Jump to content
Free downloads from TNA ×
The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Pre-war TF RGA Battery


Chris_Baker

Recommended Posts

I wonder if anyone has looked into the pre-war activities of the City of Edinburgh Lowland Heavy Battery RGA?

In particular, is there any connection with a Lord Anderson, and if so ...who was he? In 1915 he supported an application for a commission for a chap who had served with this Battery between 1909 and 1912. I wondered if Anderson has been CO, for instance?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chris

Lord Anderson was Andrew Macbeth Anderson, a prominent Scottish lawyer who amongst other things was Solicitor-General for Scotland 1911-1913 and MP for Ayrshire North 1910-1913. It looks like your man had some influential friends who were able to give him a reference. Anderson appears to have had no military background.

The CO of the battery in 1908 was Major JP Waldie.

Terry Reeves

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well now Chris, you should know me by now, a head full of odd facts and an eclectic personal library. By the way the way, the battery HQ was at 28 York Place Edinburgh.

Terry Reeves

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chris

28 York Place is now an empty terraced town house. If that was their HQ I assume they did their training elsewhere and their guns were at Leith or Granton?

I take it the City of Edinburgh Battery was part of the Forth RGA Regt. If so I have the names from the Forth RGA Memorial from St Giles High Kirk if anyone wants them. (Amazingly all the names were on the SDGW CD-Rom - miracles do happen!)

Cheers

Adam

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to blunder into this one, but my drillhall database throws up that address as the home of HQ, 1 Works Coy and 2 Electric Lights Coy City of Edinburgh Fortress Royal Engineers, with Lowland Brigade RGA at McDonald Road. I'll check my sources more closely tomorrow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi guys

Westlake's 'Teritorial Force 1914' provides the above info, but 'The Territorial Yearbook 1909' lists, as Terry states, York Place as HQ. Sorry if my poorly researched response confused things....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Graeme

The McDonald Road site is still used by the TA and is quite large. It was possibly used to store guns / equipment whilst the HQ was at York Place. When I get a chance I will check Grierson's 'Records of the Scottish Volunteer Force 1859-1908' to see what he says.

Cheers

Adam

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Graeme

Grierson lists 28 York Place as the HQ and Drill hall. York Place does have a large hall at the rear of the building although it looks like an ordinary Edinburgh New Town House from the front from Queen Street. They used guns on Inchkeith Island in the Forth for their training and carbine practice took place at the Queen's Edinburgh Rifles range at Hunter's Bog. (The crater inside Arthur's Seat). In the 1860s they used the guns at Leith Fort. I'm afraid I don't know when Leith Fort stopped being used.

I have searched through Grierson for any mention of the McDonald Road site but there is none so it was not used by any pre-1908 volunteer units.

Adam

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Graeme

City of Edinburgh RGA

1897-1911 - 28 York Place, Edinburgh

1911-1961 - Easter Road Artillery Barracks, Edinburgh

In 1908 the Edinburgh Artillery Militia was disbanded, this meant that the Forth RGA could move into their old barracks on Easter Road. The City of Edinburgh Fortress Engineers then moved into 28 York Place which they used until the mid 1950s. This explains its listing as Artillery in 1908 & 1909 but not 1914.

In 1908 the old Edinburgh City RGA divided into three seperate units:

Forth and Clyde RGA (later to split again in 1910 into Forth RGA and Clyde RGA)

1st City of Edinburgh RFA

Lowland (City of Edinburgh) RGA - this is the unit Chris is concerned with I think which will be the unit based at the Mcdonald Road buildings.

Clear as mud!

Cheers

Adam

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for, er, clarifying that, Adam!

It was all so simple at the start of the thread.

But I know it's taken some effort to clear up what appeared to be an anomaly

Cheers

Graeme

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...