General notes
Please note that the references to war diaries on this page are all to documents held in the UK National Archives WO95 series. To trace the movements and actions of a battery, refer to the war diaries (or a published history if there is one). Links to the divisions under which a battery came appear at the bottom of this page and also provide some information concerning the movements and actions.
Each unit (battery and its ammunition column) had its own numbering sequence until regulations in 1917 caused the renumbering described in each battery’s section of this page, below. In all cases, the original numbering sequence began when the battery was established as a unit of the Territorial Force (most in April 1908).
Most of the units raised not only a second line but a third line: titled as, for example, the 3/1st Hampshire RHA. These units can be very difficult to trace, for they are rarely mentioned.
What was a Battery of the Royal Horse Artillery?
Honourable Artillery Company
Brief history
Headquartered at Armoury House, Finsbury, London EC, the HAC was (and still is) one of the oldest elements of the British Army.
In 1914 the HAC had two batteries, known as A Battery (1st City of London Horse Artillery) and B Battery (2nd City of London Horse Artillery). Both raised a second line, or reserve, unit in September 1914: eventually the originals were titled as 1/A and 1/B, while the new units became 2/A and 2/B Batteries. In 1915, a third line was also raised in the form of 3/A and 3/B Batteries.
1/A Battery was under orders of the London Mounted Brigade and 1/B Battery under South Eastern Mounted Brigade. The London Mounted Brigade came under 2nd Mounted Division from when it was formed in early September 1914. 1/B joined the artillery of the same division, and was moved into its 1st South Midland Brigade in November 1914 to replace the 1/1st Warwickshire Battery (see below).
In March 1915, the 2nd Mounted Division received orders to prepare to move overseas to Egypt. 1/B’s Ammunition Column left for Avonmouth on 8 April 1915 to sail on ship “Koroa”, and the rest of the division followed. By mid-May the whole division had arrived and the batteries were stationed near Ismailia. In August 1915, the main body of the division proceeded to Gallipoli but it did not take the artillery. In July 1915, 1/B Battery was sent to Aden; 1/A Battery joined the Western Frontier Force at Mersa Matruh on 22 December 1915 for operations against the Senussi. It joined 8th Mounted Brigade in April 1916. A large draft of men were sent from 3/A and to bring 1/A up to strength in January 1916.
Both batteries were transferred to a new XIX Brigade RHA in January 1917, to form the artillery component of the new Imperial Mounted Division along with the Berkshire RHA and Nottinghamshire RHA. On 20 June 1917 the Imperial Mounted Division was renamed the Australian Mounted Division. The batteries then remained with this formation.
Initially raised as training units that were also part of home defence, the second line batteries also eventually served overseas. 2/A and 2/B Batteries had both been placed under command of a new 126th Army Field Artillery Brigade (technically of the Royal Field Artillery), the personnel of which landed in France on 21 January 1917. As an Army Brigade, it was not under permanent command of a given division, but over the rest of the war was at times with numerous different divisions. Movements and allocations thereafter can be traced in the war diary. It has not proved to be easy to trace the movements of these units before they went to France, but it appears that at one time 2/B was at Ponds Farm, Littlebourne, Canterbury.
3/A and 3/B were raised by May 1915 and became part of 8th Royal Horse Artillery (Territorial Force) School (later called 8th Reserve Brigade RHA) at Larkhill and later at Bulford. In early 1917 the two batteries moved to Chapeltown Barracks in Leeds. [My thanks to David Porter at the Great War Forum for this information]
Numbering
In the renumbering of men of the Territorial Force in 1917, the HAC was allocated the block of numbers 624001 to 628000. For example, BQMS Arthur James Mordin, who enlisted in 1908 with the number 50, was renumbered to 624004.
The online service Findmypast also has a searchable copy of a regimental number register from the Honourable Artillery Company Archive. It can be a useful document, for it often includes not only the man’s name, rank and numbers but private addresses and fragmentary details of service history. The register also includes men who served with 309th (HAC) Siege Battery of the Royal Garrison Artillery.
War diaries
1/A Battery diary WO95/4425 covers 1914 Aug – 1916 Dec [not digitised]
1/A Battery diary WO95/4555 covers 1916 Dec – 1919 Mar [not digitised]
1/A Battery diary WO95/4516 covers 1919 Apr – Oct [not digitised]
2/A Battery diary WO95/5461 covers 1915 Nov – 1916 Feb [not digitised]
1/B Battery diary WO95/4431 covers 1915 Apr – 1916 Dec [not digitised]
1/B Battery diary WO95/4555 covers 1916 Dec – 1919 Mar [not digitised]
1/B Battery diary WO95/4516 covers 1919 Apr – Oct [not digitised]
2/B Battery diary WO95/5455 covers 1915 [not digitised]
126th Army Brigade RFA WO95/203 [digitised, available from National Archives website]
Further reading
“The Honourable Artillery Company 1537-1926” by G. Goold Walker (John Lane the Bodley Head, few printed) [available in reprint from Naval & Military Press]
“The Honourable Artillery Company in the Great War” by G. Goold Walker [available in reprint from Naval & Military Press]
“Reflections of a Regiment: The Honourable Artillery Company and the Great War in Pictures” by Justine Taylor (Third Millennium, 2016)
Ayrshire Royal Horse Artillery
Brief history
Headquartered at 111 South Harbour Street in Ayr, the battery and its ammunition column was under orders of Lowland Mounted Brigade. After mobilising at Ayr, it move to Fife with the rest of the brigade and spent time on training and home defence duties at Cupar.
The battery remained at home until 10 February 1916, when it sailed for Southampton for service in the Middle East. It disembarked at Alexandria in Egypt twelve days later. In April 1916, the battery with the Inverness-shire RHA came under orders of a new IV Brigade RHA, which was placed under the Australian and New Zealand Mounted Division (sometimes called ANZAC Mounted Division). The Ayrshire RHA was allocated to support the division’s New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade. In July 1917, a reorganisation of the division’s artillery created XVIII Brigade RHA, which now comprised the Ayrshire, Inverness-shire and Somerset RHA.
The Ayr headquarters raised a second line 2/1st Ayrshire Battery. It became part of “K” Training Battery of 8th Reserve Brigade RHA at Bulford.
Numbering
In the renumbering of men of the Territorial Force in 1917, the Ayrshire RHA was allocated the block of numbers 602001 to 604000. For example, BSM George Grant who enlisted in April 1908 with the number 9 became 602002.
War diaries
Battery diary WO95/4527 covers 1914 Aug – 1916 Jan (and XVIII Brigade thereafter) [not digitised]
Berkshire Royal Horse Artillery
Brief history
Headquartered at Castle Hill in Reading but with a section at Ascot, the battery and its ammunition column was under orders of 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade, which on mobilisation came under the 1st Mounted Division. On 2 September 1914, the brigade was transferred to a new 2nd Mounted Division. During November 1914 the division moved to Norfolk to train and as part of local defence: the battery went to Little Walsingham (a newspaper also refers to Narborough Camp).
In March 1915, the 2nd Mounted Division received orders to prepare to move overseas to Egypt. By mid-May the whole division had arrived and the batteries were stationed near Ismailia. In August 1915, the main body of the division proceeded to Gallipoli but it did not take the artillery. In July 1915, the battery was sent to Aden. It returned to the canal area late in the year, and in January 1916 went to the 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade to the Western Frontier Force. The brigade was renamed 6th Mounted Brigade.
The battery transferred to a new XIX Brigade RHA in January 1917, to form the artillery component of the new Imperial Mounted Division along with the two batteries of Honourable Artillery Company and the Nottinghamshire RHA. On 27 June 1917 the 6th Mounted Brigade transferred to the new Yeomanry Mounted Division and on so doing the 1/1st Berkshire RHA transferred to the division’s XX Brigade RHA, along with the Hampshire RHA and Leicester RHA. On 24 April 1918, the division was renamed as a new 1st Mounted Division and on 23 July 1918 it was renamed again to 4th Cavalry Division.
The Reading base also raised the 2/1st Berkshire RHA, initially as a training and home defence unit. On 13 April 1917 at Heytesbury it was placed under command of a new 158th Army Field Artillery Brigade (technically of the Royal Field Artillery), along with the 2/1st Shropshire RHA and two RFA batteries. On 24 May it sailed from Folkestone to Boulogne in France and then proceeded to Bailleul. As an Army Brigade, it was not under permanent command of a given division, but over the rest of the war was at times with various different divisions. At first, for instructional purposes, the batteries went to different commands: 2/1st Berkshire RHA went to the artillery of the 3rd Australian Division. In July 1917 the brigade moved to the Nieuwpoort sector on the Belgian coast. Movements and allocations thereafter can be traced in the war diary.
Numbering
In the renumbering of men of the Territorial Force in 1917, the Berkshire RHA was allocated the block of numbers 616001 to 618000. For example, Driver 337 Arthur Baylis who enlisted in September 1912 became 616060.
War diaries
1/1st Battery diary WO95/4443 covers 1915 Jul – 1917 Jan [not digitised]
1/1st Battery diary WO95/4445 covers 1916 May – 1917 Jan [not digitised]
1/1st Battery diary WO95/4504 covers 1917 Jun – 1918 Apr (Yeomanry Mounted Division) [not digitised]
1/1st Battery diary WO95/4506 covers 1917 Jun – 1918 Apr (6th Mounted Brigade) [not digitised]
1/1st Battery diary WO95/4508 covers 1918 May – Jul (1st Mounted Division) [not digitised]
1/1st Battery diary WO95/4511 covers 1918 Aug – 1919 Aug (20th Brigade RHA) [not digitised]
158th Army Brigade RFA WO95/538 [digitised, available from National Archives website]
Essex Royal Horse Artillery
Brief history
Headquartered at Market Road in Chelmsford, both the battery and ammunition column had sections in Chelmsford and Colchester. It was under orders of the Eastern Mounted Brigade, which on mobilisation came under 1st Mounted Division. The brigade left for service overseas in September 1915 but the Essex RHA was not taken, and it was transferred to come under the command of 2/1st South Wales Mounted Brigade.
On 13 January 1916 the Essex RHA, Hampshire RHA and West Riding RHA all transferred to come under a new 5th Lowland Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery, and were re-equipped with the 18-pounder field gun. The brigade left from Devonport a month later and landed at Port Said in Egypt on 2 March 1916. It then came under orders of 52nd (Lowland) Division. In late May, the brigade’s name was changed to 263rd (or CCLXIII) and the Essex RHA became its B Battery. Between September and December 1916, the brigade was renamed again to 264th, but it reverted back to 263rd.
In early July 1917, the brigade and its batteries were re-equipped with the 13-pounder field gun to once again became horse artillery. The brigade was renamed as XX Brigade RHA and was transferred to come under the new Yeomanry Mounted Division. The Essex RHA however remained with the 52nd (Lowland) Division until September 1917 when it was placed under 7th Mounted Brigade. In April 1918 the brigade came under a new 2nd Mounted Division and at that point the Essex RHA left the brigade to become part of the divisional artillery. In July 1918 the division was renamed as 5th Cavalry Division.
The Chelmsford base also raised the 2/1st Essex RHA, initially as a training and home defence unit. After spending time at Ely and Larkhill, the battery moved to Ireland in May 1916 and came under 296th Brigade (CCXCVI) of 59th (2nd North Midland) Division as its D Battery. In July 1916 it transferred to the division’s 298th Brigade (CCXCVIII) as its B Battery. Later that year, it was brought up to a total of six guns by the addition of a section from C Battery (what had been 2/1st Glamorgan RHA). In January 1917 the brigade returned to England. It sailed from Southampton to Le Havre in France on 15 March 1917.
In April 1917, the brigade left 59th (2nd North Midland) Division to become an Army Brigade. As such, it was not under permanent command of a given division, but over the rest of the war was at times with various different divisions. The brigade moved at first to join Second Army. Movements and allocations thereafter can be traced in the war diary.
Numbering
In the renumbering of men of the Territorial Force in 1917, the Essex RHA was allocated the block of numbers 622001 to 624000. For example, Bombardier 330 William Edward Chetwood became 622027. He had originally enlisted in April 1911.
War diaries
263rd Brigade war diary WO95/4601 covers 1916 Jan – 1917 Jun [not digitised]
1/1st Battery diary WO95/4405 (with 7th Mounted Bde) covers 1918 Feb – Jul [not digitised]
1/1st Battery diary WO95/4516 covers 1918 Aug – Oct 1919 [not digitised]
268th Army Brigade RFA WO95/456 [digitised, available from National Archives website]
Glamorganshire Royal Horse Artillery
Brief history
Headquartered at Port Talbot, the battery was under orders of the South Wales Mounted Brigade, which came under 1st Mounted Division soon after mobilisation. The brigade left for service in Egypt in March 1916, but did not take its artillery and the battery remained with 1st Mounted Division. In August 1916, it transferred to 293rd Brigade (CCXCIII) RFA of the 58th (21/st London) Division at Heytesbury, becoming its B Battery. The men of the battery’s ammunition column transferred to the 58th Division’s trench mortars. The brigade sailed from Southampton to Le Havre in France on 21-22 January 1917. On 6 February 1917, it left the division and became an Army Brigade. As such, it was not under permanent command of a given division, but over the rest of the war was at times with various different divisions. The brigade moved at first to join XIX Corps. Movements and allocations thereafter can be traced in the war diary.
The Port Talbot base also raised the 2/1st Glamorganshire RHA, initially as a training and home defence unit. The battery moved to Ireland in May 1916 and came under 297th Brigade (CCXCVII) of 59th (2nd North Midland) Division as its D Battery. In July 1916 it transferred to the division’s 298th Brigade (CCXCVIII) as its C Battery. Later that year, the battery was broken up, with sections going to the brigade’s A and B Batteries (the former 2/1st Hampshire and 2/1st Essex RHA respectively) to bring them up to six guns each.
Numbering
In the renumbering of men of the Territorial Force in 1917, the Glamorganshire RHA was allocated the block of numbers 606001 to 608000. For example, Staff-Sergeant Farrier 102 William Hall became 606020. He had originally enlisted in June 1908.
War diaries
293rd Brigade diary WO95/205 covers 1917 Feb to the end of the war [digitised and available to download from National Archives website]
2/1st Battery diary WO95/5461 (with 1st Mounted Division) covers 1915 Oct – 1916 Feb [not digitised]
Hampshire Royal Horse Artillery
Brief history
Headquartered at Southampton, the battery and its ammunition column was under orders of 1st South Western Mounted Brigade, which after mobilisation moved to become part of the defences of the south coast of England. The battery was located at Forest Row for some time. On 13 January 1916 the Hampshire RHA, Essex RHA and West Riding RHA all transferred to come under a new 5th Lowland Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery, and were re-equipped with the 18-pounder field gun. The brigade left from Devonport a month later and landed at Port Said in Egypt on 2 March 1916. It then came under orders of 52nd (Lowland) Division. In late May, the brigade’s name was changed to 263rd (or CCLXIII) and the Hampshire RHA became its A Battery. Between September and December 1916, the brigade was renamed again to 264th, but it reverted back to 263rd.
In early July 1917, the brigade and its batteries were re-equipped with the 13-pounder field gun to once again became horse artillery. The brigade was renamed as XX Brigade RHA and was transferred to come under the new Yeomanry Mounted Division. In July 1918 the division was renamed as 1st Mounted Division and later as 4th Cavalry Division.
The Southampton base also raised the 2/1st Hampshire RHA, initially as a training and home defence unit. The battery moved to Ireland in May 1916 and came under 295th Brigade (CCXCV) of 59th (2nd North Midland) Division as its D Battery. In July 1916 it transferred to the division’s 298th Brigade (CCXCVIII) as its A Battery. Later that year, the battery was up to six guns with the arrival of a section of two from the former 2/1st Glamorganshire RHA.
In January 1917 the brigade returned to England. It sailed from Southampton to Le Havre in France on 14-15 March 1917.
In April 1917, the brigade left 59th (2nd North Midland) Division to become an Army Brigade. As such, it was not under permanent command of a given division, but over the rest of the war was at times with various different divisions. The brigade moved at first to join Second Army. Movements and allocations thereafter can be traced in the war diary.
Numbering
In the renumbering of men of the Territorial Force in 1917, the Hampshire RHA was allocated the block of numbers 618001 to 620000. For example, Sergeant 71 Frederick Reglar became 618009. He had originally enlisted in October 1909.
War diaries
1/1st Battery diary WO95/5455 covers 1915 Sept only [not digitised]
1/1st Battery diary WO95/4504 covers 1917 Aug – 1918 Mar (Yeomanry Mtd Division) [not digitised]
1/1st Battery diary WO95/4508 covers 1918 Mar – 1918 Jul (1st Mtd Division) [not digitised]
1/1st Battery diary WO95/4511 covers 1918 Aug – 1919 Aug (20th Brigade RHA) [not digitised]
298th Brigade RFA WO95/456 covers 1917 Mar to the end of the war [digitised and available to download from National Archives website]
Further reading
“History of the 1/1st Hants Royal Horse Artillery in the Great War” edited by Capt P. C. D. Mundy (Hampshire Advertiser, 1922 and available in reprint from Naval & Military Press)
Inverness-shire Royal Horse Artillery
Brief history
The battery was headquartered at Margaret Street in Inverness, while its ammunition column was at King Street in Nairn. As a unit, it came under the Highland Mounted Brigade. After mobilising in August 1914, the brigade moved to England, first at Huntingdon and then in Lincolnshire.
In March 1915 the battery, along with its newly raised second line (see below) was transferred to the 2/1st South Midland Mounted Brigade, which in turn came under the 2/2nd Mounted Division.
The battery remained at home until 10 February 1916, when it sailed for Southampton for service in the Middle East. It disembarked at Alexandria in Egypt twelve days later. In April 1916, the battery with the Ayrshire RHA came under orders of a new IV Brigade RHA, which was placed under the Australian and New Zealand Mounted Division (sometimes called ANZAC Mounted Division). The Inverness-shire RHA was allocated to support the division’s 3rd Light Horse Brigade. In January 1917 that brigade was transferred, being replaced by 22nd Mounted Brigade. In July 1917, a reorganisation of the division’s artillery created XVIII Brigade RHA, which now comprised the Ayrshire, Inverness-shire and Somerset RHA, and the Inverness-shire RHA was now to support the 2nd Light Horse Brigade.
The Inverness headquarters raised a second line 2/1st Inverness-shire Battery. In March 1915 (see above) it went with the original 2/1st Inverness-shire Battery to join the 2/1st South Midland Mounted Brigade of 2/2nd Mounted Division. The battery did not serve overseas.
Renumbering
In the renumbering of men of the Territorial Force in 1917, the Inverness-shire RHA was allocated the block of numbers 600001 to 602000. For example, Bombardier 229 Donald Alexander Cameron became 600029. He had originally enlisted in November 1912.
War diaries
2/1st Battery diary WO95/5455 covers 1915 Sept – Dec only [not digitised]
Leicestershire Royal Horse Artillery
Brief history
The battery was headquartered at Magazine Square in Leicester and came under the North Midland Mounted Brigade. It remained in England until sent for service in the Middle East, departing from Southampton on 12 February 1916 and landing at Alexandria in Egypt on 25 February. In April 1916 it was placed under command of the new III Brigade RHA (Territorial Force) along with the Somerset RHA. The brigade was raised for the ANZAC Mounted Division and the batteries supported its 1st and 2nd Light Horse Brigades (Leicestershire RHA the former, Somerset RHA the latter). On 20 June 1917, the Leicestershire RHA left for the Yeomanry Mounted Division and was placed under its XX Brigade RHA The division was later renamed as 1st Mounted Division and later as 4th Cavalry Division.
The Leicester headquarters raised a second line 2/1st Leicestershire Battery. In May 1916, it joined 318th Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery as its A Battery. The brigade departed for France in July 1916, and was placed under command of 63rd (Royal Naval) Division. It was soon renamed as 223rd Brigade RFA.
Renumbering
In the renumbering of men of the Territorial Force in 1917, the Leicestershire RHA was allocated the block of numbers 610001 to 612000. For example, Gunner 497 Edgar Horace Antrobus became 610020. He had originally enlisted in September 1914.
War diaries
1/1st Battery diary WO95/4504 covers 1917 Sep – 1918 Mar (Yeomanry Mtd Division) [not digitised]
1/1st Battery diary WO95/4508 covers 1918 Apr – 1918 Jul (1st Mtd Division) [not digitised]
1/1st Battery diary WO95/4511 covers 1918 Aug – 1919 Aug (20th Brigade RHA) [not digitised]
2/1st Battery diary WO95/5461 covers 1915 Nov – 1916 Sep [not digitised]
223rd Brigade RFA WO95/3102 covers 1916 Jul to the end of the war [digitised and available to download from National Archives website]
Nottinghamshire Royal Horse Artillery
Brief history
The battery was headquartered in Nottingham and came under the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Mounted Brigade. After mobilising, the brigade moved to Berkshire and came under orders of the 1st Mounted Division. It was transferred to the new 2nd Mounted Division when it was established on 2 September 1914. The artillery allocated to the division was reorganised into two brigades, and the Nottinghamshire RHA was placed into II Brigade RHA (Territorial Force) along with the Berkshire RHA and 1/B Battery of the Honourable Artillery Company. In November 1914 the division moved to Norfolk.
In March 1915, the 2nd Mounted Division received orders to prepare to move overseas to Egypt. By mid-May the whole division had arrived and the batteries were stationed near Ismailia. In August 1915, the main body of the division proceeded to Gallipoli but it did not take the artillery. On 28 November 1915 the battery went to the Western Frontier Force at Mersa Matruh. After seeing action against the Senussi, the battery transferred to a new XIX Brigade RHA in January 1917, to form the artillery component of the new Imperial Mounted Division along with the Berkshire RHA and 1/A and 1/B Batteries of the Honourable Artillery Company. Each battery was assigned to support one of the elements of the division, and the Nottinghamshire battery supported 3rd Light Horse Brigade. On 20 June 1917 the Imperial Mounted Division was renamed the Australian Mounted Division. The battery then remained with this formation, although for the operations in Syria in late 1918 it was attached to 5th Cavalry Division.
The Nottingham headquarters raised a second line 2/1st Nottinghamshire Battery. It trained in England until 23 June 1917 when it departed for service in Mesopotamia, arriving at Basra on 13 August. On 15 November 1917, it marched into Feluja from Baghdad, coming under command of 215 Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery (the former 1/1st Wessex Brigade), which had recently come under 15th Indian Division. On 12 February 1918 the battery was renamed 816 Battery. The battery remained with the division until the end of the war and was encamped at Rayat from mid-December 1918.
Renumbering
In the renumbering of men of the Territorial Force in 1917, the Nottinghamshire RHA was allocated the block of numbers 612001 to 614000. For example, Bombardier 431 Albert Boot of the battery’s ammunition column became 612036. He had originally enlisted in June 1913.
War diaries
1/1st Battery diary WO95/4444 covers 1915 Apr – 1917 Jan [not digitised]
1/1st Battery diary WO95/4555 covers 1917 Jan – 1919 Jan (XIX Brigade) [not digitised]
2/1st Battery diary WO95/5461 covers 1915 Nov – 1916 Feb (2/2nd Mounted Division) [not digitised]
215th Brigade RFA WO95/5188 covers the battery’s story from arrival to the end of the war [digitised and available to download from National Archives website]
Shropshire Royal Horse Artillery
Brief history
The battery was headquartered in Shrewsbury, where the battery was also based; the ammunition column was at Church Stretton. As a unit, it came under the Welsh Border Mounted Brigade. After mobilising, the brigade joined the 1st Mounted Division. In March 1916, the Welsh Border Mounted Brigade proceeded overseas but did not take its supporting artillery; instead, the battery came under the second line 2/1st Welsh Border Mounted Brigade which arrived to take its place in the division.
In August 1916, the battery transferred to 293rd Brigade (CCXCIII) RFA of the 58th (21/st London) Division at Heytesbury, becoming its A Battery. The men of the battery’s ammunition column transferred to the 58th Division’s trench mortars. The brigade sailed from Southampton to Le Havre in France on 21-22 January 1917. On 6 February 1917, it left the division and became an Army Brigade. As such, it was not under permanent command of a given division, but over the rest of the war was at times with various different divisions. The brigade moved at first to join XIX Corps. Movements and allocations thereafter can be traced in the war diary.
The Shrewsbury headquarters raised a second line 2/1st Shropshire Battery, initially as a training and home defence unit. On 13 April 1917 at Heytesbury it was placed under command of a new 158th Army Field Artillery Brigade (technically of the Royal Field Artillery), along with the 2/1st Berkshire RHA and two RFA batteries. On 24 May it sailed from Folkestone to Boulogne in France and then proceeded to Bailleul. As an Army Brigade, it was not under permanent command of a given division, but over the rest of the war was at times with various different divisions. At first, for instructional purposes, the batteries went to different commands: 2/1st Shropshire RHA went to the artillery of the New Zealand Division. In July 1917 the brigade moved to the Nieuwpoort sector on the Belgian coast. Movements and allocations thereafter can be traced in the war diary.
Renumbering
In the renumbering of men of the Territorial Force in 1917, the Shropshire RHA was allocated the block of numbers 604001 to 606000. For example, Corporal Francis Gerald Davies became 604087 and ended the war serving with 58th Divisional Trench Mortar Battery. He had originally enlisted in July 1914 and served as Gunner 299.
War diaries
293rd Brigade diary WO95/205 covers 1917 Feb to the end of the war [digitised and available to download from National Archives website]
158th Army Brigade RFA WO95/538 [digitised, available from National Archives website]
Somersetshire Royal Horse Artillery
Brief history
The battery was headquartered at Taunton and came under the 2nd South Western Mounted Brigade. It remained in England until sent for service in the Middle East, departing from Southampton on 12 February 1916 and landing at Alexandria in Egypt on 25 February. In April 1916 it was placed under command of the new III Brigade RHA (Territorial Force) along with the Leicestershire RHA. The brigade was raised for the ANZAC Mounted Division and the batteries supported its 1st and 2nd Light Horse Brigades (Leicestershire RHA the former, Somerset RHA the latter). In June 1917, in a reorganisation of the division’s artillery, a new XVIII Brigade RHA arrrived and took over the Ayrshire RHA, Inverness-shire RHA and Somersetshire RHA. The latter now began to support 1st Light Horse Brigade.
The Taunton headquarters raised a second line 2/1st Somersetshire Battery. In May 1916, it joined 318th Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery as its B Battery. The brigade departed for France in July 1916, and was placed under command of 63rd (Royal Naval) Division. It was soon renamed as 223rd Brigade RFA.
Renumbering
In the renumbering of men of the Territorial Force in 1917, the Somersetshire RHA was allocated the block of numbers 620001 to 622000. For example, Stanley Shaw enlisted in August 1911 as Gunner 239 and was renumbered to Bombardier 622094
War diaries
1/1st Battery diary WO95/4527 covers 1915 Dec – 1916 Jan and thereafter with 18th Brigade RHA [not digitised, needs to be seen at the National Archives]
223rd Brigade RFA WO95/3102 covers 1916 Jul to the end of the war [digitised and available to download from National Archives website]
Warwickshire Royal Horse Artillery
Brief history
The battery was headquartered and based at 9 Clarendon Place in Royal Leamington Spa, with a sub-section of the battery in Coventry and part of the ammunition column in Henley-in-Arden. It was under command of the 1st South Midland Mounted Brigade and, after mobilising at home, proceeded with the brigade to Diss in Norfolk. The brigade soon came under 1st Mounted Division. In late August 1914, the brigade was ordered to move to Newbury racecourse, where on 2 September it was transferred to the 2nd Mounted Division. The artillery of the division was reorganised into two brigades, and the Warwickshire RHA was placed into I Brigade (Territorial Force) RHA. In late October, the battery was ordered overseas. It left the brigade and division and moved independently, sailing from Southampton on 31 October 1914 on the ship “Victorian” and landing at Le Havre on 1 November 1914. This makes it the first artillery unit of the Territorial Force to enter a theatre of war.
After a period of attachment to 2nd Cavalry Division, on 14 April 1915 the battery transferred to VII Brigade RHA which was under 1st Cavalry Division. It supported the division’s 9th Cavalry Brigade, and remained in this role through the rest of 1915 and much of 1916. On 21 November of that year, it transferred to XV Brigade RHA which was under 29th Division.
The Leamington headquarters raised a second line 2/1st Warwickshire Battery, initially as a training and home defence unit under the 2/2nd Mounted Division. It moved to France on 21 June 1917, coming under the new 126 Brigade RFA along with 2/A and 2/B Batteries of the Honourable Artillery Company.
Renumbering
In the renumbering of men of the Territorial Force in 1917, the Warwickshire RHA was allocated the block of numbers 614001 to 616000. For example, Coventry man Horace Bell enlisted in February 1911 as Gunner 232 and was renumbered to 614031.
War diaries
1/1st Battery war diary WO95/1116 covers 1914 Oct – 1916 Oct [digitised and available to download from National Archives website]
XV Brigade RHA war diary WO95/2291 covers the 1/1st Battery’s time with the brigade [digitised and available to download from National Archives website]
2/1st Battery war diary WO95/5461 covers 1915 Nov – 1916 Feb [not digitised, needs to be seen at the National Archives]
126th Army Brigade RFA WO95/203 [digitised, available from National Archives website]
Further reading
“Brooke’s Battery – A history of the 1/1st Warwickshire Royal Horse Artillery 1908-1919” by Philip Spinks (Brewin Books, 2008)
“Before the Echoes Die Away” by N. D. G. James includes coverage of the RHA (268th Officers Reunion Association, 1980).
West Riding Royal Horse Artillery
Brief history
The battery was headquartered and based in Rotherham and was under command of the Yorkshire Mounted Brigade. On 13 January 1916 the Hampshire RHA, Essex RHA and West Riding RHA all transferred to come under a new 5th Lowland Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery, and were re-equipped with the 18-pounder field gun. The brigade left from Devonport a month later and landed at Port Said in Egypt on 2 March 1916. It then came under orders of 52nd (Lowland) Division. In late May, the brigade’s name was changed to 263rd (or CCLXIII) and the West Riding RHA became its C Battery. Between September and December 1916, the brigade was renamed again to 264th, but it reverted back to 263rd. On 30 December 1916, the battery was broken up by sending a section each to A and B Batteries.
No second line battery was raised.
Renumbering
In the renumbering of men of the Territorial Force in 1917, the West Riding RHA was allocated the block of numbers 608001 to 610000.
Training
In addition to the depots of the batteries as listed above,
7th Royal Horse Artillery (Territorial Force) School (later called 7th Reserve Brigade RHA). This unit moved on several occasions, from its start at Biscot Camp at Luton, then to Avington Park Camp at Winchester (until early October 1916), then Louisburg Barracks at Bordon, and finally Durrington in Wiltshire.
8th Royal Horse Artillery (Territorial Force) School (later called 8th Reserve Brigade RHA) at Larkhill, moving in July 1916 to Bulford. This was made up of K and L Training Batteries.
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Sources: tracking these batteries
The information above had been compiled from the war diaries of the various batteries, RHA and cavalry brigades. Most of them have survived, although not always in full. The diaries covering France and Mesopotamia have been digitised and are available from the National Archives website; the Gallipoli diaries have been digitised and are available via Ancestry/Fold3. Diaries for Italy, Salonika, Egypt and Palestine are not yet digitised but can be seen in person at the National Archives. Generally, diaries do not exist for units at home or in India.
Links
Batteries of the Royal Horse Artillery: regular army
Brigades of the Royal Horse Artillery
1st Cavalry Division | 2nd Cavalry Division | 3rd Cavalry Division
1st Mounted Division | 2nd Mounted Division | 2/2nd Mounted Division
1st Indian Cavalry Division | 2nd Indian Cavalry Division
ANZAC Mounted Division | Imperial Mounted Division | Yeomanry Mounted Division | Australian Mounted Division