30th Division

[Aaron Nelson]

Howdy all,

Can anyone please tell me if there any online resources I can access re the history of the 30th Division and in particular one of its Artillery Brigades the 149 Bridage RFA. Movements, any significant actions and where they served would be great. I have already lookd up the Long Long Trail info and that has been great, any further resources like online diaries etc would be wonderful.

Thaks for any help/advise given in advance.

regards Aaron.

[Ian Riley]

Aaron,

I don't know about 149 Brigade RFA in particular but there is a book called Field Guns in France by Lieutenant Colonel N. Fraser-Tytler that might be of interest. He commanded a battery of howitzers with 30th Division from 1915-1918. I haven't read it in full but I gather it is held to give an accurate account of life in a field battery (and in the right division for you). It is certainly entertaining; I've just noticed his rather sad account of his attempt to coax the shell-shocked serjeant cook out of a trench shelter with a biscuit. I am not sure whether it is available in reprint; its availability in the New Zealand library system might be limited (no criticism of your libraries but they are a long way from where this was published in London in 1922).

Ian

[daggers]

Following Ian's reference to 'Field Guns in France' I can add that the book was first published in 1922, but reissued by Tom Donovan Publishing Ltd of Brighton in 1922, ISBN: 1-871985-31-4.

The cover flap says that

'30th Division was New Army. Its Field Artillery was:

CXLVIII (148th) Brigade RFA, County Palatine

CXLIX (149th) do do

CL (150th) do do

CLI (151st) do do.'

All were raised in the County Palatine of Lancashire under the influence of Lord Derby, in parallel with the Pals Battalions of infantry such as the 17th-20th Battalions of the King's Liverpool Regiment and others.

D

[Ian Riley]

At the suggestion of Daggers (his discovery), a cross reference to another discussion in the Forum about 149 Brigade RFA is here

Ian

[Aaron Nelson]

Thanks Ian for your help, I will certainly to track that book down as my relative did servce in a Howitzer battery. D battery of 149 Brigade.

regards Aaron.

[rainbow70]

I would be grateful for any information and photos on 30 division 149th RFA. My Grandfather served in C batetry from Feb 1915 until the end of the war. Gunner Harry Clitheroe. Number L9525. I will look out for the book Field Guns in France.

[krebsy]

I would be grateful for any information and photos on 30 division 149th RFA. My Grandfather served in C batetry from Feb 1915 until the end of the war. Gunner Harry Clitheroe. Number L9525. I will look out for the book Field Guns in France.

Steve,

I've a few training photos of my Gt-Grandfather and the people he was training alongside which I can scan and send through if you drop me a PM with your E-mail address (same goes for anyone interested in C battery of the 149th). Not a huge range of shots and no names I'm afraid but you might be able to pick out a face and put a name to it finally for me .

Also, I can post on here as well but the 100kb limit might make them somewhat low in quality/definition...

Stu.

[krebsy]

Check:

http://www.alibris.com/search/books/isbn/9781847343727

For the field guns book. Re-bound originals and 2004 copies available. I'm ordering a 2004 copy.

Also: -

"Moments of memory" -

http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?qwork=10...s*listing*title

Stu.

[krebsy]

Books are on their way so should see them at some point over the next few days. If there is anything specific that people want me to look out for in there then drop me a PM and I'll keep an eye out and scan the relevant sections if I can.

Stu.

[bclift]

Hi, I've just found this thread on the search panel and wondered if you could send me copies of the training photographs you mention. My grandfather joined the 149th in Liverpool on 30 March 1915, reg no L16399, and was posted to France on 28th November 1915 with what looks like C Bty where he remained until he was posted to B Bty on 16/05/16. He was later reposted back to C Bty on 3/09/16 where he was Granted Class II Proficiency _ _ _ _ ? on 30/05/17, before being wounded by shrapnel in both legs and a GSW on 22/06/17 and being shipped back home. After recovery he was posted to AA Depot 35 Res Bty RGA, Sandhurst on 20/02/18 before returning to France04/05/18 where he served with the 150th AA Section RGA. until demob 21/01/19. I would certainly appreciate any information you could give about where their training took place and any battle details not covered by the Long, long trail. I have also just ordered Asquith's book which looks as if it might also be of great help.

Brian Clift

[rainbow70]

Did you get any photos of the training at Lytham St Annes. If not send me your e mail address and I will forward them on to you

Steve

Hi, I've just found this thread on the search panel and wondered if you could send me copies of the training photographs you mention. My grandfather joined the 149th in Liverpool on 30 March 1915, reg no L16399, and was posted to France on 28th November 1915 with what looks like C Bty where he remained until he was posted to B Bty on 16/05/16. He was later reposted back to C Bty on 3/09/16 where he was Granted Class II Proficiency _ _ _ _ ? on 30/05/17, before being wounded by shrapnel in both legs and a GSW on 22/06/17 and being shipped back home. After recovery he was posted to AA Depot 35 Res Bty RGA, Sandhurst on 20/02/18 before returning to France04/05/18 where he served with the 150th AA Section RGA. until demob 21/01/19. I would certainly appreciate any information you could give about where their training took place and any battle details not covered by the Long, long trail. I have also just ordered Asquith's book which looks as if it might also be of great help.

Brian Clift

[Mancunian_Nick]

Wow was it REALLY 2008 since I was last in these wonderful, excellent forums? I apologise for that and I don't know if any of you people are still following these forums or not but just in case and in the hope that you are, let me say my grandfather, Harold Waddicor, enlisted in 149 Brigade, 30th Division, B Battery and C sub of the RFA on 22nd February 1915 as a driver and from the date of his enlistment, he kept a war diary which is very detailed although sadly doesn't really go into the emotions or feelings he experienced right through until his demob through injury in 1918. He kept almost daily entries although sadly late 1917 to early-ish 1918 are missing as his pocket sized diaries he originally wrote in got lost - or rather those particular ones did. The rest my mother kindly donated to the Imperial War Museum in London, although after I scanned in the diaries on my computer from her original typed entries, that was really the last she had to do with it. It was kind of a labour of love to keep his memory and that of his battalion alive. It certainly makes fascinating reading. I really ought to publish it somewhere perhaps, if I only knew where/how because I feel sure it would interest a lot of people perhaps?

Anyway if anyone else had family/friends in this and has photos, I would love to see them and would be more than happy to send a photograph of my grandfather as well as a newspaper article written at the time just after she had completed the typing of the diaries.

Anyway I'll leave it there for now. Thank you for listening, if anyone is still doing so.

Nick

[Mancunian_Nick]

Hey Steve70 - don't know if you will get to see this or not (hopefully you will) but my grandfather was billeted in Lytham St Annes from his signing up in Manchester until they went out to France at the end of November 1915. He was billeted at 29 The Square along with 6 other men - apparantly there were 1,000 men billeted there. Amazing. :)If there's any info I can give you from his diaries regarding their training, I'd be happy to share them with you if you let me know where/how. I would also love to see those photos if at all possible. I think my email address here is still current but before I go I will double-check and make sure.

Anyway all the best for now, Nick

[Johno7439]

I just found out yesterday that my great grandfather on my mum's side served with 150 Brigade. He was 575 Driver Kenneth McDermid (see my sig below), and suffered terribly from shrapnel wounds to the leg and a gun shot wound in the chest.

Your's Aye

Ewan

[rainbow70]

Hey Steve70 - don't know if you will get to see this or not (hopefully you will) but my grandfather was billeted in Lytham St Annes from his signing up in Manchester until they went out to France at the end of November 1915. He was billeted at 29 The Square along with 6 other men - apparantly there were 1,000 men billeted there. Amazing. :)If there's any info I can give you from his diaries regarding their training, I'd be happy to share them with you if you let me know where/how. I would also love to see those photos if at all possible. I think my email address here is still current but before I go I will double-check and make sure.

Anyway all the best for now, Nick

Hi Nick

I've just seen your post about the training photo's. I've not been on this forum for a few years hence why I've not replied sooner. If you send me your email addres I will forward them to you. My email is sclitheroe@ntlworld.com.

Cheers

Steve

[Mancunian_Nick]

Done, albeit a few years later, Steve, :)

Thank you once again.

[Mancunian_Nick]

Guess you must have missed it but never mind. If/when you read this thread again, would still be very interested indeed to see those photographs if at all possible.

And still would appreciate any suggestions as to where I can his diaries? I was going to try to create some kind of contents and/or index but to be honest I don't know the most straightforward way of doing this. The diary pages are in PDF image format as it was the only way I could think of doing it at the time. I'd still love to make this available, especially as my grandfather later incorporated the actual brigade diary into his own.

Anyway I'll leave it here for now. :)

[Mancunian_Nick]

Below is the first page of my grandfather's war diary he kept pretty much daily from the time of his enlistment (as you can see) until his discharge from injury in 1918. I hope the attachment works this time.