RGA- Roll Number Indentify Regiment

[MikeYorks]

Good morning,

 

I am wanting a bit of advice on medal role numbers and whether they relate to the regiment they served.  My great grandad served in the Royal Garrison Artillery and has a medal number RGA/204B. Do this mean he served for the 204th Battery??  I'm just wanting to link him to a regiment so I can research his journey during the war. 

 

Attached are the documents I have. 

 

Kind Regards 

Michael 

[Mark1959]

The roll number does not aid unit identification. The roll number is a clerical ref number. The card is an index card. The roll number on the card acted as a lookup ref; in an index book. This index book would then say the roll number is medal roll NNN and you would pick that roll off the shelf. 10482 is then the page number which you see top right above. 

Sometimes the soldier's number gives a clue as to unit. But no expert on that side of things

I followed the above system 1000s of times at the AMO.

Edited 17 November , 2019 by Mark1959

[MikeYorks]

Thank you Mark.  Sorry for the stupid questions but is it possible that the men on the medal list were in his regiment even though its not stated. I've just looked up a couple of men around him and found information on them relating to the same battery. 

 

Kind Regards 

Mike

[MaxD]

3 hours ago, MikeYorks said:

looked up a couple of men around him and found information on them relating to the same battery. 

 

Could you say who these were?  I've done a similar exercise for numbers near to his and found no consistency apart from the fact they the majority served in Siege Batteries of the Royal Garrison Artillery.

 

Max.

[charlie962]

Mike,

 

His number was issued in July 1917 and he will have been posted to No4 Depot RGA to start his training.

 

Similar Service numbers give this information but cannot be relied on for subsequent movements. They all went their different ways.

e.g

175391 E Taylor  attested 2/3/16,                                         then mobilized 14/7/17 , allocated svc no  and posted to No4 Depot RGA

175394 F Harris attested 4/2/16, was trf'd to reserve 5/2/16 then Mobilized 13/7/16 when he would have been allocated his RGA number. Posted No4Depot RGA

175395 T Johnson....

175399 WS Randle attested 25/11/15, trf'd to reserve 26/11/15, Mobilized 12/7/16       ditto                ditto

 

 

There is a scrap of paper on FindmyPast, misfiled as 175393 T Johnson which shows him in UK July 1918. Pt II orders, I think, for 24 Lancs & Cheshire Fire Command.

Notes him as CB 13/7/18-16/7/18.  This may mean confined to barracks ? Needs more work  to decode.

 

Charlie

 

 

 

Edited 17 November , 2019 by charlie962

[MaxD]

Good find Charlie.  The CB is Crosby Battery one of the four sub units of 24 Lancs and Cheshire Fire Command two others of that list are WB and SB -  S was Seaforth and the other I haven't found yet but is irrelevant anyway.

 

An earlier thread notes that 24 Lancs etc was not formed until late 1918 and there is the suggestion that many men were from Siege Batteries back from France.

 

I think we have his beginning as you find and the end, nothing in between  though.

 

Max

[charlie962]

Couldn't see him on Pension Cards nor on SWB so not sure why he came back early. Perhaps OP has something ? What was his age ? What was his trade ?

 

charlie

[MikeYorks]

Wow Charlie & Max thank you so much for your time.  In a 1911 census his profession was a boiler fireman so your findings are amazing.  After the war he worked on blast furness'.  He was born in Ilkeston Derbyshire 1889 but moved around, Durham and then I think he was in Halifax, Yorkshire when conscripted. He lived rest of his life in South Yorkshire. I have his two medals.  I Will keep looking for other clues that may help. 

[charlie962]

Could he be one of those recalled as more usefull as a blast furness operator than a Gunner. So kept on the RGA books but perhaps working at a Steel Plant or Foundry?