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Royal Marine Artillery


ianjonesncl

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RoyalMarineArtlleryWW1.jpg

Royal Marine Artillery - always wondered about these chaps.

Source: RMA?

On 17/02/2011 at 18:22, michaeldr said:

You will find much useful information on the RMA's Howitzer Brigade in General Blumberg's history 'Britain's Sea Soldiers' – see chapter 24

The guns were designed at the Coventry Ordnance Works (under Rear-Admiral Bacon) to match the effects which the large Austrian guns had had on the forts at Liege, Namur etc. Any shortcomings which they had, derived principally from their not being employed against targets such as these (concrete permanent fortifications)

The first gun was in action at Locre on 6 March 1915 and the brigade was in FF until June 1919. The 15-inch guns were only replaced by the Army's 12-inch weapon in the autumn of 1918

Long Long Trail - The Batteries of the Royal Marine Artillery - The Long, Long Trail (longlongtrail.co.uk)

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE ROYAL MARINE ARTILLERY

The Howitzer Brigade, R.M.A.

As has been already stated, the Royal Marine Artillery Battalion was withdrawn

from the R.M. Brigade for purely Artillery work. A portion of them, of course

often reinforced, were formed into 10 Batteries, armed each with one 15"

Howitzer (Granny), the Batteries, armed each with one 15" Howitzer (Granny),

the largest Howitzer used on the British front in France. One training 15"

Howitzer was placed at Fort Cumberland, Portsmouth in 1914-15 prior to being

shipped to France. Each gun would require a crew of approximately 60 men,

and would include steam tractor drivers, also trained at the Fort.

The first two of these Howitzers were landed in France on the I5th February,

1915, thereafter being gradually joined by the others as soon as ready.

Thereafter one or more took part in nearly every action on theWestern Front.

Major F. W. Lumsden was in command of No 1 Battery of the Brigade from the

I5th February till the 27th July, 1915, when he was transferred to the General

Staff.

Honours awarded to the Howitzer Brigade include :—

To Colonel G. R. Poole, who administered the Brigade throughout, a CMG and

DSO: five other DSOs : three DSCs : eight MCs : eight DCMs : thirty-seven

MMs: and fifty-three " mentioned in despatches."

Heavy Siege Train at Dunkirk

.

During this time a Brigade of really heavy guns had been fighting in Flanders.

As early as September, 1915, four 9.2" guns and one 12" had been landed from

ships to counteract heavy long range guns worked by German Marines at

Ostend. At first the guns were worked by seamen, but these were gradually

replaced by RMA.

So valuable and indispensable was their counter battery work, that byMarch,

1918, they had been gradually increased to a Lt.-Colonel's Command (Lieut.-

Col. P. Peacock, RMA, took over from Major and Brevet Lt.-Col. R. V. T.

Ford) and he had under him 3 groups:—

"A" Group—three 12" and three 9.2"

"B" Group—five 9.2"

"C" Group—six 7.5"

The guns were on ship's mountings with girders and concrete platforms. In

general the role of the siege guns was to act under the Navy by engaging the

coast batteries which harassed the monitors and other craft, but also they

rendered great services in all the military operations in counter-battery work and

long distance shoots on tactical points.

In the Zeebrugge and Ostend operations, especially 22nd and 23rd April, they

continuously engaged the German guns, and had carried out a bombardment the

previous night so as not to make their work appear unusual. This work was

most useful as a blind and kept down the fire of the shore batteries. Col.

Peacock was mentioned in despatches and received the C.M.G. Further honours

accorded to this unit during the whole operations were:—CBE (Lieut.-Col. R.

V. T. Ford) ; DSO (Major R. E. Kilvert, commanding February, 1917, to

January, 1918), and H E. W. Iremonger, DSO and Brevet Lt.-Col. ; Capt. Peck,

first Adjutant and then commanding a 12" in 1916, a DSC, and 3 others; 17

DSMs; 4 MSMs; 17" mentioned in despatches". Casualties were three Officers

killed and two wounded; eight other ranks killed and fourteen wounded.

Source: RMA?

Edited by ianjonesncl

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