Regimental Numbers in Devon Regiment.

[Chris 52.]

Hi,

I have been looking into 1/6th Devon Regiment. My Grandfather, Frederick Joseph ELLIOTT served in 1/6th Devons and Regimental Number was 3832. Did each Battalion use it's own numbers? I have found another soldier Private Frank Hannable HAMMELL whose number was 3831 but no mention of Battalion. I have also found another soldier Private Frederick HUGGINS whose number was 3833 but is known to have served in the 1/5th Battalion until discharged through sickness. Would appreciate any help on this.

[ss002d6252]

21 minutes ago, Chris 52. said:

Hi,

I have been looking into 1/6th Devon Regiment. My Grandfather, Frederick Joseph ELLIOTT served in 1/6th Devons and Regimental Number was 3832. Did each Battalion use it's own numbers? I have found another soldier Private Frank Hannable HAMMELL whose number was 3831 but no mention of Battalion. I have also found another soldier Private Frederick HUGGINS whose number was 3833 but is known to have served in the 1/5th Battalion until discharged through sickness. Would appreciate any help on this.

Each territorial battalion within a regiment had it's own numbering system starting from #1. Regular battalions had another sequence and special reservists sometimes used the regular sequence and sometimes had their own sequence. There was no single 'army number' until the 1920's although in early 1917 the territorial numbers were altered so that each territorial in the same regiment would have a unique number within that regiment.

 

Craig

[Chris 52.]

Thanks for your help. I did confirm what I suspected.

[PRC]

1 hour ago, Chris 52. said:

Hi,

I have been looking into 1/6th Devon Regiment. My Grandfather, Frederick Joseph ELLIOTT served in 1/6th Devons and Regimental Number was 3832. Did each Battalion use it's own numbers? I have found another soldier Private Frank Hannable HAMMELL whose number was 3831 but no mention of Battalion. I have also found another soldier Private Frederick HUGGINS whose number was 3833 but is known to have served in the 1/5th Battalion until discharged through sickness.

 

While there is a potential renumbering from the 383* set of service numbers into the 201*** series, they seem to relate to 1st/4th and 2nd/4th Battalion men.

 

More likely to be relevant are those men who renumbered into the 2670** service number block.

 

3831 Henry W Barham became 267008

3835 Geo R Fifield became 267011

3836 Christopher F Dimon became 267012

3838 Walter Hardwick became 267014

 

267007 William Stumbles then served Labour Corps, 267010 was Samuel Wakley. A change of corps \ regiment is more likely to see the first service number missed \ dropped from the Medal Index Card and the associated Service Medal Roll. Wakley may simply be an admin error.

 

Men in the 2670** service number range who died include

267000 Alexander David Puttee, 1st/6th Bn, died 19/03/1919

267018 William Cooper, 1st/6th Bn, died 08/03/1916

267030 J J Terdre, 1st/6th Bn 05/10/1918

267063 R Sparkes 1st/6th Bn, died 05/06/1919

267089 A H Fleming, 1st/6th Bn, died 04/06/1917

 

William Cooper is an interesting example. Although the 2670* service number range didn’t come into use until the spring of 1917, it looks like numbers were allocated to men who had previously died.

 

I see your grandfather has no known grave and is remembered on the Basra Memorial. Was he originally recorded as missing? I can’t see a missing persons enquiry held by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

 

In the case of the Norfolk Regiment Territorial Battalions I know that new numbers were allocated to men whose fate were not known, particularly those who were prisoners of the Turks. This can make life very confusing as the Red Cross paperwork is in their original service number which was what the men would have known – they would have been totally unaware of their “new” service number.

 

So potentially your grandfather could have been allocated  a new service number - 267009.

 

Hope that helps,

Peter

 

[Chris 52.]

Hello Peter,

 

Thanks for your reply. My Grandfather was a Plymouth man and logically would have served in the 1/5th however he was in the 1/6th, a battalion comprising mainly North Devon men.

My Grandfather was not reported missing - although Atkinson's Regimental History records him as having died - he was actually accidentally killed. I have a photocopy of the letter my Grandmother received and also a Death Certificate both confirming this. On the day of his death the battalion was at Camp Orah. The C.W.G.C.state that after the war they were unable to locate his grave; hence his name on the Basra Memorial. The family claim that he was shot by accident by one of ours.

 

Many thanks   Chris

 

[ddycher]

Chris

 

His 6th Devons number was issued to him on his transfer to the 6th Devons in January 1916. He died before the 6 digit numbers were issued. I still think this on him joining the 3/6th from 3rd Devons. This conjecture based on the men around his numbers who have been located. Have still not found anything to confirm his whereabouts before being drafted to the 2/6th in Mesopotamia though. 

 

Regards

Dave

[Chris 52.]

Hello Dave,

Thanks for your latest, It is interesting that you think he was in the 3rd Devons. The plot thickens. The photograph that I have of him were taken in Plymouth in 1914 along with his brothers, it was the only photograph of all three in uniform. The youngest, in Marine uniform, was not in Plymouth after August 1914, the other brother was in Kent shortly after and was discharged in December 1914. [My grandfather is the one standing behind the older man]

 

Chris