Numbering of Units - explanation needed

[seetomorrowtoday]

Simple explanation required please of how WW1 regiments were numbered.

Researching a chap in Gloucester Regiment. Name William Beecroft who was a

private and had an early number of 5917, later made 267161. He was described

as being in 2/6th Gloucesters and I understand he was a territorial volunteer.

Now Gloucesters had usual 1: 2: 3 battalions. then territorial battalions, then

service battalions, i see the page on this site - but exactly what does 2/6 mean ?

Is it 2nd battalion, 6th battalion/company or what is the unit of 6 ? company or

battalion. and why do you have 2/6 but others are say 17th ?

Can't get my head around this one.

[Guest]

2/6th means 2nd line of the 6th battalion. It is all in The Long Long Trail

Infantry battalion

Also well worth study Paul Nixons Army Numbering Blog Click

Mike

[kenf48]

As Mike says 2/6th was the second line and the style of numbering was peculiar to Territorial Force Units. It appears you've seen the Gloucestershire Regiment on the LLT and as Mike notes it is all there but with so much information it can be difficult to navigate.

The TF structure is here

http://www.1914-1918.net/tf.htm

Prior to 1914 the Gloucestershire Regiment had three TF Battalions, numbered sequentially from the Regular Battalions so there was the 4th (City of Bristol); 5th with HQ in Gloucester and the 6th which had its HQ in Bristol at St Michael's Hill.

When war was declared a man could volunteer for either a regular battalion, a TF unit or a Kitchener or New Army Battalion. The TF was originally for Home Service or defence but as in the LLT piece a fair number (but not all) volunteered to serve overseas.

In August 1914 It would be normal for men to go to the local Drill Hall to volunteer and it was soon realised the numbers meant there would need to be a training or reserve Battalion made up of new recruits, those who had not volunteered to serve overseas and those who were too young or too old for active service to supplement the existing TF Battalions. This was designated the 'second line' or in the case of your recruit the 2/6th, also raised at St Michael's Hill. The 2nd line, or 'reserve' battalion as it was sometimes called in the press could be used to bring the 1/6th Battalion up to strength for overseas service or replacements for casualties. Eventually the 2/6th also went on active service and a third line Battalion was created i.e. the 3/6th, in 1915

The 17th was anomalous in that it was formed following a major reorganisation of Home Defence units in 1917 by which time direct enlistment to the TF had ceased with the Military Service Act and conscription. It was designated the 17th which was the next sequential number for the Gloucestershire Regiment after the New Army or 'Service' for 'war service' 'Battalions, the first of these being the 7th.

Ken

[simon2]

As a additional note your man was either with the;

2/5th Battalion - Breuil 25/3/18

51st Div - Warlencourt 25/3/18

24th Entrenching Battalion - Montauban 25/3/18

when he was killed.

The 2/6th ceased to exist from the 20/2/1918 and apart from a handful of select SNCO's the remainder of

R & F, NCO's, SNCO's and Officers were transfered;

7/2/1918 -- 150 Other Ranks to 2/5th Battalion

8/2/1918 -- 350 Other Ranks + 10 Officers to 51st Division (unsure as to what unit within)

11/2/1918 -- 8 Officers to 2/5th Battalion

20/2/1918 -- Remainder of the Battalion to the 24th Entrenching Battalion.

As far as I am aware (unable to provide written confirmation) they stayed on the books of the Glosters, maybe

because of the situation at the time, admin wasn't one of the priorities or it was a redeployment and it was easier

to leave as is. Perhaps his medal roll may enlighten further.

Simon

[purley]

Simple explanation required please of how WW1 regiments were numbered.

Researching a chap in Gloucester Regiment. Name William Beecroft who was a

private and had an early number of 5917, later made 267161. He was described

as being in 2/6th Gloucesters and I understand he was a territorial volunteer.

Now Gloucesters had usual 1: 2: 3 battalions. then territorial battalions, then

service battalions, i see the page on this site - but exactly what does 2/6 mean ?

Is it 2nd battalion, 6th battalion/company or what is the unit of 6 ? company or

battalion. and why do you have 2/6 but others are say 17th ?

Can't get my head around this one.

Prior to the war most county regiments had a home and an away infantry battalion of regulars - 1st and 2nd battalions - the men who served in these used a number series which started at 1 in 1881 and had reached around 10000 by 1914. They also had a Special Reserve battalion which had its own numbering system started in 1908 and usually prefixed by 3/ to distinguish them from regulars. There were also territorial battalions numbered 4,5 6 - each had 8 companies based in towns in the county. each of these battalions had their own numbering system again starting at 1 in 1908.

When the war started the special reservists were called up and generally used their 3/ numbers but often forgot to use the prefix. The territorial battalions each split into lines eg 1/4th, 2/4h and 3/4th and new recruits were numbered carrying on from where each battalion had got to by 1914. Kitchener men were given numbers in the regular series.

Very soon it was possible for the same regiment to have say five men all with a number like 4200, one an older regular, one a special reservist, and one each from the 4th 5th and 6th battalions this was highly confusing to say the least. so in 1917 the 4th battalion men were renumbered from 200001, the 5th from 260001 etc

By this time most of the special reservists were either dead or had re-engaged with a regular series number and the Derby men had simply carried on using the regular series

in 1920 they renumbered all the men in 7 digit numbers and by 1940 they were using 8 digit numbers which they still use today.

hope that explains things for you. some regiments used variants, like adding a G/ before their number but you can always ignore such prefixes. Other Corps like the RAMC had numbering series for each company so overall it could get very confusing especially when men from one of the Corps was attached to an infantry battalion.

John

[seetomorrowtoday]

Thanks Gents, your'e a mine of information, but I just couldn't understand this one but now I see.

For the record, William G Beecroft, no. 267161, was kia on 25th Mar 1918 and comemorated at

Pozieres cemetery. As you say despite his records saying 2/6th it is apparent that he must have

been transferred prior to this.

He was from Wallasey in Cheshire and had no connections with Gloucestershire, I would have expected

him to have been in The Cheshire's or Kings Liverpool.

[kenf48]

[quote name="bodger51" post="2250780" timestamp="1428950499

He was from Wallasey in Cheshire and had no connections with Gloucestershire, I would have expected

him to have been in The Cheshire's or Kings Liverpool.

There was draft of soldiers transferred from the Norfolk Regiment to the 2/6th Gloucester Regiment vide WO telegram 2298 T.F. on 18 May 1916 ~ see service record 5933/267176 Lockwood. This is evidence men were being posted into the Battalion to bring it up to prior to going on active service later that month. I can't find any other men from Birkenhead, though I did find a Derby Scheme man from Leamington posted around this time though he was not fit enough to go overseas.

Ken