31st Royal Field Artillery

[Moonraker]

Any ideas where the 31st Royal Field Artillery was based in 1919-20? An entry for Lt Col Edmund Basil Thornhill in the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives catalogue places him then with the 31st at Boyton Camp, Codford, Wiltshire, but this camp was one of the very first to be demolished after the Armistice, an advertisement regarding the sale of huts and stores being placed in the Salisbury Times in February 1919.

(This camp is a challenge to research, as it consisted of one set of huts, with several other groups at Corton, half-a-mile away, all sharing the same numerical sequence of 1 to 4. They comprised quarters for artillery linked with infantry battalions at Codford Camp, (with a separate numerical sequence) a mile away. Corton and Boyton appear to have shared the same Boyton Camp postmark and some postcards with different names seem to show the same buildings; and some cards of the two small camps are wrongly captioned Codford. I'm planning a field visit in a couple of months, which promises to generate lots of brow-furrowing as I try to match photographs taken 90 years ago with the ground today.)

Moonraker

[rflory]

I am not sure whether the 31st refers to 31st Battery, RFA or 31st Brigade, RFA. In June 1920, 31st Battery, RFA was part of VII Brigade, RFA stationed at Bulford. At that time 31st Brigade, RFA was stationed at Cahir. In June 1920 Lieutenant E B Thornhill, MC was serving with 67th Battery, XX Brigade, RFA at Bangalore, India.

Regards. Dick Flory

[Moonraker]

I am not sure whether the 31st refers to 31st Battery, RFA or 31st Brigade, RFA. In June 1920, 31st Battery, RFA was part of VII Brigade, RFA stationed at Bulford. At that time 31st Brigade, RFA was stationed at Cahir. In June 1920 Lieutenant E B Thornhill, MC was serving with 67th Battery, XX Brigade, RFA at Bangalore, India.

Regards. Dick Flory

Dick

Oops, sorry, should have specified brigade. Here is extract from the archives catalogue for the Thornhill papers:

1917-1918; wounded, Battle of Vimy Ridge, 1917; Lt, 1918; awarded MC, 1918; served with 31 Bde, Royal Field Artillery, Boyton Camp, Codford, Wiltshire, 1919-1920; service with 133 Battery, 20 Bde, Royal Field Artillery, Trimulgherry, India, 1920-1921; served with 41 Battery, 20 Field Regt, Royal Artillery, Trimulgherry and Bangalore, India, 1921-1924; service in Aldershot, Hampshire, 1925-1927; Adjutant, 5 Light Bde...

These state he was with the 41st Battery, as opposed to the 67th, with XX brigade, so there's another anomaly.

Guess I'll have to check out his papers when next I'm in that part of London.

Thanks

Moonraker