Regiment Numbers

[HelenV]

Hi

This is my ggrandfather's medal index card - couple of questions.

I understand he was in the Royal Army Service Corps and then in Royal Engineers - can anyone tell me which regiments he fought with - he lived in Greenwich and he worked as a Stoker. I assume as he entered the war in 1915 that he was conscripted in - is this correct?

Thanks for any help

HelenV

[Anthony Bagshaw]

Helen,

Conscription was not introduced until January 1916 so he would more than likely have been a volunteer, there is also a possibility that he was a Reservist recalled.

He would have served with the Army Service Corps and the Royal Engineers so wouldn't have fought with any other regiments.

Hope this helps?

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

The card shows he embarked for Overseas service on 18th March 1915,however,he would have been in the Army @ least for some months prior to that

[HelenV]

Thanks for your help.

I suppose what I really meant was the RASC and RE must have had a huge amount of men in them - I was wondering by the regiment numbers could someone tell me which company he was in. It was said he was in a railway divsion - are the regiment numbers traceable to confirm this? Also, would these men come from all over the country or would people who worked for the railway all go in together?

Cheers

HelenV

[Stebie9173]

"Corps" units are very difficult to trace. I can't find my great-grandfathers unit either!

The ASC Company MIGHT be traceable if:

1) He was in an ASC unit attached to a Division.

and

2) He went out with a Division rather than going as a replacement.

The National Archives hold two sets of books which denote dates of embarkation which may help. (Though not in my G-Gs case...)

Secondly, the Royal Engineers number could be one of two types:

A "WR" number denoting Waterways and Railways, though these usually were prefixed by WR. These numbers were allocated in early 1918.

or

A "Standard" RE number, in which case the number would have been allocated some time around 1917.

Though I have tried to trace RE numbers myself it is rather difficult. The only few of numbers I have traced in that range are:

251348 34th Light Railway Operating Company (Source Grimsby AVL)

251882 33rd Light Railway Operating Company (Source CWGC)

These are probably WR numbers though the original sources didn't prefix them.

Also there are

251614 attached 5th Brigade RGA

251734 attached 78th Brigade RGA

which are probably from the standard range and probably signallers.

Unless anyone can give you better information (probable!) then you may want to start your search with the Light Railway Operating Companies War Diaries, though I doubt an individual Private would get a mention.

Looking at the Medal Index Cards, I notice that from the 251600s 20 men had previously been with the ASC so this seems like it could have been a batch of men transferring, perhaps to one particular unit.

If you enter the following into the MIC search then you will get the list:

Corps: eng* and service

Other Keywords: 2516??

If you ever get the chance to search service records and your man is not there then it may be worth expanding the search to these 19 other men?

The last and possibly best place to look for him is on an Absent Voters List for the 1918 General Election. Some of these have survived, though it is pot luck as to whether it has or where it is....

In summary, there are no easy fixes to finding men in the ASC or RE. A lot of chasing wild gooses to be honest...

Steve.

[HelenV]

Hi Stebie

This is his entry on the 1918 Absent Voter List - 251660 Spr.,G. Coy., 5th (R.), R.E.

And this was in the 1919 and 1920 Absent Voters list - he seems to belong to the Waterways and Railways division.

WR/251660 Spr, Gen. Base (Res.), R.E.

Do these numbers throw any light on where he was and what he was doing?

Thanks

Helen