It is unclear when Hirst first enlisted, but he first served in the 1/6th battalion of the West Riding Regiment with service number 18605 and later 307492. Having two service numbers indicates he served before late 1916. Its possible then that Hirst saw action with the 6th in the battle of the Somme, and in the fighting on the Flemish Coast. At some point he transferred to the 1/7th battalion but shortly after was wounded on the 18 Sep 1917, just a few days before the battalion started fighting in the battle of Poelcappelle (3rd battle of Ypres), its likely then he was injured whilst travelling somewhere in the Ypres Salient (sadly the war diary is not easily accessible, but with it a more exact location could be surmised). Hirst was Entitled to wear the wound stripe and his injury appear serious enough that he was transferred to the Labour Corps, to 957 Area Employment Company, service number 578115 . He then joined the 44th (Garrison) battalion of the Royal Fusiliers, manned by troops who had been rated as medically unfit for front line duty, he joined with service number GS/111415. Its unclear which aspect the service number 5621 is from.
