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Remembered Today:

7th Division Artillery 1914-1915


brindlerp

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I think I am about to disappear up my own gun barrel sorting these questions out!

Can any brave souls provide any additional information, photographs, corrections and answers to the following questions, please.

Source information from http://www.1914-1918.net/cra.htm and "The Seventh Division" by C.T. Atkinson

7th Division Artillery 1914-1915

1.) XXIInd Brigade R.F.A. from Cape, South Africa (Originally 104, 105 and 106 Batteries).

2.) XXXVth Brigade R.F.A. from Woolwich (Originally 12, 25 and 58 Batteries).

Q.1.) Were these brigades equipped with Mark I 18-pounder [18-lb] guns.

Q.2.) How many guns were there per Battery?

Q.3.) Does anyone have a photograph(s) of a 1914-1915 Mark I 18-pounder [18-lb] gun.

4.) XIVth Brigade R.H.A. equipped with 4.7-inch guns

(Originally "C" Battery R.H.A. from Canterbury,

"F" Battery R.H.A. from St. John's Wood.

"C" moved to 3rd Cavalrv Division, 19th October 1914.

"T" Battery joined from Abbassia, Egypt December 1914.

"D"/XIV joined from Corps June 1915.

"F" and "T" Batteries were re-armed with Mark I 18-pounder [18-lb] guns June 1915.)

5.) The IIIrd Heavy Brigade R.G.A. (111 and 112 Batteries, each equipped with four 4.7-inch guns) left the Division on 9th March 1915.

"The R.H.A. batteries took the place of the third brigade of 18-pounders that should normally have formed part of the Division, while as neither field howitzers nor 60-pounders were forthcoming it was provided with two Heavy Batteries, armed with the none too reliable 4.7-inch guns, the "cow-gun" of the South African War, a thoroughly inadequate substitute, but all that the unprepared country could produce."

"The mobilization of the Artillery was much delayed by troubles over farriers' stores and fuses for the Heavy Batteries."

Q.4.) Does anyone have a photograph(s) of a 1914-1915 R.A. 4.7- inch gun.

Q.5.) How many guns were there per R.H.A. Battery?

Q.6.) Would this gun be the same as the 4.7- inch Naval guns shown in these links:

http://www.btinternet.com/~philipr/Navbrig.htm and

http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/ILN_1899-1900/Index.html

6.) The 55th (Howitzer) Battery R.F.A. joined 7th Division, attached XIVth Brigade R.H.A. on 27th November 1914 and left 2nd March 1915.

Q.7.) What Howitzer was this brigade equipped with?

Q.8.) How many guns were there per Battery?

Q.9.) Does anyone have a photograph(s) of a 1914-1915 ? Howitzer?

7.) The XXXVIIth (Howitzer) Brigade R.F.A. (31, 35 and 55 Batteries) joined 7th Division on 24th June 1915.

Q.10.) What Howitzer was this brigade equipped with?

Q.11.) How many guns were there per Battery?

Q.12.) Does anyone have a photograph(s) of a 1914-1915 ? Howitzer?

Regards

Richard

post-23-1073439789.jpg

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Richard

I will try and put some information together for you this evening.

The standard RFA howitzer would be the 4.5inch.

Geoff

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Richard

This is the information that I managed to put together regarding your questions

Due to a shortage of artillery at the outbreak of war the 7th Division (and 8th)

went to France with the following

1 x RHA Bde of 2 x 6 gun batteries (12 x 13 pdrs), 2 x RFA Bde each of 3 x 6 gun

batteries (36 x 18 pdrs), and 2 x 4.7 inch (4 gun) batteries.

RHA batteries equipped with 13 pdrs normally served with cavalry units.

The 18pdrs would be the MkI as the MkII did not come into service until 1916.

The MkII can be identified by its longer recuperator above the barrel with housed

the Pneumatic recoil system as opposed to the Spring recoil system of the MkI.

The 4.7 inch was the same gun as the 4.7 inch QF coastal defence gun and was

mounted on a carriage developed in 1900 for the Boer War. This piece was not

officially declared obsolete until after WWI.

Becks order of battle gives the authorised complement of artillery for an infantry

division as follows

a total of 48 x 18pdrs and 8 x 4.5 inch howitzers

3 x RFA Bde 16 x 18 pdrs each, 3 x batteries per Bde

1 x RFA Bde (H) 8 x 4.5 inch howitzers, 2 x batteries per Bde.

This obviously did not apply to every division due to the shortage of artilliery pieces.

The photograph below is of the 18pdr MkI. The box affair on the nose of the

recuperator is the oil reservoir for the recoil system. I will also post a picture

of the 4.5 inch howitzer.

Hope this information is of use to you

Geoff

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I am often worried by the fact that I constantly find pictures of the above magnificent to look at when its sole intent is to kill.

Seriously

Arm.

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Many thanks Geoff for your information on artillery and the pictures of the Mark I 18-pounder gun and 4.5-inch howitzer.

This is what I have regarding the subject pending further information and corrections:-

7th Division Artillery 1914-1915

Officer Commanding Royal Artillery : Brigadier-General H.K. Jackson

Brigade Major : Captain S.W.H. Rawlins

Staff Captain : Captain H.C. Cavendish

Divisional Ammunition Column : Lieutenant-Colonel H.A. Lake

1.) XXIInd Brigade R.F.A. : Lieutenant-Colonel D.J.M. Fasson

Arrived from Cape, South Africa (104th, 105th and 106th Batteries, each equipped with 6 x Mark I 18-pounder guns). Total 18 guns.

2.) XXXVth Brigade R.F.A. : Lieutenant-Colonel E.P. Lambert

Arrived from Woolwich (12th, 25th and 58th Batteries, each equipped with 6 x Mark I 18-pounder guns). Total 18 guns.

3.) XIVth Brigade R.H.A. : Lieutenant-Colonel H.D. White-Thompson

"C" Battery R.H.A. from Canterbury, equipped with 6 x 13-pounder QF guns, moved to 3rd Cavalry Division, 9th October 1914.

"F" Battery R.H.A. from St. John's Wood, equipped with 6 x 13-pounder QF guns.

"T" Battery joined from Abbassia Garrison, Cairo, Egypt, 21st December 1914, equipped with 6 x 13-pounder QF guns.

("D" Battery attached XIV Brigade joined from Corps June 1915.

"F" and "T" Batteries were re-armed with Mark I 18-pounder [18-lb] guns June 1915.)

4.) The IIIrd Heavy Brigade R.G.A. : Lieutenant-Colonel T.A. Tancred

(111th and 112th Batteries, each equipped with 4 x 4.7-inch QF guns) left the 7th Division on 9th March 1915. Total 8 guns.

5.) The 55th (Howitzer) Battery R.F.A. joined 7th Division, attached XIVth Brigade R.H.A. on 27th November 1914 and left 2nd March 1915. Equipped with 4 x 4.5-inch Howitzers. Total 4 guns.

6.) The XXXVIIth (Howitzer) Brigade R.F.A. (31st, 35th and 55th Batteries, each equipped with 4 x 4.5-inch Howitzers) joined 7th Division on 24th June 1915.

Regards

Richard

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  • 16 years later...

I know this is very late in the day joining this thread, but I have just started to do some research into Brigadier-General Herbert.K. Jackson, who was my great grandfather.  Really interested to know if there are any photos of the 7th Division from this time and any including him.  Is anyone able to help please?  Here is one of him I have.  Many thanks

1914 Herbert Jackson.jpg

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