diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/backup.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/backup.sgml
index be05a33205..fb86a3fec5 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/backup.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/backup.sgml
@@ -1332,7 +1332,8 @@ restore_command = 'cp /mnt/server/archivedir/%f %p'
     you like, add comments to a history file to record your own notes about
     how and why this particular timeline was created.  Such comments will be
     especially valuable when you have a thicket of different timelines as
-    a result of experimentation.
+    a result of experimentation. The timeline identifier is an integer which
+    is used in hexadecimal format in both WAL segment file names and history files.
    </para>
 
    <para>
diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml
index e5c41cc6c6..6c0d63b73d 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml
@@ -4110,7 +4110,11 @@ restore_command = 'copy "C:\\server\\archivedir\\%f" "%p"'  # Windows
         current when the base backup was taken.  The
         value <literal>latest</literal> recovers
         to the latest timeline found in the archive, which is useful in
-        a standby server.  <literal>latest</literal> is the default.
+        a standby server. A numerical value expressed in hexadecimal, by exemple
+        from WAL filename or history file, must be prefixed with <literal>0x</literal>,
+        for example <literal>0x11</literal> if the WAL filename
+        is <filename>00000011000000A10000004F</filename>.
+        <literal>latest</literal> is the default.
        </para>
 
        <para>
diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_waldump.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_waldump.sgml
index 343f0482a9..d92948c68a 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_waldump.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_waldump.sgml
@@ -215,7 +215,9 @@ PostgreSQL documentation
        <para>
         Timeline from which to read WAL records. The default is to use the
         value in <replaceable>startseg</replaceable>, if that is specified; otherwise, the
-        default is 1.
+        default is 1. The value can be expressed in decimal or hexadecimal format.
+        The hexadecimal format, given by WAL filename, must be preceded by <literal>0x</literal>,
+        by example <literal>0x11</literal>.
        </para>
       </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
diff --git a/src/bin/pg_waldump/pg_waldump.c b/src/bin/pg_waldump/pg_waldump.c
index 44b5c8726e..b29d5223ce 100644
--- a/src/bin/pg_waldump/pg_waldump.c
+++ b/src/bin/pg_waldump/pg_waldump.c
@@ -770,6 +770,7 @@ usage(void)
 	printf(_("  -R, --relation=T/D/R   only show records that modify blocks in relation T/D/R\n"));
 	printf(_("  -s, --start=RECPTR     start reading at WAL location RECPTR\n"));
 	printf(_("  -t, --timeline=TLI     timeline from which to read WAL records\n"
+			 "                         hexadecimal value, from WAL filename, must be preceded by 0x\n"
 			 "                         (default: 1 or the value used in STARTSEG)\n"));
 	printf(_("  -V, --version          output version information, then exit\n"));
 	printf(_("  -w, --fullpage         only show records with a full page write\n"));
@@ -1007,7 +1008,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 					private.startptr = (uint64) xlogid << 32 | xrecoff;
 				break;
 			case 't':
-				if (sscanf(optarg, "%u", &private.timeline) != 1)
+				if ( !(private.timeline = strtoul(optarg, NULL, 0)) )
 				{
 					pg_log_error("invalid timeline specification: \"%s\"", optarg);
 					goto bad_argument;