See also Royal Garrison Artillery Defended Ports
The role of the RGA Companies
In general, each RGA Company provided a garrison that manned a number of batteries positioned to provide defence for particular localities, notably ports and harbours. Those companies located in the United Kingdom were also used to progress the training of recruits before they went on to a battery. The Companies tended to remain in the same location throughout the war, although a few were essentially converted into batteries which were sent to the theatres of war.
The companies
| Company number | Base location | Notes (in development) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern District | Malta | |
| 2 | Eastern Coast Defences | Sheerness | Albemarle, Centre Bastion, Garrison Point and Ravelin Batteries |
| 3 | Gibraltar | ||
| 4 | Bermuda | ||
| 5 | Western District | Malta | Converted to 116th Heavy Battery |
| 6 | Gibraltar | ||
| 7 | Gibraltar | ||
| 8 | Gibraltar | ||
| 9 | Gibraltar | ||
| 10 | Queenstown (Cobh) | Camden, Carlisle and Templebreedy Forts | |
| 11 | Golden Hill (Isle of Wight) | Batteries at Cliff End, Hurst Castle, New Needles and Warden Point | |
| 12 | Tynemouth | ||
| 13 | Landguard | ||
| 14 | Shoeburyness | ||
| 15 | Londonderry | ||
| 16 | Weymouth | ||
| 17 | Guernnsey and Alderney | Element soon moved to Sheerness | |
| 18 | Sheerness | ||
| 19 | Sheerness | ||
| 20 | Jersey | ||
| 21 | Leith | ||
| 22 | Sheerness | Lower Twydall Redoubt | |
| 23 | Fort Grange, Gosport. Arrived Aden July 1915 | ||
| 24 | Bulford | Moved to Woolwich and formed 24th Heavy Battery. Landed in France 12 September 1914 | |
| 25 | Not used | ||
| 26 | Fareham, Fort Wallington | Formed 26th Heavy Battery and landed in France 19 August 1914 | |
| 28 | Weymouth | ||
| 29 | Portsmouth | ||
| 30 | Weymouth | ||
| 31 | Woolwich | Formed 31st Heavy Battery and landed in France 24 August 1914 | |
| 32 | Culver, Sandown (Isle of Wight) | ||
| 33 | Golden Hill (Isle of Wight) | ||
| 34 | Culver, Sandown (Isle of Wight) | ||
| 35 | Fort Fareham | Formed 35th Heavy Battery and landed in France 19 August 1914 | |
| 36 | Plymouth | ||
| 37 | Portsmouth | ||
| 38 | Plymouth | ||
| 39 (Siege) | Plymouth | ||
| 40 | Dover | ||
| 41 | Plymouth | ||
| 42 | Portsmouth | ||
| 43 | Queenstown (Cobh) | ||
| 44 | Pembroke Dock | ||
| 45 | Plymouth | ||
| 46 | Dover | ||
| 47 | Tynemouth | ||
| 48 | Woolwich | Formed 48th Heavy Battery and landed in France 19 August 1914 | |
| 49 | Queenstown (Cobh) | ||
| 50 | Sierra Leone | ||
| 51 | Allahabad | ||
| 52 | Calcutta | ||
| 53 | Bombay later Karachi | ||
| 54 | Gibraltar | ||
| 55 | Gibraltar | ||
| 56 | Bombay later Mauritius | ||
| 57 | Pembroke Dock | ||
| 58 | Not used | ||
| 59 (Siege) | Roorki | ||
| 60 | Quetta | ||
| 61 | Aden later Bombay | ||
| 62 | Calcutta then Aden | Moved June 1916 | |
| 63 | Malta | ||
| 64 | Rangoon | ||
| 65 | Malta | ||
| 66 | Jamaica | ||
| 67 | Portsmouth | ||
| 68 | Attock later Barian | ||
| 69 | Manora later Aden | Moved June 1916 | |
| 70 | Aden later Karachi | ||
| 71 (Heavy) | Nowgong | ||
| 72 (Heavy) | Peshawae | ||
| 73 | Delhi later Lahore | ||
| 74 | Delhi and Agra | ||
| 75 | Rangoon | ||
| 76 | Aden later Bombay | ||
| 77 | Bombay | ||
| 78 | Singapore | ||
| 79 | Bombay | ||
| 80 | Singapore | ||
| 81 (Siege) | Roorki | ||
| 82 | Ferozepore | ||
| 83 | Hong Kong | ||
| 84 | Cape Town (S Africa) | ||
| 85 | Bombay later Aden | ||
| 86 (Heavy) | Multan | ||
| 87 | Hong Kong | ||
| 88 | Hong Kong | ||
| 89 | Not used | ||
| 90 (Heavy) | Nowgong | ||
| 91 (Heavy) | Roorki | ||
| 92 | Not used | ||
| 93 | Ceylon | ||
| 94 | Rawalpindi | ||
| 95 | Bermuda | ||
| 96 | Malta | ||
| 97 | Simons Town (S Africa) | ||
| 98 | Not used | ||
| 99 | Malta | ||
| 100 | Malta | Converted to 115th Heavy Battery. | |
| 101 | Quetta | ||
| 102 | Malta | ||
| 103 | Egypt? | ||
| 104 (Heavy) | Nowshera later Campbellpore | ||
| 105 | Falmouth | ||
| 106 | Not used | ||
| 107 (Siege) | Plymouth | ||
| 108 (Heavy) | Gosport | Fort Nelson, Fareham | |
| 109 | Guernsey and Alderney | ||
| 110 | Jersey |
Information sought
RGA Companies are not the best-documented units. I have been building up details by adding snippets from wherever I can find them, notably men’s service records. I would be interested in any good information concerning locations, movements or dates.