HTSCF Fareham Posted 28 July , 2020 Share Posted 28 July , 2020 I'm hoping that this will be an easy one for one of the RGA experts! I cannot seem to be able to find any previous topic on the above, so I'm going to ask...... Can anyone please point me in the direction of the War Diary that would cover 1918? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxD Posted 28 July , 2020 Share Posted 28 July , 2020 (edited) The allocations document WO 95/5494 shows 35 Hy Bty joining 93rd Heavy Artillery Group. Diary up to May 1918 (titled 93 Brigade RGA) http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/7ab8318c658e46efac09f0396d62c8b0 Looking for post May 1918 no success Max Edited 28 July , 2020 by MaxD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTSCF Fareham Posted 28 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 28 July , 2020 Thanks, Max. I'm looking for July 1918. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 28 July , 2020 Share Posted 28 July , 2020 (edited) The diary of the battery’s commanding officer, Major A C Williamson gives a good flavour of the day-to-day lives of the men who moved, serviced and fired the guns and who cared for the horses that pulled them: War Diary 35 Heavy Battery Royal Garrison Artillery, TNA Ref WO 95/481. I don’t know for sure if it covers the period that you are interested in, but it’s worth a look. Edited 28 July , 2020 by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTSCF Fareham Posted 28 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 28 July , 2020 I seem to be in an endless loop on TNA, as I cannot seem to get beyond here :- http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C4553632 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 28 July , 2020 Share Posted 28 July , 2020 (edited) On y Edited 28 July , 2020 by charlie962 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clk Posted 28 July , 2020 Share Posted 28 July , 2020 (edited) Hi, There might not be a diary that survives for the period which you are after. In WO 95 481/1 there is this: Image sourced from the National Archives As Max noted above... Image sourced from the National Archives Are you looking at a specific man? Regards Chris Edited 28 July , 2020 by clk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTSCF Fareham Posted 28 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 28 July , 2020 Sergeant 29486 William John Bridges, DCM MM, who was KiA 20/07/1918 and is buried at Louvencourt Cemetery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTSCF Fareham Posted 30 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 30 July , 2020 Still looking for some help on this one please if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTSCF Fareham Posted 1 August , 2020 Author Share Posted 1 August , 2020 Hoping someone over the weekend might have a lightbulb moment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxD Posted 1 August , 2020 Share Posted 1 August , 2020 (edited) A small glimmer of light perhaps. As I and Chris both posted, WO95/5494 gives 35 Heavy Battery to 93 Brigade RGA (93 HAG) in Dec 1917. What I didn't do was check the relevant diary. WO95/481/1 as the National Archives said it only went to May 1918. To avoid having to cut the grass, I took a look at that diary. As well as note of 3 November 1918 about the loss of correspondence posted by Chris, earlier in the diary is the attached. Filed in October 1917 but clearly referring to the diaries of Jun, Jul, Aug 1918, as it was in response to a demand from 3rd Echelon also dated 1918. This would suggest that the exact whereabouts of 35 Battery and the circumstances relating to your man in Jun 1918 may be impossible to establish. You may be able to find the area in which 93 HAG were deployed in the diary of the Commander Heavy Artillery of whichever Corps the brigade were in at the time. In May the brigade headquarters were in 57D SE P 7c (Acheux) with its batteries in two groups, their locations aren't given. Max Edited 1 August , 2020 by MaxD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxD Posted 1 August , 2020 Share Posted 1 August , 2020 Baby steps - 93 Bde RGA were 4th Army Troops. The targets areas 35 Battery was engaging in May 1918 were just north of Pozieres, to the east of Hamel, north west of Thiepval. I'm sure someone will be able to divine the Corps that had that are of interest in May/Jun 1918? Max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTSCF Fareham Posted 1 August , 2020 Author Share Posted 1 August , 2020 Thanks for your perseverence and research Max. I'm glad that there are people that understand troops, battery, brigades etc. These things unfortunately make my head spin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxD Posted 2 August , 2020 Share Posted 2 August , 2020 Taking a magnifying glass to the 93 Bde war diary finds the position of 35 Heavy Battery on 31 May unchanged from when they occupied it on 21/22 April 1918. The battery was deployed in two sections, one in square P 10 b and the other in P 4 c (link here:https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15&lat=50.08519&lon=2.58676&layers=101465236&b=1).. The cemetery in which he is buried is less than 5 miles to the west so my inclination is to suggest the battery was in the same place in July given that there was no major movement in that part of France until the start of the "100 days" on 8 August. There would have been constant counter battery fire on both sides which may well have been the cause of his death. It is of note that 3 other members of 35 Hy were killed on 21 April 1918 and buried at Louvencourt - these are not recorded in the HAG diary so his may not have appeared in the missing diary. Max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTSCF Fareham Posted 2 August , 2020 Author Share Posted 2 August , 2020 3 hours ago, MaxD said: Taking a magnifying glass to the 93 Bde war diary finds the position of 35 Heavy Battery on 31 May unchanged from when they occupied it on 21/22 April 1918. The battery was deployed in two sections, one in square P 10 b and the other in P 4 c (link here:https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15&lat=50.08519&lon=2.58676&layers=101465236&b=1).. The cemetery in which he is buried is less than 5 miles to the west so my inclination is to suggest the battery was in the same place in July given that there was no major movement in that part of France until the start of the "100 days" on 8 August. There would have been constant counter battery fire on both sides which may well have been the cause of his death. It is of note that 3 other members of 35 Hy were killed on 21 April 1918 and buried at Louvencourt - these are not recorded in the HAG diary so his may not have appeared in the missing diary. Max This is brilliant, Max. Thank you for taking the time to fathom this one out! If I'm reading the plots and map correctly, you are suggesting that he was probably killed near to Beaussart? I was wondering if he might have been mentioned in the diary due to his MM and DCM, plus being a sergeant? Alas, something that we'll never know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxD Posted 3 August , 2020 Share Posted 3 August , 2020 10 hours ago, HTSCF Fareham said: you are suggesting that he was probably killed near to Beaussart? Yes, that is my best guess. RGA brigade diaries vary in content. In May 1918 93 Brigade has four siege batteries and two heavy batteries under command and is recording moves, locations and daily firing programmes. No incoming shelling is recorded at all although it is inconceivable that there wasn't any! Names of individuals, even of officers, are conspicuous by their absence - fairly typical for such a diary.. Max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTSCF Fareham Posted 3 August , 2020 Author Share Posted 3 August , 2020 I thank you again, Max. Very much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Cockburn Posted 14 August , 2020 Share Posted 14 August , 2020 Hi gents ... thanks for your work on this. William is my Great Uncle (x2!) and I have been endeavoring to find out all can about his life and war time service. Am I correct in thinking he was probably killed in one of the two red squares? Am I also correct in assuming the guns would have been deployed somewhere near the road? What would their targets have likely have been? I'll visit the area on my bike when covid permits Many thanks Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Cockburn Posted 14 August , 2020 Share Posted 14 August , 2020 (edited) BTW .... the OC wrote a manuscript for a book on his wartime experience. It was never published as far as I can tell and is sitting in the archives in Larkhill. Hopefully I'll get access to it one day. WILKINSON, Colonel. Arthur Clement DSO CMG -Photocopy typescript entitled ‘The Diary of an Old Contemptible’ relating his service with 35 Heavy Battery RGA, 46 Heavy Artillery Group [46 HAG], 41 Heavy Artillery Group [41 HAG] and 29 Heavy Artillery Group, (29 Brigade RGA) [29 HAG] RAHT A/C 2012.06.09 Edited 14 August , 2020 by Andrew Cockburn spelling! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxD Posted 15 August , 2020 Share Posted 15 August , 2020 The period covered by Wilkinson covers up to about Oct 1917. If he isn't away from the battery then the assumption must be that he was there or thereabouts. Difficult after 100 years looking at a piece of ground on Google Earth and trying to work out where the guns etc may have been located. Certainly near to a road, hopefully with some cover from trees or buildings, with some rise in the ground between them and the general direction of the enemy. The battery seems to have been in the same location for some time so they may have dug gun pits. The battery targets in that month were around Battery Valley in square R 14 https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=14&lat=50.06887&lon=2.65754&layers=101465233&b=1 about 9000 yards east of Beaussart and other locations a little further east. Max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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