123rd+125th Brigade Royal Field Artillery

[Guest Mikes.tree]

I am researching a family member and I'm wondering if anyone can help

I have a copy of his service records which gives me dates and units but doesn't tell me where he served or his unit served apart from France. His rank was Driver I would also like to know what this job entailed within the Artillery Battery, what his duties would have been.

The infomation and dates i have are as follows some of his records are badly marked but have pulled these dates from the records.

Welding Henry

Driver

74440

Enlisted 06 Jan 1915 Warrington

Discharged to Reserve 08/02/19

Home 06/01/15 - 29/07/15

France 30/07/15 - 10/01/19

Home 16/01/19 - 30/03/20

Embarked 30 Jul 1915 Disembarked 31 Jul 1915

Jul 15 C/125Bde RFA

25/11/17 123Bde RFA posted

15/01/19 Rtn to England on SS Kashmir

Many Thanks

Mike

[roughdiamond]

The old page for the RFA on the Long Long trail shows the 123rd - 126th Bde's (CXXIII - CXXVI) as part of 37th Div http://www.1914-1918.net/rfa_units%20-%20oldversion.htm but the page for the 37th Div http://www.1914-1918.net/37div.htm shows their RFA units as 223rd - 226th (CCXXIII - CCXXVI).

One or the other is wrong, maybe Chris who owns the LLT can clear it up, the 37th Div's date of arrival in France and the fact they served there till the Wars end ties in with what you have.

Sam

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Mike and Sam

To clear up Sam's point first, 37 Div's artillery brigades were definitely 123 to 126.

125 was broken up in August 1916, its batteries being distributed between the other three, making their batteries up from four guns each to six, but just before this, on 4 June 1916, C Batt 125 Bde had been redesignated A Batt, 124 Bde. I can see no indication of any similar changes in Nov 1917, but individual men could still have been posted at any time. These batteries were all equipped with the 18-pounder field gun.

The war diaries of all four brigades are in the same file in the National Archives at Kew:

WO 95/2521 123 Brigade Royal Field Artillery 1915 July - 1919 Feb.

WO 95/2521 124 Brigade Royal Field Artillery 1915 July - 1919 Mar.

WO 95/2521 125 Brigade Royal Field Artillery 1915 July - 1916 Aug.

WO 95/2521 126 Brigade Royal Field Artillery 1915 Apr. - 1917 Jan.

War Diaries rarely mention men by name other than officers, but the location of the unit, and a brief description of its activities, is given for each day. The division served only in France, from July 1915 onwards.

The 37th Div information on The Long Long Trail will give you details of the main battles in which it was engaged, but note that prior to Jan 1917 a division's artillery might still be used supporting another division when its infantry had been withdrawn to rest.

The equivalent ranks in the artillery to privates in the infantry were either Gunner or Driver. Drivers rode the horse teams which drew the guns and the ammunition wagons, plus a few for the equipment wagons. The 18-pounder was very similar to the 13-pounder used by the RHA, which the King's Troop still use in their mounted displays and ceremonial salute-firing. The guns and wagons had six-horse teams, with a driver on each near (left) side horse.

Ron