1st Battalion Hertfordshire Regiment
Upon the outbreak of war in 1914 the Hertfordshire Regiment was made up of 8 companies (A-H) with an additional Machine Gun Section and Corps of Drums. Typically each company and section were recruited from the same area of the county, making it possible to identify which company a serviceman was with based upon their original enlistment location.
In August 1914 the breakdown was as follows:
A Company – Hertford & Hatfield
B Company – St Albans
C Company – Bishop’s Stortford, Ware, Widford, The Hadhams & Braughing
D Company – Watford
E Company – Royston & Letchworth
F Company – Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring & Ashridge
G Company – Hitchin, Stevenage, Welwyn & Whitwell
H Company – Waltham Cross, Cheshunt, Wormley & Hoddesdon
Machine Gun Section – Stevenage
Corps of Drums – Ware
In January 1915 along with all other Territorial Battalions, the 1st Herts restructured to the new 4 Company system, although unlike any other ‘Terrier’ units, the Herts took on the peculiar ‘Guards’ system of numbering, rather than lettering their Companies.
As of January 1915 the new Battalion composition was:
No. 1 Company – Hertford, Hatfield, Waltham Cross, Cheshunt, Wormley & Hoddesdon
No. 2 Company – St Albans, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring & Ashridge
No. 3 Company – Bishop’s Stortford, Ware, Widford, the Hadhams, Braughing & Watford
No. 4 Company – Royston, Hitchin, Letchworth, Baldock, Stevenage & Whitwell
While this was not always the case, it is reasonable to assume that up until September 1916 any man enlisting in the 1st Herts would find themselves in the appropriate company relevant to their enlistment location.
Service numbers:
The following information was kindly provided By Paul Nixon see British Army Ancestors and Paul Nixon Researcher.
1 - 640 joined on or before 28th April 1908
641 - 1196 joined between previous date and 11th May 1909
1197 - 1359 joined between previous date and 14th February 1910
1360 - 1598 joined between previous date and 13th January 1911
1599 - 1786 joined between previous date and 26th January 1912
1787 - 2092 joined between previous date and 27th January 1913
2093 - 2630 joined between previous date and 1st January 1914
2631 - 2709 joined between previous date and 5th September 1914
2710 - 3697 joined between previous date and 4th November 1914
3698 - 4223 joined between previous date and 13th December 1914
4224 - 4479 joined between previous date and 11th January 1915
4480 - 4660 joined between previous date and 22nd February 1915
4661 - 4762 joined between previous date and 22nd March 1915
4763 - 4853 joined between previous date and 19th April 1915
4854 - 4967 joined between previous date and 24th May 1915
4968 - 5114 joined between previous date and 2nd June 1915
5115 - 5339 joined between previous date and 1st July 1915
5349 - 5433 joined between previous date and 3rd August 1915
5434 - 5548 joined between previous date and 17th September 1915
5549 - 5573 joined between previous date and 2nd October 1915
5574 - 5689 joined between previous date and 1st November 1915
British battalions were reorganised in 1917 and new service numbers were allocated. Men from the 1st Hertfordshire Regiment were issued numbers between 265001 and 290000, the lowest number being issued to the man with the lowest previous number.