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Remembered Today:

Royal Garrison Artillery 61st Seige Battery


Harry20

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My grandfather's cousin was 54252 Gunner William Henry of Kirkintilloch near Glasgow who was kia 14.5.1917 aged 24. He is buried at Tilloy British Cemetery, where CWGC details fellow RGA men Gunner J E Daniels and 2nd Lieutenant William W Muggridge as also being kia on 14.5.1917. I understand the 61st Seige Battery first went to France on 9 March 1916 alongside the 62nd Seige Battery.

Can anyone fill in the movements of this Battery between March 1916 and May 1917?

Equally any info on Gunner Henry or the others who fell on the same day would be much appreciated.

thank you

Cowgate

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CG

War Diary for 61SB (1st Army) is at Kew under WO95/227,for period Mar 1916 to Jun 1918. Not digital so needs to be read in situ.

Sotonmate

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Sotonmate thanks for your helpful guidance (again)

As I am unlikely to be in a position to get to Kew any time soon if anyone has by any chance already consulted this War Diary and would be prepared to share details with me I would be most grateful

sincerely

Cowgate

CG

War Diary for 61SB (1st Army) is at Kew under WO95/227,for period Mar 1916 to Jun 1918. Not digital so needs to be read in situ.

Sotonmate

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Hello Cowgate,

You are aware his service records have survived? These and SWGC confirm Henry as DoW not KiA, and the other names you mention are two of four casualties that day from a completely different battery and have no connection to Henry. According to CWGC, he is the only recorded 61 SB death for that date.

Unfortunately the official 61 SB war diary pages for March and April 1917 are recorded as missing. The diary only picks up again part way through the 14 May. The pages are numbered, and the corresponding months are missing in the relevant Corps WD (VI) as well. No OR casualties are mentioned at all on the 14th but the OC is recorded as 'wounded in the leg and right hand'. The battery position is given as Wancourt N16c 8.2 Map 51B France 1/20.000, which was the tail end of the Battle of Arras. Nothing is recorded for OR casualties on the 14th in 48 HAG WD either; the higher formation group 61 were part of at the time which they joined 11.04.1917.

You are correct the Bty (and original member William) arrived on the 09.03.16 at Boulogne; their guns first registered at Arras on 05.04.16. For the Battle of the Somme 61 WD records Albert as their position until the end of July, then mostly at Becourt/ Fricourt (LX & RX) until end of September finds them at Mametz Wood & Contal Maison (LX & RX).

Rgds

Paul

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Paul

I actually got hold of his Service Record today (via the digitised records on Ancestry) unfortunately the clarity is very weak fro the details of his postings. He enlisted in late November 1914. If he went with 61st Seige Battery to France on 9.3.1916 what was he doing in the perido in between?

I am most grateful to you for the very helpful details re Gunner Henry and 61st Seige Battery. Thanks for the indication that he was apparently a single casualty from his Battery on that day.

Checking the other casualties interred at Tilloy British Cemetery (CWGC website) I was profoundly moved by the sheer numbe rof men whose date of death was given as 9 April 1917 - the day that Tilloy-La-Mofflaines fell to the allies.

many thanks again

Cowgate

Hello Cowgate,

You are aware his service records have survived? These and SWGC confirm Henry as DoW not KiA, and the other names you mention are two of four casualties that day from a completely different battery and have no connection to Henry. According to CWGC, he is the only recorded 61 SB death for that date.

Unfortunately the official 61 SB war diary pages for March and April 1917 are recorded as missing. The diary only picks up again part way through the 14 May. The pages are numbered, and the corresponding months are missing in the relevant Corps WD (VI) as well. No OR casualties are mentioned at all on the 14th but the OC is recorded as 'wounded in the leg and right hand'. The battery position is given as Wancourt N16c 8.2 Map 51B France 1/20.000, which was the tail end of the Battle of Arras. Nothing is recorded for OR casualties on the 14th in 48 HAG WD either; the higher formation group 61 were part of at the time which they joined 11.04.1917.

You are correct the Bty (and original member William) arrived on the 09.03.16 at Boulogne; their guns first registered at Arras on 05.04.16. For the Battle of the Somme 61 WD records Albert as their position until the end of July, then mostly at Becourt/ Fricourt (LX & RX) until end of September finds them at Mametz Wood & Contal Maison (LX & RX).

Rgds

Paul

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Hi Paul

I am sure they are perfectly straightforward, but can you please decipher "48 HAG" and also the "LX" and "RX" after the 61SB's positions in Sept and therafter, in your original response.

many thanks

Cowgate

Hello Cowgate,

You are aware his service records have survived? These and SWGC confirm Henry as DoW not KiA, and the other names you mention are two of four casualties that day from a completely different battery and have no connection to Henry. According to CWGC, he is the only recorded 61 SB death for that date.

Unfortunately the official 61 SB war diary pages for March and April 1917 are recorded as missing. The diary only picks up again part way through the 14 May. The pages are numbered, and the corresponding months are missing in the relevant Corps WD (VI) as well. No OR casualties are mentioned at all on the 14th but the OC is recorded as 'wounded in the leg and right hand'. The battery position is given as Wancourt N16c 8.2 Map 51B France 1/20.000, which was the tail end of the Battle of Arras. Nothing is recorded for OR casualties on the 14th in 48 HAG WD either; the higher formation group 61 were part of at the time which they joined 11.04.1917.

You are correct the Bty (and original member William) arrived on the 09.03.16 at Boulogne; their guns first registered at Arras on 05.04.16. For the Battle of the Somme 61 WD records Albert as their position until the end of July, then mostly at Becourt/ Fricourt (LX & RX) until end of September finds them at Mametz Wood & Contal Maison (LX & RX).

Rgds

Paul

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I believe that my grandfather, John Surtees Hunter, 48273, served in 61 SB. He died in 1921 as a result of having been gassed during the war.

He transferred into the Royal Flying Corps in July 1916. I have obtained his RFC/RAF service record and have inherited his Soldier's Pocket Testament, which gives his address as RGA Sheerness, with a date of 3 October 1915. His service record indicates that he enlisted on 24 July 1915 and gives details of his RGA service as follows:

48273 (GS) R.G.A. 61(S) Badge 24.7.15 -22.7.16.

It has been suggested that 61(S) refers to 61 Siege Battery. I am trying to piece together his war service. He was an air mechanic in the RFC/RAF, serving well behind the lines, and my understanding is that he was gassed while serving in the RGA and his transfer to the RFC was as a consequence of being unfit for front-line service.

I am aware that the 61 SB war diaries at at Kew, but am hoping that someone may be able to help. I understand the diaries commence in March 1916, and would like to know where the battery served up to July of that year (I have noted the previous reference to Arras in 1916). Are there any references in the diaries to gas attacks? I am also interested in any information on the origin or forerunners of 61 SB, which might explain my grandfather being stationed in Sheerness in October 1915.

Many thanks in advance for any help with this.

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John

there will be others better versed who will be able to assist but to answer your query as to why your grandfather was at Sheernes, 61 Siege Battery was apparently formed at Sheerness.

My relative enlisted in Nov 1914 and was posted to 19 Company at Sheerness on 9.1.1915 where he underttok his training rotating around the 4 different Batteries there which made up the Sheerness Garrisons. On 27.9.1915 he was posted as one of the original members to 61 SB and went with them to France via Boulogne on 9.3.1916.

Cowgate

I believe that my grandfather, John Surtees Hunter, 48273, served in 61 SB. He died in 1921 as a result of having been gassed during the war.

He transferred into the Royal Flying Corps in July 1916. I have obtained his RFC/RAF service record and have inherited his Soldier's Pocket Testament, which gives his address as RGA Sheerness, with a date of 3 October 1915. His service record indicates that he enlisted on 24 July 1915 and gives details of his RGA service as follows:

48273 (GS) R.G.A. 61(S) Badge 24.7.15 -22.7.16.

It has been suggested that 61(S) refers to 61 Siege Battery. I am trying to piece together his war service. He was an air mechanic in the RFC/RAF, serving well behind the lines, and my understanding is that he was gassed while serving in the RGA and his transfer to the RFC was as a consequence of being unfit for front-line service.

I am aware that the 61 SB war diaries at at Kew, but am hoping that someone may be able to help. I understand the diaries commence in March 1916, and would like to know where the battery served up to July of that year (I have noted the previous reference to Arras in 1916). Are there any references in the diaries to gas attacks? I am also interested in any information on the origin or forerunners of 61 SB, which might explain my grandfather being stationed in Sheerness in October 1915.

Many thanks in advance for any help with this.

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  • 8 years later...

My great uncle Arthur Collishaw was in 61 Siege Battery, looking for details where they were in December 1916. He was awarded a MM then, promoted to Corporal in March 1917, and transferred to the Royal Engineers as a signaller after that

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Bdr Collinshaw & Gnr Coates were allotted their MMs on 30.09.1916 by the Commander of III Corps. The battery LX was at Mametz Wood and the RX at Contal Maison. These were the first battery awards. Both men were battery signallers and Collinshaw was sent home wounded.

Rgds Paul

Edited by ororkep
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