Recruitment of "local" artillery brigades

[davidfegga]

A two pronged question.

Am researching 175 Bgde RFA, which was locally recruited in Staffordshire between June and August 1915.

It was raised by Lt Col Meysey Thomson, who had also raised artillery brigades in Yorkshire.

My first question is: What did he actually do to "raise" an artillery brigade.

Second question: How would the raising of the brigade have been advertised? Staffordshire papers, posters etc? and what would have been the procedure to enlist? would there have been a special recruiting office, or would you have walked into a normal office and said "I want to join the Staffs artillery brigade please." ?

Any help appreciated

Dave.

[Jarvis]

Is this the same man ? , LORD KNARESBOROUGH

Henry Meysey Meysey-Thompson, Baron Knaresborough (1845-1929).

1st Baron c. 1905; MP (LU) Knaresborough, 1880;

Lincolnshire (Brigg), 1885-90;

Staffordshire (Handsworth), 1892-1906.

[davidfegga]

Is this the same man ? , LORD KNARESBOROUGH

Henry Meysey Meysey-Thompson, Baron Knaresborough (1845-1929).

1st Baron c. 1905; MP (LU) Knaresborough, 1880;

Lincolnshire (Brigg), 1885-90;

Staffordshire (Handsworth), 1892-1906.

Yes, that's him. He raised 10 brigades altogether.

[Paul Reed]

Good question Dave, I think it is one aspect of the New Army that we know little about, myself included. Might be an interesting study in there for you?

[daggers]

I was going to ask the same about the RFA Brigades raised in Lancashire by Lord Derby after the Liverpool (and other) Pals Battalions, which were given the title 'Palatine'.

Has anyone studied them?

Daggers

[Tony Lund]

I have some information on the 168th Brigade, mostly concerning C Battery, but I would imagine it will be a similar story elsewhere. Recruiting meetings were a regular occurrence and could be held anywhere, Holmfirth had its own Recruiting Committee made up of mill owners, etc., and the Vicar of Upperthong, but there were extra meetings held in this area just to recruit for the Battery. But all the battery’s men I know of had to go into Huddersfield to enlist, even though the four battery areas each had their own drill hall and were enlisting infantrymen there. I know a lot of the C Battery men actually came from Penistone, and recruiting had to be closed there to leave room in the Holme Valley Battery for some Holme Valley men. So they were recruiting over quite a wide area. The Holmfirth Express reported on the Battery’s development so everyone in the area would have been well aware of the progress of recruiting.

I think this will be fairly typical of most of the new batteries:

A new army artillery unit was raised in the Huddersfield district when over eight hundred men were recruited for the 168th Brigade (Huddersfield), Royal Field Artillery’s four batteries, most of them during May 1915. The batteries were split into four areas, A Battery, the Huddersfield Battery based at Huddersfield; B Battery, the Calder Valley Battery based at Brighouse; C Battery, the Holme Valley Battery based at Holmfirth; D Battery, the Colne Valley Battery, based at Slaithwaite.

The Holme Valley Battery was posted to Holmfirth for organising and training on Saturday May 29th 1915. Travelling from Huddersfield, the gun was pulled by the men from Armitage Bridge to Holmfirth. A welcoming committee which included the Holme Silver Band met the Battery at Thongs Bridge and led them into Holmfirth, where they arrived in pouring rain half an hour ahead of schedule. Despite the weather crowds lined the streets and many buildings were decorated with flags and bunting. They marched through the main streets of Holmfirth and stopped outside the Drill Hall, where, after listening to a couple of speeches, three cheers were given for the Battery and three for the King.

The men then adjourned to the Drill Hall for a sandwich tea, paid for by a fund started by the local recruiting committee, which also sought to provide for their entertainment whilst in the Holmfirth area. After tea the men sang “It’s a long way to Tipperary” and the Holmfirth Anthem, “Pratty Flowers”, and were then escorted to their billets. One hundred and twenty-two men were billeted in Holmfirth, thirty-four of these were locals billeted in their own homes. Stabling was found for the horses, and the Gun was housed at Holmfirth Fire Station.

Headquarters of the Battery were established at the Drill Hall, on the understanding that space would continue to be made available for the ladies of the Red Cross, and these same ladies agreed to run a nightly coffee stall for the men at the hall. Second Lieutenant Whittles, Royal Field Artillery Reserve Brigade, (Glasgow) was the commanding officer.

By June 5th more had men arrived from Huddersfield and the strength of the Battery grew to one hundred and seventy-three, and the training of men and horses began. Sergeant Major Hollis was brought out of retirement to help with the training, after twenty-six years in the army and just one as a civilian. By the end of the week the number of men attached to the Battery and billeted in Holmfirth had risen to two hundred and three. The training guns were old 15 pounders, 18 pounders would be used at the Front. When the recruiting was complete the sergeant responsible for it in Holmfirth, Sergeant Henfrey, decided to join the Battery himself, his special responsibly to be for the horses, or in his words “t’hosses”.

In Holmfirth the Battery’s men were considered by local people to be smart, well behaved and obliging, and everyone quickly settled in to their billets. Horse parades on Huddersfield Road became a common feature of daily life, khaki clad men were often seen about the town and sitting on the wall tops at dinner time. The strength of the Battery was increased to two hundred and twenty men and thirty more horses and another officer, Lieutenant Best, arrived. A number of men were promoted to provide the Battery with enough non-commissioned officers, and daily practices with the guns took place on the cricket field, watched by the inhabitants. There was plenty of physical excise and drill, despite the oppressive heat. The riding training was watched by many spectators; riding without reins, riding with arms crossed and other exercises, not always with obliging horses, were practised daily.

On Thursday June 10th Bombardier Tom Dollive of Holmfirth was thrown by a nervous horse, he quietened the animal and remounted only to have it startled again by a falling handkerchief, he clung on for a while but was thrown again and trampled. Doctor Robert Hale Trotter was called and administered first aid and several stitches, the bombardier was expected to return to duty after about a week. Driver Jessop of Penistone was sent to hospital at Halifax with an injured knee. In the evenings small groups of men were exploring the hills around Holmfirth, and cricket matches were organised, with an appeal fund formed to defray the cost of the equipment.

On June 19th in a field off Wood Lane belonging to the Vicar of Wilshaw, the men started practising digging gun pits and camouflaging the guns from aircraft observation. Eight ammunition wagons arrived and were placed in the council’s depot at Crown Bottom, where they were guarded day and night by the Battery’s men.

Injured during that week was Private F. H. Fletcher from Birkby, Huddersfield. While walking behind a mare he struck her with a stick, the animal immediately lashed out and caught him full in the face with both hoofs. Doctor Robert Hale Trotter was called and sent the injured man to Huddersfield Infirmary in the council’s horse drawn ambulance. His jaw was broken and many of his teeth had been broken, there was also an injury to the forehead; his condition however, was considered to be satisfactory the next morning. Lieutenant Whittles told a Holmfirth Express reporter that the mare was not bad tempered, but she was high spirited and tender-mouthed, and the lad himself had contributed to the incident. He added that both the men and the horses were inexperienced at this kind of work and all the men had been told to stay clear of the horse’s rear ends.

Cricket practise was started on the local club’s ground, with the Battery looking to find the best players before taking on several teams from the district. A committee was appointed to arrange a Battery concert and arrangements were being made to acquire the services of the areas best singers. Shortly afterwards, on Wednesday June 30th, a concert was given by the officers and men of the Battery at the Holmfirth Drill Hall, with a collection afterwards for the Red Cross. In the same week a new 18 pound gun and four more ammunition wagons arrived in Holmfirth.

The Battery left Holmfirth for Ripon for further training at Brigade level, on Tuesday July 13th; forty horses and one ammunition wagon left by road and one hundred and sixty men left by train. At Holmfirth railway station one of the Battery’s men fastened a placard reading “To Berlin” onto the train. The remaining men, equipment and horses left over a period of a few days, most joined the group that had already left, and a few men where sent elsewhere for specialist training.

At a recruiting meeting held early in the Battery’s existence, Lieutenant Gay gave examples of the rates of pay for the lower ranks. He said the men, Gunners and Drivers, would receive 1s. 2½d. a day, raising by rank as follows: acting bombardier 1s. 7d., bombardier 2s. 2d., corporal 2s. 6d., sergeant 3s. 2d., and sergeant major 4s. 2d. The allowances were paid as follows: Separation allowance for a wife was 12s. 6d. a week, and for a child an extra 5s., and 2s. 6d. for all other children up to the age of fourteen. A man could also make a allowance to his wife from his pay, and if he allotted sixpence a day the government would double it. During training married men billeted at their own homes would receive 4s. 0½d., an unmarred man 3s. 2½d., if he was billeted elsewhere he would receive his normal pay and the billeting people would receive 2s. 6d.

In October the Battery was presented with a Great Dane bitch named Holme by County Councillor J. E. Woodhead of Thongs Bridge, the dog was kept as the Battery’s mascot and soon became a firm favourite of the men. The Battery sailed for France on December 27th 1915. Some of the local men were on home leave in late 1915 prior to the move to the Front.

Tony.

[davidfegga]

Thanks Tony, that's very informative. I know that the men of 175 were sent to Ripon initially, and were attached to the 34th division. I suppose the local papers are the best bet, but am nowhere near the record offices for Staffordshire.

Dave