Royal Engineers Numbers Batch Allocations

[Stebie9173]

I have two relatives who served in the Royal Engineers.

One was my Great-Grandfather, Herbert Beeby 71127 who arrived in France in October 1915. Being over 40 years old at the outbreak of war, I assume that his allocation to RE was as much on the basis of age as on his prior profession (Brickyard worker). I have no details of his unit from either MIC, medal rolls or local newspapers. He served from start to finish in apparently the same unit.

From previous topics here I have gathered that there was a certain amount of batch allocation of numbers. Would anyone have any idea what "batch" this number might have been allocated to, if any?

My second question refers to his son, Walter Beeby, who served in the 6th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment in France from July 1915. By May 1917 he was definitely in the 12th Divisional Signal Company Royal Engineers (from the local newspapers recording his elder brothers death at Arras) and in which he later won his MM, gazetted July 1918.

His RE number was 236948. Would this number have still been allocated on a batch basis, or where the numbers allocated on a sequential basis by this time? I have some, rather inconclusive, evidence that the numebrs after about 100-150,000 could have been time allocated later in the war, and thus his transfer may have been late 1916, early 1917. My question, eventually, is what date might he have transferred?

Finally, would the cause of such a transfer from a line infantry battalion to RE usually be on the basis of wounds received? Or would transfers to RE have been on a different basis? Again, I don't believe he had any relevant signalling skills before the war.

Short question, wasn't it!? And, yes, that was more than two questions.

Many thanks for any replies,

Steve.