Service numbers old or recent?

[John Eacott]

Originally Posted by 76fan

Historic paperwork! I still have all/most of my P60's and the first of those from my RN days which showed a service number was for the tax year 1972/73. Never had a reason to remember the number though.

I, too, have all my payslips from 1967 to 1975 but no service number on any of them. Even my final ID Card has only a card number, nothing to do with a Service Number. There was much conjecture that the payslip number would become a Service Number (usually in the bar over a 4p HN or three) but nothing official prior to my leaving late 1975.

When applying for a Veteran's badge when they were first announced there was instant agreement that I had no Service Number, and all boxes were ticked without such an abomination.

This all reminds me of a PO Prune cartoon from the wartime TeeEm which had Prune looking over the shoulder of an old and bold pilot with a caption along the lines of "He never had a Service Number, when he joined everyone knew each other by first name'

[SLXOwft]

zetec2, on the off chance I did a search of the Gazette. I thought I had found her but I had typed 895351 which brought up a list of newly appointed Assistant Section Officers from 1941. Unfortunately I got no results for 893351 however the number would appear to be part of a range allocated to Aircraftwomen as it is slap bang in the middle of those of the new WAAF officers listed.

[SLXOwft]

JE, undoubtedly one of those of whom PO Prune would have said "He has been in since Pontius was a pilot."

Sorry all but I couldn't resist the temptation.

[MPN11]

Originally Posted by SLXOwft

zetec2, on the off chance I did a search of the Gazette. I thought I had found her but I had typed 895351 which brought up a list of newly appointed Assistant Section Officers from 1941. Unfortunately I got no results for 893351 however the number would appear to be part of a range allocated to Aircraftwomen as it is slap bang in the middle of those of the new WAAF officers listed.

Surname Harvey, perchance? 😃

BTW, 76fan, in that ancient box file I also unearthed my Nov ‘66 Mess Bill from Shawbury ... £54/12/6. I used to have the corresponding Pay Slip, which was £52/10/0 ... 😱

[zetec2]

SLXOwft thanks for the comments, appreciated, guess an in depth search at Kew or Hendon is calling, will post back if I ever find the info,rgds, PH.

[SLXOwft]

zetec2, my pleasure.

MPN, I'm sure she would have made Flight Officer by then. Given the list was of over sixty newly promoted ASOs I did a risk assessment prior to posting and decided, in the absence of images, it was ALARP even given the likely effect on the imaginations of certain well known PPRuNers.

[olddog]

Shackman, youll be on here then! 4233***

[Warmtoast]

When I joined in 1951 my number was 406xxxx


Photo taken at RAF Bridgnorth in May 1951.

[ericferret]

Originally Posted by Herod

423 should be a South Cerney number. 423xxxx Dec '64.

A few months ago I went in for surgery. The anaesthetist knew I was ex-service, and as I was going asked "last three". A bit of a surprise, but I told him, just before I went out. Not been asked that for well over thirty years.

I was always slightly jealous of my mates last three, 007

[Cornish Jack]

Oddly perhaps, I remember my late brother's number as well as mine. He was ex-Air Training Corps so started 351 xxxx. The numbering system was somewhat odd but as DE aircrew I started with 414xxxx in December1951.

[Tankertrashnav]

In 1980, while languishing in DKMH Catterick, an old gentleman in the ward told me his number only had three digits. From memory he served at Catterick as part of the RFC/RAF during WW1

In WW1 the army did not have a system of unique service numbers until some time in 1916. Prior to that they had regimental numbers which in fact started at 1 and were duplicated across the regimental system. Thus there could be a number 456 in the Suffolk Regiment and another in the Norfolk Regiment, and so on. The same applied to corps, although as these tended to be larger than line regiments their numbers often contained up to five digits. The unique service number came in to assist in admin when the army grew in size to several millions. The old gentleman at Catterick would have lost his original three digit number when the new system came in.

In the medal collecting world medals to individuals with low numbers are highly prized. I once had 1914-15 Star named to a number 10, an NCO in the Royal Warwicks, and a chum who specialises in this field has several "number 1s" in his collection. Although army and RAF officers have always had service numbers, these never appear on medals named to officers (check your own!)

[Herod]

undoubtedly one of those of whom PO Prune would have said "He has been in since Pontius was a pilot."

You'll see from my user name that I was young Pilate's C.O.

[John Eacott]

Originally Posted by SLXOwft

JE, undoubtedly one of those of whom PO Prune would have said "He has been in since Pontius was a pilot."

Sorry all but I couldn't resist the temptation.

Those familiar with TeeEm and P/O Prune may recall a series of cartoons, these may whet your appetite

[cliver029]

Zetec2

Recapping, the number in question was in a block "880000 to 897999 " for WAAF personnel inducted as of March 1939, If she had been commissioned she would have had her service in the ranks terminated and re-enlisted with a new (officer ) number? that's what happened with my father when he was commissioned, the London Gazette showed his new number 17xxxx not his airman's no 75xxxx issued on joining.

[BEagle]

My mother was a WAAF and joined shortly after March 1939 as 'Class F reservist' with the 22nd North Riding Company - Service No. 884731.

Hopefully her full service record will be on its way to me soon. I understand that she was 'in radar', probably working in a filter room...

[Fortissimo]

[QUOTE]He then said that he was military, as were all his companions and showed me his ID. I said that it had no service number on it.

He then said that 'my dear boy, when one hits 2 stars and above, they don't bother with the number!'
[QUOTE]

That was indeed the position in the 80s and earlier, although I believe it was officers of gp capt rank and above who were not required to use their service number, and it was not shown on ID cards. I think it all changed with the introduction of the check digit (letter!), the stripping out of admin support in the early 90s and the move towards having all the personnel records on the new admin computer.

The London Gazette was not showing service numbers for gp capts and above as recently as 2015 (I haven't needed to look since then...).

[Top West 50]

I was issued with 4232xxx in 1963. A few years later they added a "J" at the end. Anyone know why?

[Haraka]

Originally Posted by Top West 50

I was issued with 4232xxx in 1963. A few years later they added a "J" at the end. Anyone know why?

As I understood it it was the so called "check digit device" . Basically , again as I recall, an algorithm was passed over the numbers which generated a letter. This was then matched against the one provided to check that the service number had been entered correctly. I had one on entry in 1968. Allegedly the first three digits of your number indicated your Service entry status. I believe the suffix was later discontinued.

[MPN11]

IIRC the 'check digit' was introduced for Accounts purposes, as the Innsoworth abacus was replaced by a computer.

[Barksdale Boy]

I was given a letter after my service number on entry as an officer cadet in Sep 65. The moment I was commissioned in Dec 65 it disappeared, never to be seen again.