Harry Robinson

[Guest helen guest]

I wonder whether anyone is able to help me find out more about my grandfather Harry Robinson.

My grandad was only 16 when he joined the Royal Field Artillery on August 29th 1914, in Liverpool. His birth certificate records that he was born Harold Robinson on 24th March 1898 in Northwich, Cheshire.

The family has a notebook in which he recorded his movements up until Easter of 1915 I presume. To begin with he travelled up to Preston and in September was sent to Weedon Barracks in Northamptonshire where the Adjutant was named Captain Moore from Weaverham in Cheshire. Apparently a few regular troops were sent from Norwich to put the new recruits through their training.

In the course of a few days he says that they were formed into Batteries and the Brigade was known as the "Good Old 61st". His draft had been joined by 2 others from Woolwich and Hillsea. A village called Flore is mentioned in connection with route marching.

By October horses and guns began to arrive. Prior to that the Brigade had made do with one ageing horse and four old 5" Howitzers. The Colonel was an old retired officer by the name of Dunlop who was "a very good age but a fine rider". The officers in charge of the batteries were: 193 - Captain Denton, 194 - Battery Major Darley and 195 - Battery Captain Hill. Battery Lt Weiss (?) was in charge of the Ammunition Column.

Whilst he described the recruits as "going through the mill" with gun drill and horse riding it is clear that Christmas was a festive occasion with a sumptuous meal.

Shortly after Christmas there were staff changes and Colonel Cartwright took command. The batteries were led by Major Hockball (193), Battery Captain Pile (194) Captain Hill (195). Captain Neate was put in charge of the Ammunition Column. Gunner Lew Webb was batman to the Colonel and someone by the name of Hamilton was his groom.

My grandad described with affection a soldier (Bert Beech) who had returned from the war and who gave him invaluable advice about service overseas. Grandad himself was posted on the Headquarters staff of the Brigade in the charge of Lt Grant.

Christmas to Easter was spent signalling, using morse and semaphore and reconnaissance riding. It seems that inter-battery football was the pastime of Saturday afternoons. During this time there was further reorganisation. 195 was sent to Fawsley Hall. The Ammunitions Column was made into B battery and a new Ammunition Column formed. 193 became A/61, 194 became C/61, 195 became part of D battery.

A week before Easter the Brigade received orders to entrain for Pembrey and Barry Port to take a firing course. The journedy was undertaken by train travelling via Rugby, Leamington, Stratford with a stop to water and feed the horses. Then the journey continued through Cardiff, Newport and Swansea arriving in Pembrey late in the evening.

Each day for about 4 days the batteries would take their place at the range before moving on to Carmarthen on Easter Sunday. The boys were billetted in the town and about 10 of them were put up at a Temperance Hotel. The fields where the horses and guns were stationed were like a mud bath.

Grandad mentions route marching by an historic castle on a steep hill. Apparently the church possessed historic flags which had been carried into battle at Waterloo, Trafalgar and South Africa.

After about 9 days they set off for Swindon leaving guns and horses in a large field just outside the town. He and Harry Bennett were billetted with Mr and Mrs Streets who showed them great hospitality. They were sorry to move on to Newbury where they were billetted at the Corn Exchange for one night before moving on to Basingstoke. Although billetted once more they were given rations and their hosts had to cook them for them.

Unfortunately we have no record after this as to where he went exactly. I remember him telling me as a child that he saw the first tanks being deployed and that he was sent to climb trees at dawn to locate German positions.

I believe that perhaps in 1917 he was sent back to England because his rifle hand had seized up. It seems that he turned up at Wyggeston Grammar School in Leicester which was being used as a hospital at the time and there he met my grandmother, Violet Amy Dade as she then was, who was working as an auxiliary nurse.

Does anyone out there have any ideas as to how to I can develop my research? I would be very grateful for any tips.

[Blackblue]

Hi Helen,

There are a number of resident artillery experts who use the forum. If you do not hear from Dick FLORY in the near future I suggest you send him a personal message.

Regards

Tim D

[Andrew Hesketh]

Welcome Helen,

Start by looking here http://www.1914-1918.net/grandad.htm

61st Brigade were a 'new Army' (i.e volunteer) formation attached to the 11th (Northern) Division. The Division embarked for Gallipoli in July 1915. However 61 Brigade did not go to Gallipoli as it was redeployed to the prestigious Guards Division.

The Guards Division missed the opening phases of the Battle of the Somme in 1916 but arrived in time to take part in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette (part of the overal Somme campaign) in September. This was the battle in which tanks were used for the first time, so this locks in with your Grandfather's stories. You can find out more about this Division and where it went next here: http://www.1914-1918.net/gdiv.htm

For further research you can look at your grandfathers Medal Index Card at the National Archives. It will be online soon (September) at: http://www.documentsonline.nationalarchive....uk/default.asp. There is a whole chunk of this forum dedicated to such matters.

From there you would need to see if his Service Records have survived, but this requires a visit to the National Archives in person or the use of a researcher. You could always use our esteemed webmaster - see here: http://www.1914-1918.org/. Another member of the forum, Tom Tulloch Marshall, is also a researcher and you can check up on him at http://www.btinternet.com/~prosearch/

For past forum discussions on such matters see here: http://1914-1918.org/forum/index.php?showt...service+records

As already suggested, contacting Dick Flory would be potentially worthwhile.

I hope this helps to get you started, but one of the best things you can do is explore this forum and the main website - it is the biggest gold-mine on the internet.

Good luck.

[Guest helen guest]

Thank you for helping me to get started. I'm especially looking forward to checking out the records online in September.

Helen

[Simon Furnell]

Welcome to the forum,Helen,and what a marvellous record you already have.

Not only that,but you have given me a little bit more to look at,in my local area.

Artillery is not my big thing,but i do live in Newbury,Berkshire,and can tell you that the Corn Exchange is still standing in Newbury Market place,as it has done since 1840,and is used as an entertaiment venue.

It was nearly demolished a few years ago,but was saved and rebuilt.

As a kid,i used to go there to see Panto's,and for awhile,in the 80's,it was well know for it's weekly,"Roller disco"!!

Rumour has it,that the Beatles played there,very early on in their career,and many of the 60's bands played there as well.

If you read Band of Brothers,by Stephen Ambrose,the Corn Exchange gets a mention,as one of the last places that Glenn Miller performed with his band.

He played a concert there,on the 25th of July,1944,and a couple of guys from E Company were lucky enough to get tickets.

Basingstoke,is roughly 15 miles away and Swindon about 25,or so.

Newbury library,hold copies of the local Newspaper,The NewburyWeekly News,on microfiche,that go back over a hundred years or more.

His stay,may get a mention.

Just one question.

Do you know the exact date he was there?

Good hunting,and all the best.

Simon Furnell.

[Kate Wills]

Helen,

I have e-mailed you a better version of this postcard. On the reverse is written "Signalling sqaud Weedon 1915-1916", and as you see, they are artillerymen. I would love to think that one of them might be your grandfather.

Weedon is halfway between Northampton and Daventry, on the Grand Union canal, which cuts right through the site, originally called the Weedon Royal Ordnance Depot. It has a very interesting history, as it was created to house the government and army in the event of invasion during the Napoleonic wars. It occupies a vast site, and later housed the Army's School of Equitation. There was talk some time ago of it being used as a national Fire Service Museum, but like so many ideas this came to nought. Nowadays it is stands folorn, but with some very gruff security staff, so anyone wanting a look around may be given short shrift - at least that was the recent experience of a local WFA colleague.

Pictures and more about the history of the Depot can be found here:

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/w...don/index.shtml

[Guest helen guest]

Thank you Simon for the information re Newbury - according to my reckoning my grandfather would have been billetted at the Corn Exchange in the 2nd week after Easter of 1915.

Kate - I wonder whether the signallers on the postcard trained the recruits who came through Weedon - just a thought.

[Simon Furnell]

Hello Helen.

No problems,re the Corn Exchange.

Easter Sunday,has varied over the years,as i remember,so 2 weeks after it,could be anywhere between about the 18th and 25th,of April.

No doubt,somebody on this Forum,will know what date Easter was,in 1915.

Pretty sure,that there will be a copy of the Newbury Weekly News,that will cover this week,though,thinking about it,they may not mention the passing of the Division,on it's way to Basingstoke.

Loose lips,cost ships.

But,there again,this is rural Berkshire,early on in the war,so you never know what you might find.

It may have been the big event of the week.

All the best.

Simon.

[Will O'Brien]

No doubt,somebody on this Forum,will know what date Easter was,in 1915.

Good Friday fell on 2nd April & Easter Monday on the 5th............Therefore the weekend 2 weeks later was 16th-17th

[john kemp]

At the Public Records Office, you can visit and read the regimental diary

WO95/1203 being the reference you would need for your area of research

although there is unlikely to be any direct reference to your relative.

This is well worth a visit if you have a spare day, see the website for the PRO.

JMK

[Guest helen guest]

I shall just mention the names of other men named in the notebook of my grandfather just in case anyone has any connection with them:

Captain Moore from Weaverham in Cheshire

Old Mac, corporal in charge of rooms in Weedon Barracks

Joe Beaty, "a Devoted Brother"

Peter Stevenson

Jim Abbott

Jack Ryan

Jack Carroll

Col Dunlop

Cpt Denton

Batt Maj Darley

Batt Cpt Hill

Batt Lt Weiss(?)

Bat Rawley

Joe Bennett

Col Cartwright

Major Hockball

Bat Cpt Pile

Cpt Neate

Gunner Lew Webb

Hamilton

Bert Beech

Lt Grant

Lean Eaton

Jack Goode

Billy Hill

Charlie Taggart

Harry Peake

Ernie Robinson

Sid Mobb

G Bennett

Dolly Gray

Halfpenny Lambert

Bill Sutton

Arthur Smithson

Sgt Major Spencer

Lt Holt

Sgt Medlicott

Harry Bennett

[Guest helen guest]

Thank you Will and John for the extra information. John - how were you able to tell me that the regimental diary would be in WO95/1203?

[john kemp]

WO stands for War Office and the reference is obtained from the PRO web site.

If you go to the Public Records website there is a search area where you can search for information held.

It will give you the headings but doesnt go into all the info contained in the

file but enough to let you know it is what you are looking for.

Try it, its quite easy to use.

If you plan to go to the PRO, you can order your documents online.

I also find the staff there very helpful.

Good Luck

JMK

[Guest helen guest]

I have managed to track down an old postcard which I knew I had somewhere.

It reads as follows:

"UBIQUE"

D/61ST BTY 5TH DURHAM BTY

D/251ST BTY, R.F.A.

In Memory of times pleasant or otherwise spent with the old Battery in the 11th, Guards, and 50th (N BN) Divisions at:

LOOS

KEMMEL

BERNY

PASSCHENDAELE

CRAYONNE

THE SCARPE

LENS

LAVENTIE

CONTALMAISON

ARRAS

AMIENS

DERNICOURT

BOURLON WOOD

LE CATEAU

THE BLUFF

HIGH WOOD

LANGEMARCKE

GONNINGHEM

PERONNE

CAMBRAI

BOUSIES

MORMAL FOREST

and other places

With Best Wishes

from

A. R. Westrop

11, Camac Street

Calcutta Xmas 1919

On the other side is written in manuscript:

24.11.19

My dear Robinson,

I shall be pleased to hear how you are getting on & whether yur arm is better. Any Gunner who requires it can obtain loans without interest or other help from the R.A. Commemoration fund to which our battery subscribed very liberally. This may be of use to you or other Gunners & particulars can be got from the Secretary, the R.A. Institution, Woolwich, or from the paper called the "Gunner" published there, price 2d monthly. You may find some of my yarns about the old battery in the latter. Yours sincerely,

A.R.W

--------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------

This probably answers a lot of questions but I find all the different numbers rather confusing. Flers Courcelette isn't mentioned by name - does that mean he wasn't there?

My brother who has his medals has got back to me and told me that the number on them appears to be 4664 - can I do anything more with this information until September when his medal record should be online?

[Simon Furnell]

Passchedaele,is 3rd Ypres,which ran from 31st July,1917,until the 9th of November,1917.

Langemarck,was one of the battles,during this time,and started on the 16th of August,1917.

50th,Northumbrian,were part of 5th Army,at a later date,and i think they were at 3rd Ypres,though not sure.

Cambrai happened in 1917,as well,in November,tanks being used en-masse.

The Amiens Battles,happened in April,1918,during the German Offensive,that started in March of that year.

Kemmel,is also in the Ypres area.

To say the least,they were very busy,as were most of the guys,at this time.

All the best.

Simon.