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Artillery Book Recommendations


John P. Moore

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Can anyone please recommend a good book about better understanding the operations of British artillery that was written by an artilleryman?  Thanks.

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Can you be somewhat more specific about what you want.  Are you asking about "operations" in terms of those operations (campaigns) in which the Royal Artillery participated; or how the RA operated (organization and techniques) during the Great War; or ?   Welcome to the forum from a former Oregonian.

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Thank you. I am mainly interested in RFA operational doctrine during the Great War and personal accounts of artillery veterans

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For a personal account from an artillery officer P.J Campbell's 'The Ebb and Flow of Battle' and 'In the Cannon's Mouth' are a very good read. Note that the latter book, which was published two years after the first incorporates it.

 

Scott

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I would strongly recommend 'The War Diary of the Master of Belhaven' - to my mind one of the finest of the war memoirs to emerge; he was a gunner officer. He was kia in the great retreat on the Somme in 1918. Have some good maps handy, however - the printed version has them but they are rather inadequate if you do not know the WF well. A truly outstanding piece of work.

 

He now lies in a communal cemetery, an isolated CWGC burial. His widow used to some across to France every year, get a taxi at Amiens station (IIRC), be delivered at the cemetery and then she would sit by the grave for several hours until the taxi came and returned her to the station and thence to the UK. I am not sure which date she chose to come - either the anniversary of his death or their marriage, I am not sure. 

 

She continued this, again so far as I can recall, until the Second World War broke out.

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8 hours ago, nigelcave said:

I would strongly recommend 'The War Diary of the Master of Belhaven' - to my mind one of the finest of the war memoirs to emerge; he was a gunner officer. He was kia in the great retreat on the Somme in 1918. Have some good maps handy, however - the printed version has them but they are rather inadequate if you do not know the WF well. A truly outstanding piece of work.

 

He now lies in a communal cemetery, an isolated CWGC burial. His widow used to some across to France every year, get a taxi at Amiens station (IIRC), be delivered at the cemetery and then she would sit by the grave for several hours until the taxi came and returned her to the station and thence to the UK. I am not sure which date she chose to come - either the anniversary of his death or their marriage, I am not sure. 

 

She continued this, again so far as I can recall, until the Second World War broke out.

Your post has prompted me to dig out Dads copy (with a foreword by your Dad I see)

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'Salute of Guns' is Donald Boyds account of his war service in France as lieutenant in the 108th Brigade RFA and was much lauded by Robert Graves. As you might expect  from a journalist with the Manchester Guardian and later the BBC it is well written and has some literary merit. His explanations of inter officer relations are particularly revealing and his struggles with what was clearly shell shock most illuminating.

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5 hours ago, Michelle Young said:

Your post has prompted me to dig out Dads copy (with a foreword by your Dad I see)

I am sure that you will enjoy it, Michelle. It was a very early (indeed, I think the first) reprint that what is now Pen and Sword did, way back when in the early 90s, I think. Consequently the scanning technology was not what it is now, so the original has a better 'look' - particularly the sketch maps, I think.

 

I'll be interested to hear what you think of it.

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Arthur Behrend's As From Kemmel Hill provides a good look at the headquarters of a Heavy Artillery Group as he was the adjutant of 90 HAG.

 

LT Col H M Davson, CMG, DSOs Memoirs of the Great War is good from the viewpoint of a battery and brigade commander.

 

The two volumes of the The History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Wester Front 1914-18 and The Forgotten Fronts and Home base, 1914-18 are excellent.

 

Dick Flory

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Dear All, John and Dick,

My all-time favourite on that particular subject would be: "Field Guns in France" by Lt-Col Neil Fraser-Tytler, DSO, TD, RA (TA); edited by Major F. N. Baker, RGA.

'I posted to you yesterday a French Croix de Guerre which I got by post from General Nourisson, GOC 39th (French) Division. The "citation" is not quite correct, however; they state our forward Howitzer had to cease fire, but this was not the case, as, though twice hit, it never got quite knocked out.'

Kindest regards,

Kim.

Edited by Kimberley John Lindsay
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Thank you everyone for your thoughtful recommendations. As an aside, I knew about a dozen German artillery officers from WW II up to regiment commander from both towed and self-propelled formations. I sincerely regret not having discussed tactics in greater depth with them.

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On 27/05/2020 at 21:18, nigelcave said:

I am sure that you will enjoy it, Michelle. It was a very early (indeed, I think the first) reprint that what is now Pen and Sword did, way back when in the early 90s, I think. Consequently the scanning technology was not what it is now, so the original has a better 'look' - particularly the sketch maps, I think.

 

I'll be interested to hear what you think of it.

Thoroughly enjoying it so far, a very good read.

Michelle 

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  • 2 weeks later...
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Now finished the book. Highly recommended.

Michelle 

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So pleased I did not 'waste' your time - tho' no danger of that, I felt sure, from the pen of such an outstanding officer and gunner.

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