Heavy Batteries of the Royal Garrison Artillery

This page contains a list of all of the RGA Heavy Batteries that proceeded overseas.

Research tips

For details of the movements and locations of a battery, see if they have a war diary at RGA War Diaries

Then see which higher commands they were allocated to in Allocations of Heavy Batteries to higher commands. This is essential for those batteries which are listed as “personnel only” when going overseas, and those that were broken up at later dates.

Then examine the war diaries of those commands.

Sometimes, an accurate date of landing in France can be obtained from the war diary of the Le Havre Base.

Data shown on this page is sourced from National Archives WO95/5494 “Alllocations of Heavy Batteries RGA” with additions or corrections by reference to men’s service records.

List of batteries

Heavy Battery no.Date overseasTheatreNotes
9thMay 1915France
10thJul 1915Gallipoli
11thFeb 1916East AfricaTo home Jan 1918 then France as 54th Siege Battery
12thMay 1915France
13thJun 1915FranceTo Salonika Oct 1915
14thMay 1915France
15thJul 1915GallipoliTo Egypt Jan 1916
16thJul 1915France
17thOct 1915France
18thOct 1915EgyptTo Salonika Nov 1915
19thJul 1915FranceTo Italy Nov 1917
20thAug 1915FranceTo Salonika Dec 1915
21stAug 1915France
22ndAug 1915France
23rdSep 1915France
24thSep 1914France
25thJan 1916EgyptTo France Apr 1916
26thAug 1914France
31stAug 1914France
35thAug 1914France
38thMar 1916France
48thAug 1914France
71stFeb 1915France
72ndDec 1915MesopotamiaFrom India
77thDec 1915MesopotamiaFrom India
86thMar 1915Mesopotamia From India. Captured at Kut-al-Amara Apr 1916
2/86thMar 1916MesopotamiaFrom India
90thJun 1915GallipoliTo France Apr 1916. To Italy Nov 1917
91stJun 1915Gallipoli
104thFeb 1915MesopotamiaFrom India. Captured at Kut-al-Amara Apr 1916
2/104thMar 1916MesopotamiaFrom India
108thAug 1914France
109thSep 1914France
110thSep 1914France
111thOct 1914France
112thOct 1914France
113thOct 1914France
114thOct 1914France
115thOct 1914FranceHad been 100th Company RGA
116thOct 1914FranceHad been 5th Company RGA
117thApr 1916France
118thNov 1914France
119thNov 1914France
120thMar 1916France
121stFeb 1915France
122ndMar 1915France
123rdMar 1915FranceBroken up Feb 1917
124thApr 1916France
125thApr 1916France
126thApr 1916France
127thMay 1916France
128thMar 1916France
129thMar 1916France
130thFeb 1916EgyptTo France Apr 1916
131stMar 1916France
132ndMar 1916France
133rdMay 1916France
134thDec 1915East AfricaArrived Mombasa Feb 1916
135thMay 1916France
136thMay 1916France
137thApr 1916France
138thApr 1916France
139thApr 1916France
140thApr 1916France
141stApr 1916France
142ndMar 1916France
143rdJul 1916Salonika
144thJun 1916France
145thMay 1916France
146thJun 1916France
147thJun 1916France
148thJul 1916France
149thJul 1916France
150thJun 1916France
151stJun 1916France
152ndApr 1916France
153rdJul 1916Salonika
154thApr 1916France
155thMay 1916FranceTo Italy Nov 1917
156thJun 1916France
157thJul 1916Mesopotamia
158thFeb 1916East AfricaArrived Kilindi Mar 1916. Renamed 14th Howitzer Battery while in East Africa
159thJun 1916France
160thJul 1916France
161stJul 1916France
162ndJul 1916France
163rdJul 1916France
164thAug 1916France
165thAug 1916FranceBroken up 3 Sep 1916
167thAug 1916FranceBroken up 14 Sep 1916
168thAug 1916FranceBroken up 7 Sep 1916
169thAug 1916FranceBroken up 3 Sep 1916
170thAug 1916FranceBroken up 3 Sep 1916
171stAug 1916FranceBroken up 3 Sep 1916
172nd Sep 1916FranceBroken up 6 Oct 1916
173rdOct 1916FranceBroken up 9 Nov 1916
174thNov 1916FranceBroken up Nov 1916
175thSep 1916FranceBroken up Oct 1916
176thSep 1916FranceBroken up Oct 1916
177thJun 1917MesopotamiaArrived Basra 17 Aug 1917
180thApr 1917Salonika
181stJan 1917SalonikaTo Egypt Sep? 1917
182ndSep 1916FranceBroken up 5 Oct 1916
183rdSep 1916FranceBroken up 5 Oct 1916
184thSep 1916FranceBroken up 5 Oct 1916
185thJan 1917Salonika
188thApr 1917Salonika
189thMay 1917Egypt
190thDec 1916?SalonikaArrived Jan 1917
191stJan 1917FranceBroken up 23 Jan 1917
192ndJan 1917Salonika
193rdFeb 1917FranceBroken up 12 Feb 1917
194thJan and Feb 1917FranceBroken up soon after arrival
195thMar 1917Egypt
196thJan 1917Salonika
197thNov 1916FranceBroken up 24 Nov 1916
198thNov 1916FranceBroken up 24 Nov 1916
199thFeb 1917FranceBroken up Feb-Mar 1917
200thFeb 1917FranceBroken up Mar 1917
201stJan 1917FranceBroken up 23 Jan 1917
202ndMay 1917Egypt
203rdJan 1917FranceBroken up 23 Jan 1917
1/1st HighlandMay 1915France
2/1st HighlandHomeSheringham
1/1st LowlandFeb 1916France
2/1st LowlandMay 1916France
1/1st West RidingApr 1915France
2/1st West RidingHomeBlyth, Northumberland
1/1st LondonMar 1916France
2/1st LondonHomeColchester
1/2nd LondonMar 1915France
2/2nd LondonHomeHollesley
1/1st WelshMar 1916France
2/1st WelshHomeBlythegate
1/1st WarwickshireMar 1915FranceTo Italy Nov 1917
1/1st North MidlandFeb 1915France
2/1st North MidlandMay 1916France
1/1st EssexMar 1916France
1/1st KentDec 1915France
1/1st Northumbrian (North Riding)Apr 1915France
2/1st Northumbrian (North Riding)HomeFiley
1/1st WessexApr 1916France
2/1st South MidlandHomeRamsgate
2/1st East AnglianHomeLowestoft
2/1st Home CountiesHomeMundesley
1st CanadianFeb 1915France
2nd CanadianSep 1915France
Richards BatteryFranceFormed in theatre 16 Jun 1916. Ceased to exist Sep 1916

*Many batteries were re-equipped at some point. See the battery’s entry in Allocations of Heavy Batteries to higher commands for details,

Links

Batteries and units of the Royal Garrison Artillery

Allocations of Heavy Batteries to higher commands

RGA War diaries

The guns of the Royal Garrison Artillery