Finding RHA records

General approach

The records and approach to researching a man of the artillery is no different to that of a man who served, for example, in the infantry or cavalry. The men’s service records, campaign medal records, gallantry and bravery awards, casualty lists, records of death, etc are all in the same collections.

See my pages How to research a soldier and A Soldier’s life for full details.

Imperial War Museum photograph Q56307, “13-pounder Field Guns of either E or J Battery, Royal Horse Artillery at Wytschaete on 31 October 1914”. Photographer Paul Maze. Copyright Jeanne Maze Churchill. With thanks.

Records specific to the artillery

Online

Original enlistment books owned by The Royal Artillery Historical Trust and housed at The Royal Artillery Museum have been digitised and can be found online only via Findmypast.

They have called this record set Royal Artillery Attestations 1883-1942. The books list around 1 million men but not all soldiers who joined the artillery are included.

Each page in the enlistment book lists about six men, and in general they are arranged in order of their regimental numbers. The columns, shown above, are *regimental number *whether he was Regular, Militia, Special Reserve or Territorial *his full name *the date of his attestation * his age given at attestation *whether he was being transferred from another regiment or corps * his trade as given at attestation *his birth parish, town and county *the full names of his wife and children, or details of his next of kin if unmarried …
… *his place and date of marriage *brief details of his campaigns, wounds or rewards *date, place and cause of discharge *final rank and character rating *rate of pension, if any, and *address on discharge. Some editions of the book include columns for noting former service with other regiments or corps, including the man’s number and length of service.

Not all of the columns were always completed, but an entry in this book can be most valuable. In particular, even though the entries were for post-Great War attestations, that they can provide Great War data of significance in your search.

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 includes men who served with A and B Batteries HAC, which served as units of the Royal Horse Artillery (Territorial Force).

Print and physical copy

The Royal Artillery Museum, the National Army Museum, the Imperial War Museum and the Liddle Collection at the University of Leeds all have holdings that cover various aspects of the men and units of the Royal Horse Artillery, but unless you are exceptionally lucky you are not likely to find your man mentioned by name.

The Royal Horse Artillery batteries of the Territorial Force are often well represented in collections in local and county archives, arising from the way they were locally funded, accommodated and managed. Especially for men who served in these units before the Great war in in its early months, the local archives can be valuable for your research.

Links

Researching the men of the Royal Horse Artillery

Understanding RHA records