RFA Brigades

[Chris Noble]

Hi all.

Who would be responsible for the laying of telephonic communications between battery, infantry, and observation posts?

Would this be a task undertaken by the RFA Brigade(s) or a Royal Engineer unit(s)?

Best wishes.

Chris.

[ianjonesncl]

In the main I would think the RFA would be responsible.

Certainly the laying of line from the Battery to the Observation posts would have been an Artillery responsibility. There many have been cases where RE may have laid prepared communications.

In addition to laying the line, the maintenance was of crucial importance as enemy artillery fire cut the line. Many a Military Medal and mention In Dispatches has been won by the Signalers of the Royal Artillery, laying and mending line under fire.

[ianjonesncl]

Chris

From Field Artillery Training Manual 1914 Service of Communication sct 247 para 2 page 392

Communication within the battery from the battery commander to the guns and his observers will be carried out by the battery signallers

[Chris Noble]

Many thanks for the reply.

With my limited knowledge, looking at the three strands of wire they are of various thickness and insulated i presume as such.

Is it the same 'circuit' laid at the same time? The reason i ask is that i have been looking at some War Diaries today that mention that some 'circuits' between batteries and its associated artillery brigade H.Q. were laid in triplicate, i presume a standard practice. Those to a neighbouring infantry brigade H.Q. were a single wire. Not accounting for lines from the brigades O.P.'s the total amounted to over 22 miles of wire!

Chris.

[ianjonesncl]

Chris

Below is an extract from Work of R.E. in the European War 1914- 1919, The Signal Service France which recognises the change to positional warfare and the consequences for Artillery communications. Although some of the responsibility shifted to the Royal Engineers, the actual work and maintenance of line from batteries to OP's was undertaken by the RFA.

To summarize the state of affairs as regards artillery signals in

the summer of 19 15, by which time position warfare had persisted

sufficiently long for evolution of methods to have taken place to a

considerable extent, the main facts were as follows. The old divided

control of artillery signal communications had gone. No longer was

the battery intercommunication officer responsible for lines from

O.P.'s to the guns, and the brigade officer for hues from batteries

to brigades. Orders had been issued giving to the artillery brigade

signal officer control over the whole system of his formation.

He, in his turn, was expected to keep close liaison—in the case

of the heavy artillery—\\dth the the Divisional Signal Company

commander, in the case of Field Artillery—with the infantry

brigade signal officer. To the latter, the O.C. Divisional Signal

Company had meanwhile delegated his supreme responsibility for

all lines in the Brigade area. An officer had also been definitely

appointed to supervise the divisional artillery communications.

[ianjonesncl]

There was a TOPIC that was concerned with RGA communications, but does provide a greater insight. In positional warfare the communications for line for RFA would have been similar. References to linking to HAG headquarters would be replaced by Divisional Headquarters, where there was a dedicated Divisional Artillery Signals Section.