Early days of 1st South Midland Bde R.F.A. [T]

Early days of 1st South Midland Bde RFA [T]

Colonel E. C. Boyce DSO.

"Before three years have passed, there will be war with Germany"

Such was the prophecy made by the latest recruit, [hereinafter referred to as "Teacher" by which name he was well known to many] To the1^st South Midland Brigade R.F.A. [T] one evening in the Drill hall at Whiteladies Road during January, 1912.

It proved only too true. What called forth this statement? It was a prelude to a call for further efforts to increase the strength of the brigade, and not really a prophecy at all. It was produced in an attempt to imbue all ranks then serving with a desire to redouble their efforts to make the brigade an efficient fighting unit and the standard the speaker had in mind was that of a first class regular unit.

That standard was reached by the end of September 1914 and the Brigade was then definitely fit to take its place in the front line. More efficient than when, after some five months in Essex, it eventually sailed it could not be otherwise in the conditions under which it carried on during those five months, but to revert to 1912.

The Brigade had originally been Volunteer Garrison Artillery, but with lord Haldan's reorganization, had, some four years previously, been converted into a field Artillery Brigade. There then, "Teacher" found vent for his energies, the training of all ranks, especially the officers and senior N.C.O's in their duties in a field Army unit.

At that time, we were armed with the 15pr B.L.C. "C" stood for converted. It was the same gun as was used in the boar war, but the carriage had been converted to take a buffer to check the recoil, and a small traverse could be obtained right and left with out disengaging the spade after the gun had fired.

It was a makeshift equipment, designed to use up some of a large surplus number of guns and shrapnel in the reserve.

Each battery had six horses, which were farmed out to business firms on the conditions, which included their being available for the riding drill in the school on certain evenings, for Saturday afternoon parades, for week end camps and the annual fortnight camp.

So there were 12 horses at Bristol and 6 at Gloucester and this gave each battery one 6-horse team most valuable for training the young idea to take his place as a team driver. The Brigade Ammunition Column had no horses. And incidentally here was one of the difficulties of those days, to keep up the esprit de corps, the enthusiasm, the efficiency, and the numbers of a unit with no guns and no horses; only some ammunition wagons.

The only possible solution was the one carried into affect was to train them as a battery. With the co-operation of Major Walter Swayne [1^st Battery] and Lieut-Col Wise [2^nd Battery], the B.A.C. borrowed guns and horses from the two Bristol batteries, and at practice camp, trained as a battery.

The ammunition allowed [200 rounds per battery, as far as "Teacher" can remember] was divided into four. The results more then justified the scheme when in august 1914 arrived.

The permanent staff of regulars consisted of 1 officer [Adjutant] and 7 N.C.O's of the rank of sergeant or above. These later were allotted, two to H.Q., 1 each to 1^st and 2^nd batteries and the B.A.C., and 2 to the 'out' battery [3^rd] at Gloucester.

The senior N.C.O. was taken as R.S.M. to the Brigade and as such was the Chief clerk.

The N.C.O's allotted to batteries were employed during the day on keeping guns and harness in proper order. The Adjutant paid a weekly visit to the Gloucester battery every Monday evening.

The Brigade always went to camp each year at Whitsun for a fortnight – In 1912, to Pembray in Wales, in 1913 to Okehampton and in 1914 to Salisbury plain.

Training was usually confined before Christmas to gun-drill, laying, rides and harness fitting with recruits. After Christmas, lectures and miniature range for officers, - gun drill, laying, signalling and rides for N.C.O's and men-were carried out in the evening. The serious work, though, began after Easter, and from then till camp, "Spring Drills" were held.

During this period, officers attended the miniature range under the adjutant on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 7.15am to 8.0 am, and N.C.O's and men could be seen daily out on the parade ground signalling and laying.

One could not fail to admire the spirit which embued the men who voluntarily came down to learn to be gunners before going off to their daily work. And then every evening they were there again doing section or battery gundrill, laying drill, etc. all forms of training to make themselves and their unit efficient.

Saturday afternoon parades were, in 1912, mostly carried out on Durdham Downes. But this proved unsatisfactory, both on account of the public wandering about, getting in our way and distracting men's attention from the task in hand, and also in the nature of the ground which did not lend itself to the training in the occupation of positions.

Permission was therefore obtained to use Ashton park - this gave us all we wanted and we went there again in1913 and 1914.

The two batteries and the B.A.C. a Bristol and the battery at Gloucester [Lieut Col Metford] each and all gave of their very best. "Teacher" does indeed rake off his hat to them.

Practice camp at Pembray in 1912 was of an elementary nature as far as actual practice was concerned, simple targets, simple schemes, to give us all confidence and to make certain we had the elementary part 'Cold' before taking on more difficult tasks.

Brigade H.Q. made all arrangements for travel and very little, if any, of the Q work was passed to batteries. Guns and transport went by one train the personnel by another and the horses arrived from all over the place by a third.

Luckily it was perfectly flat road from the station to the camp and we all eventually arrived without mishap. From the military point of view, and noted how all those who had been able to put in that ¾ hour before breakfast during the six weeks of spring drills were quicker and more 'au fait' with gundrill and orders. It was most marked. It was therefore essential before next camp to improve the miniature range which up to then had been merely a small sand table and a rod to indicate the fall of the shell.

Of this, more Anon.

It was a jolly camp weather was not unduly unkind and we had a good muster, But Oh! That race, after mess one evening over the top of the anteroom marquee. History does relate who belaboured the writer as he slid down the far side. It is still fresh in his memory that he could not ride, or sit down in comfort for the rest of camp.

The camp is over-the fortnight has just flown. The permanent staff did most of the clearing up of accounts, etc. Battery personnel were not worried with this arduous and voluminous correspondence--- Yet!

We settled down to some 3 quiet months before beginning the usual winter recruits drills and the usual round of enjoyable battery dinners. Wonderful institutions they were happy evenings with everyone enjoyed. The colonel told us things about the previous camp and where we would go next year. The adjutant groused that we hadn't done better and tried to indicate where he was going to try and improve things. He believed in speaking the truth and did not try to make out we were better then we really were.

By the end of the year the new miniature range was well on the road to completion, thanks to R.S.M. Le Gallé. It was a large sand model and was at the Whiteladies Road end of the Drill Hall. We then ran a gun in at the opposite end, and to this, with the aid of the 2^nd Battery fitter who was untiring in his efforts, we fixed an air gun. A wire connected the trigger with the firing lever of the gun. The Subaltern officers carried out the whole operation of laying the gun etc, exactly as was done in the field, and the gun No1 gave all orders.

The officers who were not conducting the shoot were thus being taught their gun drill and the results showed itself in the improvement in the drill of the detachment at the next camp.

The air gun was on a screw and was by this means given an angle of depression equal to the angle of elevation plus the angle of sight, and so the slug when fired, went into the sand. The only variation from normal drill on the gun was that the No5 had to be round in front of the shield to load the air gun.

The next problem was how with one gun to represent four guns firing and so get distribution over the target. This was achieved by having 4 aiming posts numbered 1 to 4, and the layer laid on the number required; thus – if the order was Right Ranging 3600-3300 he laid at 3600 on to the No1 block through the dial sight and fired. Then he traversed his gun until the dial sight with the same setting was laid on No2 block, and with 3300 on the range drum, fired again. The blocks being set at the equivalent of 20 yards apart produced the affect of fired with two guns at 20 yards apart.

Every known [and unknown] type of target was practiced with wonderful results when camp came along at Okehampton. 'Okey', as usual lived up to its reputation, though it might have been much worse. We got out most days without a wet skin.

As in 1912, guns went by one train, horses by another and personnel by a third. And this time there was no level road from station to camp, which had to be traversed with horses, which had never seen before and quite unaccustomed to the requirements as a member of a 6-horsed team. How the guns and wagons ever got up that hill - a hill that no one who was present will ever forget, history does not relate - but they did, and without any casualties, of any sort.

We all benefited from the help we had from the members of the regular army and the all-round improvement was most marked. But it was hard work the whole fortnight it was no joy ride, and the batteries were given more Q work to do than in 1912.

On return to Bristol, one thing stood out and above all else-we cannot go on in this old way of going to Camp in three batches - men, horses, vehicles, we are batteries and must work us such.

Colonel Balfour had along and arduous battle over it with the County Association, but after 9 months, he won and authority was given to go to camp as complete units.

In the meantime, the usual winter programme of battery dinners was duly carried through with their prizes giving, speeches and music. Oh! Happy days. None then foresaw being mobilised and on the east coast 12 months later. The training continued on similar but more advanced lines in 1914, and when we went to camp, it was as units.

We collected our horses at the artillery grounds - marched to the station as units entrained, detrained at Amesbury and marched like the regular army to our camp. The value of this cannot be over - estimated and it proved some eight weeks later. It was a good camp and all batteries did well, on targets similar to those given to regular batteries. We had advanced along way since Pembray days, the 1^st battery especially did well at the actual practice, and they were full of confidence that they would give a good account of themselves in the competition for the Kings Cup.

The chance never arose, the next time they were to fire live shell again was to be at Larkhill - But not for the King's Cup.

More Q work and some pay accounting was given to batteries this camp, and the errors were remarkably few, back to Bristol by units as we had left and so to " soap and oil" till ……Not the next "Spring Drills" but till " Autumn manoeuvres" on a huge scale

Mobilisation

And so to the fourth of August 1914, when we find the Adjutant in his office studying mobilisation orders which he had gone through in detail during the spring with all officers and senior N.C.O's and had explained their duties.

A growing crescendo of voices and rumbling wheels disturbs his thoughts

"La Gallé La Gallé", what is all that noise about outside? "Come and look out of your window, Sir," The R.S.M's reply brought him quickly to the window. And what a sight to see one so typical of the spirit that permutated the whole Brigade with its Esprit de Corps and keenness. There they were, some thirty to forty of them, at least eight hours the order to mobilize was received, helping the permanent staff to run out and clean up the wagons and to tackle anything else that called for a bit of work.

As far as they were concerned, it would be a case of "Ready, Aye, Ready" when the call came to the 1^st South Midland Brigade.

War was in the air, but not until about 7pm was the telegram received that sent a real thrill through the Adjutant "MOBLIZE". The order was repeated to Gloucester and all officers warned.

Things were early astir on the 5^th, the permanent staff had slept on the premises and soon men were arriving in their hundreds.

First and most important was the bounty. But the banks were shut; this had not been foreseen and it was not for an hour or so that the Adjutant was able to extract the money from the bank manager, and then not until the latter had phoned London for instructions and the Adjutant had worried the military authorities. In due course we were all paid out, medically examined, and so on.

Mobilization vehicles and harness were got ready, etc etc. The second day of mobilization saw ammunition arrive from the magazine at Portishead by lorry, horses, to began to arrive. They were purchased for us, and we collected them, from Temple Meads station and bought them up and picqueted them on the grass in the grounds.

The third day continued on the same lines and by the evening of that day we were complete except for a few horses. The next day, Saturday, saw us leave by train for Plymouth, mobilization had been carried through without a single item going wrong, absolutely in accordance with the Brigade mobilization scheme.

And now we really did feel the benefit of our entraining for practice camp earlier in the year. One trembles to think what might have occurred without that experience. As it was, each battery and the B.A.C. [less the S.A.A. section which was not to accompany us] marched to Temple Meads [or was it Pylle Hill?], and entrained as units with out a hitch. It really was a wonderful effort to mobilize complete in 3 ½ days and march out and entrain for the war station without a single hitch.

Every train left exactly to the minute according to schedule.

A word here about the S.A.A. Section of the B.A.C. they did not begin their real mobilization - the collection of horses etc, till after the rest of the Brigade had marched out.

In addition to horses, they had to collect vehicles and harness, which were bought from civilian sources. In due course they left Bristol by rout march to join the 1^st South Midland division, and then there troubles began in earnest. One might almost say harness of some vehicle broke every half-mile or a vehicle itself gave out under its unaccustomed load of S.A.A. They had a truly terrible time, and it speaks volumes for its commander Lt A. Hopkins, that they ever reached their destination. The bills he incurred followed on for ages and caused reams of correspondence and explanations the army was not accustomed to finding bills run up by a subaltern without having obtained the "necessary authority" in triplicate, beforehand.

At this point mention must also be made of the sack of harness, which was lost on rail between Bristol and Plymouth. Here again the correspondence was colossal and some weeks elapsed before authority was received to indent for the contents of the missing sack. Naturally all Brigade deficiencies during the intervening period had to be assumed to have been lost in it. The indent was truly wonderful in its demands. Ordnance with a charm that became rather tarnished in later months wrote a reply of Chesterfieldian delicacy and said that, while under the exceptional circumstances, the indent was passed, the sack appeared to be of abnormal size and capacity, and should any sacks of similar size and capacity remain in the brigade, they must forthwith be returned to Ordnance.

Lt Stone had gone ahead as billeting officer and had made all ready for our arrival. A more able pen then mine deals with these early days and it only remains to fill in one or two items.

The duty of the brigade was to provide Artillery for the mobile defences of Plymouth. This necessitated a good deal of reconnaissance in which we were greatly helped by the generosity of gunner Price of the 3^rd battery who took us round in his own car.

Conditions in Plymouth did not make for efficient training, and the C.O. got busy early to get us moved to Crownhill. Here we wee under canvas and luckily the weather was kind. We really did some excellent work and undoubtedly by the time we moved into winter quarters at Broomfield near Chelmsford, round which the rest of the 1^st south Midland Division were billeted, we were highly efficient. – all ranks in all branches.

The most marked improvement was undoubtedly [as we gunners say] " In front of the splinter bar". Under the eagle eye of the C.O., horsemanship and horsemastership improved beyond all expectation. Two incidents stand out in memory of Crownhill first the order to send some horses to France -24, I think - perhaps someone will correct me. The C.O. picked out there best in the brigade -18 of them were those we had for three years in our peacetime, stations, true field artillery type of horse.

There were great competition to be selected as the horse party to go to France; everyone looked on it as a certainty they would be kept to join some battery out there despite the order, which said the party would return after delivering the animals.

There were long good-bys "we will write in 2or 3 weeks and let you know what it is like out there" " so sorry, old boy, you aren’t coming too, but of course we can't all go " Born optimists and full of cheer but as yet quite unaccustomed to army ways. They all returned some 48hrs later very disappointed.

The second incident was the teaching of regular gunners to harness up a team of horses and drive it. It came about in this way. On mobilization, the siege batteries [6" Hows] were disbanded and the personnel transferred to other duties. But the war had not long in progress before the urgent need for 6" howitzers was realised, so the 1^st Siege battery was hurriedly reconstructed and did so at Crownhill. New officers, New N.C.O's - new men, all arrived to reform the battery. Most of them being Garrison men were fine strong upstanding fellows, many nearing 6ft, and accustomed to moving big guns about and loading heavy shell. To them arrived vat after vat of harness in one-vat dozens of breast collars, of breechings in another hundreds of straps, and so on.

Just imaging their bewilderment, hardly one of them knew what harness looked like and certainly few, if any, knew what to do with it.

Horses, too-heavy draught type, began to arrive and –" Heavens above, have we to water and feed them ---and groom them too? Ye Gods and Little Fishes, what it the Garrison Artillery coming to?"

To cut the story short, the 1^st South Midland Brigade came to their rescue - collected the parts from the various vats and made up their sets of harness, fitted it to the horses and generally mothered them, even to driving in some of their teams on the way to the station when ordered overseas as they very soon were.

Oh! And another excitement occurs to me " I say. You fellows, here's a dam' scandal- the Wessex division say they are under orders to proceed overseas "what! The Wessex? Why not us? It's perfectly scandalous" - " Of course it is; the South Midland Division is much more efficient" - " Well, why aren't we to go?"

Esprit de Corps was a very live thing and was shocked at this slight. We were no whit mollified when Dame Rumour said they were going further east then Flanders as they were drawing Khaki drill uniform. If we had known that they would not get to the war in France as we eventually did, but spend the whole time on garrison duty in India, we should have been satisfied- none would have changed places with them.

In due course we moved to Broomfield where we were billeted all over the long straggling village and spent five dreary months of mug-fog-snow-rain-ice training was almost impossible and our standard went back from lack of practice. In our spare time we dug many gun positions near the east coast, from which to defeat the Bosche should he ever venture to disturb our rural retreat. They must have fallen in, in due course.

The cold damp foggy winter of our East coast dragged slowly on. One might add " only relieved by the weekly optimism of Mr. Hilaire Belloc" At that time every strategist, amateur, self taught or professional, purchased week by week a copy of "Land & Water" to enable him to argue who was winning and why and Mr. Belloc gave week by week a description and illustrated account of the actions on the western front.

At last the great news arrived that we were to prepare to embark for service overseas. Inspections became the order of the day-men by Medical officers-horses by Remount officers-guns by Ordnance officers, and so on.

Then came a sudden order to form a Pom-Pom section i.e. a section of one officer and, I think some 24 men to be armed with a brace of 1pdr Q.F. guns for duty as Anti Aircraft guns. It never got beyond the preparations, I think a " G 1098" was actually received for them and some stores drawn but the ideal was given up.

Prior to sailing, all artillery went to Salisbury plain for a day or two to practice, and we duly went into the cold and chalky mud- at least that is the writers chief memory of the march up from the station. Conditions were certainly very, very different from those at the Whitson Camp some 9 months before. There had been big changes in the personnel of the brigade too, officers and men, but it was still the 1^st South Midland Brigade R.F.A. [T] with the same cheery spirit and esprit de corps.

Back again to Broomfield, final inspections, closing of equipment legers and pay accounts and so at lastly, with many farewells to all our kind hosts and friends, we march to Chelmsford on Sunday march 28^th 1915 and entrain for Southampton where we spent Monday, having embarked, by bits in various ships. I say " by bits" for it was the rule of those days that no complete unit went in one transport, so that, if one was by chance hit, an entire unit did not disappear but only bits of two or three units.

And so across to Havre by night there followed a day disembarking. And entraining and in the afternoon we left for Hazebrouck. Detrained there and marched via Rouge Croix to Neuve Eglise and went into action taking over from the 4^th Regular Division. Looking back, what wonderful days those were, as quiet and peaceful. No dugouts, battery H.Q. in farms east of Neuve Eglise and brigade H.Q. in a house at the southern exit of the village.

Shells and bullets were few and far between; we wee under going our apprenticeship under easy conditions. Three incidents outside routine and the daily round of returns and visits to O.P's, positions, wagon lines, infantry in the line, etc occur to one.

The first did not come to everyone to experience. The H.Q. of one of the infantry battalions in the line facing Messines was in a farm called La Plus Douce. On the buff-coloured walls were a number of pictures in coloured chalk by Bairnsfather [who was with a battalion of the Warwicks.] and hundreds who had the good fortune to have to go there whether on duty or not enjoyed them. Two remain in the writer's memory, one a delightful head and shoulders of a gipsy woman, the other a splendid head and shoulders of a Spanish girl.

The second was at 5pm on April22nd; at Brigade H.Q. we were sitting down to tea and could not make out why our eyes were smarting so. During the day there had been continuous firing way up north, on the Ypres front, and we were all convinced that there was an attack but could not see anything from our O.P's-only hear the Boom - Boom - Boom of the guns-going-on continuously. Our eyes-continued to smart-though one remembers that when it got too cold to keep the windows open any longer, the smarting got better quite contrary to expectation.

It was not till the next day that we learnt of the first gas attack. This morning, duty took the C.O. one Adjutant into Bailleul and there they saw things they will certainly never forget. Ambulance after ambulance, filled with our fellows- black in face, gasping for breath. How it made our blood boil.

And then the Spies! We, like many others had spy mania. It must have been about 6 weeks after our arrival at Neuve Eglise that rumours went around that there was signalling going on at night. It was observed towards kortepyp, about a mile S.W. of the village at about 9.50 pm and appeared to be coming from a farm.

This was observed several nights in succession and eventually caused some eager officers to investigate.

They approached the farm slowly and quietly, until one of them fell into a ditch in the dark with plenty of water in it and then sounds came forth that were neither French nor Flemish and were understood only by the tracking party - not by the Flemish watchdog who was within earshot and fairly raised the roof.

Still the signalling continued, something of vital importance must be in course of transmission. A rush with revolvers draw was made for the front and back doors and the dog was silenced. Much searching and questioning of the four occupants followed 1 old man, his antique wife and two regrettably and incomprehensibly voluble daughters followed, all to no purpose and in due course the party withdraw defeated.

The explanation was, of course, perfectly simple. At about 9pm the one lamp was lit and as in those days thee was no orders about not showing lights at night, no curtains or blinds were drawn and the occupants walking between the light and the small window gave the effect of Dots and Dashes.

July arrived, and with it relief from the Messines sector followed by a long march south with the first stop Ferfay. There we stayed for some time en a delightful park- out of the sound of the guns in almost peace conditions. We had been there abourt10 days when orders were received to go to Mazingarbe to take over the line from the 47^th Division. One section per battery went up but by the time they had arrived the order had been cancelled and we all returned to Ferfay and there by missed the barrel of Loos. Instead we had orders to proceed to the plain between Colincamps and Hebuterne where we took over from the French.

Brigade H.Q. were at first in the former village but were moved to Hebuterne to be near the infantry brigade H.Q. of the Brigade we were covering. And here we see the beginning of that close cooperation between the Infantry and the Gunners of the 1^st South Midland Division that was such a marked feature of the days to come.

It will be remembered by old members of the Brigade that on the Messines front Artillery Brigade H.Q. was nearly a mile from the Infantry Brigade H.Q. and a gunner subaltern slept each night at Battalion H.Q. as liaison officer, with a couple of signallers for communications.

It was while we were at Hebuterne that the C.O. celebrated his birthday.

So, after breakfast, it was decided that he and the Adjutant should visit the wagon lines at Coigneux. This was done and they returned via Sailly where a purchase of "Boy" was made and carried home in a nosebag that " happened" to be available and otherwise empty. The bottles [Plural please, Mr. Editor] were placed on the only self in the building above the office chair. About 6pm, just as the Adjutant was busy making out his "Daily Lyre" the Bosche elected to put a salvo into the village, one round of which fell on the pavé outside. The Adjutant ducked quickly - quickly enough to dodge the splinters, which came in through the place where the window had been, but not quickly enough to escape a shower of broken glass down his neck - that didn't matter, but what did was the precious liquid went there too.

Each bottle pierced about 1inch from the bottom and not one drop did we ever taste. Quelle misericorde! Quel dommage!!

Life there was generally very peaceful. Many an evening after mess a gramophone was turned on near the signallers phone and plugged through to D.A. H.Q. behind, to battalion H.Q. up in the line and even on to Company H.Q. it was said. The batteries too, listened to the concert, which, it must be added, was "strictly forbidden"

The only source of worry was the daily ammunition returns especially that due on Sunday, which was the end of the official week. At that time each battery was allowed 55 rounds per week, and Oh! the difficulties to account for them. Whether subalterns were keeping a few spare round for their next tour at the O.P. or not was never satisfactorily settled, but rumour was very strong on that point.

Certainly battery commanders were not strictly accurate and the Adjutant was always credited with a few rounds up his sleeve each week in case the B.C.s figures got out of hand and showed an over expenditure.

All good things come to an end and towards the end of September, orders arrived posting the writer to the command of a battery in the 15^th Scottish Division and on Sept 24^th he bade a sad farewell, and in some cases a final farewell - to all who for nearly four years had been so kind to him and made him feel at all times one of their own, despite his thousand and one failings.

These jottings have been made from 17 to 20 years after the events without any notes or diary to refer to. So the writer claims the indulgence of the reader- if he has ever got this far, for any inaccuracies

C.E.B. 1932

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