Guest Civvy Mal Posted 27 April , 2006 Share Posted 27 April , 2006 I'm researching one of my Great Uncles Henry James Webb. He is mentioned on the CWGC website as having died on 31/05/1916 as a Gunner in the 104TH Heavy Battery RGA. He is mentioned on the Basra Memorial. 'Soldiers who died in the Great War' also lists him with the same details. However there is no match with his service number (26030) in the Medal Index Cards. My knowledge on this is limited to the few pieces of information (mostly from this website) that I've been able to piece together on the web. It seems that the 104 were using almost obsolete bullock drawn 5 inch guns. One section looks to have been caught up in the beseigment of Kut-Al-Amara. By his date of death I'm sumising he may have been a victim of the Turks following this. Can anyone give me a clue how I can trace him further? Does anyone know anything further on the 104TH? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoplophile Posted 28 April , 2006 Share Posted 28 April , 2006 No. 104 Heavy Battery, RGA was one of the six regular army heavy batteries that were serving in India at the outbreak of World War I. As the Indian Army had rejected the 60-pounder as being too heavy for service in India and the search for replacement weapons was still in progress, the Indian Army heavy batteries were armed with a variety of obsolete pieces - 5 inch guns, 4 inch guns and 30 pounders. The heavy batteries in India at the start of the war were: 71 Heavy Battery (Nowgong) 72 Heavy Battery (Peshawar) 86 Heavy Battery (Multan) 90 Heavy Battery (Nowgong) 91 Heavy Battery (Rurki) 104 Heavy Battery (Campbellpore) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essdee Posted 29 April , 2006 Share Posted 29 April , 2006 Mal The following two attachments are from the Allocation of Heavy Batteries Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essdee Posted 29 April , 2006 Share Posted 29 April , 2006 Mal Hope these are of some use Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essdee Posted 29 April , 2006 Share Posted 29 April , 2006 Mal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Civvy Mal Posted 30 April , 2006 Share Posted 30 April , 2006 Hoplophile, thanks for this. Your information supports my other findings that they were working with nearly obsolete kit. The other information will help me build a picture of what was happening. Essdee, thanks for the attachments. I think the first is more relevant as the CWGC entry implies he was not in the 2/104th. The sentence on the second line backs up my present thoughts that he died following the surrender of Kut. Can you explain where the Allocation of Heavy Batteries is kept, and whether it is searchable for anything more on the 1/104th? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essdee Posted 2 May , 2006 Share Posted 2 May , 2006 Mal The Allocation of Heavy Batteries is held at the NA Kew. However, what I have posted is all the info contained therein on the 1/104 HB. It may be worth having a look in Farndales History of the Royal Artillery - Middle East, as it may contain further info on this battery. Sometimes looking at the diaries of batteries that served along side yours can provide little snippets of info. Brigade diaries and sometimes Divisional Artillery diaries are useful. It may turn out to be a case of a little bit here and there to gain an insight to their role. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Civvy Mal Posted 2 May , 2006 Share Posted 2 May , 2006 Stuart, thanks for this. Time to do some more digging I think. Just need to sort the MIC mystery now to help further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kildaremark Posted 6 May , 2006 Share Posted 6 May , 2006 Mal Farndale gives some information on the 104th. It says 104th was four bullock drawn battery of 4 inch guns which was ordered to leave India for Basra in Jan 1915. THey were involved in blockading the Euphrates with two guns on a barge in March 1915. On 1st April 1915 they were part of the 2nd Indian Corps with one section garrisoned at Qurna with the 17th Infantry Brigade and 86th Heavy Battery and another section at Kurmat Ali with the 66th Punjabs. At the end of July 1915 one section (2 x 4 inch guns) was at Al Gharbi on the Tigris with the 82nd Battery and the other section at Amara. On 26th Sept 1915 they were on barges withe the 86th Heavy and then supported an attack by the 18th Infantry Brigade. I believe that a section of the 104th Battery under Major Farmer were taken prisoner by the Turks on 29th April 1916 at Kut. Looking at his date of death, perhaps he was a prisoner of the Turks at this stage? It would seem to be the 1/104th. Glancing through Farndale, it is fairly obvious that the 104th were heavily involved in some serious fighting during 1915-16. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Civvy Mal Posted 6 May , 2006 Share Posted 6 May , 2006 Mark, many thanks for this. At the moment I'm thinking the same as you - that he was captured at Kut and suffered under the turks. As it stands I have no match in the MIC so trying to find any possible service record is difficult. Thanks for the background activity. It's good to get a picture of activities 'leading up to the event'. It's strange, I did WW1 for my history 'O' level. I know it was a long time ago, but I have no memory of covering the Mesopotamia activities. I guess we Brits don't like to cover things that go bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kildaremark Posted 7 May , 2006 Share Posted 7 May , 2006 Had a look at the MICs. There is only one Henry J Webb although the number looks to high to be him. A lot of the Henry Webbs are on the same page so it might be worth paying £3.50 to get a page or two with six on each, as if he was with the battery pre 1916 then the MIC should give the theatre of war first entered and might give you your man by a process of elimination? Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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