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Remembered Today:

29th Siege Battery RGA


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Roop

This is the barracks from a different angle. It came out in sepia because the kids messed with the settings taking a picture of a seagull eating crisps, if you look closely you can spot the seagull.

Stuart

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  • 14 years later...

Hello, I believe that my grandfather [Thomas Sellers 48816] served in the 29th from Oct 1914 until the end. He went to France 31st August 1915. He mentioned that one of his mates was killed on the last day of the war.   Does anyone know if anyone has written a book about the 29th. I would like to learn more. Does anyone know if it is possible to buy a copy of that poster with the names? I am new to researching so any tips would be great.  Helen

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The War Diary can be downloaded from the National Archives (Currently for free of you register otherwise it is £3.50). This will give you a record of events as they occurred during the war. Soldiers are not often mentioned by name,.

 

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/963ce1aee19f495e9a11e873a3cc21f4

Reference: WO 95/323/8
Description: Army Troops. 72 Brigade Royal Garrison Artillery. 29 Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery. Note Diaries for Oct 1915-Apr 1916 not included
Note: The pages in this item are part of a larger record (piece). The record has been split into smaller parts during the digitisation process.
Date:

1915 Feb - 1918 Sept

 

 

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Thank you, I have downloaded the documents and am now transcribing them.  I am wondering if you can help me.  My grandfathers medal index say that he was a Gunner with the 29th Siege Battery, RGA. On one of his daughter's birth certificates it states that he is in the 6th Brigade RGA and again when he enlisted in Australia in WW2 it is recorded that he served in the Second Battery, 6th Brigade. I am wondering was the 29th Battery part of the 6th Brigade. Your thought would be much appreciate.  Helen

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Helen:  The fact that he happened to be in a "6th Brigade" in both the RGA and the Australian artillery is just a coincidence.  The Great War RGA Brigades ceased to exist shortly after the end of the Great War; in fact the RGA ceased to exist after 1924.  Australian artillery brigades during the Second World War had no official connection with Royal Artillery brigades during the Great War.  I can find no evidence in Allocation of Siege Batteries (WO 95/5494) that 29th Siege Battery, RGA ever served under 6th Brigade, RGA during the Great War.

Edited by rflory
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The diary cited in post #5 only has Feb-Sep 1915, May 1917 and Sept 1918 for 29 Siege Battery.  It was under a considerable number of Heavy Artillery Groups listed in WO 95/5494 which rFlory has cited above.  If you want the whole war for 29 Siege then you need many more diaries although we can;'t be sure at this sage that he spent the whole war in the same battery.  

 

Max

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In expansion of my earlier post.  Attached from the National Archives WO 95/5494 is the allocation listing for 29 Siege Battery RGA which rFlory was referring to and shows the number of different groups the battery moved between.  Apart from the one seen already, the doings of 29 Siege are covered in the group diaries.    It is complicated by the fact that at certain times, sections were separated to different groups.  

 

There was a 6 Brigade Royal Garrison Artillery in the Great War  and the batteries that belonged to 6 Brigade were many and changed often.  The date of the birth may help to be sure about the time frame.

 

Max

Screenshot (59).png

Edited by MaxD
correction
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Hello Thank you for your reply.  This is the information that I have for Thomas Sellers 48816.

19th March 1914 - Marries

 

25th October 1914 - Enlisted at Newhaven Tom's record is one of the burnt documents.  He and his best friend joined up the same day. His friends name is James Elshaw, his service number is 48815, James was in the 45th Siege Battery

April May 1915- Baby # no 1 conceived

31 August 1915- Mobilised to France.[info from Medal cards] (notes in family stories say that he was sent to France with remounts and never finished his basic training. Also that he fought at Loos)

06 Feb 1916 - baby #1 Born, on birth certificate Tom is listed as Gunner, RGA

Dec 1917/Jan 1918 baby #2 concieved

14th October 1918 - baby #2 born Tom is listed as Gunner

31st October 1918 - wife dies. Tom is listed as a private 6th Brigade (Tom is home when baby born or just after)

06th Nov 18 Baby # 2 dies. Tom is listed as a driver.

06 Jan 1919 - moves to Class Z reserve

sometime in 1919 - Letter "The Corps Commander desires me to send you his thanks for all the good work you have done whilst serving with the Royal Artillery in the Second Corps. I also wish to express to you my appreciation of your good work.  I wish you all good luck in the future" signed A D Kirby Br General G.O.C.R.A 2ND Corps  Cologne 1919" [I think A D Kirby was transferred to the 29th Siege Battery I seem to remember reading an article about his troops being very sad at him leaving them for the the 29th.  At this time I cannot find the article.

10 December 1919  RGA Medals List Dover list Tom as Gunner RGA 29th Siege Battery

1940 - Tom is living in Australia with his wonderful new family and joins up aged 51. On his enlistment papers he lists his former service as 2nd Battery 6th Brigade and he served in France.

 

Family stories say that he was a dispatch rider,  he was wounded quite severely and nearly lost his leg. He was gassed by mustard gas and suffered from the effects for the rest of his long life. He was buried alive in a chalk pit (I think in Belgium), his friend came looking for him and dug him out.  He experienced a full retreat (maybe at Loos) and we think he may have served at Ypres. His best mate was killed on the last day of the war.  The only shell to be fired all day. He had to help flush out a sniper from a church tower.

Tom lived to be 94, a lovely gentle man with a very good sense of humour.

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The great difficulty is that we don't have a service record for him and the information is a bit anomalous.  The medal roll is here recording the battery he started with but in October 1918 we have him described as 6 Brigade.  There was a 6 Brigade RGA but that is odd in itself as RGA brigades comprised a varying number of heavy and/or siege batteries that came and went and it is the norm for a man to describe himself as belonging to nnn battery, in fact in the RGA they probably didn't know what brigade they were in.  He also is described as a private when that rank is not in the Gunners. 

 

Perhaps others will suggest a way to expand on what you have.

 

(Not material but Brigadier Generals commanding the Corps artillery are too exalted a rank to serve in siege batteries so a bit of misunderstanding there perhaps)

 

Max

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18 hours ago, MaxD said:

in October 1918 we have him described as 6 Brigade.  There was a 6 Brigade RGA but that is odd in itself as RGA brigades comprised a varying number of heavy and/or siege batteries that came and went and it is the norm for a man to describe himself as belonging to nnn battery, in fact in the RGA they probably didn't know what brigade they were in.  He also is described as a private when that rank is not in the Gunners. 

Is it possible he was with 6th Brigade RGA HQ at that stage, rather than an individual battery ?

charlie

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Charlie - that thought hadn't occurred to me!  But I don't know - still flummoxed with "2nd Battery 6th Brigade" said to have been on his WW2 enlistment papers - the term just doesn't ring true in Gunner parlance. 

 

Max

Edited by MaxD
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6 minutes ago, charlie962 said:

Is it possible he was with 6th Brigade RGA HQ at that stage, rather than an individual battery ?

charlie

7 minutes ago, charlie962 said:

Is it possible he was with 6th Brigade RGA HQ at that stage, rather than an individual battery ?

charlie

On 11/08/2020 at 11:50, Helen McQuie said:

Hello Thank you for your reply.  This is the information that I have for Thomas Sellers 48816.

19th March 1914 - Marries

 

25th October 1914 - Enlisted at Newhaven Tom's record is one of the burnt documents.  He and his best friend joined up the same day. His friends name is James Elshaw, his service number is 48815, James was in the 45th Siege Battery

April May 1915- Baby # no 1 conceived

31 August 1915- Mobilised to France.[info from Medal cards] (notes in family stories say that he was sent to France with remounts and never finished his basic training. Also that he fought at Loos)

06 Feb 1916 - baby #1 Born, on birth certificate Tom is listed as Gunner, RGA

Dec 1917/Jan 1918 baby #2 concieved

14th October 1918 - baby #2 born Tom is listed as Gunner

31st October 1918 - wife dies. Tom is listed as a private 6th Brigade (Tom is home when baby born or just after)

06th Nov 18 Baby # 2 dies. Tom is listed as a driver.

06 Jan 1919 - moves to Class Z reserve

sometime in 1919 - Letter "The Corps Commander desires me to send you his thanks for all the good work you have done whilst serving with the Royal Artillery in the Second Corps. I also wish to express to you my appreciation of your good work.  I wish you all good luck in the future" signed A D Kirby Br General G.O.C.R.A 2ND Corps  Cologne 1919" [I think A D Kirby was transferred to the 29th Siege Battery I seem to remember reading an article about his troops being very sad at him leaving them for the the 29th.  At this time I cannot find the article.

10 December 1919  RGA Medals List Dover list Tom as Gunner RGA 29th Siege Battery

1940 - Tom is living in Australia with his wonderful new family and joins up aged 51. On his enlistment papers he lists his former service as 2nd Battery 6th Brigade and he served in France.

 

Family stories say that he was a dispatch rider,  he was wounded quite severely and nearly lost his leg. He was gassed by mustard gas and suffered from the effects for the rest of his long life. He was buried alive in a chalk pit (I think in Belgium), his friend came looking for him and dug him out.  He experienced a full retreat (maybe at Loos) and we think he may have served at Ypres. His best mate was killed on the last day of the war.  The only shell to be fired all day. He had to help flush out a sniper from a church tower.

Tom lived to be 94, a lovely gentle man with a very good sense of humour.

The letter from A D Kirby was signed Cologne 1919. Which was part of the occupational forces. Is it possible that there was 2nd Battery 6th Brigade in those forces? I am trying to locate Kirby's record. I have found some information about him through the papers.  

 

On 11/08/2020 at 00:20, MaxD said:

When was the daughter born?

 

Max

 

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The Letter from A D Kirby was from Cologne 1919. Family stories say that Tom served in the Occupational force in Cologne could that be the 2nd Battery, 6th Brigade. I am trying to locate Kirby's records to see if he was there.  Also to see if he served with the 29th. I have found some announcements about his promotions in the English papers.  I will keep searching.

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The term 2nd Battery 6th Brigade just does not occur in British army parlance.  

 

 AD Kirby was promoted to Brigadier General from Lt Col in November 1915 and the highest rank in a Siege Battery is Major  so if he served in 29 Siege it would have been in the very earliest days of the war.

 

Can we see his WW2 enlistment papers?

 

Max

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