Low service number on WW1 medals - Wehrmacht-Awards.com Militaria Forums

**Marcus Hatton** · 04-25-2003, 02:18 PM

Heres an odd one to me on these medals to a PTE A.Jarvis who's serial number is 282.

They only cost 20 pounds and he had a few just thought it was interesting 282,anyone better informed than myself care to comment(Tony you out there?).

Kind regards,

Marcus

**Marcus Hatton** · 04-25-2003, 02:19 PM

.

**Tony Farrell** · 04-25-2003, 06:56 PM

A three digit service number is certainly low. I've only ever encountered four digit numbers - and only on the Stars. I can tell you that the six digit system was brought in to compensate for the huge numbers of soldiers involved, as the four digit system became inadequete.

Soldiers had regimentral numbers, eg. 4321 Pte T Smith KRRC; 4321 Pte L Smith E Yorks; 4321 Pte J Smith R W Kents. This system was fine until the expansion of numbers, with the possibility of another soldier having the same number allocated within the same regiment being unacceptable.

It's odd to see the BWM/Victory pair being numbered so low, as I would've thought the revised six figure system (which was introduced in 1916.. I think) would've been used. The man may well have been invalided out of service before the revision took place and as such never had a six figure number. He is not listed as a casualty on the CWGC site.

I'm not really that well gen'd up on this sort of thing and, as ever, am working from memory, as all my books & records are elsewhere.

Rick Research · 05-02-2003, 06:21 PM

Well, oddly enough, my friend Jim just brought along a box load today and included was...

you guessed it... a ribbonless BWM to:

539 Pte. J. Hennessey, Rif. Brig.

How's that for coincidence!?

(I have a "87" Indian Railways Afghan NWF 1919, but that I assume was a "militarized" civilian chappie).

Hard to imagine pre-war regulars in an outfit like the Rifle Brigade making it through the entire war.

**Marcus Hatton** · 05-02-2003, 07:23 PM

Rick,

Does this medal belong to you now or has your friend Jim still got it.

Thats spooky

Kind regards,

Marcus

Rick Research · 05-02-2003, 07:28 PM

He's got it, just got a box of strange mixture of British, Polish, and German from a 1950s local collection.