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Royal Artillery Unit Histories


rflory

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TRUMPETER IN RHA - AT THE "FRONT IN 1915"

I too am searching for my father's War Records as a Trumpeter,Lance Bombardier in the RHA . He rode a horse because his photos show him to be wearing a Bandolier, and I know he had a pistol because he still had it hidden away in the 1950's! But I do not know in which Regiment he served.

His name was William James Joseph Jackson born in South Manchester in 1898 and died in London in 1983. From his own words "I was at the Front in 1915". He had lied about his age to enlist. As he was born in Lancashire I think he might have enlisted in a Lancashire Regiment. But by the start of the Great War his family were living in the South London area - so he might have enlisted in a London Regiment.

To help me, I took his photo to a military expert at an exhibition in February, for his opinion. He told me that he could "see that my father was a Trumpeter, Lance Bombardier in the RHA and on his chest he had a ribbon which indicated that he had "been awarded" a Military Medal for something outstanding. In the photos, unfortunately, my father has his flat cap tilted backwards on his head so we cannot determine his Regiment from his cap Badge.

Can anyone help please?

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have the following Royal Artillery and Canadian Artillery unit histories and would be happy to do lookups as time permits:

-snip -

I did not see a unit history of 245 Siege Battery RGA and am curious if it is available? If not perhaps it's parent Heavy Brigade?

cheers, Ted Underhill

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beaty wrote:

on his chest he had a ribbon which indicated that he had "been awarded" a Military Medal
.

No one with the name 'W J J Jackson' received the MM while serving with the Royal Artillery during the Great War. 57466 Cpl W J Jackson,RFA was gazetted for the MM in the London Gazetteof 23 February 1918. Dick Flory

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  • 2 weeks later...

beaty wrote: .

No one with the name 'W J J Jackson' received the MM while serving with the Royal Artillery during the Great War. 57466 Cpl W J Jackson,RFA was gazetted for the MM in the London Gazetteof 23 February 1918. Dick Flory

thank you very much for the clue. I will investigate. I have to find out name of his Regiment now !- perhaps the London Gazette will also tell me that. Apologies for delay, I finds this website a "little" confusing to navigate around, especially as I'm not a man! and not interested (yet) in the different battles or dates of. I have been unlucky in locating my father's details on different websites that I subscribe to.

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  • 3 weeks later...

My grandfather was in the RGA and I believe was a 2nd Lieutenant in the 121 Heavy Battery. He arrived in France on 26th November 1917 and was located near to Beaumetz. He was slightly wounded in April 1918. He remained with the unit (with one two week leave back in England in August) until the Armistice when his unit seems to have been based around Framences near Mons.

His name was Thomas William Mathias.

I would appreciate any information that you are able to obtain about his period of service.

In fact I have possession of the diary that he kept during his time in France and this gives me quite a bit of data about where he was stationed at different times. I would be happy to share any information with others researching this unit.

Thanks.

Richard Mathias

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I am hoping to find out more about my grandmother`s first husband who was a gunner in 211 Siege Battery, RGA. His name was Charles Howard Barrett and he was wounded on 31st July 1917. He died the following day 1st August at 46th Casualty Clearing Station and is buried in Mendinghem Cemetery. I am not expecting to find out much about him personally but it would be very interesting to know what his unit was doing at this time

Regards Janek

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Hi Dick

Do you have any information relating to the X14 Trench Mortar Battery RGA for period July 1916 (Delville Wood ??) I think my man won the MM during this period

Regards..Colin

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Janek wrote:

His name was Charles Howard Barrett and he was wounded on 31st July 1917. He died the following day 1st August at 46th Casualty Clearing Station and is buried in Mendinghem Cemetery.
.

Janek: From 30 June 1917 to 17 September 1917, 211th Siege Battery, RGA was located adjacent to Lock 9 on the east side of the Ypres-Comines Canal just south of Ypres and about a half-mile west of Shrapnel Corner in preparation for the Third Battle of Ypres which opened on 31 July 1917. "Two Eleven": Being the History of 211 Siege Battery RGA on the Western Front indicates that "on 31 July, when the main action was just beginning and we found ourselves in a heavy artillery counter-bombardment, Barrett was killed and Signrs. Sutton, G. B. Johnson and Stapleford were wounded. Among the other casualties on this and the following days were Farminer and St. Johnson. Those of us who still had our legs to walk with followed the duck-boards marked 'Walking Wounded', which led to a protected Clearing Station situated near the town. The Doctor was dealing with large numbers of wounded and had no time to lose. 'Show it! Move on!' he said, which we did."

The photo of Gunner C H Barrett below was scanned from a group photo of the personnel of 211 Siege Battery, RGA taken on 27 October 1916 about a month before the Battery embarked for France on 30 November 1916. If you would like a larger, higher resolution copy of the photo of Barrett or a copy of the entire group photo PM me with your email address.

Regards, Dick Flory

post-765-057456500 1284784267.jpg

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Colin Woods wrote

Do you have any information relating to the X14 Trench Mortar Battery RGA for period July 1916 (Delville Wood ??) I think my man won the MM during this period

Colin: I do not have any information on X14 TMB for July 1916. Regards, Dick Flory

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Richard Mathias wrote:

His name was Thomas William Mathias.
.

Richard: I don't have any direct information on 2 Lieut. Thomas William Mathias other than the fact that he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant, RGA Special Reserve on 9 Sept 1917. I would, though, make the following comments:

1. There are officer's service papers for a T. W. Mathias available at The National Archives under WO374/46758, which I am quite sure are your man's papers.

2. Online at www.dadsdiaries.com are "Dads Diaries: A Gunners Experience in the War 1914-1918" which are the diaries of Bombr. Alfred Edward Roads who served in France with 121 Heavy Battery, RGA from 15 Feb 1915 until the end of the war.

3. The War Diary of 121 Heavy Battery, RGA from March 1916 to October 1917 is available at The National Archives under WO95/219.

Regards, Dick Flory

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Dick

Many thanks for your time and trouble in looking this information up for me.

Kind regards

Richard Mathias

Richard Mathias wrote: .

Richard: I don't have any direct information on 2 Lieut. Thomas William Mathias other than the fact that he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant, RGA Special Reserve on 9 Sept 1917. I would, though, make the following comments:

1. There are officer's service papers for a T. W. Mathias available at The National Archives under WO374/46758, which I am quite sure are your man's papers.

2. Online at www.dadsdiaries.com are "Dads Diaries: A Gunners Experience in the War 1914-1918" which are the diaries of Bombr. Alfred Edward Roads who served in France with 121 Heavy Battery, RGA from 15 Feb 1915 until the end of the war.

3. The War Diary of 121 Heavy Battery, RGA from March 1916 to October 1917 is available at The National Archives under WO95/219.

Regards, Dick Flory

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Hi Dick,

Can you point me in the right direction concerning a Prisoner of War?

David Murray Kennedy Johnston (no other details I'm afraid) served with the RGA and was taken prisoner in 1918. In a newspaper cutting reporting a brother's death - Lieut Walter R Johnston, RFA, in September 1918 - states that David M K Johnston, was a POW. It is believed that David was captured in 1918.

Would it be possible to track him down to a specific Battery?

I've checked the POW records s best I can and not found him.

Regards,

Jack

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Jack: No officer by the name of D M K Johnston was taken prisoner of war and there is no officer by that name in the November 1918 Army List. There is a

'Lieut D M L Johnston, RFA in the same Army List, but he is David Maurice Landale Johnston. Regards, Dick Flory

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Thank you for that Dick.

At least I now know he was not an officer.

David Murray Kennedy Johnston is the right name, though.

Are you able to list any engagements during 1918 where RGA units were overrun and prisoners taken, and what units they were? I might have to trawl through Unit Histories and other sources to try to get a lead.

Regards,

Jack

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Janek wrote: .

Janek: From 30 June 1917 to 17 September 1917, 211th Siege Battery, RGA was located adjacent to Lock 9 on the east side of the Ypres-Comines Canal just south of Ypres and about a half-mile west of Shrapnel Corner in preparation for the Third Battle of Ypres which opened on 31 July 1917. "Two Eleven": Being the History of 211 Siege Battery RGA on the Western Front indicates that "on 31 July, when the main action was just beginning and we found ourselves in a heavy artillery counter-bombardment, Barrett was killed and Signrs. Sutton, G. B. Johnson and Stapleford were wounded. Among the other casualties on this and the following days were Farminer and St. Johnson. Those of us who still had our legs to walk with followed the duck-boards marked 'Walking Wounded', which led to a protected Clearing Station situated near the town. The Doctor was dealing with large numbers of wounded and had no time to lose. 'Show it! Move on!' he said, which we did."

The photo of Gunner C H Barrett below was scanned from a group photo of the personnel of 211 Siege Battery, RGA taken on 27 October 1916 about a month before the Battery embarked for France on 30 November 1916. If you would like a larger, higher resolution copy of the photo of Barrett or a copy of the entire group photo PM me with your email address.

Regards, Dick Flory

Hello Dick

Many thanks for this information - I would very much like a copy of the photo and am just trying to increase my number of posts so that I can PM you.

Jane

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  • 5 weeks later...

Dick

Thanks, PM your address and I will post on.

Mark

Info@celticclocks.net, to reach me I am interested in finding out if My GF had passed through Kildare Bks at any time efore he Became 19543 Gnr william Wise no5seige Bty RGA who served in Flanders and France during i914-1919 his Mic shows 1914/1915 star with bar and the victory medal and great war medal, I would be very greatful for anything you can give me .Michael Moore (Congo)
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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello there i hope you can help me please and am just wondering if you have any war diaries relating to either the 252 or 242 brigade rfa, this would really help out if you have as i am researching my great grandfather who served with this regiment, thanks very much

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  • 1 year later...

Hi Dick,

If your kind offer to do look-ups is still open, and if you still have in your collection The Eleventh Siege Battery, RGA, 1914-1918, I wonder if you could check two things for me please?

Firstly, does the book give an account as to the battery's involvement in the Second Action at Givenchy between the 14th and 16th June 1915, and, particularly, if there are any references to 5 Siege Battery during this period?

My reason for asking is that in the 5 Siege Battery war diary for 15th June 1915 it states that after having two howitzers put out of action (due to one of the howitzers suffering a premature in the bore), "two howitzers were at once borrowed from 11th Siege Battery RGA and the bombardment was continued under difficult conditions". If any explanation or reasoning is given as to the "difficult conditions" the batteries experienced would also be useful to know.

Secondly, prior to mid-February 1915, could you please tell me if there any mention of a 2nd Lieutenant Cyril John Frank Bensley? This chap apparently joined 5 Siege Battery on the 13th February.

Many thanks and best regards

Steve

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Steve: Unfortunately I only have the portion of the 11th Siege Battery, RGA 1914-1918 that covers their activities prior to going overseas so I cannot answer your first question.

The book does indicate that 2nd Lieut. C J F Bensley joined 11th Siege Battery, RGA while the battery was training at Lydd. He was posted from the Siege Artillery Depot along with 2nd Lieut. N C Lang and C R Cross.

Regards, Dick Flory

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Steve: Unfortunately I only have the portion of the 11th Siege Battery, RGA 1914-1918 that covers their activities prior to going overseas so I cannot answer your first question.

The book does indicate that 2nd Lieut. C J F Bensley joined 11th Siege Battery, RGA while the battery was training at Lydd. He was posted from the Siege Artillery Depot along with 2nd Lieut. N C Lang and C R Cross.

Regards, Dick Flory

Hi Dick,

Many thanks for the look-up - the info on Bensley is very useful indeed!

All the best

Steve

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  • 2 months later...

PM sent re 144th Heavy Battery.

Michael

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Michael: I answered your PM. Regards, Dick

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Dick,

Can you please help me.

I'm researching my great grandfather Herbert Poulton, he served with 196 Heavy Battery RGA, I know he served in Salonika and that the battery used 60pdrs other than this I know very little.

I don't know if you have any info on this unit but I will be very grateful for anything you can give me.

Many thanks.

Stuart

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Stuart: Unfortunately, I do not have anything on 196th Heavy Battery, RGA but I can tell you that the unit war diary for the period March 1917 to March 1919 is available at The National Archives under WO95/4798. Regards, Dick Flory

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