roland42 Posted 8 December , 2014 Share Posted 8 December , 2014 What a resource this forum seems to be! I am trying to find whereabouts 32 Seige Battery would be at the latter end of the war. My wife's grandfather was 85527 2nd/Lt George Warwick RGA. He is on a group photo of a large group of officers, with a board marked "144 S Bty B.E.F. 4th Aug 1916. He also appears on a photo as attended 31st Seige Course, No.2 RGA Officer Cadet School at Maresfield Park, November 1917. We also have a couple of his Army Book 136 note books listing the men of 32 Seige Battery's Left Section, E + F subsections . There are also a few (very poor) photo's of him on the quay side at Zeebruge, looking more of a tourist than in action.There is also a scribbled note referring to Hazebrouk; so we have an idea where he may have been off-duty, but would like to know where he may have been in action. He did survive the war, but of course maintained the usual silence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kildaremark Posted 8 December , 2014 Share Posted 8 December , 2014 Welcome to the forum! Someone, no doubt will be along to help with your query. To facilitate others in the same postion as you, those of interested in the Royal Garrison Artillery would love to see any names you have related to a particular battery such as 32 Siege Battery and any group photos. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harkerr@btinternet.com Posted 8 December , 2014 Share Posted 8 December , 2014 Hi Roland42 Afraid I cannot help much but have a similar interest in this battery. My grandfather was in it when he was demobilised in January 1919. It is possible he may have been with it since approx. October 1917. I suppose it would be too much to expect a "Verity" as one of the names in his notebook? I am informed by the experts on here that the 32 S Battery was part of the 34th Heavy Artillery Group Oct/Dec 1917 and then the 45th HAG to Dec 1918 and it is those War Diaries that may give some indication of locations and movements. They are not online but are available at the National Archives ref WO95/222 and WO95/224 respectively. At some point I would hope to get there to obtain copies but that doesn't appear to likely to be in the near future! I will look forward to seeing what additional information your query may generate. Regards Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roland42 Posted 8 December , 2014 Author Share Posted 8 December , 2014 Thank you Mark, I will put up the photo's when I get them into a presentable form. There are about 65 names in the notebooks and I am putting them into a spreadsheet. Trying to put them up as a photo would be difficult as the information for each man is spread over two or three of pages. There is more info for some than others. Richard, what was your grandfather's name? I'll have a look to see if is there. Regards David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harkerr@btinternet.com Posted 8 December , 2014 Share Posted 8 December , 2014 Richard, what was your grandfather's name? I'll have a look to see if is there. Hi David Levi James Verity, although his forenames could be in reverse order! Regards Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roland42 Posted 8 December , 2014 Author Share Posted 8 December , 2014 Richard, Sorry, missed that first time around, but no, no Verity listed. Regards David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harkerr@btinternet.com Posted 9 December , 2014 Share Posted 9 December , 2014 OK David, thanks for looking anyway. Regards Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roland42 Posted 13 December , 2014 Author Share Posted 13 December , 2014 Listing from Army Book 136 of 2/Lt G Warwick, 32 Seige Battery, R.G.A. Left Section. E Sub Section. There are other details shown for these men. 15606 Sgt Clarke H F 38577 Sgt Donavon J 174761 Cpl Tyson A 376239 Bde Gledson J R 63399 L/Bde Butler C F 48337 " Daykin R 376182 L/Bde Richardson G H 136018 " McLauchlan J 181102 Gnr Donnelly J 362465 Gnr Movus H P 158424 " Harris W G 117162 " Hares W A E 329109 " Laraway S 31131 " Martin J 155985 " Moss F 190206 " Maxwell J 154293 " Parsons J 116795 " Mitchell R G 147349 " Palmer J W 82485 " Pennington S 189185 " Pickering T E 189085 " Schofield D H 117402 " Smith H 104620 " Sutcliffe H 149009 " Stent E H 186373 " Watson A 127873 " Spedding A E 82164 " Willetts B 100092 " Wallis F E 290123 " Wiles (J) 178768 " Watson E C 216566 " Wilson J 150210 " Little W 173604 " Wilson J E 275412 " Hawkins L 110521 " Wood J 82143 Bde Balfour (T S) 176245 " Morgan A 104734 L/Bde Denniss (J W) 173693 QMS Butler E 196105 Gnr McCallion (H) 150430 Gnr Taylor Jas 295568 " Kennedy J 166846 " Goodlied W 91791 " Portnall A 184289 " Griffin G W 120920 " Waine F 157809 " Wright J 371336 " Riby F 38831 Bde Grenville C J 346827 " McKenzie J 190376 " Brown J 170611 Sig West F 382120 " Storry S C 121212 " Patterson J H 170254 " Biggs F C 170322 " Meredith W 176052 " Taylor J L 156424 " Perrin H C 138314 Corpl Anderson J 58086 " Swain C E 345506 Sig Sword C 155751 " Evans E The writing of some regt numbers and names in the book are difficult to distinguish, and I have corrected a few, from the TNA web site listing. There may be others. The brackets ( ) are where I have added the previously unlisted initials. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roland42 Posted 11 April , 2015 Author Share Posted 11 April , 2015 Attached are a couple of group photo's of RGA officers, including my grandfather-in-law, 2 Lt George Warwick. He, with others, appears in photo 1 at centre left, and on photo 2 at 4th from left, back row. As several appear in both photo's, it might lend credence to them all being from 32 SB. Some of them also appear in another (poor) photo of them sat around a table, drinking, in a building 'somewhere' in the field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roland42 Posted 11 April , 2015 Author Share Posted 11 April , 2015 2nd group photo attached. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roland42 Posted 11 April , 2015 Author Share Posted 11 April , 2015 A further few pictures from George Warwick's collection. Some taken presumably in the winter of 1918-19, and possibly 'sightseeing'. He is by the car in a village, in the background is an 'Estaminet Watteau' which sounds to be very Flemish. Can anyone place the canal views? I seem to remember seeing those views in another publication. The views of an 'obs point' near a small rural industrial area look positively 'posed', but there is no snow there. The church looks almost 'mosque' like, and Im sure someone will know where it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ororkep Posted 11 April , 2015 Share Posted 11 April , 2015 David, your 'Mosque' church is Blanc Seau Chateau at Tourcoing, where 32 Sge ended up prior to Armistice and Lannoy afterwards. Group photos have to be between March 1918 and then as your man has a wound stripe from when wounded early March. Battery Major was D. A. Strachan. Rgds Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roland42 Posted 12 April , 2015 Author Share Posted 12 April , 2015 Thanks for that Paul. Looks like I'l have to add Tourcoing to my upcoming trip. Regards David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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