Steve11 Posted 17 April , 2004 Share Posted 17 April , 2004 I'm trying to establish the movements of the 17th Heavy Battery RGA. The mother site shows it to have been raised with the 17th (Northern) Division and then moving independently to France in Oct 1915 and joining the XXIX Heavy Artillery Brigade RGA (attached to the 4th Division). The mother site Artillery Brigades of the Regular Army show the XXIX Brigade as comprising the following: Originally 125,126 and 127 Batts. 86(H) Batt less a section joined May 16. Does this indicate that the 17th may have only been with the XXIX Brigade for a short time? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rflory Posted 17 April , 2004 Share Posted 17 April , 2004 Steve wrote I'm trying to establish the movements of the 17th Heavy Battery RGA. The Mother Site appears to list the composition of the different RGA brigades at one instant in time which is somewhat misleading since Heavy Artillery Brigades (HABs), became Heavy Artillery Groups (HAGs), and later became RGA Brigades, and all these units changed their battery compositions frequently during the Great War. 17 Heavy Battery, RGA went to France on 7 Oct 1915 and joined the 23rd (?) Heavy Artillery Brigade on 16 Oct 15. It transferred to the 8th Heavy Artillery Group (HAG) on 3 Mar 16; to 31 HAG on 16 Mar 16; to 34 HAG on 8 Jun 16; to 18 HAG on 19 Jan 17. It was made up to six guns on 23 Jan 17 from one section that joined from 203 Hvy Bty and on 30 Jan 17 it joined 60 HAG. It transferred to 84 HAG on 5 Sep 17 and finally joined 64 Brigade, RGA on 10 Nov 17 and remained with it until the end of the war. The war diary of 17th Heavy Battery for the period Oct 16 to Dec 17 can be found in the National Archives/PRO under WO95/228. The war diaries previous to and subsequent to those dates have not been traced. Regards. Dick Flory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve11 Posted 18 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 18 April , 2004 Thanks a lot Dick, You've provided a lot of useful information for me. You've put a question mark against the 23rd HAB. Does this signify that there may be some doubt as to whether the 17th actually joined this unit? Regards, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rflory Posted 18 April , 2004 Share Posted 18 April , 2004 Actually I think that the 17th actually joined a unit but the query indicateds that there is doubt whether it was the 23rd or the 29th HAB. Regards. Dick Flory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve11 Posted 18 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 18 April , 2004 So probability is 23rd HAB then. I'll now be reading through the war diaries next time I go to the PRO. Have you any idea on the story behind those that are missing - are they lost forever? Regards Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rflory Posted 18 April , 2004 Share Posted 18 April , 2004 I think that is probably the case, since they have not been found over the last 80 some years. Regards. Dick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve11 Posted 26 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 26 April , 2004 Hi Dick, I looked up the war diary of the 29th Brigade RGA and it confirms the following: 16 Sept 1915. 17th H. Battery ?rew Guns (4 60 pdrs). 4 Motor Lorries joined from Grove Park a few days later. 30 Sept. Orders received to mobilise & entrain on 6th October. 6 Oct. Headquarters 29th Bde with 17 H Bty entrained at Woolwich Arsenal Sta - 3 train - end loading starting 11.50 pm. 2nd train 1.50 am. 3rd 4 am. Motor lorries by road to Southampton at 2.0 pm on 5th. 7 Oct. Arrived Southampton 5.30 am - 7.30 am & 9.30 am. Detrained reembarked. Sailed at 4.30 pm. 8 Oct Arrived Havre & moored 8 am - dis-embarked. Arrived camp 5 at 2 pm. 11.30 pm orders to entrain Point I at 8.30 am leaving camp 7.30 am. Motor lorries ordered to Filesselles (via) Amiens. And so on. 9th Oct - Villiers Bretonneaux. 12th Oct - Framerville. 19th Oct - 20 HB attached to Bde. 22 Oct - 17th 3 & 4 guns fired at La Raperie. 2 Nov - 17th now detached from brigade (marched to Corbie). 2 Nov - Bde HQ to Albert. 3 Dec - Bde HQ to Bray. 5 Dec - 17th Hvy Bty fired on Pozieres Bazentin Rd. 6 Jan - 17th fired shrapnel on hostile Bty in Caterpillar Wood. 22 Feb - 17th bombarded the Briqueterie. 27 Feb - 17th fired into Montauben. 3 Mar - 17th HB & ammo col left for La Breuviette. Looks like the 17th was with 29 Bde from 16th Sept to 3rd March and the diary contains enough detail for interesting reading. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve11 Posted 26 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 26 April , 2004 I also looked up the 17th Hvy Bty war diary (WO95/228). It appears to be mis-titled as the diary records from 30 Sept 1915 to 28 Dec 1917. I informed the PRO so maybe they will change their record. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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