Disbanded
The Corps of Military Accountants were disbanded in 1925
Disbanded
The Machine Gun Corps were Disbanded in 1922
Disbanded
Regiments disbanded 1922, within the period that these army numbers were in use.
Numbers Discontinued 1929
The allotment of army numbers to the Royal Guernsey Militia, Royal Alderney Artillery Militia and Royal Militia of the Island of Jersey was discontinued in 1929.
King's Regs 1940 footnote states;
' Records are maintained by the record offices administering the corps to which these units belong (see Army Order 49 of 1926). '
Extra Series for RAC
In addition a series of army numbers from 558,471 to 558,761, were allotted to personnel enlisted for the Royal Armoured Corps.
Militia Numbers
Army numbers for the Militia are allotted in accordance with Regulations for the Militia (other than the Supplementary Reserve), 1939, paras. 11 to 13.
Includes a number block to the RAC
Includes army numbers from 558,471 to 558,761, allotted to personnel enlisted for the Royal Armoured Corps, outside the block of numbers allotted for that corps as shown below

 

Army Numbers 1920 - 1942

    In 1920 the old method of allocating a 'Regimental Number' was scrapped for new recruits and the following numbering system of 'Army Number' was adopted as per Army Order 338. In 1942 the 'General Service Corps' were formed for the initial training of all new recruits. From then on the new recruits were allocated a number in a series beginning 14,000,000. In 1950 this system changed again to a series beginning 2,200,000.

    The 1920 -1942 series below can be most useful for identifying previous service with another unit, since a number block was allocated for each  Regiment / Corps. (i.e. if you have a medal named with a number and regiment that do not match as per the list below.)
 


Army Order 338 (1920)
 
ARMY NUMBERS ALLOTTED TO Regiments, CORPS ETC.*
 

Regiment, Corps etc.

 Number Block
  From  To

Royal Army Service Corps ..

1

294,000

Household Cavalry   {

 The Life Guards

294,001

 304,000
Royal Horse Guards

304,001

 309,000
Cavalry of the Line   N

309,001

721,000
Royal Artillery - (Field Branch, Coast Defence and Anti-Aircraft Branch)

721,001

1,842,000
Royal Engineers

1,842,001

2,303,000
Royal Corps of Signals 2,303,001 2,604,000
Grenadier Guards 2,604,001 2,646,000
Coldstream Guards 2,646,001 2,688,000
Scots Guards 2,688,001 2,714,000
Irish Guards 2,714,001 2,730,000
Welsh Guards 2,730,001 2,744,000
The Black Watch. 2,744,001 2,809,000
The Seaforth Highlanders 2,809,001 2,865,000
The Gordon Highlanders 2,865,001 2,921,000
The Cameron Highlanders 2,921,001 2,966,000
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders 2,966,001 3,044,000
The Royal Scots 3,044,001 3,122,000
The Royal Scots Fusiliers

3,122,001

3,178,000
The King's Own Scottish Borderers 3,178,001 3,233,000
The Cameronians 3,233,001 3,299,000
The Highland Light Infantry

3,299,001

3,377,000
The East Lancashire Regiment 3,377,001 3,433,000
The Lancashire Fusiliers 3,433,001 3,511,000
The Manchester Regiment 3,511,001 3,589,000
The Border Regiment 3,589,001 3,644,000
The Prince of Wales's Volunteers 3,644,001 3,701,000
The King's Own Royal Regiment 3,701,001 3,757,000
The King's Regiment

3,757,001

3,846,000
The Loyal Regiment 3,846,001 3,902,000
The South Wales Borderers 3,902,001 3,947,000
The Welch Regiment 3,947,001 4,025,000
The King's Shropshire Light Infantry 4,025,001 4,070,000
The Monmouthshire Regiment 4,070,001 4,103,000
The Herefordshire Regiment 4,103,001 4,114,000
The Cheshire Regiment 4,114,001 4,178,000
The Royal Welch Fusiliers 4,178,001 4,256,000
The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers 4,256,001 4,334,000
The East Yorkshire Regiment 4,334,001 4,379,000
The Green Howards 4,379,001 4,435,000
The Durham Light Infantry 4,435,001 4,523,000
The West Yorkshire Regiment 4,523,001 4,601,000
The Duke of Wellington's Regiment 4,601,001 4,680,000
The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry 4,680,001 4,736,000
The York and Lancaster Regiment 4,736,001 4,792,000
The Lincolnshire Regiment 4,792,001 4,848,000
The Leicestershire Regiment 4,848,001  4,904,000
The South Staffordshire Regiment  4,904,001 4,960,000
The Sherwood Foresters 4,960,001 5,038,000
The North Staffordshire Regiment 5,038,001 5,094,000
The Royal Warwickshire Regiment 5,094,001 5,172,000
The Gloucestershire Regiment  5,172,001 5,239,000
The Worcestershire Regiment 5,239,001 5,328,000
The Royal Berkshire Regiment. 5,328,001 5,373,000
The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 5,373,001 5,429,000
The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry 5,429,001 5,485,000
The Hampshire Regiment 5,485,001 5,562,000
The Wiltshire Regiment 5,562,001 5,608,000
The Devonshire Regiment   5,608,001 5,662,000
The Somerset Light Infantry 5,662,001 5,718,000
The Dorsetshire Regiment 5,718,001 5,763,000
The Royal Norfolk Regiment 5,763,001 5,819,000
The Suffolk Regiment 5,819,001 5,875,000
The Northamptonshire Regiment 5,875,001 5,931,000
The Cambridgeshire Regiment 5,931,001 5,942,000
The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment 5,942,001 5,998,000
The Essex Regiment 5,998,001 6,076,000
The Queen's Royal Regiment 6,076,001 6,132,000
The East Surrey Regiment 6,132,001 6,188,000
The Middlesex Regiment 6,188,001 6,278,000
The Buffs 6,278,001 6,334,000
The Royal West Kent Regiment 6,334,001 6,390,000
The Royal Sussex Regiment 6,390,001 6,446,000
The Royal Fusiliers 6,446,001 6,515,000
The Inns of Court Regiment 6,802,501 6,814,000
Honourable Artillery Company (Infantry) 6,825,001 6,837,000
The King's Royal Rifle Corps 6,837,001 6,905,000
The Rifle Brigade 6,905.001 6,972,000
The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 6,972,001 7,006,000
The Royal Ulster Rifles 7,006,001 7,040,000
The Royal Irish Fusiliers 7,040,001 7,075,000
Royal Dublin Fusiliers*

N

 7,075,001 7,109,000
Royal Irish Regiment*  7,109,001 7,143,000
Connaught Rangers*  7,143,001 7,177,000
Leinster Regiment* 7,177,001 7,211,000
Royal Munster Fusiliers* 7,211,001 7,245,000
Royal Army Medical Corps 7,245,001 7,536,000
The Army Dental Corps 7,536,001 7,539,000
Royal Guernsey Militia and Royal Alderney Artillery Militia

N

 7,539,001 7,560,000
Royal Militia of the Island of Jersey 7,560,001 7,574,000
Royal Army Ordnance Corps 7,574,001 7,657,000
Royal Army Pay Corps 7,657,001 7,681,000
Corps of Military Police 7,681,001 7,717,000
Military Provost Staff Corps 7,717,001 7,718,800
Small Arms School Corps 7,718,801 7,720,400
Army Educational Corps 7,720,401 7,732,400
Band of the Royal Military College 7,732,401 7,733,000
Corps of Military Accountants N 7,733,001 7,757,000
Royal Army Veterinary Corps 7,757,001 7,807,000
Machine Gun Corps N 7,807,001 7,868,000
Royal Tank Regiment 7,868,001 7,891,868
Royal Armoured Corps N 7,891,869 8,230,000
Militia N 10,000,001 10,350,000
 The London Regiment (T.A.) N - -
The Auxiliary Territorial Service (Women) W/1 W/500,000
     

A general footnote to the1940 King's Regulations, Army Number Appendix reads:-

 "Apprentice tradesmen enlisted for general service instead of for a particular corps, are allotted local numbers by the commandant of the school at which they are undergoing training. Those enlisted for service in a particular corps are allotted army numbers." 
 		    
     
 
Bibliography: Primary source ;' The King's Regulations 1940' (Crown Copyright); also OMRS Journal Articles ; 'Army Transfers' J.E.G. Hodgson (summer 1982) 'Army Numbering' J. V. Webb (Winter 1982) and 'The Collectors and Researchers Guide to the Great War' 2003 ( Howard Williamson )
 


Above; a GVI Efficiency Medal ( T ) 'Indiae Imp' variety named to the '4th Glouc R.'
( number block for the Gloucestershire Regiment is 5,172,001 to 5,239,000 )

 
 

 

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