308th Siege Battery RGA (Signal Section)

[rwknight]

Hello,

I would like to gain further information concering the 308th Siege Battery RGA (Signal Section). I have a photograph of my grandfather and other members of his unit dated June 1918 somewhere in France.

Would greatly appreciate any help and information!

[Terry_Reeves]

Robin

308 SB is included in a war diary at the National Archive although it's unlikely that the signal section will be mentioned in any detail. The file reference is:

WO 95/216 Lewis Group Heavy Artillery (136 and 137 Heavy Batteries; 102, 175 and 308 Siege Batteries) 1917 October

TR

[rwknight]

Terry,

Thank you very much for this information - much appreciated!

Regards

Robin

Robin

308 SB is included in a war diary at the National Archive although it's unlikely that the signal section will be mentioned in any detail. The file reference is:

WO 95/216 Lewis Group Heavy Artillery (136 and 137 Heavy Batteries; 102, 175 and 308 Siege Batteries) 1917 October

TR

[ororkep]

Welcome Robin to the forum,

William Griffiths Roberts, a signaller who served with this mechanised Siege Battery that went out to the Western front 29-4-1917, with armament of 4 x 6 in Howitzers (26 cwt).

Note the official diary unfortunately covers only five days of Oct 1917 in its surviving pages.

You can glean more information by reading the higher formation HAG diaries (Heavy Artillery Group) 308 Sge Bty was part of at various times and which all survive. These were:

5-5-17 joined 1 Corps Hvy arty until

8-5-17 joined 67 HAG until

6-7-17 joined 15 HAG during which extra personnel joined form 445 Sge Bty 30-9-17

6-10-17 joined 63 HAG until

18-10-17 joined 98 HAG until

15-11-17 joined 66 HAG

And finally to 30 Brigade 22-12-17 with no subsequent changes.

This is the largest diary covering 12 months until Dec 1918 and can be found at NA ref WO95/220, and is the one I would start with as it will tell you where that ‘somewhere in France’ you mention on your other thread actually was.

Rgds Paul

PS You have his service number typed incorrectly on your thread in Soldiers; its 171120

PPS There is also a Gnr Enoch Stanley Roberts 171127, any relation?

[rwknight]

Thank you for this information, this will certainly be a great help.

I have noted the correction in service number, having been found in a faded hymn book. Based on the information that you have provided, what would be chances of retrieving a service record at the National Archives?

I do not believe that Gnr Enoch Stanley Roberts 171127 is any relation.

Regards

Robin

Welcome Robin to the forum,

William Griffiths Roberts, a signaller who served with this mechanised Siege Battery that went out to the Western front 29-4-1917, with armament of 4 x 6 in Howitzers (26 cwt).

Note the official diary unfortunately covers only five days of Oct 1917 in its surviving pages.

You can glean more information by reading the higher formation HAG diaries (Heavy Artillery Group) 308 Sge Bty was part of at various times and which all survive. These were:

5-5-17 joined 1 Corps Hvy arty until

8-5-17 joined 67 HAG until

6-7-17 joined 15 HAG during which extra personnel joined form 445 Sge Bty 30-9-17

6-10-17 joined 63 HAG until

18-10-17 joined 98 HAG until

15-11-17 joined 66 HAG

And finally to 30 Brigade 22-12-17 with no subsequent changes.

This is the largest diary covering 12 months until Dec 1918 and can be found at NA ref WO95/220, and is the one I would start with as it will tell you where that 'somewhere in France' you mention on your other thread actually was.

Rgds Paul

PS You have his service number typed incorrectly on your thread in Soldiers; its 171120

PPS There is also a Gnr Enoch Stanley Roberts 171127, any relation?

[ororkep]

Robin,

Well his records are not in the Pension files and Ancestry has yet to honour their original statement and upload the remainder of the burnt series from N onwards, so always worth a check at the NA in person.

The records of Enoch Roberts are in the Pension files; although his Mic is wrongly entered on Ancestry as 171129 rather than 171127. The same surname in such close numerical proximity on a roll should always be checked. His records clearly show RGA mobilisation on 4-7-1917 which ties in perfectly with the post Kevin made on your other thread. Hence the information William was training in 1916 is something of an anomaly, or could the digit 6 perhaps read 8.

Would be nice to see the photograph you have.

Rgds Paul

[rwknight]

Paul,

I have attached one of the photographs that I was referencing in my earlier message.

Regards

Robin

Robin,

Well his records are not in the Pension files and Ancestry has yet to honour their original statement and upload the remainder of the burnt series from N onwards, so always worth a check at the NA in person.

The records of Enoch Roberts are in the Pension files; although his Mic is wrongly entered on Ancestry as 171129 rather than 171127. The same surname in such close numerical proximity on a roll should always be checked. His records clearly show RGA mobilisation on 4-7-1917 which ties in perfectly with the post Kevin made on your other thread. Hence the information William was training in 1916 is something of an anomaly, or could the digit 6 perhaps read 8.

Would be nice to see the photograph you have.

Rgds Paul

[Guest Scaramouche]

I know this is many years since this thread started, but I have only just come across it. My great-uncle Walter George Hague was a Lance Bombardier in the 308th Siege Battery of the RGA number 172652, but his service records seem to have been destroyed during WW2. He died 16th November 1918, less than one week after the end of hostilities, presumably from injuries received. I will check out WO95/220 as suggested by ORORKEP in the posts. I can find little on the web about the activities of this Siege Battery, so if anyone has unearthed anything in the interim from the start of this thread, I would be pleased to hear about it. If I find anything, I shall post it here. Well done to all the people who help the rest of us out!

Edited 17 December , 2016 by Scaramouche

[kevinrowlinson]

1 hour ago, Scaramouche said:

I know this is many years since this thread started, but I have only just come across it. My great-uncle Walter George Hague was a Lance Bombardier in the 308th Siege Battery of the RGA number 172652, but his service records seem to have been destroyed during WW2. He died 16th November 1918, less than one week after the end of hostilities, presumably from injuries received. I will check out WO95/220 as suggested by ORORKEP in the posts. I can find little on the web about the activities of this Siege Battery, so if anyone has unearthed anything in the interim from the start of this thread, I would be pleased to hear about it. If I find anything, I shall post it here. Well done to all the people who help the rest of us out!

 

His number would imply being conscripted/mobilised and arriving at No.1 Depot, Derby, around the 26th July 1917 and being approved a few days later. If he was not then trained as a signaller his route to 308th Sge. Bty. was probably being posted from Derby, after a couple of weeks, to one of the home based training batteries; one possibly numbered between 480 SB and 490 SB. The trained gunners would then be posted to one of two reinforcing units before being posted overseas and joining a battery that required them. It is not likely that he went out before Nov. 1917. If he was trained as a signaller his route would have been different and probably went out later still.

You should read the war diary that Paul (Ororkep) gave in the earlier post for 30 Brigade- http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/5cb9ff2964e44fd1a5f375902fa5b622 .

It is possible he died from flu.

 

Kevin