This Page is still being worked on – Would you like to help? Click Getting Involved or Contact Men on the Gates at Qube.
- Royal Field Artillery
84 Bde C Coy RFA
92 Battery Royal Field Artillery
This was a unit of Britain’s pre-war regular army. It is also sometimes shown as 17 Brigade RFA. At the outbreak of war the brigade was at Allahabad in India. The Brigade returned to England, and then served in Gallipoli, Egypt before arriving on the Western Front in March 1916.
99 Bde Royal Field Artillery
part of 22 Division, had originally gone over to France in early September 1915 but in October had been moved to Salonika. 22 Division also contained 8 Bn KSLI
155 (CLV) Brigade A Bty 32 div Royal Field Artillery
31 Division from formation in April-May 1915. Designated West Yorkshire. Left the Division on 2 December 1915, and joined 32 Division New Year 1916. Left 20 January 1917 to become an Army Brigade.
119 Bde Royal Field Artillery CXIX Brigade – 119 Brigade Royal Field Artillery, was part of divisional artillery for 38 (Welsh) Division – which, from 7 July, was engaged in the action at Mametz Wood. They were located to the south west of Fricourt with guns registered on Mametz Wood and the village of Contalmaison.
177 Bde Royal Field Artillery
16 Division
Bombardier 12567 John Jones, 177 Bde B Battery Royal Field Artillery. Maesbury War Memorial
- Royal Garrison Artillery
The RGA were equipped with larger weapons than the RFA. Howitzers from 6″ and 9″ bore were common as were 60 Pounder heavy field guns. These weapons became the first to be hauled by motor tractors rather than horse power. Some of the guns were so large that they could only be deployed on railway tracks.
Siege Battery, operated heavy guns – six and eight inch Howitzers. Each battery would be 6 guns. Howitzers fired high trajectory HE shells typically aimed at destroying or neutralising the enemy artillery, as well as putting destructive fire down on strong points, dumps, stores, roads and railways behind enemy lines. During Third Ypres they were particularly used against the many reinforced concrete pillboxes. There would normally about 10 men directly involved in serving each gun, plus about another 10 men working on ammunition carrying and transportation to the gun position as well as plus ten ASC drivers per gun for the transport.
33 Heavy Bty – formerly 292 133rd county Palantine HB RGA
SOURCE????? 133rd HB is dated 23rd April 1915, with some cross over from the 125th HB with men who, one presumes, was surplus to requirements for that battery and obviously enlisted earlier. The vast majority of men came from Liverpool and Manchester, with a few coming from Preston, Blackpool and Leigh. After attesting they were sent, perhaps a day or to later, to Lytham where the batteries were situated. 136th CP Hvy Bty tended to have the majority of men coming from Manchester, Bolton, Warrington and Lancaster. This battery was situated at Morecambe.
From 25/11/1914 to 25/11/1915 The Bolton Evening News ran a column called “Rally to the Flag” (repeated in the weekly Bolton Journal). This showed the names and addresses of men enlisting and the Units they had joined. In March 1915 Lord Derby called for recruits from various towns to form RA and RE Units for his Pals Division (30th). The County Palatine RFA Units were to be known as “Comrades Batteries” and were to be drawn from a number of towns in West Lancashire.
145 Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery
205 Siege Battery RGA
234 Siege Battery – Corporal 106564 Mark Jones, Royal Garrison Artillery 234 Siege Battery. DoW 9 November 1917, Dozinghem Military Cemetery
- Royal Horse Artillery
2/1 Bn Shropshire Royal Horse Artillery
CHECK 2/1st Shropshire Royal Horse Artillery = Trusthorpe Lincs Camp/depot ????
END