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Guest stella

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please can anybody tell me anything about the 119th seige battalion a unit of the royal artillery garrison any info would be really appreciated

thanks stella

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Stella

Much depends on what sort of information you are after. If you click on the link to the Long Long Trail (top left of this page), you will find some general info about the Royal Garrison Artillery and Siege batteries.

If you are able to be more specific about what you are after, someone may be able to help.

Welcome to the Forum, by the way.

John

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the main thing that i wanted to know is where they were based but if anybody has anything else then i would appreciate it

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is there anybody out there that knows anything about the 119th seige batallion which were part of the royal artillery garrison inprticular where they were based i don't seem to be able to find anything beginning to wonder wether they actually existed

thankyou stella

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Stella: I can give you some information on the 119th Siege Battery but the Great War was a long war and the battery changed positions and brigades many times during the war. If you could be somewhat more specific concerning the time period for which you are seeking the location of the 119th Siege Battery it would be easier to answer your question. Regards. Dick Flory

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hi dick

the time period i am interested in is september 1918-january1919 in europe if poss. I got it the wrong way round didn't i its the royal garrison artillery i will very grateful for any info. Also can you tell me how you found this information out

thanks stella

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  • 4 years later...
Guest Mrmoosehead
please can anybody tell me anything about the 119th seige battalion a unit of the royal artillery garrison any info would be really appreciated

thanks stella

I know this request is nearly 5 years old, but I too would like to know any information about 119th seige battery.

My Great Grandfather was a POW in Friedrichsfield around 1/10/1918 and for some weeks after possibly till the end of the war. We know he took a long time to come home ;) ? But what we would like to know is how, where and when was he captured. We know from an old letter he was somewhere near Passendale during a big battle when a lot of people were captured, his words not mine. We also know he had 2 service numbers? A/234568 and 174360 the first was when he was in the ASC and the second was when he was in the RGA.

I would appreciate any information.

Thanks in advance.

M Rosam

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Welcome to the forum,

Given his service number , one likely occasion for the capture of Joseph Caleb WORVELL could be the following:

During Third Ypres 119 had seen heavy fighting and suffered terribly with casualties, and was taken out of line for a month in Jan 1918; it was mainly composed of reinforcements with little or no training and badly needed a rest. It was again taken out of line on May 12 for a refit. On May 27 1918, this battery of 6 in Howitzers x 6 and then part of 77 Brigade, was positioned at Gernicourt Wood. Five guns only were in position, one gun being at the workshop.

The enemy attack started at 1am, with a high explosive and gas bombardment in heavy mist and fog, and all communications were cut and their ammunition supplies destroyed soon after it began. Fires from the ammunition attracted enemy aircraft attention at early morning first light, and by 11.30 the OC realised the position was untenable as the enemy hidden by the mist were already round both flanks and the rear. They continued to fire until their ammunition was exhausted and he ordered the guns disabled and all documents burnt and stores destroyed, hence no surviving diary for this period. The detachments were ordered to make for Guyencourt as best they could and retreated across open ground carrying their wounded, but were exposed to heavy rifle and machine gun fire. On this day 1 Officer of 119 died of wounds, 2 Officers were wounded; 2 gunners were killed, 2 died of wounds, 38 were wounded and 29 recorded as missing (prisoners of war).

Rgds Paul ,

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Guest Mrmoosehead
Welcome to the forum,

Given his service number , one likely occasion for the capture of Joseph Caleb WORVELL could be the following:

During Third Ypres 119 had seen heavy fighting and suffered terribly with casualties, and was taken out of line for a month in Jan 1918; it was mainly composed of reinforcements with little or no training and badly needed a rest. It was again taken out of line on May 12 for a refit. On May 27 1918, this battery of 6 in Howitzers x 6 and then part of 77 Brigade, was positioned at Gernicourt Wood. Five guns only were in position, one gun being at the workshop.

The enemy attack started at 1am, with a high explosive and gas bombardment in heavy mist and fog, and all communications were cut and their ammunition supplies destroyed soon after it began. Fires from the ammunition attracted enemy aircraft attention at early morning first light, and by 11.30 the OC realised the position was untenable as the enemy hidden by the mist were already round both flanks and the rear. They continued to fire until their ammunition was exhausted and he ordered the guns disabled and all documents burnt and stores destroyed, hence no surviving diary for this period. The detachments were ordered to make for Guyencourt as best they could and retreated across open ground carrying their wounded, but were exposed to heavy rifle and machine gun fire. On this day 1 Officer of 119 died of wounds, 2 Officers were wounded; 2 gunners were killed, 2 died of wounds, 38 were wounded and 29 recorded as missing (prisoners of war).

Rgds Paul ,

Paul, thank you so much you don't know how much this means to me. I find it amazing that you even found his full name without any info from me except his service number. So it looks as if he was POW from May 1918 till the end of hostilities in November. Most of the information we have has been from 2 letters date Sept 1st and 15th 1918 he sent home from the camp, and from family hearsay (not salways the most acurate source) The letters are very fragile and are hard to read but most of the content is there. All he asks about is for parcels to be sent to him with hard biscuits, dried fruit a pair of boots a needle and cotton and wool? Oh and loose tobacco. He alwys had a reputation in the family as a survivor, looking from what you have written I can see where he got it from. we always looked at him as the Great escape caracter played by James Garner, the one that always 'found' things.

Thank you again Paul, if you have any more details I would be glad to hear from you or anyone else that can shead any light on this battle or it's loctaion.

Martin Rosam

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