217 Siege Battery 1918

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

Yes, those work, thanks.
The links you posted originally must be the longest links I have ever seen:

https://attachment.outlook.live.net/owa/MSA%3Ara49.laing%40hotmail.co.uk/service.svc/s/GetAttachmentThumbnail?id=AQMkADAwATY3ZmYAZS05NmNiLTc5MDgtMDACLTAwCgBGAAADeVtd8%2BmAX0OsFdS%2Bt5Zt9AcAEm7V3u54h0qVTxR3qYBJCgAAAgEMAAAAEm7V3u54h0qVTxR3qYBJCgAIGaMV2QAAAAESABAACvmpkguifEueYx58ERgcYg%3D%3D&thumbnailType=2&isc=1&token=eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIsImtpZCI6IkU1RDJGMEY4REE5M0I2NzA5QzQzQTlFOEE2MTQzQzAzRDYyRjlBODAiLCJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJ4NXQiOiI1ZEx3LU5xVHRuQ2NRNm5vcGhROEE5WXZtb0EifQ.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.a5KKk9DfYcCMuhZPLDGFbJC3MfvlCe0Pa6faM_Zx8KL9JGQiNFQLar1JYRZWe_NDPDLGG-n--5-Z4ii7ossNJxm28N6laOGugK-wM79BiPihpxTQ0TXY8qkkqvsJo1h_VXrcs2tGMtvRptakyvkEl6GcrSZLf9p4XWuqQXIp6AwuYNfV8bqxbjoIT1YxxLW-TAHencgsuo126uRQY5ggzZ7C0AdAUivgY4D0XGsxd-6baAnhqBzD575nI02M5oZXOEar27rxoOoGwtTMujhn9r7L1HutS4_aE767f1fyObHdN7-aA67CLn9nCRgggbL15UXUG7D1TEmk_TbaX4c-Ug&X-OWA-CANARY=bdvoV2SspIkAAAAAAAAAAFA0ZZP6TNwYoWQF4q-TqnmXIGZa6pgm2st0OoVYaQavUIwfPiwygAg.&owa=outlook.live.com&scriptVer=20240315003.09&clientId=601C3D366DDA4C71B35ACBF42B50CB52&animation=true

[Robert Laing]

Good grief, I'll have to get my son to have a look at them. He emailed me the URLs after my first attempt to post the photos by a simple copy and paste always ended up in the photos appearing upside down in the forum no matter what I did to prevent that happening. 

[Robert Laing]

You're welcome Michelle.

I don't know what prompted you to email me after five and a half years, but I'm glad you did, as it kick-started me into action regarding my grandfather's diary.

[mandawa]

Thank you Robert for posting the diary, interesting and nice to read as it helps piece together information about my Grandfather Major George R. Gildea-Robertson (he used Gildea-Robertson in the war, not sure as to why, his Surname was Robertson) He was mentioned in dispatches (D.S.O.) at Vielle Chapelle. I have a wonderful photo previously mentioned taken in Jan 1917, Arras of the 217th Siege Battery. I will post the full picture on back home (away at present) I would love to be able to put more names to faces in the photo. I have about 80 names from 182 men, and so far only have 3 whom I can name with the face. Sadly it is very much easier to name those who died in the war.

I have copies the official war diaries from Kew, and have been able to locate where the picture was taken (a hospital no sits in the site, not far from the Arras memorial cemetery. I have researched in some detail the Battery's involvement in the Battle of Arras, April 1917.  and have been trying to get some more details of where and what the battery did after that.  Ypres, Passendale and Vielle Chapelle. Attached image for my Grandfather.

Any more information always welcome.

[Robert Laing]

Hi Mandawa

Thanks for all the extra info. You will of course have noticed your grandfather's name on the first page of the diary. I posted three photos of A. B McGarry on the forum a couple of days ago, so if his was one of the 80 names you have, you can now put a face to the name. Good luck with your ongoing research.

Robert

 

[mandawa]

Thanks Robert, Yes I saw my Grandfather's name and he is mentioned a fair few times in the diary as 'Major', including "major mentioned in dispatches and Major gets D.S.O.".

I will check out the names and details once home with my research file, it has been a while since I looked into this in detail, so a task post Easter. Reading the diary I don't think your grandfather joined the 217th SB until August 1917 so wouldn't be the battery photo in Arras. I will check. Where in Scotland was your Grandfather from? I wonder if they knew of each other, mine coming from Kilmacolm.

I will also have to revisit the area as I haven't been for a while (not since taking school party there a few years ago. I wish i had my Grandfather's diary, although the official battery diary is useful to understand what they were up to daily. 

[Robert Laing]

Thanks for the additional info. I did notice your grandfather was from Kilmacolm, which is not far from where I live in Newton Mearns, Glasgow. My grandfather was born in the village of Wormit on the south side of the River Tay and opposite Dundee. I don't know if he ever lived in Dundee but he did attend St Andrew's University then spent most of his career as an English teacher in Glasgow. I remember as a child visiting his mother in Dundee perhaps around 1954. She was born in 1864 and died at the age of 94.