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Remembered Today:

Royal Sussex Regiment confusing service number


tjp28blue

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Hello

Grateful for any help from the RSR experts out there. According to his medal card Private William Wadey had two service numbers. Firstly 2211, which I assume was the number given to him when he first enlisted perhaps into a Territorial battalion of the RSR. His second number, when he is with the 1st/5th (Pioneer) Batttalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment, is TF/200499 which was probably allocated to him in 1917 during renumbering.

My query is that this second number appears to be in the range originally allocated to the 4th Battalion RSR in early September 1914. Could Private Wadey have been posted to the 4th after training then transferred to 1/5? Not sure when in 1917 the renumbering occurred but Pte Wadey was killed at Ypres on 15th September 1917.

I am very new to military research and any help or suggestions would be most welcome.

Regards,

TJP28blue

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Could Private Wadey have been posted to the 4th after training then transferred to 1/5?

I would say its unlikely - the TF prefix has been added to the 6 digit number to show that it is a territorial number. Most 6 digit territorial numbers were not prefixed so it would appear that they did so in this case to ensure that the Territorial men were not confused with the 4th battalion men.

Not sure when in 1917 the renumbering occurred but Pte Wadey was killed at Ypres on 15th September 1917.

Usually around February or March 1917

Craig

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You are probably going to need the Medal Roll to confirm it, but, not having Ancestry, I did a quick bit of number crunching using the National Archives medal index listings and it looks like he was originally 4th Battalion.

4/2199 = 200493

4/2200 = 200494

2205 = 200495

2211 = 200499

4/2213 = 200501

4/2214 = 200502

4/2216 = 200503

His joining date would appear to be late September 1914, according to Paul Nixon.

The 1917 re-numbering is fraught with complications as regards subsequent transfers and postings, but it would appear that he retained his 4th Bn number. The 5th were also Territorials and I am assuming that they retained their TF identity after becoming a Pioneer Battalion.

My grandfather was originally a 4th Bn man, but was renumbered with a General Service number (pre-1917) on being transferred to a Service Battalion.

Phil

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Phil,

Many thanks for your researched reply. Your paired numbering is most impressive. Unfortunately the medal roll does not help, it gives the two numbers but refers only to the Royal Sussex Regiment with no mention of battalions.

Thanks

TJP

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Phil

Thanks for the image of your grandfather's roll. The card I am taking my info from for Pte Wadey is the pink coloured medal card available via ancestry. Yours seems to be something else. Grateful for the details of what it is and where I might go to find similar, hopefully with the missing detail.

Regards,

TJP

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The card I am taking my info from for Pte Wadey is the pink coloured medal card available via ancestry. Yours seems to be something else. Grateful for the details of what it is and where I might go to find similar, hopefully with the missing detail.

TJP

Phil's entry is from the Medal Roll, your card from Ancestry is the Index Card for the Medal Roll and not the actual Medal Roll itself.

The reference on the card "E/2/101 B14 Page 3108" needs translating into the relevant reference for the Medal Roll Ledger (only viewable at National Archives, Kew) which in this instance happens to be page 3108 of WO 329/1256 . Hopefully the entry in the actual Medal Roll will show similar detail to that which Phil posted.

Regards

Steve

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Steve,

Can't thank you enough for the clarification. I am something of a novice when it comes to The National Archives reference system, but with your explanation I can go on to find more detail about several other soldiers I am researching. This is all part of a village project to commemorate the beginning of WW1 next year.

Many thanks and regards,

TJP

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