Changed regiment

[ALAMO2008]

Following my own method, I found a Pte James Kirby who enlisted in the South Lancs on 11 Dec 1915 and was given the number 34977, that is 75 later Thomas Hammond's. If this sample of one is accurate, then it looks like Thomas went to France in July1915 with the KSLI and for some reason was transferred to the South Lancs later that year. I will need to look into what the KSLI were up to during 1915 to see if there's an obvious reason why their soldiers might have been used to reinforce the South Lancs.

As you noted, SapereAude, there are quite a lot of men who were transferred from the KSLI to the South Lancs, many of them with numbers close to Thomas Hammond's suggesting a draft of men at a particular time. Unfortunately I have only found MICs for them and they are near identical to the information on Thomas's (except for their names and numbers of course).

How come Thomas's Medal Card and Kirby's don't show any entitlement to 1914/15 Star if they went over 1915?

[jim1]

Not sure if it's been covered but I'll say it anyway.
6/KSLI was a TF Btn. who were issued with 6 digit numbers early 1917.
As he still has his 5 digit no. means he transferred before early 1917.
You will need to look at both diaries to see if there is any mention of men
moving from one to the other.

[SapereAude]

I forgot to mention that (but it's quite important) I don't know when Thomas enlisted as he would have only been 15 in 1914 (b. 07/02/1899) which would be why he didn't have the Star Medal, unless he lied about his age.

Jim1, I have read the first of three volumes of the KSLI war diary, fascinating, but no mention of South Lancs so far, covers from summer 1914 to I think October 1916. There is a problem with National Archives when I try to download the next volume so I'll try again in a bit...

[Andy J2022]

SapereAude,

I haven't made much progress on why he and the others might have been transferred, but I have discovered this snippet of the Great War Forum. One of the members there, Annette Burgoyne, who is something of an expert on the KSLI was asked: "do you have any transfers to/from South Lancs??" In reply she said: "Do you mean ones with Birmingham connection or any transfers between the Regiments. If you mean the second, then there are lots, I have a big interest in a batch of 6/K.S.L.I. who trans. to S. Lancs in early 1919. But can you wait several months for me to pass on my info. I am still in the process of up dateing with info. from M.I.C. on-line which will take months, so can you wait then I'll have a clearer picture." That posting on the KSLI thread is old, dated 8 October 2004, and I haven't found any follow up on this comment. However the thread is 50 pages long and I've only skimmed it, so I may have missed something. Annette now posts as '6th Shropshires' so I take it she has a particular interest in that Battalion. However she doesn't seem to have been active on the site since 2017. If you have time, the thread might be worth closer inspection: https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/20389-kings-shropshire-light-infantry/

[SapereAude]

Andy J2022, fantastic I'll have a look! Again thank you for your time

[jim1]

As transfers out were seldom mentioned reinforcements always were.
So I looked at the 1/5th. & there were 21 OR's joining in May 1916
& 200 in July 1916 with 87 of those coming from the Cheshire Regt.
annoyingly no mention of where the other 113 came from.
There were no other reinforcements thereafter up to early 1917.
So possibly May 1916 but more likely July.

[SapereAude]

As transfers out were seldom mentioned reinforcements always were.
So I looked at the 1/5th. & there were 21 OR's joining in May 1916
& 200 in July 1916 with 87 of those coming from the Cheshire Regt.
annoyingly no mention of where the other 113 came from.
There were no other reinforcements thereafter up to early 1917.
So possibly May 1916 but more likely July.

Wouldn't the War diary say where they were from? It's just that in the KSLI one they always mentioned where reinforcements came from

[jim1]

I know the C.O. of the 6/KSLI was quite detailed in his diary but this is
the exception rather than the rule.
Mainly only numbers transferred in were given.
Although there were Army regs. with regard to war diaries much was left
to the discretion of the C.O.

[SapereAude]

I know the C.O. of the 6/KSLI was quite detailed in his diary but this is
the exception rather than the rule.
Mainly only numbers transferred in were given.
Although there were Army regs. with regard to war diaries much was left
to the discretion of the C.O.

Oh okay what a shame