Regimental Numberblock of Servicenumber F88499

[Bill Alexander]

Some additional points. The XII Manitoba Dragoons were mobilized as the 18th Recce later converted to 18th Armoured Car Regt, which was recruited from three Manitoba units, the 12 Manitoba Dragoons, the 2nd Armoured Car Regt and the Manitoba Mounted Rifles. After some debate about an appropriate badge for the 18th Armoured Car it was re-designated the 12th Manitoba Dragoons. More detail about the evoulution of the XII Manitoba Dragoons can be read here https://servicepub.wordpress.com/201...ent-cap-badge/. Even with three regiments contributing to the unit that would be named the XII Manitoba Dragoos, the majority of alpha prefix for service numbers would be MD 10.
Active service regiments, whether infantry, armoured or artillery saw a lot of change over the period they were mobilized. They initially were recruited from a particular region, but as men were promoted, transfered, or discharged, the "localization" was diluted. The army could not and in some cases did not want the regiments reinforced with personnel from the home base. This was further emphasised by the impact of Dieppe on certain regiments. The RHLI suffered heavy casualties and in terms of the recruitment area, whole communities lost most of the men who had enlisted. Senior levels of the army did not want to have battle losses impact any particular region so significantly. Not only were communities devastated, it was bad for morale and for future recruiting. A policy to diversify the demographics of regiments was used for reinforcements after that date. Additionally, some regimental areas could not keep up with the demands for replacement personnel for their unit. These factors resulted in a more random assignment of personnel to the active units.

[David Dunlop]

Bill.

Odd isn't it that it took them Dieppe to figure it out. One only has to visit any number of small towns in Canada and look at their WW1 Memorials to see how devastated regions were in that war. All those young men signed up at the nearest enlistment centre, and after the war it was a real struggle for some towns to get back up to speed with so many lost or too injured to work productively any more.

David

[servicepub (RIP)]

Understand that Regimental Numbers were issued at point of enlistment. In the early days of the war enlistment and training were a unit's responsibility. It was soon realised that this was inefficient so recruiting centres were established as well as training centres.
This meant that early volunteers signed up at the unit and usually stayed with the unit. Later recruits were from the area/district and would be posted to a unit after they finished their training (at various levels of training centres).
Typically, soldiers were sent to a reinforcement centre in the UK for continued and specialist training and from there sent to a unit that had lost troops in action. This is how a soldier from BC could end up in a NB unit.