18 May , 2004 Share Posted 18 May , 2004 Sussex - acting unpaid Home County, including Hove actually. We wont be druv! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Light Posted 18 May , 2004 Share Posted 18 May , 2004 "According to the OED it is simply 'the counties nearest to London, namely Surrey, Kent, Essex and Middlesex; sometimes with the addition of Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and ocassionally Sussex.'" Although in fairness to the question, the Royal Sussex Regiment did use the 'G' prefix. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muerrisch Posted 18 May , 2004 Share Posted 18 May , 2004 Oh, I see: a new definition of Home Counties is emerging: G prefix does it nicely. Actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 18 May , 2004 Share Posted 18 May , 2004 Sorry - people I was basing Home Counties on what the ETB advise. Being a Londoner, civilisation stops at Morden in the South Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Light Posted 18 May , 2004 Share Posted 18 May , 2004 Ian Do the ETB really omit to mention Essex? I'm sure it was still fairly close to London last weekend. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 18 May , 2004 Share Posted 18 May , 2004 Well technically half of Essex is East London and the other half West Suffolk - a bit like Sussex full of cows, fields and things that pong and sting - give me the city smog anyday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Wills Posted 18 May , 2004 Share Posted 18 May , 2004 OK, so what of this fellow, my grandmother's sister's first husband: Private CHARLES T. LAMBERT G/50674, 13th Bn., Middlesex Regiment who died on 16 April 1917 Remembered with honour ARRAS MEMORIAL He came from Cosgrove in Northamptonshire. By the way, don't take any notice of what the English Tourist Board might say. Northampton's Tourist Information manager attended a national get-together recently, and chatting over coffee, another delegate (from Yorkshire) remarked that she had journeyed from further north than herself. Northamptonshire's castle-studded coastline is truly spectacular! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeppoSapone Posted 19 May , 2004 Share Posted 19 May , 2004 Oh, I see: a new definition of Home Counties is emerging: G prefix does it nicely. Actually. How about looking at the make up of the 44th (Home Counties) Division? Not sure about WW1, but in WW2 it definately included the Royal Sussex Regiment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 19 May , 2004 Share Posted 19 May , 2004 Tony - the only problem is that during WW1 the 44th Division had Bns of the Border Regt and South Wales Borderers serving with it at sometime or another. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Wills Posted 19 May , 2004 Share Posted 19 May , 2004 Another thought on the G prefix... My theory has always been that these numbers relate to month of call-up i.e. G = 7th letter of the alphabet, so represents July. That is probably being fanciful, as it is not a subject I have studied, but it works for a couple of soldiers on my books. How many letters of the alphabet were used for prefixes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeppoSapone Posted 19 May , 2004 Share Posted 19 May , 2004 Tony - the only problem is that during WW1 the 44th Division had Bns of the Border Regt and South Wales Borderers serving with it at sometime or another. Ian Ian, Of course, but I was thinking of the Territorial Army units that mobilised in 1914 and 1939, the 'originals'. Once things 'got going' all sorts of units would become part of what, in name, was a division raised in a certain area. During WW2 this 'change' was added to by the fact that the Machine Gun Corps had ceased to exist and a handfull Infantry Regiments took over the role. So, Scottish Divisions had Londoners firing their Vickers etc etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Wills Posted 24 May , 2004 Share Posted 24 May , 2004 Any thoughts about the the significance of R as a prefix? As in: Rifleman HENRY JAMES HUMPHREY R/24429, 17th Bn., King's Royal Rifle Corps who died on 20 September 1917 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBettsMCDCM Posted 25 May , 2004 Share Posted 25 May , 2004 Any thoughts about the the significance of R as a prefix? As in: Rifleman HENRY JAMES HUMPHREY R/24429, 17th Bn., King's Royal Rifle Corps who died on 20 September 1917 R as a Prefix is pertaining to Rifleman as it is used in Rifle Regiments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGWR Posted 26 May , 2004 Share Posted 26 May , 2004 Most Gs (with numbers ranging from 0-100, 000) that I have come across relate to soldiers serving in the Middlesex Regt . The G prefixes certainly seem to occupy several volumes of their Medal Rolls! Has anyone come across many Gs in the medal rolls of other Home Counties' regiments? If so, what was the range of numbers? Regards AGWR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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