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Remembered Today:

23 battery RFA, 3 Div,XL Brigade 1914-1918


BLUENOSEWRX

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Hi guys

My name is SSgt Matthew Macdonald and currently in 39 Regt RA based in Newcastle equipped with GMLRS.

I have been tasked with carrying out research into the topic title unit which is my current battery( 56 Olpherts) Bty.

I was tasked with finding out all the actions they had been involved in which after a week I have managed to do with a lot of research and help from some of the sites linked on here, thanks

The other part of my task is to try and research anyone who survived the war and then went on to do something, ie politician, Olympian, sport, mayor, landowner, anything actually as I cannot find anything whatsoever. Any decorations won as well would be brilliant, can't find much in the London gazette either.

I'm waiting on the battery log getting sent to me to see if any things in it and our history room has nothing, any help would be so appreciated.

Thank you.

Matthew

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Matthew

It sounds like your OC has been giving out research projects! I've been on the receiving end of such tasks before but elsewhere in the military.

I have some pages from the 40th Brigade RFA war diary - October 1915 to June 1916 which may provide some more detail. If they are of interest please let me know an email address I can send them to. I'm not sure if the individual batteries kept war diaries themselves though. If you are after the complete diary you'll need to look it up at Kew using the reference WO95/1400.

Kind regards

Colin

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Matthew

It sounds like your OC has been giving out research projects! I've been on the receiving end of such tasks before but elsewhere in the military.

I have some pages from the 40th Brigade RFA war diary - October 1915 to June 1916 which may provide some more detail. If they are of interest please let me know an email address I can send them to. I'm not sure if the individual batteries kept war diaries themselves though. If you are after the complete diary you'll need to look it up at Kew using the reference WO95/1400.

Kind regards

Colin

Colin

Thank you, yes it's actually been directed through the head sheds for every battery in the RA to research for the centenary year next year, anything would be helpfull, I've contacted Kew and it would be over £500 for a copy of the XL war diary and as you prob know the Regiment won't pay for it or even send me down with a digital camera or he day.

They want all the info but without cost to themselves, anything you have can be e mailed to

matthew624@btinternet.com

Greatly appreciated

Matthew

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Matthew

Emails sent. I hope it is of use.

Kind regards

Colin

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I have notes from mobilisation around 4 August 1914 when the Brigade was at Bulford Camp. It spent until 16th building up to operational strength and entrained at Amesbury for Southampton on 17th,and shipped out to Le Havre same day,arriving on 18th. Deployed to the front by rail and was first brought to action on the Binch to Mons road on the 23rd. On this day one of the GS wagons received a direct hit near Le Cateau and lost the original War Diary and some baggage.August Diary was reconstructed from notes made but lacked detail,including the ship(s) used to carry the unit to France.The 3 Division Artillery used four ships in all for it's artillery but none specified in this Diary.

Artillery War Diaries for 1914-1918 often mention gallantry awards and you will pick up a fair few Officer names mentioned as posted to the unit which could be Googled to see if they did anything particular after the war. You could also get names from the Army List for this unit and do similar research. 3 Division unfortunately doesn't have a History for 1914-1918 from Naval and Military Press,others do and there is good material there ordinarily.

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You probably saw this from the Long Long Trail,at top left of this page:

http://www.1914-1918.net/3div.htm

I now note that there is mention of a 3 Div History there,but for the price it has to be a bit thin,and certainly not a N&MP publication !

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Guys,

Thanks so much, so far I've only glanced at a couple of pages Colin sent me and I can see some names already.

Thanks so much, and if anyone has any more info please keep it coming.

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I have notes from mobilisation around 4 August 1914 when the Brigade was at Bulford Camp. It spent until 16th building up to operational strength and entrained at Amesbury for Southampton on 17th,and shipped out to Le Havre same day,arriving on 18th. Deployed to the front by rail and was first brought to action on the Binch to Mons road on the 23rd. On this day one of the GS wagons received a direct hit near Le Cateau and lost the original War Diary and some baggage.August Diary was reconstructed from notes made but lacked detail,including the ship(s) used to carry the unit to France.The 3 Division Artillery used four ships in all for it's artillery but none specified in this Diary.

Artillery War Diaries for 1914-1918 often mention gallantry awards and you will pick up a fair few Officer names mentioned as posted to the unit which could be Googled to see if they did anything particular after the war. You could also get names from the Army List for this unit and do similar research. 3 Division unfortunately doesn't have a History for 1914-1918 from Naval and Military Press,others do and there is good material there ordinarily.

Could you possibly send me a copy of what you have please,???

Matthew

You probably saw this from the Long Long Trail,at top left of this page:

http://www.1914-1918.net/3div.htm

I now note that there is mention of a 3 Div History there,but for the price it has to be a bit thin,and certainly not a N&MP publication !

Yes I used that to check the battle history I received from the firepower museum and the spelling etc as it was handwritten, a excellent document.

Thanks

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Matthew,

You might want to take a look here - http://archive.org/details/royalregimentofa00beck, it's a book about the Royal Artillery at Le Cateau (by an artillery officer), 40 Bde. is mentioned several times and there is an oob that lists officers down to battery commander. Hopefully one of the artillery experts will see this thread and be able to give you more assistance.

Dave

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Have found out today after some digging the BC's name was C.ST.M Ingham, he was mentioned in despatches in Lord French's telegram to Kitchiner just after Aisne so it could have been for Mons/Le cateau/Aisne ???

Also took part in the releif of Kimberly in 15 Feb 1900 as a LT

He survived the war i think and last entry in london gazzette i can find is for LT COL DSO, any other stuff on him would be appreciated.

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Matthew

The notes I have are what I have posted here. They were a small part of a study of the Aug 1914 landings of the several Divisions of the BEF in France and Flanders from mobilisation on 4 Aug 1914, their build- up from peacetime complement to war readiness,to shipping out,and first deployment in a war zone.

Sotonmate

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Matthew,

Here is a little more information on Charles St. Maur Ingham (from the army lists) up to Aug. 1914: Born - 5 Sept.,1873, 2nd Lt. (R.A.) - 17 Nov., 1894, Lt. - 17 Nov., 1897, Capt. - 10 Nov., 1900, Maj. - 12 April, 1911, and his war services record from the Jan. 1914 quarterly army list:

Ingham, C. St. M. (Maj. R. Art.)—

S. African War, 1899-1902.—Relief of Kimberley.

Operations in the Orange Free State, Feb. to May 00,

including operations at Paardeberg (17 to 26 Feb.),

and action at Dreifontein. Operations in the Transvaal,

May and Jun. 00, including actions near

Johannesburg and Diamond Hill (11 and 12 Jun.)

Operations in the Transvaal east of Pretoria, July to

29 Nov.00,including action at Belfast (26 and 27 Aug.

)

Operations in the Transvaal, 30 Nov. 00 to 31 May

02. Despatches, Lond. Gaz., 10 Sept. 01. Queen's

medal with 6 clasps. King's medal with 2 clasps.

Dave

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Matthew,

Here is a little more information on Charles St. Maur Ingham (from the army lists) up to Aug. 1914: Born - 5 Sept.,1873, 2nd Lt. (R.A.) - 17 Nov., 1894, Lt. - 17 Nov., 1897, Capt. - 10 Nov., 1900, Maj. - 12 April, 1911, and his war services record from the Jan. 1914 quarterly army list:

Ingham, C. St. M. (Maj. R. Art.)—

S. African War, 1899-1902.—Relief of Kimberley.

Operations in the Orange Free State, Feb. to May 00,

including operations at Paardeberg (17 to 26 Feb.),

and action at Dreifontein. Operations in the Transvaal,

May and Jun. 00, including actions near

Johannesburg and Diamond Hill (11 and 12 Jun.)

Operations in the Transvaal east of Pretoria, July to

29 Nov.00,including action at Belfast (26 and 27 Aug.

)

Operations in the Transvaal, 30 Nov. 00 to 31 May

02. Despatches, Lond. Gaz., 10 Sept. 01. Queen's

medal with 6 clasps. King's medal with 2 clasps.

Dave

DaveThanks for that, i have managed to get a lot of infon on him now, very intresting guy who had 5 MID, 1 in boer war and 4 in WW1, finished as a BRIG GENERAL and retired in 1921/22died in 1936, aged 62

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In case you don't have the July 1914 army Listing

Major C St M Ingham

Captain P G Lyster - captured at Le Cateau?

2Lt J L P Macnair

2Lt F Sassoon

2Lt A L Harman - has a diary in the Imperial War Museum I believe

2 Lt V H Thomson was attached [ probably posted elsewhere on mobilisation or to Ammunition Column??)

I dont seem to have the name of the BSM [Alfred Moore was one BSM in Brigade, commissioned in Oct 1914) or BQMS [maybe John Palmer? wounded in Aug/Sept 1914] - most senior NCOs were commissioned late 1914, early 1915

but

Serjeant Charles Henry Lock 14400 of 23rd Bty was later BQMS and BSM in other batteries.

Serjeant James Clarke 32780 was also 23rd Bty

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In case you don't have the July 1914 army Listing

Major C St M Ingham

Captain P G Lyster - captured at Le Cateau?

2Lt J L P Macnair

2Lt F Sassoon

2Lt A L Harman - has a diary in the Imperial War Museum I believe

2 Lt V H Thomson was attached [ probably posted elsewhere on mobilisation or to Ammunition Column??)

I dont seem to have the name of the BSM [Alfred Moore was one BSM in Brigade, commissioned in Oct 1914) or BQMS [maybe John Palmer? wounded in Aug/Sept 1914] - most senior NCOs were commissioned late 1914, early 1915

but

Serjeant Charles Henry Lock 14400 of 23rd Bty was later BQMS and BSM in other batteries.

Serjeant James Clarke 32780 was also 23rd Bty

That's brilliant, I will look them up tommorow, thank you again

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WO95/1400 pages for several periods sent,162 pages in all.

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