andy 1 Posted 17 July , 2004 Share Posted 17 July , 2004 does anybody know what the letter g stands for in front of a service number. ie g/23120 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyOfficer Posted 17 July , 2004 Share Posted 17 July , 2004 Andy: Don't know exactly what the "G" meant; but it looks like a prefix for several infantry regiments. Close to your number is the prefix/number G- 24919 which was 7th Royal West Kents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy 1 Posted 17 July , 2004 Author Share Posted 17 July , 2004 was it for a soldier that had two service numbers 31758 in the lincolns g/23120 in the queens west surreys how he got from one to the other i don't,although he was in the transport section of his regiment,so maybe the queens needed transport men and the lincolns supplied,but that is only my guess andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisC Posted 17 July , 2004 Share Posted 17 July , 2004 So if I have the following, what does that tell me in terms of years of service, former ranks or where I could possibly access more info? 14546 Private Walter William Collier Royal Defence Corps, formerly 19880 10th London Regiment 99 Private Walter Lawrence Collier Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment, formerly 189082 Machine Gun Corps. My grandfather and great grandfather so you may be able to help. Thanks Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy 1 Posted 17 July , 2004 Author Share Posted 17 July , 2004 sorry chris i can't help,i'm still wondering why there is a g before23120. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
widwick Posted 17 July , 2004 Share Posted 17 July , 2004 Andy See my reply to your MIC thread Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGWR Posted 17 July , 2004 Share Posted 17 July , 2004 The prefix G seems to have been used for several Home County regiments, possibly to signify a wartime enlistment. No idea what the G itself actually stood for... Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 17 July , 2004 Share Posted 17 July , 2004 The prefix G seems to have been used for several Home County regiments, possibly to signify a wartime enlistment. ...and also for the 1st,2nd and 3rd (Garrison) battalions of the Royal Irish Fusiliers. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_davies Posted 18 July , 2004 Share Posted 18 July , 2004 Andy, There appears to have been a fairly large number of men transferred from the Lincs to various Queens Battalions (6th, 8th and 10th). The Queens' numbers range from about G/23086 through G/23147. Most of the men have similar Lincs numbers to your man, in the range: 31634-31918. And therefore would have likely joined the Lincs sometime in mid 1916-probably July. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy 1 Posted 18 July , 2004 Author Share Posted 18 July , 2004 thanks for the reply jim very interesting. is there any chance you could tell me where you got this info as i should like to read it myself. and thanks to the other people that have taken the time to reply to my posts. andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred W Posted 18 July , 2004 Share Posted 18 July , 2004 Here are some more G/6591 Horatio Joy 7 Bn The Queen's ( Royal West Surrey) A/201396 H J Joy KRRC C/7069 Joyce HC KRRC PS/6516 Lawson R N Royal Fusiliers In this last one I think the PS is for Public Schools, but what are the A and C for in the others? Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_59 Posted 18 July , 2004 Share Posted 18 July , 2004 What does an L mean then? Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGWR Posted 18 July , 2004 Share Posted 18 July , 2004 Some Ls denote a pre-war enlistment, I think. Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBettsMCDCM Posted 18 July , 2004 Share Posted 18 July , 2004 What does an L mean then? Dave "L" prefix on Royal Artillery Medals/Papers signifies Local Enlistment,The Artillery Version of Pals Battalions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest newguy Posted 18 July , 2004 Share Posted 18 July , 2004 Hi, I see the service number was quite high. I have a chap who appears to have been in the army in 1901. The census return at that time lists him as a Private Soldier. He appears to have become a bricklayer around 1904 and then gone to France on 3.12.14. His service number on his record card is B919. Very low. I have read there were Reserves before the Territorials were formed later in the War. Anybody have any thoughts if he could have been a Regular, then a Reservist and what the B would have meant, please ? Many Thanks = Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_davies Posted 18 July , 2004 Share Posted 18 July , 2004 Andy, Most of the info I posted is from looking at information contained in Soldiers Died. One of the men in this group, Arthur HenryJoseph Hollis, G/23111 (formerly 31769 Lincs) is from the town I'm researching. Although I don't have an exact enlistment date for Arthur looking at lads with similar numbers to his, give the impression of a July 1916 date of joining the regt. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy 1 Posted 18 July , 2004 Author Share Posted 18 July , 2004 thanks a lot jim andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Matthews Posted 18 July , 2004 Share Posted 18 July , 2004 I understand that the "A" prefix to certain numbers in the KRRC denotes enlistments to K1 battalions of that unit (7th - 9th Bn.). There was an article in the OMRS Journal (1994 or 1995?) written by Paul Reed on these KRRC letter prefixes which I read relatively recently whilst looking for something else! I seem to remember from that paper that the "C" prefix has some connection with the 16th (Church Lads Brigade) Bn. of the KRRC (although not exclusively), the "R" prefix relates to K2 (and K3?) enlistments and the "Y" prefix possibly denoting Reservists recalled to New Army units. Rgds Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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