Service numbers prefixed with an S

[tonya1]

Hi

Can anyone tell me what the S in front of a service numbers means or stands for?  I have noted men with identical service numbers in the same scottish regiment, one with an S and one without. 

Thanks in advance.

[GWF1967]

9 minutes ago, tonya1 said:

Hi

Can anyone tell me what the S in front of a service numbers means or stands for?  I have noted men with identical service numbers in the same scottish regiment, one with an S and one without. 

Thanks in advance.

According to The Long Long Trail, it indicates a General Service enlistment. 
https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/letter-prefixes-to-british-soldiers-numbers-in-the-first-world-war/

[tonya1]

Thanks for the quick response.  So if someone is in the Seaforth Highlanders with an S prefix it just means general service; just like others with the same number but without a prefix? Or the ones without the prefix S might, or might not have been in general service as it doesn't specify anything else instead?

Thanks

[RussT]

I think you will find in this case that the S/ prefix refers to a Highland Regiment enlistee during WW1, which itself will be normally be for General Service.

Sometimes a record might appear without the S/ prefix so you have to careful.

Regards

Russ

[RussT]

If you find, within the same Regiment, two men with the same number with and without the S/ prefix it can mean a number of things.

The one without the S/ could well be pre-war regular soldier using a number series different to one being used for general service commenced during the war.

Also it might be because the one without the S/ might have joined a Territorial Battalion within the Regiment. The TF used their own numbering systems.

Russ

[tonya1]

Thanks everyone for your help. 

So this is now my conundrum.  I have just bought some pre- war or wartime hose tops numbered SEA 7377.  They also have a date of 8 ##. I am inclined to think it is 8 98 as I don't think they still stamped items in this format in 8 28 as I understand this ended in about 1915.  The first enlistment date for 7377 is about 1900-1902.  In the National Archives there are 2 men noted with service number 7377;

N. Mackenzie, 3 7377 , Lance Corporal 2nd Seaforth Highlanders and

Daniel Torrance S/7377 (9th Battalion) who died as a POW in July 1916 having arrived in France on 10/05/1915.

If anyone has any thoughts on which of these my hose could have belonged to, or any information of either of these gentlemen it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Tony

 

 

 

 

 

[RussT]

The prefix 3/ indicates that the man joined the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion, which had their own numbering series.

A man with the number 3/7377 would have joined at the end of July 1913 - indeed he has a Silver War Badge and the Roll for that tells you he enlisted 31/07/1913

The prefix S/ was explained in previous posts above.

A man with the number S/7377 would have joined in early February 1915.

Hope that helps with your quest.

Regards

Russ

[tonya1]

Thanks Russ for all your help.

That's extremely useful.