Renumbering the TF Royal Army Medical Corps in 1917

Men serving in the Royal Army Medical Corps units of the Territorial Force got new numbers in 1917 and a great deal can be determined about their service from these numbers. This page should help you understand what it all means.

Introduction

Change to the numbering of TF RAMC troops was promulgated in Army Council Instruction 380 of 1917, published on 3 April 1917. As in the other arms, ACI 380 also dealt with changes in the arrangements for TF records, pay and other administrative matters. These arrangements were to take effect from 1 April 1917, but were later postponed until 1 June 1917. Although not explicitly stated in ACIs, it is likely these postponements also applied to renumbering.

Regulars (and therefore also men serving in the new armies) retained their existing numbers in the range 1 – 300000, but TF soldiers were allocated new numbers from 300001 upwards. The blocks of numbers allocated to specific units are listed below.

Note that ACI 380 stated that men from a number of RAMC TF units earmarked for disbandment (upon the formation of Home Service Field Ambulances) were to be treated as regulars as far as the renumbering was concerned. that is, they would not be renumbered. These were:

3/1 Highland Field Ambulance 2/2 Highland Field Ambulance 2/1 Lowland Field Ambulance 2/2 Lowland Field Ambulance 2/3 Lowland Field Ambulance

2/1 Welsh Field Ambulance 2/2 Welsh Field Ambulance 2/3 Welsh Field Ambulance 3/1 East Anglian Field Ambulance 2/2 East Anglian Field Ambulance 2/3 East Anglian Field Ambulance

1 Cyclist Bde Field Ambulance 2 Cyclist Bde Field Ambulance 3 Cyclist Bde Field Ambulance 4 Cyclist Bde Field Ambulance 5 Cyclist Bde Field Ambulance 6 Cyclist Bde Field Ambulance 7 Cyclist Bde Field Ambulance 8 Cyclist Bde Field Ambulance 9 Cyclist Bde Field Ambulance 10 Cyclist Bde Field Ambulance

1 Mounted Bde Field Ambulance 2 Mounted Bde Field Ambulance 3 Mounted Bde Field Ambulance

The new system

The detailed allocation of numbers to TF RAMC units was as follows:

Tip: how do I use this table?

Taking note of the details above and especially what qualified a man for the renumbering, it would be reasonable to assume that he was serving in the unit to which his new number had been allotted. For example, Private 527111 Bill Smith would have been with the 1st London Sanitary Section RAMC TF.

After the renumbering came into effect, the only men who were treated as TF for RAMC numbering were:

• Men who had or were directly enlisted into RAMC TF units who did not come under the provisions of the Military Service Act;
• Soldiers serving on TF attestations who had transferred to RAMC from other arms of the TF

Regular soldiers transferred from other arms, or men who had been serving in Army Reserve Class B, and posted to RAMC units (TF or regular) received regular RAMC numbers.

Links

Renumbering the TF in 1917

The Royal Army Medical Corps