WWI Infantry Regiment Library

The Durham Light Infantry’s numbering reflects strong recruitment from County Durham’s mining communities, the rapid expansion of Kitchener’s Army, and the use of prefixes in Pals battalions such as the 19th. With almost all battalions serving on the Western Front, service numbers can often be used to identify enlistment periods and likely battalion connections.

The KOYLI numbering system is deeply intertwined with the industrial sociology of the West Riding. From the specialized "Miners" battalion to broad regular-army infantry streams, tracing a KOYLI soldier requires navigating the distinct administrative divide between coalfield-raised units and traditional line infantry.

The West Yorkshire Regiment raised famous “City Battalions” during WWI, recruiting heavily from Leeds, Bradford, Otley and York. These urban wartime battalions became closely tied to local communities across the West Riding.

The regiment also included specialist units such as the Woolwich Pioneers, while frontline battalions fought at the Somme, Arras and Passchendaele.

The Essex Regiment’s numbering structure reflects a blend of Regular Army, Territorial Force, and wartime Service Battalion recruitment. From Western Front Regulars to Territorial battalions serving in Gallipoli, Palestine, and Salonika, Essex numbers can reveal remarkably different wartime journeys.

The London Regiment’s administrative structure is arguably the most complex in the British Army. Unlike line infantry regiments, it operated exclusively as a Territorial Force (TF) entity, consisting of a vast array of unique, neighborhood-raised battalions. Tracing these soldiers requires a departure from standard regimental methodology, focusing instead on hyper-localized recruitment and the transformative impact of the 1917 renumbering.

The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) combined strong recruiting ties to south-west London and Surrey with a diverse range of wartime battalions. Distinctive 10/ and 11/ service number prefixes can help identify the Battersea and Lambeth Pals Battalions, while many Territorial soldiers spent the war performing garrison duties in India.

The Royal Fusiliers uniquely lacked Territorial Force battalions, relying instead on a massive, committee-led volunteer model and a dense four-battalion regular establishment. Research requires strict adherence to specialized prefixes for all Service and regular soldier identification.

The Royal Welch Fusiliers (RWF) represent one of the most structurally complex regiments of the Great War. Their administration, characterized by a mix of traditional Welsh territorial units, Yeomanry-converted battalions, and specialist Service pools (including the "London Welsh"), requires a disciplined approach to prefix and serial number verification.