4th Brigade 2nd WR Battalion RFA Regt No 1372

[Foston]

The records at Kew show the following for a family member of mine:

4th August 1914 enlisted 4th Brigade 2nd WR Battalion RFA Regimental No 1372 4th Unit. Rank Gunner.

Joined 4th Div Base in Le Havre 12th July 1916

Transferred 46th Div Brigade HQ 26th August 1917 under Article 817 Royal Warrant.

Joined Canadian Vet Hospital 9th September 1917

Attached 49th Division 21st May 1918.

Where can I find further information on the 4th Brigade 2nd WR Battalion; the 4th Div Base in Le Harvre; the 46th Brigade HQ; the Canadian Vet Hospital and the 49th Division.

I am particually interested in understanding where my realive fought in France between 1916-1917.

Also does anyone know what an "Article 817 Royal Warrant" is.

Your help would be appreciated.

[Simon R]

What is his name?

If I'm deciphering the above properly, he served in the 2/4th West Riding (howitzer) Bde. RFA (TF) i.e. the second line of the fourth west riding territorials from the West Yorkshire area, and in this case from Otley/Ilkley area.

The information you have above doesn't tell us what battery he was in. He will have been in either the 2/10th Otley or 2/11th Ilkley batteries - or the 2/4th West Riding RFA ammunition column from Burley, but these were part of 62nd Division, not 49th.

Those are my first thoughts - note that artillery units were Brigades and Batteries, battalions do not come into it.

Which records do the above come from? Are these service papers or medal index card? His details seem a bit garbled, can you transcribe exactly what you found in his records for us?