Trench mortar accident strikes “V” Battery RHA before it has fired a shot

V” Battery of the Royal Horse Artillery was stationed at Meerut in India when it was ordered to mobilise for service with Indian Expeditionary Force “A” in France. It eventually departed from Bombay and landed at Marseilles on 16-17 December 1914. For some weeks, it continued to be equipped, train and adjust to a new organisational structure and did not enter a front line area until 4 March 1915. Just before this happened, on 2 March a dreadful accident with a trench mortar caused losses amounting to about 20% of its manpower. The battery’s war diary reported that it killed seven men and wounded three officers and 39 other ranks: in fact, the losses amounted to seven killed, an officer and six men died of wounds, and a further officer, the Battery Sergeant Major and 31 men were wounded.

The battery came under orders of the 7th (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade of the 2nd Indian Cavalry Division.

Situation

After the accident, am internal court of enquiry was held.

Statement by the first witness, Second Lieutenant W. S. Wingate Gray. (He would go on to earn a Military Cross and himself be wounded.)
The next witnesses were Acting Battery Sergeant Major Morley and Sergeant 33655 W. Watkins. The latter was wounded in the explosion.
Serny, the hamlet village where the accident happened, is within the Department of Pas de Calais. It lies about 9km southwest of Aire-sur-la-Lys and around 35km from the nearest portion of the front line in France.

Casualties

By sheer chance, the casualty list has survived with the service record of one of the wounded men, Driver 78090 Harry Mylam. He had only joined “V” Battery on 2 February 1915 and was hit in the chest, hip and right wrist. Harry was evacuated via 10th Stationary Hospital at Saint-Omer to England. Despite undergoing several surgical operations, a metal fragment was still in his lung when he was discharged on medical grounds in March 1916.
Part of the War Office official casualty list as printed in the “Aberdeen Daily Journal” of Saturday 27 March 1915 [British Newspaper Archive]. The later publication “Soldiers Died in the Great war” classified the men as “Died”, which mixes such accidental deaths with those from illness or natural causes.

The wounded were admitted by 104th (Mhow) Indian Cavalry Field Ambulance, situated at Mametz. Its war diary reported that it received two officers and 35 men, all of whom were then evacuated to the Meerut Casualty Clearing Station at Aire-sur-la-Lys except one man who succumbed to his wounds (see Gunner Chambers, below). The CCS reported some serious wounds including compound fractures of femur and tibia, and perforating wounds to the chest and abdomen. The less serious cases were dressed and then sent on to 10th Stationary Hospital.

From the “Cambridge Independent Press” of Friday 19 March 1915 [British Newspaper Archive]. Nelson’s twin Percy Fielding rose to Battery Sergeant Major during the war. He was still serving in 1933, by then a Regimental Sergeant Major. Nelson was just 19 when he died in the explosion.
From the pension record of Sergeant 40068 Albert Granger Drake [Western Front Association collection]. Born in November 1878, he died at the age of 46.
Major Goldie succumbed to his wounds on 5 March 1915 and lies in Plot I, row H of Aire Communal Cemetery. Article from “The Western Times” of Thursday 11 March 1915 [British Newspaper Archive]. His brother Amyas was killed at Gallipoli while serving with the Gloucestershire Regiment on 6 August 1915. Meerut Casualty Clearing Station’s war diary notes that Mark had sustained a compound fracture to his left femur and two very severe wounds to his right femur. By 4 March he was also suffering from intense shock and even highly skilled surgeon Sir Arthur Bowlby said that nothing more could be done. He appeared to rally a little during the evening but soon deteriorated again. He died at 6.10pm on 5 March. His medals came up for auction in February 2024 and sold for £4,600.

Battery Sergeant Major 25915 Alfred Rumley had been serving since he joined the army in February 1898 and had been with “V” Battery since 1913. He recovered from wounds to his leg and foot, and was later transferred to the Army Service Corps Remounts.

Burials

The seven men who were killed outright were taken for burial in Aire-sur-la-Lys communal cemetery. They lie in adjacent graves in what is now Plot IV, row E.

Details of the original registration of the graves [Commonwealth War Graves Commission].

Three more of those who died of wounds (Purchas, White and Sellins) are also buried at Aire, having died while in the care of the Meerut Casualtry Clearing Station.

One of the dead is buried in Mametz Churchyard. Gunner 69014 Norbert James Joseph Chambers died of wounds while in the care of the 104th (Mhow) Indian Cavalry Field Ambulance. He had been born in Delhi in December 1894, the son of Norbert Chambers senior and his wife Roseline.

Bombardier 17888 Ernest Albert Ewing and Driver 47942 William Riley Nelham died of their wounds on 11 and 12 March 1915 respectively, having been evacuated to the 13th and 11th General Hospitals at Boulogne, respectively. They are both buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery.

Sources

War diary of V Battery RHA [National Archives WO95/1186]. Note that the brigade and divisional diaries make no mention of the incident, with the exception of the division’s adjutant [WO95/1180] that covers it in a sentence.

War diary of 104th (Mhow) Indian Cavalry Field Ambulance [National Archives WO95/1171].

War diary of Meerut Casualty Clearing Station [National Archives WO95/257]. This diary describes some specific details and names of certain officers and men of “V” Battery.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission casualty database

Financial effects register [National Army Museum, via Ancestry].

Links

The Royal Horse Artillery

2nd Indian Cavalry Division