"British Infantry Sections" Topic

How were individual sections in a Rifle Platoon identified?
"A" Section or "1st" Section?

Typically they were numbered. I'm sure some Regiments had various eccentric schemes of their own.

Generally speaking, sections were identified by numbers within their platoons, e.g. 'Two Section, No 3 Platoon'. Platoons were generally numbered but there could be a variation between regiments as to how they were numbered. In some it was within the company e.g. 'No 2 Platoon, B Company'. Sometimes they were numbered within the battalion as a whole with 1, 2 and 3 in A Company, 3, 4 and 5 in B Company and 7, 8 and 9 in C Company. It is one of the basic tenets of the British Army that each regiment makes its own mind up about how this minutae is organised.

Companies with letters, platoons/sections with numbers is how I do it for my Brit/Canadian units

Although this doesn't help with your question about designating sections within a platoon, I'm not sure about some of the comments about numbering of platoons. The information I've found, which is consistent with information on those battalion histories I've seen is that British platoons were numbered within the battalion, not within each company.

Platoons 1-6 were in the HQ/Support company.
1. Signals Platoon
2. Anti-aircraft
3. Mortar
4. Carrier
5. Pioneer
6 Admin
Rifle Company A had platoons 7,8,9
Co. B – platoons 10, 11, 12
Co. C – platoons 13, 14, 15
Co. D – platoons 16, 17, 18

PDF link

What Martin said.

Within a company, 1 section, 2 section, 3 section, next platoon would follow with 4, 5, and 6 section right through to 9 section.

Of course regimental traditions would throw that all to the wind for some really off peculiarities.

The switch to numbering only the Rifle Platoons I've seen attributed to an ACI of Sep 1946, so 1 to 12 Pls through A to D Coys only, HQ Coy and Sp Coy being excluded. I'm struggling to recall ever seeing something contemporary on Section numbering…

Gary

Thanks Gentlemen

II was confused by: Pte T Tunney, 4469365, 7 Section, 15 Platoon, C Company, 16th DLI,

sections must be numbered from 1-9 within companies

The plan set out by Midlander is one Ive seen before somewhere, with A Company having 7 8 and 9
Thats how my platoons are labelled!
I think sections were numbered 1 to 3, but I only have a vague recollection of someone's memoir for that, and maybe they were 1 to 9.