CROONAERT Posted 23 March , 2010 Share Posted 23 March , 2010 has anyone any idea what a soldier in the 21st NF would be doing with a 'WR' prefixed number? He had been a member of 336 RCC RE, but his paperwork states '21 NF' with this number. On attachment, maybe? Cheers. dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Stewart Posted 23 March , 2010 Share Posted 23 March , 2010 Would really want to know which member of the 21st Bn, you mean or a look at the actual paperwork? Anything other than a four figure number would mean he wasn't an original member. "WR/" is related to the R.E., not the NF, so you could possibly have a clerical error. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 23 March , 2010 Author Share Posted 23 March , 2010 He wasn't an original member,Graham, nor was he really ever even a fusilier of any description (as far as I can acertain). Its all a little confusing really as he originally enlisted into the Yorkshire Regiment but, within the the first day was a Royal Engineer. He served in a number of RC companies until after the war (then re-enlisted into a Graves reg Coy of the LC). Whilst still serving with 366 RCC RE (ie. with the WR prefix... for a while anyway!) his unit is listed as the Northumberland Fusiliers, with one piece mentioning the 21st bn. Oddly, some of his discharge documents also mention 21st NF, even though he has a RE number and the 21st bn being no longer in existance at the time he is listed as part of this battalion. I was just wondering whether it was normal for an attached RE to be listed as part of a battalion that he was (possibly) attached to rather than his 'mother' unit? Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Stewart Posted 23 March , 2010 Share Posted 23 March , 2010 Can't really give a definative answer on this one, apart from seeing numbers of attached personnel being sent to one of the TS Battalions after heavy casualties on the Somme. These seem to serve with the battalion for a quite while until the administration and paperwork eventually catch up and they're then given new five figure NF numbers. I even know of some 2/7th Bn,NF casualties appearing in France in 1916 who were originally replacements for casualties in 50th Div. However they never got there and were diverted to a York & Lancs Service Bn. Some were kia with them while attached and eventually all transferred to the Y&L and renumbered with them. This particular batch of NF never even got a sniff of 50th Div, as the diversion order appears as soon as they disembark. Have you got an NF number for your man and I'll see if a pattern of transfers appears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 23 March , 2010 Author Share Posted 23 March , 2010 Have you got an NF number for your man and I'll see if a pattern of transfers appears. Nope. He had 3 numbers in total (well, 4 if his paperwork is taken literally, but one is, I think, a transcription error as its only one digit different to one of the others)...2 of which are consistant to the RE and the final one which is correct for a 1919 LC enlistment. The only real oddity is the NF reference on 3 or 4 different pieces of paperwork dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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