1103rd battery, RFA

[Mike in Cumbria]

Hello

I'm new to WWI research and would like some help with tracing the history of my great uncle Per (Joseph Percy Moody), who was a shoeing smith in the RFA.

I would very much like to know where his unit was and what they were doing during the following periods.

April 1915 to November 1915, when he is listed as being in France (he joined up in February 1915)

November 1915 to June 1916 when he was in Mesopotamia

In 1916, he was seriously ill and was sent to India, where he spent the rest of war. Would this have meant leaving the unit and joining a different one?

Any help with this would be much appreciated.

Mike

(The information I already have has mostly come from Ancestry.)

[ander11]

Hello Mike and Welcome

to the great war forum, Have you looked at the Long long Trail for information. That is the best place to start your research. try this link. http://www.1914-1918.net/

http://www.1914-1918.net/rfa_units.htm

21 Brigade (regular, XXI)

Comprising 101, 102 and 103 Batteries, this brigade was at Hyderabad and under command of 4th (Quetta) Division of the Indian Army, which remained in India throughout the war.

- 103 Battery left in December 1914

- 21 Brigade was placed under orders of the Karachi Brigade (of the same Division) from June 1917

- 1107 (Howitzer) Battery joined in April 1917 (it was formerly C (Howitzer) Battery of 228 Brigade)

- 101 Battery was detached for duty at Quetta in December 1917

- 1107 (Howitzer) Battery moved to Quetta between June and December 1918

- 101 Battery returned to the brigade in November 1918, in exchange for 102 Battery.

I hope this helps you

regards

Ian

[Mike in Cumbria]

Hello Ian and thanks for the welcome.

I did look at the Long Long Trail, and I suspect the information is there, but I am finding some of the terminology confusing. I have his unit down as 1103rd Bty - does this in reality mean 103 Battery? If so, presumably I'm looking at 21st brigade.

When it says the 103rd left Hyderabad in 1914, I guess that would have meant they were on their way to France.

Mike

[David Porter]

Hi Mike,

Just checked his service record and he was only posted to 1103 Bty, 227 Bde RFA on April 24, 1919. That is the unit he was discharged from.

It looks like he was transferred in March 1915 from the Army Service Corps and was in the Lahore (3rd) & Meerut (7th) Divisional Ammunition Columns before being taken ill with Malaria. He spends quite a lot of time at the RA Depots at Ambala and Secunderabad.

[Mike in Cumbria]

That's extremely helpful, David. Are you seeing that on Ancestry, or elsewhere? The attestation form that I have seen there certainly shows him originally being recruited into the Army Service Corps but this is crossed out and changed to RFA. I had the impression this was done at the time, and certainly by 12th March 1915. His service number also changed from 5933 to 98029 at this time. Someone has written "Specially Enlisted Shoeing Smith" on this form and my guess was that he was transferred when they realised that he had blacksmithing skills. As I said though, I'm new to all this so open to any ideas.

His war record shows him in France,Mesopotamia and India on the dates shown in my first post.

Regards

Mike

[kenf48]

The document you need to look at is

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/Browse/view.aspx?dbid=1219&path=M.Mo.Moo.8180

which although badly burned gives his postings in India as outlined above.

Above that you will see he went to Westerham (Kent) and from there to France with the badly smudged 12th or 19th ( Battery

The Mesopatamia posting is not much help as to his unit but he was evacuated from there to Amara as you say seriously ill and suffering from Dysentery. As David notes above (our posts crossed) he later received a disability pension for malaria contracted in India although he was initially demobilised to the Z Reserve which suggests a reasonable degree of fitness.

Ken

[Mike in Cumbria]

Oops - I think I misread your post. Yes, being transferred to the RFA in March 1915 matches my notes.

Where did you find the information about the Lahore & Meerut Divisional Ammunition Columns please? That's a new name for me.

[kenf48]

sorry about the smiley it's not clear but it's definitely 1?th B in brackets

On the document above DAC = Divisional Ammunition Coloumn

Ken

[Mike in Cumbria]

Thanks Ken (posts are crossing here!)

I'll look at that one again - I couldn't make much of it first time around but I'll give it another go.

Cheers

Mike

[David Porter]

Where did you find the information about the Lahore & Meerut Divisional Ammunition Columns please?.

Check out the link Ken gave.

He has plenty of pages in both the Service Records and Pension Records. You need to check them all carefully, make notes as you go and put the lot in date order.

The 19 [R] Battery also listed was a reserve battery at Woolwich.

[Mike in Cumbria]

I see, Ken - there are 2 copies of that form and was looking at the one with most fire damage. The one you linked to has more readable information it, so I'll have to have another look and see what more I can get from it.

Mike

Posts crossing again, David!

Yes, I've been doing just that, and the version Ken found has much more on it than the one I took notes from.

Thanks both, you've put me back on the right track.

Mike

[kenf48]

Thank you David it is an 'R'

On closer examination it looks as though after landing in France he was posted to the Indian Army Lahore DAC which was then serving in France and a week later to the Meerut DAC. It looks like he went with the Division to Mesopatamia when they were 'evacuated' from the Western Front to avoid another winter, though he seems to have arrived before the main body.

Although I hesitate to give wikipedia as a source it's a good place to start sometimes (esp. on a wet afternoon!)

There is a short history here

http://en.wikipedia....iki/7th_(Meerut)_Division

It then seems he remained with the Indian Army for the rest of the war.

Ken

[ander11]

Thank you David it is an 'R'

On closer examination it looks as though after landing in France he was posted to the Indian Army Lahore DAC which was then serving in France and a week later to the Meerut DAC. It looks like he went with the Division to Mesopatamia when they were 'evacuated' from the Western Front to avoid another winter.

Although I hesitate to give wikipedia as a source it's a good place to start sometimes (esp. on a wet afternoon!)

There is a short history here

http://en.wikipedia....iki/7th_(Meerut)_Division

It then seems he remained with the Indian Army for the rest of the war.

Ken

Hello Ken

I thought the 7th Meerut Div were sent to Mesopotamia (Iraq) to help relieve the surrounded army at Kut.

Ian

[Mike in Cumbria]

Right, that was useful. I think I have the sequence now. It was confusing at first because the time he spent in France was with the Lahore and Meerut DACs.

Does this look right? Mainly, I could do with confirmation that the Lahore and Meerut DACs were operating in France (it's the only way that the dates all make sense), and that the whole unit transferred to Mesopotamia (I know he went there on 22/11/15, but there is no mention of being posted)

Joined up in February 2015, and initially put into the ASC

In March transferred to RFA as a Shoeing Smith

1st April, posted to France with the 19th (I think) Battery, RFA

8th April, posted to the Lahore DAC, still in France

15th April, posted to the Meerut DAC, still in France

22nd November, 2015, he is sent to Mesopotamia. No record of a posting, so does that mean that the whole DAC went together?

31st May 1916, seriously ill with dysentry, treated in Amara Field Hospital. Form B104/80a sent to his father

16th June 1916, posted to RA depot, Ambala, India

10th March 1917 posted to RA depot Secunderabad

17th August 1918 - confined to barracks for 10 days for disobeying a depot order. Trimulgherry

25th March 1919 Posted to ??? battery, Trimulgherry

11th October posted to (unknown... EST?) India

9th December 1919 Disembarked and discharged (transferred to reservists)

Thanks again for the help so far, and anything you can add to the above.

Mike

ah - the perils of cross-posting! It looks as though you came up with same scenario as I did - I'll read your posts properly now.

Mike

[David Porter]

1st April, posted to France with the 19th (I think) Battery, RFA

19th Reserve Battery remained in the UK. He would have been posted to a base depot before arriving with Lahore DAC

22nd November, 2015, he is sent to Mesopotamia. No record of a posting, so does that mean that the whole DAC went together?

Yes, one can assume the Meerut DAC were sent a little ahead of the main Division which appears to have moved in December 1915.

[kenf48]

Hello Ken

I thought the 7th Meerut Div were sent to Mesopotamia (Iraq) to help relieve the surrounded army at Kut.

Ian

Townsend actually requested them to strengthen his force for his march on Baghdad. By the time they left France he was already besieged in Kut and they arrived too late to be effective. As the wiki article notes on the same day he requested them the Secretary of State for India was expressing concern about the weakness of the Indian Divisions following heavy fighting and sickness. So it was an 'either' 'or' either they went to Mespot or in spite of opposition they may have been sent home. In the end they went to Mespot. but the mission had changed.

Ken

Ken