Tracking a unit of the Royal Horse 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”.

I am going to illustrate the method by reference to the deaths of Gunners 69622 Arthur George Eagles, 43733 James Duncan McGregor, 29534 Edward Stephens. All of T Battery RHA, they were killed in action on 15 March 19815 and lie in adjacent graves in Rue-du-Bacquerot (13th London) Graveyard near Laventie in France [Commonwealth War Graves Commission records].

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

Each unit (in the case of the RHA, usually a battery) 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. In the case of T Battery RHA no diary exists and I had to consult that of XIV Brigade RHA, under whose command it came. The war diary of XIV Brigade RHA is National Archives piece WO95/1642.

I have listed the available war diaries for each battery and brigade on the relevant pages of Researching the men of the Royal Horse Artillery

The diary mentions that 3 men of T Battery were killed by a single enemy shell, which also wounded two others. It gives no detail of the battery’s location that day.

The diary also describes how the battery had been firing for the last few days, during the Battle of Neuve Chapelle. No mention is made of any movements, and the last statement of the battery’s position was on 9 March 1915, when it was said to be at grid map location N.1.c.1.3.

Go up a level to artillery brigade diary or that of the Commander Royal Artillery of the relevant division

Without an exact location from the battery’s diary (or if there is no battery diary), it is a good idea to go up one level in the chain of command, as I had to in this instance. If even that proves fruitless, try to go up another level to division. In March 1915, XIV Brigade RHA was part of the artillery under 7th Division.

Translate location information to contemporary and present-day maps

Grid locations such as the N.1.c.1.3 given above can be identified on contemporary trench maps.

7th Division was holding an area east and southeast of Laventie, and N.1 is a map square that lies east of the town. N.1.c is its lower left-hand quadrant.

I have placed a red flag at N.1.c.1.3. Each quadrant was subdivided into a ten by ten grid, and 1.3 can be found by going 1 notch across from bottom-left and 3 up. The map and flag have been produced using Memory-Map and Linesman software in this instance, but there are several other ways to obtain trench maps.

Linesman also let me leave my red flag in place but overlay it onto a present-day map. Using this, it would be possible (assuming access to the land) to reach the position of the battery and where the three men were killed.

Thanks to Google Maps we can see the battery’s position through a computer screen. The camera is standing on the D174E1 looking north, and the battery position lay in the field just to the right of the near hedge.

Close by, at the top of the lane, is the cemetery in which the three men lie. It is marked on the present-day map as “Cim. brittanique”.

Links

Researching the men of the Royal Horse Artillery

How to read a trench map