Royal Field Artillery, Salonika & beyond

[MichaelB]

Hi Have been researching my grandfather's activities/postings in WW1

Reginald James Baddeley, was in the RFA , checked war records, which give -for the same service number, two names one a gunner in 1914the other a bombadier in 1917. I'm guessing he got promoted !

 A photo shows 'Pride of the 12th Battery' dated1916

Served in Salonika as the photo shows.

He might have served at Gallipoli also-I'm sure there is a photo of him there too, but cant find it !

I have a postcard/photo of him & three others, from Russia-specifically Novorossiysk dated 1919 .Apparently he was sent there with guns & munitions for the White Russians ( under Denikin ) I have no idea how long they were there !

A couple of questions ;

Is 12th battery the same as 12 brigade ? as I can't find anything about it (12th brigade RFA I have found on google) I understand that brigades/units were amalgamated around 1916 & their numbers changed ?

I can't find anything much about the supply of arms to Denikin & how members of the RFA came to be there . If anyone knows more or can point me in the right direction, that would be great

 

[Acknown]

Did you find his service record? Here it is on Ancestry: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/1219/images/miuk1914e_123858-00406?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=9e2a75e624f548148627e26cc5ca5144&usePUB=true&_phsrc=uON74&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=131783

Acknown

Addition:

Attested 11 Dec 15, mobilized 01 May 16. Embarked UK 23 Jan 17, disembarked Salonika 03 Feb 17. Posted to 67th Brigade RFA, see here for detail: http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-royal-artillery-in-the-first-world-war/batteries-and-brigades-of-the-royal-field-artillery/lxvi-lxvii-lxviii-and-lxix-howitzer-brigades-of-the-royal-field-artillery-13th-divisional-artillery/.

Sent to 49th General Hospital  04 Aug 17, and again with malaria 16 Oct 17, discharged 30 Oct 17 and re-joined brigade 03 Nov 17. [Then some unreadable notes]. 12 Dec 18 attained Class 1 . Embarked 13 May 19 (?). Then this (from Ancestry):

 

This appears to be his activity after Salonika, but someone else will have to interpret it. 99th Brigade?

Ackinown

Edited 20 October , 2022 by Acknown

[Acknown]

The photo showing 12th Battery is a red herring. 2B Reserve Brigade based at Preston Barracks in Brighton consisted of 10, 11 and 12 Reserve Batteries. It seems that Reginald was trained in 12th Battery before being posted to Salonika.

Acknown

 

[David Porter]

1 hour ago, Acknown said:

This appears to be his activity after Salonika, but someone else will have to interpret it. 99th Brigade?

Welcome to the Forum MichaelB,

This looks like he landing at Constantinople and was posted to 100th Brigade RFA in June 1919. 22nd Divisional Artillery replaced 27th Divisional Artillery in the The British Army of the Black Sea which was created out of the British Salonika Force. There is then a posting to 99th Brigade Ammunition Column on July 8, 1919.

I concur with 12th Battery being 12th Reserve Battery at Brighton and not a unit that served overseas.

Novorossiysk is the name of the ship he disembarked from at Constantinople.

[charlie962]

Thanks for sharing these photos.

Note service record says 

Disembarked Constantinople from Noworosisky 8/6/19.

One of the photos of four men has a backdrop of (St Sophia,?) Constantinople and presumably dates from this time?

Edited 20 October , 2022 by charlie962

[charlie962]

The other group of four possibly has an inscription on the backdrop of 'souvenir de Salonika'. The men are wearing their overseas service chevrons on lower right sleeve. This will help date and place of photo.

[MichaelB]

Thank you Acknown  David Porter & Charlie962, most helpful

Trained at Brighton would seem right (it's where he met his wife,my grandmother)

Noworosisky was a troop ship !  We(my family) assumed it was Russia,as the address on the back of the card gives a street & building

Lots more to look up

 

 

[David Porter]

Just had a proper look at his service record. He did not serve in Salonika with 67th Brigade RFA but with 67th S.A.A.C. (Small Arms Ammunition Column). This was formed out of 100th Brigade RFA and provided ammunition to 67th Infantry Brigade. Also, the disembarkation at Constantinople was a stopover on the way to Batoum (Southern Russia) where 100th Brigade RFA had been since April 1919. His arrival at Batoum looks like it was June 18, 1919. His service in Salonika, like so many, gave him recurring bouts of Malaria which eventually got him sent home on a hospital ship. 

[charlie962]

5 minutes ago, David Porter said:

Malaria which eventually got him sent home on a hospital ship. 

But didn't get him a pension?

[David Porter]

Pension claimed but rejected.

[FROGSMILE]

17 hours ago, MichaelB said:

Hi Have been researching my grandfather's activities/postings in WW1

Reginald James Baddeley, was in the RFA , checked war records, which give -for the same service number, two names one a gunner in 1914the other a bombadier in 1917. I'm guessing he got promoted !

 A photo shows 'Pride of the 12th Battery' dated1916

Served in Salonika as the photo shows.

He might have served at Gallipoli also-I'm sure there is a photo of him there too, but cant find it !

I have a postcard/photo of him & three others, from Russia-specifically Novorossiysk dated 1919 .Apparently he was sent there with guns & munitions for the White Russians ( under Denikin ) I have no idea how long they were there !

A couple of questions ;

Is 12th battery the same as 12 brigade ? as I can't find anything about it (12th brigade RFA I have found on google) I understand that brigades/units were amalgamated around 1916 & their numbers changed ?

I can't find anything much about the supply of arms to Denikin & how members of the RFA came to be there . If anyone knows more or can point me in the right direction, that would be great

 

It seems that Novorossiysk was some kind of logistics hub and port of entry for the British expedition to support Denikin and his White Army against the Bolshevik Red Army.  When it all went wrong it became the site of a general evacuation: “in March 1920, in which thousands of officers, soldiers and Cossacks of the White Army and civilians were left behind and killed by the Red Army and the Green Army. In total, some 33,000 people were executed.”

Edited 21 October , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[charlie962]

6 hours ago, FROGSMILE said:

civilians were left behind and killed by

That sounds familiar?

[FROGSMILE]

24 minutes ago, charlie962 said:

That sounds familiar?

Yes indeed.  The more I read the more parallels there were with contemporary Ukraine: https://www.britannica.com/event/Russian-Civil-War

[Tawhiri]

On 20/10/2022 at 12:52, MichaelB said:

Reginald James Baddeley, was in the RFA , checked war records, which give -for the same service number, two names one a gunner in 1914the other a bombadier in 1917. I'm guessing he got promoted !

Looking at the attestation date on his service record, I'm not sure where the 1914 date comes from. His associated medal index card shows he was only entitled to the British War and Victory Medals which is consistent with his dates of service, and his rank was Gunner at the time the medals were awarded.

[AndrewSid]

Back to Salonica.  

It seems he was present in his role with 67 Brigade during the 18 Sept 1918 battle of Dorian. A brutal fight that pretty much destroyed 67 Brigade. His role would have seen him close to that.  Enemy artillery in the days preceding was heavy. He would likely have been under heavy fire if he was supporting the Brigade. 

To add Ive yet to see a man who didn’t have Malaria whilst serving in Salonica! Units were often at half strength as men were sick with Malaria , influenza or other climate related sickness. 

a good briefing on conditions here:

his book is very good too.

 

Edited 21 October , 2022 by AndrewSid

[Gardenerbill]

'The Official History of the Great War Military Operations Macedonia Volume 2' by Captain Cyril Falls, covers the second battle of Doiran and 67th Infantry Brigade's part in it, it also covers the Pursuit of the Bulgarians that followed and has an appendix 'Summary of Events Concerning the British Army of the Black Sea December 1918 to May 1919'. Available on-line, via the link in this topic: