pjjobson Posted 3 September , 2007 Share Posted 3 September , 2007 Good evening. I am a new member to this forum, and would like to a) introduce myself and offer assistance to members. I am the Secretary of The Friends of Firepower, the Royal Artillery Museum in Woolwich, as well as holding several positions within the Royal Artillery Association I am also a member of the Royal Artillery Historical Society. For a number of years I have been working on a book, which was originally intended to deal with the Language and Abbreviations used within the Royal Artillery, however, over the course of time it have grown considerably, and now comprises something of an encyclopaedia of the Regiment. Whilst the book is not solely WW1 related, I am very happy to try and answer any queries regarding WW1 terminology that arise for members of this forum. Regards Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombadier Posted 3 September , 2007 Share Posted 3 September , 2007 Welcom to the forum Phil. I am sure that there a lot of people here who will take you up on your kind offer. All the best Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjustice Posted 3 September , 2007 Share Posted 3 September , 2007 Whilst the book is not solely WW1 related, I am very happy to try and answer any queries regarding WW1 terminology that arise for members of this forum. Regards Phil Hi Phil, Welcome to the forum and thanks for offering your expertise. I for one am very much a novice in your field and will be noting your contact details carefully! Is your book to be published? As an example where are you going with it? Where does it fit, for example, compared to works by Bailey (Field Artillery and Firepower) or Bidwell (Fire-power: British Army Weapons and Theories of War 1904-1945)? Kind Regards, SMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Morgan Posted 3 September , 2007 Share Posted 3 September , 2007 Op-Ack, welcome to the forum. I have a question and you may be just the person to answer it. Could you recommend a book about the organisation of the RHA, RFA & RGA during WW1 which covers the development of their equipment, tactics and improved techniques regarding range-finding, etc., rather than just describing the equipment? Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthergw Posted 3 September , 2007 Share Posted 3 September , 2007 Welcome to the forum and thank you for your very kind offer. I wish I had seen this thread before I posted my last post. I am likely to be a frequent customer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinrowlinson Posted 3 September , 2007 Share Posted 3 September , 2007 Welcome and a timely post. On two gunners records this evening I have seen "RA & TC CD". One mans had "No.5 TMB" before it, which I take to be Trench Morter Battery, but apart possibly from Royal Artillery and Depot I have no idea for the other letters. Your knowledge would be welcome. Regards Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pw643 Posted 3 September , 2007 Share Posted 3 September , 2007 Phil Welcome to the site. As a member of the RAHS you may have been present at last years meeting on which I took part in delivering the history of the 'Blazers' of which I had the daunting period of 1914-1939. If I had only found this site beforehand . I had a limited 12 minutes to cram everything in. Ever since I have carried on with the research, with the aim of printing a booklet. This site and it's members have provided a bottomless pit of information as, I hope I have given my input to others. Firepower is on my urgent to visit again soon although I have never been before to extract information. Is there anything at FP in relation to Battery/Bde documents that I may not have already seen elsewhere? Once again welcome I'm sure you will have your brain disected by the members. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjjobson Posted 3 September , 2007 Author Share Posted 3 September , 2007 Hi Phil, Welcome to the forum and thanks for offering your expertise. I for one am very much a novice in your field and will be noting your contact details carefully! Is your book to be published? As an example where are you going with it? Where does it fit, for example, compared to works by Bailey (Field Artillery and Firepower) or Bidwell (Fire-power: British Army Weapons and Theories of War 1904-1945)? Kind Regards, SMJ Yes, Tempus are currently pricing the publication, but please don't ask for a date, as even I don't know on that one, it is likely to be an ongoing saga anyway, as I am constantly finding new material to add to the book. It currently runs to 231 A4 pages, without illustrations! Although I am limited to 20 illustrations, so heaven knows what ones I will select! Jonathan Bailey has agreed to write the forward, and was kind enough to comment, after seeing the original draft, that he wished he had had a copy available when writing his book! I am a succor for praise!!!! The book is more of a reference document, being a listing of terms and abbreviations with some items of ordnance thrown in. I am always open to suggestions for content, so please don't hesitate to suggest something, I quite often miss the obvious, owing to being too close to the subject. Regards Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjjobson Posted 3 September , 2007 Author Share Posted 3 September , 2007 Op-Ack, welcome to the forum. I have a question and you may be just the person to answer it. Could you recommend a book about the organisation of the RHA, RFA & RGA during WW1 which covers the development of their equipment, tactics and improved techniques regarding range-finding, etc., rather than just describing the equipment? Tom Tom I would suggest Farndale's WW1 history, although it is very heavy going, and extremely good for curing insomnia. Other than that, I can't think of any off hand, most of the organisational/developmental books seem to be about WW2. You may also like to try and get hold of copies of the RAHS proceedings, not everything is WW1 based, but they do have some interesting articles, and the series by Alanbrooke, printed in the RA Journal during the 1920's is a must, although I only have a couple of the articles. There are also regular articles in the Royal Artillery Journal which you may find of interest. One other thing you could try is Nigel Evans website "British Artillery in WW2" at http://members.tripod.com/~nigelef/ don't be put off by the name, there are some facinating items in there about the development of Field Artillery tactics during WW1. Regards Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjjobson Posted 3 September , 2007 Author Share Posted 3 September , 2007 Welcome and a timely post. On two gunners records this evening I have seen "RA & TC CD". One mans had "No.5 TMB" before it, which I take to be Trench Morter Battery, but apart possibly from Royal Artillery and Depot I have no idea for the other letters. Your knowledge would be welcome. Regards Kevin Kevin Typically embarrasing, the first person who asks a question about abbreviations and its one that isn't in the book "yet"!! I will endeavour to establish what it stood for and get back to you. However, you are correct about No. 5 TMB being a Trench Mortar Battery. Could you let me have any context that you have the RA & TC CD in please, as this may help establish what they refer too. Sorry about that. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjjobson Posted 3 September , 2007 Author Share Posted 3 September , 2007 Phil Welcome to the site. As a member of the RAHS you may have been present at last years meeting on which I took part in delivering the history of the 'Blazers' of which I had the daunting period of 1914-1939. If I had only found this site beforehand . I had a limited 12 minutes to cram everything in. Ever since I have carried on with the research, with the aim of printing a booklet. This site and it's members have provided a bottomless pit of information as, I hope I have given my input to others. Firepower is on my urgent to visit again soon although I have never been before to extract information. Is there anything at FP in relation to Battery/Bde documents that I may not have already seen elsewhere? Once again welcome I'm sure you will have your brain disected by the members. Paul Paul at least you only had to do 1914 to 1939, I felt really sorry for your colleague who had 1775 (I think) to 1913 to deal with. I know from personal experience that there are shed loads of Battery/Brigade war diaries from the WW2 period, and presumably from WW1. Your best bet before going, is to speak to Paul Evans, the Librarian who has doen an amazing job of cataloguing the entire collection of war diaries, so if they have it he will know. I believe there are also limited copies of Battery histories, but I haven't yet delved into them myself. A pleasure that I am reserving for retirement! If there is anything in particular you want researched, I will see if I can arrange to do it, although my time at the museum is limited and I generally end up moving pieces of ordnance around and generally getting my hands dirty. Great fun, but not popular with she who must be obeyed!! Cheers Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Morgan Posted 3 September , 2007 Share Posted 3 September , 2007 Phil, I'm very grateful to you for posting such a detailed reply. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ororkep Posted 4 September , 2007 Share Posted 4 September , 2007 Quote:....On two gunners records this evening I have seen "RA & TC CD". One mans had "No.5 TMB" before it, which I take to be Trench Morter Battery, but apart possibly from Royal Artillery and Depot I have no idea for the other letters. Kevin, Ill plump for 'Tynemouth coy/company coastal Defence, or another town/city beginning with T. Rgds Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinrowlinson Posted 4 September , 2007 Share Posted 4 September , 2007 Thanks Phil and Paul. I have gone over the records again and found the following on one of the gunners "Admissions to Hospital" sheet, having been gassed. Seems good to me. Regards Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjjobson Posted 4 September , 2007 Author Share Posted 4 September , 2007 Thanks Phil and Paul. I have gone over the records again and found the following on one of the gunners "Admissions to Hospital" sheet, having been gassed. Seems good to me. Regards Kevin Kevin You have definately found the answer there. I had almost (not quite, but almost) convinced myself theat RA & TD stood for Royal Artillery and Tank Corps, but without the confirmation I wasn't going to commit myself. Needless to say, it is an abbreviation which will be going into the book! Thanks Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinrowlinson Posted 4 September , 2007 Share Posted 4 September , 2007 Phil, I take it you have MPP. One of my earlier questions/post- http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/i...;hl=proof+party . Regards Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjjobson Posted 5 September , 2007 Author Share Posted 5 September , 2007 Phil, I take it you have MPP. One of my earlier questions/post- http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/i...;hl=proof+party . Regards Kevin I do now!! Considering I have been going to Woolwich for years, you would have thought I would have come across it before, but perhaps it wasn't a purely Army organisation, after all the Arsenal did produce Naval weaponry as well. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon6640 Posted 5 September , 2007 Share Posted 5 September , 2007 Phil, A quick one, but could you tell me what a gun layer did? Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjjobson Posted 5 September , 2007 Author Share Posted 5 September , 2007 Phil, A quick one, but could you tell me what a gun layer did? Jon Jon The short answer is, the Gun Layer is the detachment member who actually "lays" the gun, in other words he aims it at the target. Hope that helps, if you need a fuller explanation, let me know and I will post one. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Compo Posted 5 September , 2007 Share Posted 5 September , 2007 Phil, I have seen an MC award to a Lieutenant of RGA who was in AA artillery in France for, among other things, "Crashing" two airplanes late in the war. Well he never learned to fly so I imagine it was the term for "bringing down" an aircraft! Was this the only official early term for this act? Did it become bringing down only in WWII? Hope this is not too tough, I have always been curious about this. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Riley Posted 5 September , 2007 Share Posted 5 September , 2007 Op-Ack, welcome to the forum. I have a question and you may be just the person to answer it. Could you recommend a book about the organisation of the RHA, RFA & RGA during WW1 which covers the development of their equipment, tactics and improved techniques regarding range-finding, etc., rather than just describing the equipment? Tom Tom and other interested parties, I have just discovered The Infantry cannot do with a gun less The Place of the Artillery in the BEF, 1914-1918 by Sanders Marble who I understand was researching in the UK and is now working back in the US after completeing a doctoral thesis. Amazon indicated that it was to be published on 3 August (just gone) but now keeps advising later dates. A search shows that it is available at Gutenberg-e through Columbia University Press at about $50. I have down-loaded it through the 'free trial' but you do not get full interactivity and you DO get lots of annoying messages from Gutenberg: there is no such thing as a free book. The maps and the appendices (plenty of primary sources) look excellent. However, it seems quite a heavy read and I am advised by a friend who worked at Firepower that not all his conclusions are uncontentious. Amazon quote Columbia University Press as the publisher and they (CUP) tell me that they have NO plans to publish in hard copy before next year; I have found Amazon taking advance orders for books with no firm publication dates before! The chapter headings indicate the development of tactics and technology though a section that I have looked at on sound ranging seems a bit brief (although the footnotes contain a good anecdote about a research scientist receiving inspiration from the draught in a field latrine - Chapter 6 I think and footnote 100 and something - there are a LOT of references). I have not looked at it sufficiently to identify separate threads of development for RHA, RFA and RGA. Andy Simpson Directing Operations: British Corps Command 1914-18 weaves quite a lot in about the switch of control of artillery between corps, division (and even lower) at various stages of the war and in response to the tactical situation once mobile warfare was re-established after August 1918. Again, it was quite a detailed read but highlights things that are easily missed in the Official Histories of late 1918 Paddy Griffith Battle Tactics of the Western Front 1916-1918 has a good chapter but you have probably seen it. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjjobson Posted 5 September , 2007 Author Share Posted 5 September , 2007 Phil, I have seen an MC award to a Lieutenant of RGA who was in AA artillery in France for, among other things, "Crashing" two airplanes late in the war. Well he never learned to fly so I imagine it was the term for "bringing down" an aircraft! Was this the only official early term for this act? Did it become bringing down only in WWII? Hope this is not too tough, I have always been curious about this. Bill Bill I have to admit that I haven't come across this before. Knowing the way the Army works, they probably thought Bringing down would be to obvious! I honestly can't say whether this was an "official" term or not, but I will try and find out. Regards Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Bob Posted 6 September , 2007 Share Posted 6 September , 2007 Greetings Phil I too am a new member and am reseaqrching the 3rd Battery of the NZ Field Artillery mainly during there time at Cape Helles with the British from May to August 1915. I have some very hard to read notes from a diary re a shortage lists for the Battery's guns and wonder what the parts are is : 'Limber Key' ; 'Bush, Firing Hole' ; 'Bush. ????ing Sighting' ; 'Cotter? or Collar? adjusting wheels?'' Hook & Limber Key'. Also what are the Upper and Lower Trays? Cheers from NZ and Kiwi Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Compo Posted 7 September , 2007 Share Posted 7 September , 2007 Thanks for trying Phil. I did think this was a tough one Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnreed Posted 7 September , 2007 Share Posted 7 September , 2007 Kiwi Bob What equipment did the Battery have? I don't think it was 18 Pdr. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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