Somerset Royal Horse Artillery
Somerset Royal Horse Artillery (T.F.) 1/1st Somerset RHA (T.F.) | |
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Active | 30 September 1908 – April 1919 |
Country | First World War
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The Somerset Royal Horse Artillery was a
History
Formation
The
On 18 March 1908, Somerset Royal Horse Artillery (Territorial Force) was proposed as a new unit and it was recognized by the Army Council on 30 September 1908 (and the ammunition column on 2 December 1908).[3] The unit consisted of
- Battery HQ at Taunton
- Somerset Battery at Taunton
- 2nd South Western Mounted Brigade Ammunition Column also at Taunton[4]
The battery was equipped with four
First World War
2nd South Western Mounted Brigade |
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Organisation on 4 August 1914 |
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In accordance with the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw.7, c.9) which brought the Territorial Force into being, the TF was intended to be a home defence force for service during wartime and members could not be compelled to serve outside the country. However, on the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, many members volunteered for Imperial Service. Therefore, TF units were split into 1st Line (liable for overseas service) and 2nd Line (home service for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas) units. 2nd Line units performed the home defence role, although in fact most of these were also posted abroad in due course.[6]
1/1st Somerset
The battery was embodied with the 2nd South Western Mounted Brigade on 4 August 1914 at the outbreak of the
- Service with III Brigade
III Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery (T.F.) was formed in April 1916 in the Egyptian Expeditionary Force with the Leicestershire and Somerset Batteries, RHA.[12][a] It was assigned to the ANZAC Mounted Division to provide artillery support.[13] In practice, the batteries were permanently attached to the mounted brigades of the division and Somerset RHA joined the Australian 2nd Light Horse Brigade.[14]
The battery served with the ANZAC Mounted Division in the
The division then joined the
- Service with XVIII Brigade
In June 1917, the Desert Column was reorganised from two mounted divisions of four brigades each (ANZAC and
This led to a reorganization of ANZAC Mounted Division's artillery. A new
The brigade, and its batteries, remained with the ANZAC Mounted Division for the rest of the
At the beginning of 1918, the division was attached to
After the Armistice of Mudros, the division was withdrawn to Egypt. The Australian brigades departed for home in March and April 1919 and the New Zealanders by the end of July.[15] The brigade was broken up some time after April 1919.[12]
2/1st Somerset
2/1st Somerset RHA (T.F.) | |
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Active | 1914 – April 1919 |
Country | First World War
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Somerset RHA formed a 2nd line in 1914, initially designated as the Somerset (Reserve) Battery RHA
The pre-war
Between 8 and 22 May 1916, the artillery of 63rd (2nd Northumberland) Division was reorganized. The brigades were numbered (CCCXV, CCCXVI, CCCXVII, and CCCXVIII) and the batteries lettered (so 2/1st Northumberland Battery became A Battery, CCCXV Brigade). The howitzer batteries of CCCXVIII Brigade were transferred to CCCXV and CCCXVI brigades and the brigade was reformed with three gun batteries.
On 2 July 1916, the 63rd (2nd Northumberland) Division's artillery left for France where it joined the
The battery, and the brigade, served with
In 1918, the division faced the German offensive in the First Battles of the Somme: Battle of St. Quentin (21 – 23 March), First Battle of Bapaume (24 and 25 March), and the Battle of the Ancre (5 April). Then followed the advance to victory: the Battle of Albert (21 – 23 August), Battle of Drocourt-Quéant Line (2 and 3 September), Battle of the Canal du Nord (27 September – 1 October), Battle of Cambrai and Capture of Niergnies (both on 8 October) and the Passage of the Grande Honnelle (7 November).[32]
At the
Post war
The Somerset Royal Horse Artillery was not reconstituted in the Territorial Force in 1920.[34]
See also
- List of Territorial Force horse artillery batteries 1908
Notes
- ^ IV Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery (T.F.) was formed at the same time with Ayrshire Battery, RHA (T.F.) and Inverness-shire Battery, RHA (T.F.).[12]
- ^ Frederick makes clear that XVIII Brigade was distinct from III and IV Brigades and was not either one redesignated.[12]
- mountain artillerybrigade.
- Lieutenant-Colonel. Artillery brigades were redesignated as regiments in 1938. Note that the battery strength refers to a battery of six guns; a four-gun battery would be about two thirds of this.
- ^ The 63rd (2nd Northumberland) Division was broken up on 21 July 1916[29] and the Royal Naval Division immediately adopted its number as 63rd (Royal Naval) Division.[30]
References
- ^ a b Westlake 1992, p. 3
- ^ Westlake 1992, p. 5
- ^ Frederick 1984, p. 674
- ^ a b c Conrad, Mark (1996). "The British Army, 1914". Retrieved 27 November 2013.
- ^ Clarke 2004, p. 23
- ^ a b c Baker, Chris. "The Royal Horse Artillery". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
- ^ Conrad, Mark (1996). "The British Army, 1914".
- ^ Rinaldi 2008, p. 60
- ^ James 1978, p. 36
- ^ a b James 1978, pp. 17, 18, 28
- ^ "Essex RHA (TF)". The Great War Forum. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
- ^ a b c d Frederick 1984, p. 449
- ^ a b c Perry 1992, p. 51
- ^ "2nd Australian Light Horse Brigade". Australian Light Horse Studies Centre. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f Perry 1992, p. 52
- ^ Farndale 1988, p. 83
- ^ Becke 1936, p. 34
- ^ Frederick 1984, p. 673
- ^ "1st Australian Light Horse Brigade". Australian Light Horse Studies Centre. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
- ^ Farndale 1988, p. 90
- ^ Farndale 1988, p. 95
- ^ Rinaldi 2008, p. 242
- ^ "The Royal Artillery". Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom). Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ Baker, Chris. "What was an artillery brigade?". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ a b c Becke 1937, p. 53
- ^ Becke 1936, p. 6
- ^ "Leicestershire Battery RHA (TF)". Great War Forum. 19 November 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ^ a b Becke 1945, p. 123
- ^ Becke 1937, p. 52
- ^ a b Becke 1945, p. 127
- ^ Becke 1945, p. 120
- ^ a b Becke 1945, p. 128
- ^ BEF GHQ 1918, p. 62
- ^ Frederick 1984, p. 686
Bibliography
- Becke, Major A.F. (1936). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 2A. The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56). London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. ISBN 1-871167-12-4.
- Becke, Major A.F. (1937). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 2B. The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th) with The Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. ISBN 1-871167-00-0.
- Becke, Major A.F. (1945). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 3B. New Army Divisions (30–41) & 63rd (RN) Division. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. ISBN 1-871167-08-6.
- Clarke, Dale (2004). British Artillery 1914–19 Field Army Artillery. Vol. 94 of New Vanguard Series. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-688-7.
- ISBN 1-870114-05-1.
- Frederick, J.B.M. (1984). Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978. Wakefield, Yorkshire: Microform Academic Publishers. ISBN 1-85117-009-X.
- James, Brigadier E.A. (1978). British Regiments 1914–18. London: Samson Books Limited. ISBN 0-906304-03-2.
- Perry, F.W. (1992). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 5A. The Divisions of Australia, Canada and New Zealand and those in East Africa. Newport: Ray Westlake Military Books. ISBN 1-871167-25-6.
- Rinaldi, Richard A (2008). Order of Battle of the British Army 1914. Ravi Rikhye. ISBN 978-0-97760728-0.
- Westlake, Ray (1992). British Territorial Units 1914–18. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85532-168-7.
- Order of Battle of the British Armies in France, November 11th, 1918. France: General Staff, GHQ. 1918.