Neill Gilhooley alerts me to some terrific research he has undertaken into the 9th Royal Scots. The fruits of his considerable labours can be viewed by clicking on the link above. The photo, source unknown, shows men of the 9th Royal Scots at their annual camp, on this occasion at Aberdour, in 1909 ..read more

Having recently posted three separate posts on regimental numbering in the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion, 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion and 5th (Extra Reserve Battalion) of the Royal Munster Fusiliers (RMF), I thought it would be helpful to illustrate the problems we face when trying to work out when our RMF ancestor joined the regiment - and which battalion he joined. Between 1908 and 1914, men joining the 1st and 2nd Battalions would have been issued with numbers in the approximate range 8700 to 10320. For men joining the 3rd Battalion, the number range was appro ..read more

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 5th (Extra Reserve) Battalion of the Royal Munster Fusiliers between 1908 and 1914. The Special Reserve and the Extra Reserve were the natural heirs to the militia battalions which, for the most part, they replaced in 1908. My 2009 article on the Creation of the Special Reserve in 1908 may be helpful here. The Royal Munster Fusiliers had three militia battalions (the 3rd, 4th and 5th Battalions) and these survived in all but name when the Special Reserve was introduced in 1908. Men who were then serving with the 3rd (Militia) Battali ..read more

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion of the Royal Munster Fusiliers between 1908 and 1914. The Special Reserve and the Extra Reserve were the natural heirs to the militia battalions which, for the most part, they replaced in 1908. My 2009 article on the Creation of the Special Reserve in 1908 may be helpful here. The Royal Munster Fusiliers had three militia battalions (the 3rd, 4th and 5th battalions) and these survived in all but name when the Special Reserve was introduced in 1908. Men who were then serving with the 3rd (Militia) Battali ..read more

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion of the Royal Munster Fusiliers between 1908 and 1914. The Special Reserve and the Extra Reserve were the natural heirs to the militia battalions which, for the most part, they replaced in 1908. My 2009 article on the Creation of the Special Reserve in 1908 may be helpful here. The Royal Munster Fusiliers had three militia battalions (the 3rd, 4th and 5th battalions) and these survived in all but name when the Special Reserve was introduced in 1908. Men who were then serving with the 3rd (Militia) Batta ..read more

  Those of us with an interest in the First World War and earlier will have eagerly awaited the release of the 1921 Census by Findmypast. I have enjoyed finding soldiers who served in the First World War back in their civilian environments - usually - by 1921. Now, in what could be termed a 'flash' sale, Findmypast has slashed the cost of viewing the census by 50%. However, you'll need to be quick because this offer ends at 9am BST on Tuesday 26th April. The normal cost to view a census image is £3.50, and to view a transcription it's £2.50. However, these prices have been ha ..read more

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion, King’s (Liverpool Regiment) between 1908 and August 1914.  Men signed up for six years' service on the understanding that they were "liable to be called out or detained whilst called up for training, in case of imminent national danger, or great emergency, on permanent service in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere..." and furthermore that they "could be detained in army service for the unexpired portion of [their] term of service in the Army Reserve and for a further period not exceeding 12 months..." And wh ..read more

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion, King’s (Liverpool Regiment) between 1908 and November 1914.  Men signed up for six years' service on the understanding that they were "liable to be called out or detained whilst called up for training, in case of imminent national danger, or great emergency, on permanent service in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere..." and furthermore that they "could be detained in army service for the unexpired portion of [their] term of service in the Army Reserve and for a further period not exceeding 12 months..." A ..read more

Findmypast’s recent release of the 1921 Census of England & Wales provides an ideal opportunity for a quick sanity check on where the British Army was located in June 1921. With the singular exception of Scotland, the census returns for which are expected to be released later this year, if your British Army Ancestor was in uniform in June 1921, you should find him in the 1921 Census of England & Wales.     As with the 1911 Census, the 1921 Census of England & Wales also enumerated men who were stationed overseas, and Findmypast provides some great detail about w ..read more

This post will look at regimental numbering in the 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment between 1908 and 1914. The Special Reserve and the Extra Reserve were the natural heirs to the militia battalions which, for the most part they replaced in 1908. My 2009 article on the Creation of the Special Reserve in 1908 may be helpful here. Both West Yorkshire Regiment militia battalions survived in all but name when the Special Reserve was created in 1908. Men who were then serving with the 3rd (Militia) Battalion, were asked if they wanted to continue to ..read more