Greetings Arty
As is the case with many regiments I suspect, enlistment numbers aren’t always in date of joining order; Essex being a good example, as I have discovered.
There are many instances of soldiers joining in 1919 and being given four figure numbers, which it seems became vacant after the original holder left the army or was killed perhaps.
Many others have joining dates completely out of sequence with adjoining numbers.
However, 17456 Essex Regiment enlisted on 20.1.15, 17468 enlisted 20.1.15; this man was definitely 13th Battalion.
As you have probably discovered for yourself, Richard Smith also enlisted on 20.1.15; which does show that some numbers in blocks were assigned to individual battalions.
They weren’t Territorials, being formed in December 1914, they were one of the Service Battalions; officially they were The 13th Battalion and unofficially The West Ham Pals recruiting mainly from West Ham supporters and all their mates in East London.
And I’m still at it, plodding through the volumes, just over 3,500 men at the moment.
Regards
Brian
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