Tracking a unit of the Royal Field Artillery

In cases where a researcher is trying to establish where a man was killed or wounded, and even just trying to follow his movements in a theatre of war, there is a reliable approach that is described on this page. The degree of accuracy that can be achieved depends on what was recorded at the time. With luck, an amazingly precise identification of location can be found – but in most cases, the location may end up being just something like “near village XYZ”.

Find and read the war diary of the man’s unit

Each unit (in the case of the RFA, usually a brigade) recorded its locations and activities in a war diary. They are held by the National Archives as document series WO95, and for those in France and certain other theatres of war they can be downloaded as PDF digital documents. Where they have not been digitised, the original document can be examined at the National Archives. Unfortunately, however, not all have survived and some only cover parts of the unit’s time overseas.

Go up a level

Without an exact location from the brigade’s diary (or if there is no diary), it is a good idea to go up one level in the chain of command. Even if you do have a diary, this is a good idea too as the higher-level diaries often provide more detail, maps and other useful information.

For a brigade that was serving as part of a Division, go to the diary of the Commander Royal Artillery of that Division. Below, I illustrate how to find it.

This is a screenshot to show you how to find the diary of a Divisional Commander Royal Artillery at the National Archives Discovery website. For illustration, I have used 21st Division. Note, at top left, my exact search term “21 Division” “Commander Royal Artillery”. The search has returned several entries as that particular diary is in several parts, and my screenshot only shows the first one. By clicking in the blue link, I would be able to doanload that war diary.

Some of the RFA Brigades were converted into “Army Brigades” in 1917, which meant that they were often moved from Division to Division. The same technique can be used as shown above, but obviously it is necessary to know the Division that applied at any particular time.

See my page Allocations of RFA Army Brigades to higher formations for this vital information.

An example for illustration purposes

Corporal 777170 Stanley Winson Chapman died on 25 October 1918, serving with 77th Army Brigade RFA. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission he is buried at Ramillies British Cemetery but was moved into it having first been buried in Escaudoeuvres Convent Cemetery.

A quick look at Google Maps shows that Escaudoeuvres is just outside Cambrai. Ramillies (which does not appear at this zoom level) is nearby.
The brigade’s war diary (National Archives WO95/203) is typical in being written in pencil, hard to read and not always as informative as a researcher would like. On 24 October 1918, the brigade had moved forward to a position “south of Maing”. That village can be seen on the Google map and is a short distance south of Valenciennes. For 25 October 1918 the diary reads, “0700: Zero hour for attack to capture railway running south from Valenciennes. 1200: orders for forward move of batteries to be at position by dawn.” Next day, another attack went in, but by then Stanley Chapman had lost his life.
A screenshot from my page “Allocations of RFA Army Brigades to higher formations” shows that 77th Army Brigade RFA was under orders of 51st(Highland) Division at the time of Stanley Chapman’s death.
The diary of the Commander Royal Artillery of 51st (Highland) Division (National Archives WO95/2850) includes many orders, barrage and other maps, battle narratives and other information. For the operations on 25 October 1918, it says elsewhere that 77th Army Brigade RFA was part of its “Left Group of brigades. During 24 October 1918, this group moved to position in grid squares J.22.b, J.22.d and J.23. This is the most accurate statement of the position of 77th Army Brigade RFA that I could find for the day that Stanley Chapman died.
The diary of the Assistant Director of Medical Services of 51st (Highland) Division (National Archives WO95/2851) shows that the Convent in Escaudoeuvres was the location of the Main Dressing Station, to which wounded men would be taken. That Stanley Chapman was buried there suggests he had died of wounds at the MDS.
His family had been informed that this was indeed the case. From the “Yorkshire Evening Post” of Monday 11 November 1918 [British Newspaper Archive]

Translate location information to contemporary and present-day maps

Grid locations such as the squares J.22.b, J.22.d and J.23 given above can be identified on contemporary trench maps.

I have marked J.22.b, J.22.d and J.23 with red flags on this contemporary map, using Linesman software, running on the Memory Map application. The brigades of the “Left Group” were situated south of the Thiant-Maing road, and this was presumably where Stanley Chapman was mortally wounded.
Linesman also let me leave my red flags in place but overlay them onto a present-day map. Using this, it would be possible (using the tracks shown and assuming access to the land) to reach the position of the brigades.
From the traffic roundabout on the D40 east of Thiant, the Google Maps camera looks in the general direction of the brigades’ locations. The top-left red flag would lie close to the camera in the field ahead.

Links

National Archives Discovery

Allocations of RFA Army Brigades to higher formations

How to read a trench map

Researching a man of the Royal Field Artillery