Special & Extra Reserve Bns

[Paul Nixon]

I'm putting together a manuscript on numbering in the Special (and where applicable) Extra Reserve battalions of the British Army's sixty-nine infantry regiments and I need to call in some additional expertise.

The majority of these battalions, when formed in 1908, continued with the number series that had been use by their militia forebears, and continued plodding along quite merrily until the First World War began. All battalions saw a huge influx in August and September 1914 but thereafter the numbers dwindle and, for most of the battalions, appear to peter out by the end of the year. It's this petering out date that I'm interested in.

It's quite normal to see men joining a 3rd or 4th or 5th battalion post 1914 of course, but the numbers given to these men were usuually from the number series being used by the service / regular battalions and not from the series that had originally been set aside for the Special and Extra Reserve. There are exceptions of course, a number of the Irish regiments for instance, maintained those Special and Extra Reserve number series throughout the war, but most did not.

So here are the questions:

1. What is the last / highest Special or Extra Reserve number on your database - that is, the number from the original 1908 series - and on what date was it issued?

2. Is anyone aware at what point in time the designations Special Reserve and Extra Reserve fell into disuse - if in fact they fell into disuse? I suspect the terms were obsolete by the end of 1914 but I have nothing to back that up.

Thanks in advance.

Paul

[Muerrisch]

I don't think a book or even an essay has been written on the subject of "How did 3rd Battalions [or 5th} develop during the war. In a strange way, this parallels the decline [except in numbers] of the TF and the County Associations.

I have never seen a pre-war doctrine adequately describing the transition the 3rd battalions would have to make in war.

If I am about to state the obvious, sorry.

The SR was to provide DRAFTS of men to the regular battalions to make up to War Establishment, and/or to maintain at War Establishment. This was a big improvement on the improvisation of previous wars. However, the Army Regular Reserve and the SR battalion men would be expected to be used up in the first year of a European War [the official forecast was 80% casualties among the originals].

The other function of the 3rd battalions was to hold all men under age, the unfit, the untrained, and all sick/wounded awaiting posting to active service.

During the early recruiting in 1914 the SR expanded massively, some units reaching 2500, with men in all the above categories and also new SR recruits enlisting in various schemes in parallel to the New Armies. All this at the same time as the TF continued recruiting and allowed [in some eyes] the soft option of signing for Home Service only until 1916. There was, I believe, a lot of this going on.

Whether recruiting for the SR was allowed to wither on the vine or was formally ended, I don't know. Clearly 3rd battalions had a vital role, but yet another sort of soldier requiring basic training was not desirable, when trained soldiers were entering the battalion [in its capacity as a holding unit] from sickness or wounding in increasing numbers.

There is an AO [text available, but in the Langley/Stewart booklet] which said that all of the Regular Army, the Regular Reserve, and the SR and the New Armies were, in effect Regulars under their terms of engagement.

One last thing: a fair number of SR units were formed when two relevant regimental Militia units were dispensed with in 1908, so its not a good idea to refer to 'continuing the Militia series'. The militia were not disbanded "just like that" in 1908, but ceased recruiting. Men were not 'transferred' but offered an opportunity to enlist in the new unit. The passage of time has blurred the transition of men and units, but for some there was an hiatus, and to some it was the end of a proud tradition of service.

None of which answers your question, you know more about 3rd RWF than I do!

Members with regimental histories may glean a fair bit regarding 3rd battalions evolution.

[Paul Nixon]

All useful information, Grumpy, thank you.

My last 3rd RWF number is 6580 on 8th February 1915 but there are undoubtedly later ones than this. SDGW will help in identifying high Reserve Bn numbers, but not the dates of course.

[Muerrisch]

Paul, I fear SDIGW will produce men who were SERVING WITH 3RWF having been numbered other than in SR series and being posted into the unit as a HOLDING unit, and then who pegged out at HOME.

I'll stick the disc in tomorrow or Monday and see what I can see

[Paul Nixon]

Thanks Grumpy, just had a quick look at SDGW and it's inconclusive.

A search of 3rd Bn casualties with numbers higher than 6580 yields nothing until:

9489 who died at home on 03/05/1916 and then the next man was 11745 who died at sea on 15/04/1917, followed by 11842 who died 12/10/14 and so on. 11842 must have been numbered in the regular series in August 1914 and then posted to the 3rd Bn.

It's similarly inconclusive if your run a search over all battalions. Except where those men with numbers over 6580 died before Feb 1915 (and were therefore either regulars or service bn volunteers) it's impossible to tell whether men with numbers in the 6000s and 7000s were old regulars who'd joined between 1899 and 1904, or SRs who'd joined post Feb 1915; although to be honest I doubt whether SR enlistments reached as high as 7000. I'd guess that the number series was abandoned before then. That's my dilemma, you see.

[kevinrowlinson]

Just out of interest I put "special" under regiment, on Ancestry WW1 SRs, and 1915 under "keyword". Most of the results one could quickly discount, but some may be worth a look. One such is Joseph John Brown, 3/10022, of the Northumberland Fusiliers, enlisting 13 Feb 1915. What series this number came from you would know far better than me. If one tries "SR" one gets even more hits.

Kevin

[Paul Nixon]

Thanks Kevin, worthy of further investigation.

Re the NF man that would appear to be a number from the original 3rd Bn series. Graham Stewart will undoubtedly be able to confirm.

Paul

[kevinrowlinson]

Paul,

Quote,"My last 3rd RWF number is 6580 on 8th February 1915 but there are undoubtedly later ones than this."

One can fairly quickly find 6632 William Humphreys who attested 1 Nov 1915. I wonder whether the dates between the two are significant. Having no particular interest in the infantry regiments, I can say that for the RGA at least (which I appreciate is completely different) the Special Reserve was only for ex soldiers/gunners, although this ultimately changed. Just out of interest can you say whether all 3rd Bn enlistments in all regiments was open to all new recruits, or whether like the RA some may have only numbered those for the 3rd Bn who were time expired soldiers re-enlisting?

Kevin

[Muerrisch]

I have never seen a relevant AO, but ACIs might be the place to look: I have to travel to Kew for ACI but Graham Stewart has many, if not all.

[mhifle]

Hi,

In the British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Card on Ancestry if you place the word 'ex' in front of the Regiment name in the 'Regiment or Corps' search box

it will bring up alot of SWB cards for men transferred to the Labour Corps which always have the original enlistment Date and usually the original regimental numbers alongside the

Labour Corps numbers.

The latest Special Reserve number I have for the 3rd (Special Reserve) Connaught Ragers are :

8310 1918 Jan

8315 1918 Jan 21

8494 1918 July 10

9110 1919 Apr

Regards Mark

[kevinrowlinson]

Paul,

My reference to whether they were ex soldiers, I quickly had a look at the first 6 listed for the RWF. They are;

5535 Reginald Bodenham, 6 years Army Reserve (Special Reservists) 18/8 1914

5920 George Henry Bolton, 1 yrs service Special Reserve,2/9/1914 3rd Bn, time expired

6008 William Borthwick, 1 yrs service Special Reserve, 3/9/1914, 3rd Bn, time expired

6129 Stephen Boyes, 1 yrs service Special reserve, 18/9/1914, 3rd Bn, ex volunteers

5730 Ernest Burland, 6 yrs Army Reserve (Special Reservists), 24/8/1914

6378 William Chick, 1 yrs service Special reserve, 4/11/1914, 3rd Bn, ex RWF invalided out

Not by any means conclusive, but it would suggest to me that further research into just the 3rd Bn may show only those men who had previously served were being signed up for the 3rds.

Kevin

[Marc Thompson]

Not by any means conclusive, but it would suggest to me that further research into just the 3rd Bn may show only those men who had previously served were being signed up for the 3rds.

As stated, further research is merited but this appears consistent with the majority of men who joined the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment (3/Hants). From the service papers that I have looked at these are primarily former T of E men and thus no youngsters. For example, 3/5328 Pte Edward House (former East Yorks Regt T of E) was 57 when he enlisted with 3/Hants on 07/11/1914. The majority of men that I have come across are in their early forties.

In answer to Paul's questions:

1. The highest Special Reserve number on my database for the Hampshire Regiment is 3/5354 28/11/1914. However, there is the odd anomaly that falls completely outside of the number range e.g. 3/9173 Sgt J. F. Cleall. Interesting to note that up until April 1915 the Regimental Journal continued to carry an advert for "Good Men Now Wanted for 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion, Hampshire Regt" but I can find no evidence that any men were given SR numbers after November 1914. From May 1915 adverts in the Journal changed and sought men to "Enlist for the period of the War" and promised extra pay for those that had previous service in the Regular Army, Special Reserve, Territorial Force, Volunteers or Militia.

2. I can't answer your question, only provide some anecdotal evidence which is that the Hampshire Regimental Journal continued to refer to the Special Reserve Battalion well into 1915 and only seems to have stopped producing articles on the "doings of the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion" as a result of censorship thanks to the 1915 Defence of the Realm Act.

Marc

[Paul Nixon]

Kevin

Thanks for digging around the RWF. I've not analysed in detail, the composition of the SR battalions post August 1914. Certainly in those early days of the war though, the SR battalions in general seem to have accepted all comers - time expired regulars and newcomers alike. In fact I'm pretty sure I've seen a thread on GWF along the lines of, "If you were volunteering for King and Country, why would you join the Special Reserve?" But it would seem to make sense, as the weeks progressed, to be a little more systematic about allocating men to appropriate battalions - and amend the terms of service accordingly.

You see the same thing happening with the TF - those older men well into their forties and fifties and sixties, forming the supernumerary companies which would guard railway statiuons and the like.

As you say, worthy of further analysis.

Paul

[Paul Nixon]

Grumpy, yes - I'd also like to see the ACIs or AO (Im never really sure of the distinction between the two) dealing with the creation of those additional regular bns - for some regiments - during the South African War, and their knock-on effect on the militia bns. However, that's a topic for another forum.

[Paul Nixon]

mhifle

Thanks for the Connaughts numbers.

The Connaught Rangers along with The Leinster Regiment, The Royal Irish Fusiliers, The Royal Irish Regiment, The Royal Irish Rifles and The Royal Munster Fusiliers all appear to have maintained their Special and Extra Reserve number series throughout the war. My data for these regiments currently runs out in late 1916 but certainly up until that point, the number series appear to be intact.

Paul

[Paul Nixon]

Marc

Thanks too, for you observations; very interesting. 5354 beats my previous highest by a month and 8 days - 3/5238 Arthur Brambley on the 20th October 1914 (record in WO 364).

Paul

[mhifle]

Hi,

Here are the numbers I have collected

Regards Mark

3rd (Special Reserve Battalion)

1481 1897 Feb 11

1492 1897 April

2523 1908 July

2766 1908 July

3081 1908 July

3255 1908 Aug 2

3491 1908 Sept 14

3587 1908 Dec

3725 1910 March 30

3743 1910 April

3744 1910 May

3771 1910 Aug 9

3779 1910 Oct 1

3816 1910 Nov 14

3859 1911 Jan

3861 1911 Feb

3947 1911 Aug

3962 1911 Oct

3986 1911 Dec 12

4093 1912 Aug 29

4106 1912 Sep 30

4126 1912 Nov 15

4155 1913 Jan 21

4181 1913 April 1

4190 1912 Dec 25

4211 1913 July

4216 1913 Aug

4264 1914 Jan 23

4325 1914 Aug

4344 1914 Oct 3

4438 1914 Sep 26

4445 1914 Sep 26

4456 1914 Sep 26

4483 1914 Oct 7

4468 1914 Sep 28

4506 1914 Oct 12

4610 1914 Oct 23

4659 1914 Oct

4733 1914 Nov

4744 1914 Nov 4

4764 1914 Nov 2

4767 1914 Nov 3

4768 1914 Nov

4790 1914 Nov

4811 1914 Nov 6

4817 1914 Nov 5

4998 1914 Nov

5026 1914 Nov

5112 1914 Nov

5118 1914 Dec 1

5143 1914 Dec 31

5222 1914 Dec 9

5265 1915 Jan

5271 1915 Jan

5430 1915 March

5479 1915 March

5643 1915 April 7

5651 1915 April

5692 1915 April

5694 1915 April 20

5764 1915 April 28

5789 1915 May

5816 1915 May 8

5824 1915 May 14

5827 1915 May 19

5855 1915 May 14

5940 1915 May

5949 1915 May 28

5962 1915 May

5986 1915 April

6019 1915 June

6062 1915 June

6069 1915 Jan

6095 1915 May

6200 1915 June 2

6255 1915 June 17

6268 1915 June

6315 1915 June 19

6377 1915 July

6479 1915 July 19

6509 1915 July 23

6528 1915 July 26

6529 1915 July 27

6601 1915 Aug 10

6679 1915 Aug 16

6706 1915 Aug 19

6753 1915 Aug 4

6770 1915 Aug

6844 1915 Sept 7

6909 1915 Oct

6941 1915 Nov 2

7037 1915 Dec 6

7076 1915 Sept 6

7091 1915 Oct

7203 1915 June 22

7206 1917 Jan

7251 1916 Jan 30

7285 1916 Feb 2

7287 1916 Feb 14

7308 1916 Feb 21

7309 1917 Feb

7339 1916 Jan 3

7371 1916 March 7

7377 1916 March 13

7380 1916 March 17

7403 1916 March 21

7553 1916 May

7580 1916 June 9

7664 1916 June

7672 1916 Feb

7688 1916 March 2

7705 1916 March 2

7727 1916 March 2

7843 1916 Nov 14

7941 1917 Jan 31

8001 1917 March

8020 1917 March 30

8089 1917 May 24

8185 1917 July 23

8249 1917 Oct 27

8310 1918 Jan

8315 1918 Jan 21

8494 1918 July 10

9110 1919 Apr

4th (Extra Special Reserve Battalion)

2613 1899 Apr 3 (5th Bn)

3102 1904 Jan (5th Bn)

3325 1905 Apr (5th Bn)

3540 1906 June (5th Bn)

3791 1907 Oct (5th Bn)

3812 1907 Nov (5th Bn)

4048 1907 Aug 3

4075 1908 May 23

4082 1909 Jan

4145 1909 July

4157 1908 Aug

4216 1910 Jan 1

4218 1910 Jan

4308 1910 Dec 7

4342 1911 Jan 10

4381 1911 Jan

4390 1911 Jan 18

4443 1911 April 13

4444 1911 April

4484 1911 Sept 11

4517 1911 Nov

4530 1911 Nov 11

4546 1911 Nov 24

4588 1912 March 23

4603 1912 April 2

4610 1913 Jan

4676 1913 Jan 13

4711 1913 Feb 27

4732 1913 June

4735 1913 Aug

4736 1913 Aug

4738 1913 Aug

4739 1913 Aug 23

4769 1914 Jan 23

4786 1914 March 10

4803 1914 April 3

4806 1914 April 4

4820 1914 April 10

5149 1914 Dec 31

5173 1915 Jan 2

5475 1915 Jan 6

5493 1915 Jan 8

5568 1915 Jan 26

5574 1914 Aug

5616 1914 Aug 8

5665 1914 Sept 6

5669 1915 Feb

5680 1915 Feb 20

5684 1915 March 7

5759 1915 Aug 2

5802 1915 Sept 18

5815 1915 Sept 25

5898 1915 Oct 12

5926 1915 Oct 26

6033 1915 Nov 17

6175 1915 Dec 11

6215 1915 Dec 6

6291 1915 Dec

6343 1916 Jan

6517 1916 Feb 25

6554 1916 May 25

6570 1916 July 19

6587 1916 Aug 26

6607 1916 Oct 6

6622 1916 Oct 14

6644 1916 Nov 17

6668 1916 Dec 12

6682 1916 Sept 12

6694 1916 Jan 23

7535 1916 Aug 7

7840 1916 Nov 13

7849 1916 Nov

16 May 1918 absorbed by 3rd Battalion

[Paul Nixon]

Great, thanks a lot Mark. That's going to keep me amused for a bit.

[Muerrisch]

AOs versus ACIs.

In general AOs contain the heavyweight items, including Royal Warrants, formal amendments to existing Warrants, Manuals and King's Regs, together with lists [and some citations] of gallantry and Long Service medals, lists of officers accepted for Staff College, amendments to badges, promulgation of new badges.

Army Council Instructions in essence are published to clarify, modify, or tweak existing AOs, and deal with nitty-gritty rather than principles. Regimental Numbering, although important to the likes of us, was often dealt with as nitty-gritty and not that important. Hence the interst in ACis. If you look at the Langley/Stewart oeuvre, this distinction becomes apparent.

In modern times, ACIs and their equivalent are/ were designed to be ephemeral, to either self-destruct after a given period, or are routinely re-issued [with any necessary updates] after a stated period has elapsed.

[Paul Nixon]

I knew you'd know . Thank you.

[PPCLI]

1. What is the last / highest Special or Extra Reserve number on your database - that is, the number from the original 1908 series - and on what date was it issued?

Hi Paul,

For SR KOSB, the last identifiable men are:

8621 John Ward - enl. 13.05.15

8622 Edward Ward - 19.05.15

A/8623 William McClusky - 14.06.15

8624 James Townsley - 14.06.15

8625 Edmund S Furtwangler - 28.06.15 (transferred from 2nd A&SH #3/7235)

A/8626 - Thomas Sinton - 28.06.15

Cheers,

Stuart

[Graham Stewart]

Hi Paul - I've had no internet for a couple of days and so have just come across this post.

In reality we probably know a lot less about the Militia/Special Reserve/Extra Reserve Battalions during the period 1908 to 1920 than any of the others and you may find their numbering far more complex than anything as you've come across so far. Numbering for the Regulars, TF & New Armies(apart from duplications and lack of prefixes for some TF units) is pretty straight forward and appears to follow the guidelines as laid down in both ACI's & AO's.

The Militia/Special/Extra Reserve also seem to follow the same rules initially, but they do have a re-enlistment/transfer system that can throw everything into question.. To get to grips with that you need to read Militia Regulations and Regulations for the Special Reserve, some of which were transcribed in the booklet David and I produced. However we didn't have access to them all and they do appear to be the rarest to get your hands on, although I'm sure either the NA or NAM may hold copies of them.

You will also need to access War Office Instructions, which pre-date Army Council Instructions regarding the formation of the Special Reserve and Extra Reserve.

The Northumberlands like those other regiments we have had examples of, seem to continue numbering on the formation of the Special Reserve in 1908 and they continue steady numbering through the early war years. After the declaration of the war these do run out quite quickly and they then go onto five figure numbering, again with a 3/ prefix. So in their case I have a number range 3/4363 through to 3/22356.

The complication arise just like their regular counterparts in that it becomes evident that some are being drafted in from other units/areas and the comparison of numbers and dates of enlistment post-January 1915 goes clean out of the window because of this. Looking at what I have their independence regarding numbering seems to disappear around May 1915, when duplication becomes a problem throughout the system, but I have nothing solid to go on, because in some cases problems were seemingly solved with the sending of a telegram to regimental Depot's.

From what I gather a lot of material from the War Office was eventually transferred to Kew, which has never been sorted or catalogued, and doubtless within those documents/papers there may be other references to numbering.

[Muerrisch]

Totally agree Graham, except AOs were extant 1908 and the special order for the formation of SR and that for TF are in that series. AOs go back well before 1900.

Would it not be good to find an AO or ACI that said that direct recruiting into the SR would cease!!

In any case, with conscription, there would have been absolutely no war-time need.

[Paul Nixon]

Would it not be good to find an AO or ACI that said that direct recruiting into the SR would cease!!

Well, you never know. I'm going to start digging.

For SR KOSB, the last identifiable men are...

Thanks a lot Stuart - gosh it really petered out over those last few weeks didn't it?

[Paul Nixon]

Hello Graham

Thanks for your insights and pointers, as ever. Those regiments which lost a militia battalion when the SR and ER were introduced, are interesting to study in depth. I've touched on numbering in the 3rd RWF, and the Cheshire Regiment - which I was looking at earlier today - adopted the same principle: re-numbering the 4th (Militia) Bn men at the point at which numbering in the militia had stopped in early 1908. With the Cheshires though - and probably with other regiments as well - you do find men with no prior military service squeezed in between the old 3rd and 4th Militia men. For example:

7856 (Formerly 3rd Militia; his original 3rd Militia Bn) - attested 02/06/1908

7860 (No prior Service) - attested 22nd Jan 1908

7867 (No prior Service) - attested 29th Jan 1908

7876 (Formerly 4th Militia, original number unknown) - attested 3rd Feb 1908

The other thing to note here is that the majority of 3rd Bn men have their attestation date as the 2nd June 1908. If I remember correctly, wasn't there a grace period during which time men already serving in the militia could attest with the SR? There was a thread here on GWF about this at one point but I'm blowed if I can find it. Presumably, old 4th Militia Bn Cheshire Regiment men were treated the same as a normal recruit and were just given the next number in the old 3rd Bn series, whereas the 3rd Bn men were allowed to retain their old numbers provided they attested before 2nd June. (There's a good deal of guesswork in that last sentence).