ROYAL HORSE ARTILLARY

[Guest Eastmar]

I am trying to trace my grandfathers movements whilst serving with the RHA. From his service records which I have Ihave him serving with 'E' Battery from the beginning of hostilities until Dec 1915 when he was posted to 'C' Battery. The next entry on his record sheet shows as C/52 Bde Appointed A/Sgt 16/7/16. I have not been able to find any details of C/52 Bde. Does this mean 'C' Battery was attatched to 52 Bde ? What was 52 Bde ? Any help would be appeciated.

[olosangus]

Is it possible he was in fact transfered to the Royal Field Artillery - 52nd Brigade RFA had three batteries A, C, D, & 122.

52nd Bde RFa was part of 9th Division until 8th January 1917 when it became a 1st Army Brigade .

[Eastmar]

Thanks Olosangus. The next enteries on his record are 17/12/16 , posted Base. then 155 Bde 22/6/17, then posted B/155Bde 5/2/18,.  6 Res Bde 4/9/18.  B/342 - 26/9/18. and finally 68/DAC.  3/119 Bde. Am I right in assuming these are all RFA postings apart from the last one ( 68 DAC) which I have no idea about ? Hope you can help. Thanks

Thanks Olosangus. The next enteries on his record are 17/12/16 , posted Base. then 155 Bde 22/6/17, then posted B/155Bde 5/2/18,.  6 Res Bde 4/9/18.  B/342 - 26/9/18. and finally 68/DAC.  3/119 Bde. Am I right in assuming these are all RFA postings apart from the last one ( 68 DAC) which I have no idea about ? Hope you can help. Thanks

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Eastmar, and welcome to the Forum!

 

Yes, all these units belonged to the Royal Field Artillery. 68 DAC is the Divisional Ammunition Column of 68th Division, a formation which served only in the UK. 342 Brigade RFA was also in this division. 6 Reserve Brigade was a depot and training unit in the UK, so it looks as if he returned to the UK around 4 September 1918, possibly as a result of wounds, and stayed there for the last two months of the war.

 

Ron

[Eastmar]

Thanks Ron,

.                   my Grandfathers docs show he was posted to A/Res Bde 19/11/18, then Dispersal Centre 18/1/19 where he re-engaged to complete 21 yrs with the Colours.

25/2/19 posted to 3A Res Bde

31/5/19 posted to 152. 13 Bde

15/8/19 posted to C Batt. RHA where he served until 1923 in Meerut, India.

I have a photo, including my Grandfather, taken at Aldershot Oct 1924 showing Officers and Sgts of 'N' Batt. RHA, the 'Eagle Troop.'

His assesment on leaving the Colours is signed by Major ???????,  C.O. 'M' Batt. RHA  Aldershot 6/10/25

Certificate of Discharge signed by ?????? (Capt), for Officer I/c R A records at Woolwich 20/10/1925

 

If you can throw any light on any of these postings I would be very grateful. I have mapped his movements around France up until his posting to C/52 Bde 16/7/16.

 

Once again,thanks for your valuable input

Eastmar (Ray Eastman).

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Ray

 

You would need to find a large library which has a copy of the Army List for the postwar period. The National Archives at Kew has a set on open shelves, if you can get to London easily.

 

You should be able to download the War Diary of 52 Brigade RFA from the Kew website, www.nationalarchives.gov.uk. The references are as follows:

9 DIVISION 
WO 95/1752 52 Brigade Royal Field Artillery 1915 May - 1916 Dec.  

WO 95/203 52 Army Field Artillery Brigade 1917 Jan. - 1919 Jan.  

War Diaries rarely mention men by name other than officers, but the location of the unit, with a brief description of its activities, is normally given for each day. They cost £3.45 each to download.

 

Good luck!

 

Ron

[charlie962]

Wasn't it E Battery who fired the first British army artillery round of the Great War? I think the shell-case was in the battery history room?

[rflory]

Actually E/RHA fired the first artillery round fired on the  Western Front by the Royal Artillery.  British batteries in areas outside of the Western Front fired rounds at an earlier time during the Great War.

[charlie962]

Can I ask where?

[battiscombe]

I note that M Bty was indeed in  1st Brigade RHA at Aldershot in 1925 but in Army List Regular RA officers were longer shown by unit as prewar, so that cannot identify his Major.. Majors identified as RHA which may include the Bty commanders include these and may help recognise the name

Major R Archer Houblon

Major E H P Pease-Watkin

Major C B Findlay

Major Evans-Gwynne

Major T P Larcom

Major R C F Maitland

Major P G Yorke

Major W B Hayley

Major A K G White

Edited 5 March , 2017 by battiscombe
update

[rflory]

If Charlie962's question is where E/RHA fired the first round on the Western Front it was at Bray at 1100 hours on 22 August 1914.  The Battery Commander was Major (later Brig. Gen.) Arthur Baron Forman, RHA.

[rflory]

From at least 1924 to 1926 the battery commander of M/RHA was Major A K G White, RHA.

 

Regards, Dick Flory

[Ron Clifton]

Dick

 

I think Charlie's question was where outside the Western Front were rounds fired before E Battery on 22 August. I presume that it was during the mopping-up of German colonies in West Africa and the Far East.

 

Ron

[Eastmar]

Believe signature on Grandfathers assesment doc is that of Major A K G White.

 

Don't know if anyone will be interested but personnel in photo of 'N' Batt, R H A taken Aldershot, Oct. 1924 are as follows ;-

Sgt R G_______ard (could be Goddard or Gerrard )

Sgt F McGuire

L.Sergt A Rea

L.Sgt A L Hobson

L.Sgt E Holmes

L.Sgt A Johnson

Sgt A Gerrish

Sgt J Limpkin

B-S-M H A Maddock

Maj C L T Walwyn DSO, OBE, MC

Capt C H Lloyd MC

B-Q-M-S V Wiggins

Sgt G Eastman (my Grandfather )

Sgt W Harris ( or possibly Harrison, corner of photo damaged )

[rflory]

I will have to look for the exact locations and dates but a number of artillery rounds were fired by British and/or British Colonial units in Africa prior to the E/RHA round being fired on the Western Front. 

[charlie962]

Yes I was wondering where else in the World, so early on. Very interested to learn!

Charlie

[battiscombe]

for information. the N Bty BQMS in 1924 was Valentine Wiggins [51695/1019745] but I cant find  the BSM

[rflory]

I have re-examined the evidence on when the first artillery round of the Great War was fired:

 

1. The History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Forgotten Fronts and the Home Base 1914-18 in discussing the actions in Togoland in August 1914 states: that on 22 August 1914 "Two Gold Coast Battery guns under Lieutenant W L St Clair, RA came into action in the open in spite of hostile machine gun fire and engaged the enemy positions at 1,300 yards.   The mountain guns of the [Gold Coast] Regiment had been present throughout and at their action at Khra on 22 August undoubtedly fired the first British artillery rounds of the Great War. 'E' Battery RHA fired the first artillery round of the war in France some two days later [sic], at Mons."

 

2. On the other hand, The History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Western Front 1914-18 states: "it was at 1100 hours on 23rd August [sic] that E Battery RHA , commanded by Major AS [sic] Forman came into action at Bray."

 

3. The war diary of E Battery, RHA states the action at Bray occurred on 22nd August 1914 as do numerous articles in Gunner concerning the anniversaries of this action.

 

From the sources above, even though they contain some errors in fact, it can be ascertained that the E/RHA fired their first round at Bray on 1100 hours on 22 August and that the Gold Coast Battery also fired their first rounds at Khra on 22 August 1914 at an undisclosed time, so it would appear that the who fired the first round depends on the time the  first round was fired at Khra.

[Eastmar]

Ron, thanks for references for diaries of 52 Bde RFA. I have downloaded both docs. Now to print off and start working my way through them.  I am now trying to source a copy of ' Diary of the Retirement from Mons, August 1914' which I believe was written by Capt H B Bartram and also a copy of 'Journal of the Royal Artillery,' Spring 2004 which apparently had a article in it written by a former 'E Battery' gunner. Spooky to think he might have known my Grandfather !  Any ideas regarding these two publishings ? Ray Eastman.

[Ron Clifton]

I don't know either of the articles in question but anything in the RA Journal should be accurate, and I suspect that Bartram's article may be from the same journal.

 

Dick - thanks for the further information. I think "honours even" is probably the best outcome!

 

Ron

Edited 8 March , 2017 by Ron Clifton