7th London regiment

[Guest]

Wonder if anyone knows of the range of Regimental Numbers that were issued for the 7th City of London Reiment.

Many Thanks Bembridge.

[Jock Bruce]

Bembridge,

after the early 1917 renumbering of TF units they used numbers in the range 350001-370000, there is an article on the mother site at

http://www.tf.1914-1918.net/TF_renumbering_infantry.htm

which explains the system - although if you can understand the ins and outs of numering in the Londons you have my unqualified admiration

Jock

[Guest]

Many thanks Jock. Ive had printed out the document, eleven pages no less. a most useful document/record.

Bembriddge

[Charles Fair]

Bembridge, what is your interest in the 7th?

I have a large number of enlistment dates for 7th London numbers if you are interested. About 400 men of the 1/7th ended up in the unit that I am researching - the 1/19th Londons - when the 1/7th were disbanded at the end of January 1918.

Charles

[Charles Fair]

Bembridge, further to your PM, presumably you know your fathers enlistment date was 13/2/1917?

Within the same block of 7th London numbers, I have a corresponding enlistment date for the following numbers (from the SWB Rolls of the London TF):

368001 22/11/15

368002 21/02/16

368017 11/05/15

368019 08/12/15

368023 12/05/16

368051 17/05/15

368052 22/03/15

368052 22/03/15

368080 30/07/17

368085 10/12/15

368089 02/03/17

368090 26/05/17

368095 05/09/13

368101 08/11/15

368110 13/02/17

368118 13/03/17

368138 03/09/14

368139 19/11/15

368148 16/09/16

368157 04/09/16

As you can see, enlistment dates in this 368XXX block suggest it comprises a complete mix of pre war TF men, early war volunteers, Derby scheme men and conscripts. There is another similar block starting 365XXX. However, there do not appear to be any starting 366XXX or 367XXX.

My theory is that the 368XXX block of numbers was held in France by the 58 Division base depot, and was used by them to allocate to men who were being posted into the 2/7th from another unit whilst in France. (The 365XXX was correspondingly held by the 47 Divison base depot for men being posted into the 1/7th from another unit whilst in France.) It would need more digging before this theory is watertight, though I am finding a similar pattern with the 19th Londons based on a much more complete database.

All the remaining 7th London numbers fall into the range 350XXX to 356XXX. I believe these numbers were allocated in the UK by the Regimental HQ of the 7th Londons. At the 350XXX end of this range they are in the order of the pre March 1917 4 digit numbers, and are therefore in enlistment date order, i.e. 350005 was allocated to a man with a single digit number who enlisted on 01/04/08 (and who would thereore have been a pre 01/04/08 Volunteer). 350308 would have had a 4 digit number around 1700 and enlisted on 21/07/14 etc.

After about 352500 this logical sequence breaks down (enlistment dates in late Nov/early Dec 1915) and reflects the willy nilly transfers of men between TF units, and later the impact of the Derby Scheme and conscription. I havent yet come across any numbers in the range 357XXX to 364XXX, so these may not have been used.

Have you checked your fathers actual entry in the medal roll? Presumably he is in the roll for the 7th or 8th. This will give the dates that he actually served on the the Western Front - the London Regt is one of a handful of regiments which actually give dates of service with each unit overseas. It is possible that a patient study of these rolls could be used to establish the approximate size of the draft he came over with from the 5th Londons to the 8th, and when the transfer happened. If you are VERY lucy, this may tie up with a clue in the 2/8th war diary which might say something like "draft of XX men received from base".