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service Number


STANSGRANDS

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Hello would anyone know if a soldier was signed off as unfit in 1903 could he enroll prior to the great war again ? and if so would he retain his old service number

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Yes, he could indeed re-enlist providing he met the current age/fitness criteria.

No, he would not resume his former number - he'd be issued with a current one.

Clive

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Ah Thank you unfortunately that puts a spanner in the works for my investigation on my G/G Grandfather .but , thank you for informing me Kind regards

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not always true, the Coldstream Guards I know for a fact on many occasions gave old soldiers their number back - even if it was already given to another man - a B prefix was used on the old soldiers number. There is always the exception to the rule.

A specific example is a man discharged due to canine of teeth in 1900 - in 1914 he renlisted and got his old number back

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Thank you coldstreamer so would that mean that the service number can be identified from where he was enlisted - renlisted

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generally speaking yes - if you mean when not where

post all the details you know inc name regiment number etc

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Look, its old hand writing! Well I always thought he must had had dog teeth or something ! Thanks for correcting me - really did LOL :w00t:

the one I refer to (Pte Dogtooth) is 2407 Stephenson

if you want a B number then 8702 Large (enlisted 1890ish) was serving in ww1 art same time as 8702 Garnett (at one point I had medals to both men)

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Coldstreamer.

Yes I can see again why a prefix was needed:

The following is from Paul Nixon's invaluable site. To a purist it is as it were not a number reissued but a consequence of new series reached at 9999. So in my mind it is 1881/8702 then later 1895/8702.

I expect you know all this but others less well-informed might be interested.

5166 joined on 16th August 1881
5243 joined on 30th January 1882
5426 joined on 27th January 1883
6058 joined on 8th March 1884
6469 joined on 20th January 1885
6846 joined on 3rd March 1886
7113 joined on 7th March 1887
7391 joined on 6th March 1888
7628 joined on 31st January 1889
8039 joined on 28th March 1890
8438 joined on 14th April 1891
9095 joined on 1st June 1892
9498 joined on 24th June 1893
9727 joined on 12th February 1894

The Coldstream Guards reached number 9999 in 1895 and so, in accordance with Queen's Regulations, immediately commenced a new series from 1.

130 joined on 22nd June 1895
400 joined on 7th February 1896
773 joined on 22nd January 1897
1327 joined on 8th January 1898
2521 joined on 6th March 1899
3212 joined on 10th January 1900
4036 joined on 28th January 1901
4526 joined on 8th January 1902
5068 joined on 2nd April 1903
5314 joined on 1st January 1904
5969 joined on 3rd January 1905
6617 joined on 14th February 1906
7106 joined on 23rd January 1907
7617 joined on 13th January 1908
8251 joined on 9th January 1909
8577 joined on 10th January 1910
9086 joined on 25th April 1911
9438 joined on 22nd January 1912
9934 joined on 6th January 1913
10549 joined on 14th January 1914

The First World War

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11366 joined on 1st September 1914
13101 joined on 5th October 1914
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16068 joined on 13th May 1915
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16508 joined on 31st July 1915
16584 joined on 3rd August 1915
16844 joined on 9th September 1915
17066 joined on 3rd November 1915
17592 joined on 9th December 1915
17778 joined on 17th January 1916
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19959 joined on 3rd November 1916
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22532 joined on 8th January 1918
23117 joined on 16th March 1918
23563 joined on 10th April 1918
28053 joined on 13th May 1918

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I didn't know the older ones as only recently moved into other areas of coldstream history.

Any way, we digress and await standsgrand telling us who his man is

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For info there have been/ are seven organic infantry-wide number series for the regular soldiers.

The following is the work of Langley & Stewart.

NB Because different regiments had different and varying numbers of battalions, and recruiting rates varied with time, the intro. of a new series under one of the seven umbrella series varied widely

1829.

Introduced by Horse Guards Order November. To number by length of service in corps, starting at 1., but at least one regiment continued an old series from c. 1805.

1856.

Circular 1238 9th September. New series from 1st October 1856. No attempt to renumber old soldiers. Numbers are battalion numbers, not regimental, hence duplication within a regiment.

1873.

QR section 23. paragraph 25. ‘Brigade numbers’ …. eg 35B/xxxx for new recruits, and a regimental prefix eg 23/xxxx for those soldiers numbered in the previous series. These prefixes not universally used, even on medal rolls. Very dificult to pick bones out of this series.

1881.

1st July 1881. Numbers 1. to 9999. No renumbering. The 1881 Order has not been traced but GO 44 February 1882 repeated the change. A few regiments extremely late to change. Top limit raised to 19999 by KR 1904 provisional Paragraph 2144. Army Order 453 of November 1914 amended this again, to run the regimental numbers series to 39999. This limit was not, in fact, applied.

1920.

AO 338 of 9th August 1920 introduced ‘army numbers’, allocated in blocks to corps, no distinction between regular, Militia or Territorial Army. Every soldier serving on that date renumbered. Number retained even on transfer to a different corps.

1942.

Introduction of General Service Corps (GSC) Special AO 18th February 1942. All new entrants to pass into GSC and be given a GS number, starting 14200001. No renumbering of serving soldiers. Large blocks issued to various corps and locations, and no strict time sequence.

2007

Introduction of Joint Personnel Administration on 1st April, one series of numbers, issued in sequence to all new entrants of all three services. Starting at 30000000. Officers included in series for first time.

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Ok here go,s I hope there is some logic to this .My G. Grandfather Franklyn Walker Mackenzie was discharged in 1903 his service number was 15259 however .we the family were told he died in India as records show a Frank Mackenzie of the 1st Garrison Cameronians service number 24126 was buried in a graveyard near Deli in 1918 aged 43 .now here where it becomes confusing 24126 mackenzie was 10 years older than 15259 franklyn Mackenzie (is this a clerical error) secondly franklyn mackenzie 15259 did move to isle of sheppey to marry my G Grandmother .so is it possible that he did re enlist . finally would anyone know what regiment service number 15259 belong to ?

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Could be any one, numbers not unique until the 1920s

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  • Admin

Soldier's effects show L/ Cpl 24126 Mckenzie died at Meerut and his administration was dealt with by the 7th (Meerut) Division. Meerut was an established garrison town to the North of Delhi so I guess that's where they were stationed although Garrison Battalions would undertake duties across a wider area within the District.

His widow was Mildred Beatrice.

Ken

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probably off the soldiers effect s details on ancestry

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probably off the soldiers effect s details on ancestry

Confirmed, thanks. Incidentally you can use the information therein to find his enlistment date.

If you have access this is the link

http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/60506/42511_6129999_0146-00152?pid=203882&backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3d1%26db%3dUKArmyRegistersEffects%26gss%3dangs-d%26new%3d1%26rank%3d1%26msT%3d1%26gsfn%3dFrank%2b%26gsln%3dMcKenzie%26MSAV%3d1%26uidh%3dyi4%26pcat%3d39%26fh%3d6%26h%3d203882%26recoff%3d3%2b4%26ml_rpos%3d7&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true

I suspect it was influenza, or pneumonia as a consequence that caused his death. You should be able to obtain a death certificate to confirm.

Ken

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His war gratuity shows £24 was paid - this indicates 50 months qualifying service of at the time of death and would suggest September 1914 for enlistment.

Craig

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For info there have been/ are seven organic infantry-wide number series for the regular soldiers....1829......1856....1873....1881.....1920.....1942.....2007....

No October(?) 1950 number change - 22000000 and upwards in chronological order???

Dave

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Wow Thanks Craig god knows how you guys can work out these things brilliant Thanks again

I have a website on it, if you're interested - http://wargratuity.wordpress.com/

What I should have added to the previous post is that there can be an error of up to 1 month short in the estimate (due to the way it was calculated) which can push it back to August 14 on occasions.

Craig

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Thanks Craig interesting stuff, hell of a difference in gratuity form my old G Grandads and what the generals got considering the amount of blunders they caused

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