42nd Brigade RFA

[zippy.72]

I have the medals to S/Smith 1842 WH Birch of 42nd Brigade RFA. He was entitled to 1914 star with bar and also fought in Boer War. Does anybody have any information to unit/individual that may be of interest please?

[Stebie9173]

The very basics for following an Artillery Brigade are on the Long, Long Trail Site (link at the Top, and follow, Army Organisation and Artillery) here:

http://www.1914-1918.net/rfa_units.htm

42nd Brigade (or XLII, don't you just love Roman numerals) were with 3rd Division. Consisted of 29, 41 & 45 Batteries (smaller field guns) and later 129 (H) Battery of Howitzers (guns that fired in a high trajectory).

3rd Divisions war is summarised here:

http://www.1914-1918.net/3div.htm

3rd Division stayed on the Western Front and saw action in all the major battles - from Mons to Ypres in 1914, 2nd Ypres in 1915, the Somme in 1916, Arras in early 1917, 3rd Ypres (aka Passchedaele) in mid 1917, the first big tank battle at Cambrai in late 1917, the German Offensives of early 1918 and the final advances in the last months of the war.

Personally, W H Birch was a shoeing smith - presumably for the horses that pull the guns and limbers (ammunition "cart").

There is a good long page on the Long, Long Trail describing Field Artillery Brigades.

Not very detailed but a start, I hope.

Steve.

[zippy.72]

The very basics for following an Artillery Brigade are on the Long, Long Trail Site (link at the Top, and follow, Army Organisation and Artillery) here:

http://www.1914-1918.net/rfa_units.htm

42nd Brigade (or XLII, don't you just love Roman numerals) were with 3rd Division. Consisted of 29, 41 & 45 Batteries (smaller field guns) and later 129 (H) Battery of Howitzers (guns that fired in a high trajectory).

3rd Divisions war is summarised here:

http://www.1914-1918.net/3div.htm

3rd Division stayed on the Western Front and saw action in all the major battles - from Mons to Ypres in 1914, 2nd Ypres in 1915, the Somme in 1916, Arras in early 1917, 3rd Ypres (aka Passchedaele) in mid 1917, the first big tank battle at Cambrai in late 1917, the German Offensives of early 1918 and the final advances in the last months of the war.

Personally, W H Birch was a shoeing smith - presumably for the horses that pull the guns and limbers (ammunition "cart").

There is a good long page on the Long, Long Trail describing Field Artillery Brigades.

Not very detailed but a start, I hope.

Steve.

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