Gunner Shakespeare
Gunnery in WWI

Introduction

825527 Corporal Henry James Shakespeare Royal Field Artillery (T) served during WWI, this account was written by his grandson, Captain Peter Henry Shakespeare, Royal Artillery (Retired)

As the media attention surrounding the 90th anniversary of the armistice came to a crescendo in early November 2008, people's interest in what part their forebears played in the "war to end all wars" was rekindled. I was one of these people.

I knew my grandfather had served in the Royal Field Artillery throughout World War One and recalled seeing his medals, army issue spurs, boot brush and some photographs in a box in our spare room in my youth.

My father was born in Bristol in 1929, but sadly his father passed away following an illness in 1933. My father was the third of three children, his sisters having been born in the early 1920s. He does not speak about why his father's memory is so vague or why my grandmother and aunts made little attempt to fully acquaint him with his father while he was growing up. But grief is a peculiar thing and loosing the main breadwinner was a bitter blow for a working class family in the early 30s. I can only conclude that for them, my grandfather's loss was something they never wanted to come to terms with.

The quest to find out about my grandfather's war service began in the usual way. The National Archive, Public Records Office, and the Internet. In the official archives was the medal record of 825527 Corporal H.J. Shakespeare RFA (T); I confirmed this was my grandfather. But like so many others his full service record was a casualty of the 1940 London Blitz. But all was not lost. I was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1993 so I had some idea where to look next. Knowing that my grandfather was a Bristol lad, a bit more research revealed that a member of the Royal Artillery Association's Bristol branch, Derek Driscoll, had transcribed the personal accounts of three officers who served in the 1st South Midland Brigade Royal Field Artillery (Territorial) - latterly 240 (Gloucestershire) Brigade Royal Field Artillery (Volunteers) - between 1914 and 1919. Also snap shots of the unit's nominal rolls and most of the official war diary had survived. As I tentatively scrolled down the transcript of the 240 Brigade RFA (V) nominal roll, I found 825527 Corporal Henry James Shakespeare.

Reading on I was transported back 94 years. With the copies of my grandfather's photographs in front of me, some WW1 maps and other research materials, I embarked a journey that took me from the Whiteladies Road in Bristol to the Italian Alps. The journey that inspired me to write this novel.

Elements of this story are typical of the experiences endured by well over two hundred thousand "Gunners" during WW1. But this tale goes much deeper than the usual factual account of battle, the horrendous casualties, the incompetent generals and the mud.

I believe this story is unique for two reasons. Firstly it is a complete and detailed account of a field artillery brigade's experiences. But most importantly it is a tale largely based on the very personal accounts of what happened written by men who were there; men who spent three and a half years in the thick of the action.

The story begins as war is declared and tells how over the following six months a group of friends - part time soldiers hailing from Bristol and Gloucester - were moulded into a highly disciplined effective battle ready unit. The narrative then moves on: the arrival in France; the final battle preparations; the second battle of Ypres; the first Somme offensive; Passchendale and how in late 1917 the brigade, its guns, men and horses travelled over a thousand miles to carry on the fight in northeast Italy. It ends in the spring of 1919 with their return to Bristol.

I have based a lot of the narrative on the writings of three 1st South Midland Brigade officers. Much of what you read is their words. But I have also employed some artistic licence to tell the story as seen through the eyes of one gun detachment. I like to think this could have been my grandfather's subsection. And closest to the hearts of many who served the guns during WW1, I have remembered the horses.

No writings based on World War One can escape the mud and the slaughter but there were lighter moments and these moments are recorded in the war diaries, letters and accounts and were undoubtedly cherished by the officers and men alike.

People these days are quick to criticise war. Novels and films are accused of glorifying it. I will agree that some modern wars have questionable motives and some dramatisations of previous conflicts bend the truth beyond the acceptable. But both the World Wars were fought to preserve our freedom. Remembering the men and women who served and died is the least that can be expected of us.

I will leave the last word to another ex Gunner Lt Col H Essex-Lewis RFA who committed his thoughts to paper in The Bristol Evening Post on November 15th 1968 - the 50th anniversary year of the armistice:

Many of us who served in the Kaiser War still find it difficult to believe that half a century has passed since the order: 'Hostilities will cease at 11.00 hours on November 11,1918' bought an end to the fighting on the Western Front and a sense of incredulous bewilderment to those in actual combat.

And now 50 years later we asked was it worth it? Was it worth the expenditure of life, of treasure, of the many unknown sacrifices, the misery and sorrow which our generation suffered during those years and in some respects is suffering still?

As a Gunner who served through that war in the batteries, which were involved in most of the major events on the Western Front, I think that I can speak for my generation of our army when I say that it never occurred to us to think in that way at all.

Do the doctors and nurses caught up in a cholera or some other fearful epidemic, where their very ministrations have exposed them to infection and death ask, "Was it worth it?" The onset of fire, flood, pestilence or foe, affords no time for argument.

As each situation occurs it must be met, dealt with and if humanly possible, overcome. And as the men of the fighting services went to deal with their task in 1914 they knew that the alternatives were submission or defeat.

They saw then, as we have seen again more recently, just what either would mean to their country, their homes and their people.

Then there was the slaughter. The conditions of life at the front: mud-locked, verminous and the constant exposure to death in more than one unpleasant form, have been the subject of books by clever young men then unborn. Some have written them off as fools driven like sheep to the slaughter by a High Command whose foolishness they are pleased to prefix by one of the words now in common use, but one considered to be confined to the soldiery.

So almost every year these young men seem to return to their, "Was it worth it?" and we smile among ourselves and agree that we never gave it a thought. What we know and remember with pride is that with us an Order was an Order and not a basis for argument and that we carried out our Orders. Wherever they took us groused us, but only as they must have done since man first bore arms. Those years taught us to know our fellow man for what he was. And from the fire of that experience has emerged the gold of friendship.

Peter Henry Shakespeare - Captain Royal Artillery (Retired)

Period literature is often difficult to understand. As a fair proportion of this story is told by soldiers serving, or who served, in the 1st South Midland Brigade RFA (T) during the Great War the author has stayed true to their words.

Military terminology and procedures cloud the language further so the reader will benefit from an understanding of the establishment of World War One field artillery battery and some background on how field gunnery was executed and employed during The Great War.

World War One Field Gunners

90 years after the guns fell silent across Europe there are still many similarities between the WW1 field artillery battery and today's equivalent.

But the first and obvious difference is the way the guns move around the battlefield. In The Great War teams of horses were the prime movers. Today field guns are towed behind all wheel drive vehicles or are mounted on a self-propelled, armoured, tracked chassis.

A modern towed field battery is usually equipped with six guns. The guns are known as 'subsections'. The root of this term comes from the breakdown of a battery. A battery consists of three, two gun sections. In a WW1 six-gun battery these were known as Right, Centre and Left Sections.

The second major difference is battery establishment - or head count. On August 4th 1914 the territorial field artillery brigades were made up of three, four-gun batteries; each equipped with converted ex-Boer War 15 Pounder breech loading (BL) guns.

The 18 Pounder Quick Firing (QF) Field Gun MkII was issued to 1st South Midland Brigade RFA [T] in May 1916. The brigade was not sad to see the back of the Boer War relics.

The change in ordnance saw the Battery's establishments increase to service six guns. At 198 all ranks, the strength of a WW1 six-gun field battery numbered around 50 more than the modern equivalent.

The 18 Pounders weighed 34 cwt (a little over 3,800 lbs), had a bore of 3.3-inches (84mm) and the shell weighed 18.5-lb (8.4kg). The MkII 18 Pounder had a maximum range of 6,525 yards (5,960 metres) at an elevation of 16 degrees. The shell covered this distance in a little over 12 seconds. The Mk IV 18 Pounder, developed in late 1916, had an extended range of 9,300 yards (8,500 metres) thanks to its box trail. This allowed the barrel to be elevated much higher; a factor limited by the Mk II's pole trail. The trail is the steel frame or pole at the rear of the gun. It acts as a counter weight, transfers recoil forces into the ground and connects the gun carriage to its towing limber. There is no record of the South Midland having been issued with the up-rated gun.

1st South Midland Brigade's batteries were lettered A, B, and C. As part of a major reshuffle of the general artillery, the brigade gained a fourth battery [D] in the spring of 1916. It was equipped with four 4.5-inch Howitzers. These were used for shelling enemy trenches and for counter battery fire. As part of this general reshuffle the brigade was also renamed 240 (Gloucestershire) Brigade Royal Field Artillery (Volunteers). According to the accounts the loss of its "South Midland" title was the cause of much "sorrow" among members of the Brigade.

The WW1 Field Artillery Battery

An 18 Pounder field battery totalled 198 men at full establishment. Normally commanded by a Major (the BC) it had a Captain as second-in-command. He was known as "The Captain". There were also three Lieutenants or Second Lieutenants. The "Section Commanders" were each in charge of a two-gun section. The senior Lieutenant was also the “Battery Leader” and was responsible for deploying the guns. All the subalterns took turns as "Orderly Officer" and fulfilled observation post duties or went forward with the BC to reconnoitre new positions.

The Battery other rank establishment included a Battery Sergeant-Major (BSM) a Battery Quartermaster Sergeant (BQMS), a Ferrier Sergeant, four Shoeing Smiths (one would be a Corporal), two Saddlers (harness), two Wheelers (maintained the wheels), two Trumpeters, seven Sergeants, seven Corporals, 11 Bombardiers, 75 Gunners, 70 Drivers, plus 10 Gunners acting as officer's batmen.

A gun detachment consisted of 10 men. The No 1- a Sergeant or qualified Corporal's appointment - was responsible for the gun and the crew.

In action the No1s passed on the fire orders to their gun crews. The No1 moved gun to roughly point it at the bearing to target using the handspike attached to the end of the gun's trail. The No 2 sat astride the right hand seat, dealt with the range wheel with his right hand and breach lever with the left. The No 3 [or layer] sat on the left hand seat facing forwards. He applied the angles to his sight, applied the final lay to the gun, controlled the hand brake and fired the gun when ordered. The No 4, or loader, stood on the left of the gun and loaded the rounds into the breech. He was also responsible also for the guns aiming devices, striped aiming posts and a paralleloscope. These were used in conjunction with the gun's dial sight for indirect fire laying [aiming]. During direct fire engagements the gun's dial sight was used like a telescopic rifle sight. Elevations were worked out from the estimated range to target and the section commanders or the No. 1s, if firing in defence of their gun position, gave adjustments.

The No 5 was the ammunition number and was also responsible for the correcting barometric pressure, calculating fuse settings from range numbers using a fuze indicator. The No 6 was the fuze setter. No's 5 & 6 stood behind the limber, set the fuses and passed rounds to the No 4.

The 18 Pounder field gun was drawn behind a carriage limber by a team of six horses. It also had an ammunition limber, which carried 24 rounds of ammunition. The subsection also had an ammunition wagon, which carried 38 rounds. This total of 62 rounds this was the gun's first and second line ammunition supply. A subsection had a total of 18 horses. Each six- horse team consisted of two leaders, two centres and two wheelers. The drivers rode on the left hand horse of each pair.

Gun No's 7, 8 and 9 would remained at the wagon lines [normally well over a mile behind the gun line and where the horses were taken during action] to assist in the re-supply of ammunition and replace casualties. The No 10 was the subsection's second in command or coverer. He was in charge of the gun's ammunition supply and remained in the wagon lines in charge of his subsection's horses and ammunition wagon.

Deployment

The deployment of a battery of field guns in the First World War was not as quick or as precise as it is today. There was no hand held GPS to find the battery location, no azimuth determining system, no computer to work out the bearing and elevation for the guns and in the beginning no metrological information. Air pressure, precipitation, temperature, wind direction and strength affect the firing data calculations.

Each battery had to work out its firing position from a map using a protractor and compass; often very difficult in a landscape where features had been obliterated. By 1916 some of the Western Front had been surveyed and fixed "Bearing Pickets" were installed.

A battery centre grid reference was established along with a reference azimuth (latterly known as the centre of arc). The guns were positioned either side of the battery centre in a straight line at 90 degrees to this azimuth or "Zero Line". The zero line normally pointed into the middle of the battlefield sector the guns would be expected to hit. The guns were spaced according to the lethal burst pattern of the shell they fired. In the case of the 18 Pounder, 20 feet between guns was the ideal giving the battery a frontage of 120 feet.

All guns had to be given a common orientation. The simple method was to pick a distant aiming point or "Zero Point" visible to all the guns along the imaginary zero line. The guns then set their dial sights to zero and traversed until they all pinpointed the zero point in their sights. From here line switches in the horizontal plain would be given in degrees left or right of the zero point.

Another method was to use a measuring device called a "Director". This method was used when no distant zero point was visible. The director would be placed on a vantage point to the side of the battery position. The director's telescope was aligned on an aiming point along the reference azimuth [zero line]. This could be done with a compass and survey poles if there was no line of sight or it was dark. The director's scale was set to 180°. The angle between the aiming point and the right hand gun was then measured. This angle was ordered to all guns. The guns set the angle on their dial sights and the guns' were traversed so that their dial sights pointed at the director. During WW1 this method had its drawbacks. It was slow and often impractical. Now it has been refined and is the only mechanical method used to achieve common orientation.

Once the guns were orientated, the No1s selected their own aiming points. Usually there were two; a distant fixed point such as the side of a building and aiming posts that were positioned to the front left of the gun. (The parallelescope was introduced in 1917 as an alternative to aiming posts for simulating an aiming point at infinite distance. The Parallelescope Mk 1 was a 3.7 x 2.9 inch mirror fitted to a horizontal 22-inch slide mounted in a frame.) Once the aiming points were identified the dial sight was used to measure the angles to the gun's aiming points from the zero point or director. The angles were recorded. One was selected and without moving the gun, the slipping scale on the dial sight was set to zero on this point.

Once "recording" was complete and the ammunition was broken down and prepared the gun was ready to fire and the No 1 would report, "ready" to the command post. Speed into action was crucial and winning the race to become the first gun to report ready was a matter of pride among the detachments.

Digging In

In reality WW1 batteries did not move around that much and had ample time to build defences for themselves and the guns. The 1st South Midland Brigade spent 12 months in one location prior to the first Somme offensive. But from July 1916 onwards its fortunes changed and it deployed over the length and breadth of the Somme battlefield and then moved up to Ypres. When the batteries re-located they tended to take over previously prepared gun positions. But there were many occasions when they had to dig the protective pits for the guns and their own dugouts. The most notable were the South Midland's "Colincamps Bungalows". In preparation for the first Somme offensive of 1916 the batteries dug gun pits with eight feet of built up overhead protection, using trees and building rubble from a near-by village.

Firing the Guns

Once all the guns were in action the battery could report ready and the real business of a field artillery battery could commence.

On identifying a target the observation officer (normally the BC at this time) would work out the grid reference and direction to the target from his OP position. This was either a vantage point or a forward trench co-located with the infantry commander he was supporting. The target's grid reference, the observer's direction to target and the type of ammunition and fire required was sent as an order to the battery command post via the signaller or telephonist. Signallers were also trained to use the Heliograph, flags and signal lamps. His "direction to target" would enable the command post to orientate its firing data corrections from the adjustments given by the observation officer.

The initial angles and elevations (firing data) were calculated at the section or battery command post using a large 1:10,000 Map attached to an artillery plotting board. This map would cover the area out to the gun's maximum range. Initially maps were inconsistent in quality and were not over printed with grid lines so producing grid references was difficult and inaccurate. Maps were "squared" to provide a location reference system, the basic square being 6000 by 6000 yards and lettered. These squares eventually became numerically sub-divided but never achieved the precision of overprinted surveyed map coordinates. Eventually Royal Engineer's survey produced suitable overprinted battlefield maps and accurate grid references could be plotted straight off the map.

A brass range arm and quadrant were pinned over the map with the base of the range arm spotted and pinned over the battery's location. The zero mark on the quadrant was centred on the battery's zero line. The target grid reference was plotted and the range arm moved until it was in line. The initial guns to target range was read off and converted into an elevation setting using range tables. (Calculated at sea level, this elevation enables the shell to reach the desired range and is known as the Tangent Elevation). Two additional values were required to complete the elevation calculation. The difference in altitude between the guns and the target (Angle of Sight) and a value for the muzzle velocity of the guns. Continuous firing caused the bores to wear, reducing the muzzle velocities and range.

The angle to target from the zero line was read off the quadrant in degrees and minutes and a time of flight was obtained from the range tables. This was used to set the fuzes and was also required by the observer to help him identify his shell bursts, among the many tens of others.

Once the first shell burst was observed adjustments to the bearing and range to target were made by the observation officer until his shells burst on target. These adjustments were given as "More or Drop" for range and "Left or Right" for line, or bearing. If this was the first shoot following a deployment the target data would be recorded a reusable range and line correction could be calculated by the command post and applied to all future firing data, which eliminated some inaccuracies in the initial battery set up. This was known as "shooting out the error".

Every 12 hours one gun (usually the "Pivot Gun") would be fired on a "Registration Shoot" and the shell bursts were adjusted to find out the "Correction of the Moment". That is to say, what effect changes in the prevailing weather conditions were having on the bearing and trajectory of a shell. The corrected firing data was then analysed to extract the "Correction of the Moment". This was then automatically applied to all future shoots until the registration period had expired and another registration shoot was conducted.

Fire Missions

Several different types of field artillery engagement were called for on the WW1 battlefields. Referred to as shoots, the modern term is fire mission. We have covered target adjustment (or ranging) and registration above. The order "Gunfire" meant effective fire on the enemy and would include the number of guns and rounds required. "Five rounds Gunfire" meant "the whole battery will fire five rounds as fast as possible". "Section Fire, 30 seconds" meant two guns firing in succession every 30 seconds and so on. When engaging an impromptu target, Gunfire was normally ordered in conjunction with the last range and line correction.

Each battery and brigade had pre-recorded targets such as trench lines (enemy and friendly) buildings, road junctions, gaps in the barbed wire or natural choke points. These were often called "SOS"targets. If the enemy suddenly presented itself at one of these locations the observer would immediately call for an SOS shoot. He would give the corresponding target number and the guns of one or more batteries would apply pre-calculated firing data and fire on the target as quickly as possible. An "SOS target" could by signalled by coloured rockets, if the telephone lines were cut or urgency was paramount. By definition these targets were given a life or death priority.

Other types of missions included the famous creeping barrage. Normally this was in support of infantry advancing across No Mans Land. This barrage was coordinated as a multi battery, brigade or divisional shoot. Each battery had a pre planned "lane". The firing data for the start line would have been calculated in advance. Pre determined corrections were applied to the guns at timed intervals. Once the desired number of rounds had been fired along one line, the corrections were applied to the guns and the barrage moved on. This barrage required a high degree of command and control.

Another type of engagement was the "Sweep and Search" shoot. This involved the area covered by a normal engagement being expanded. Sweep spread the fire out laterally across the line of fire of each battery and search spread it out along the line for fire. At the guns "sweep" was achieved without altering the sights, by merely applying a standard numbers of turns of the traversing hand wheel. It was used if multiple impromptu targets appeared in the same sector at once or as harassing fire if the enemy's positions could not be accurately pinpointed.

Other shoots included illuminating (using star shells), smoke and wire cutting. The 18 Pounder equipped field batteries spent a great deal of time trying to cut the defensive barbed wire entanglements in No Man's Land. This is referred to repeatedly in the 1st South Midland Brigade's war diaries and the personal accounts. Sadly for the infantry, prior to the general issue of the 18-pound high explosive shell in 1916, wire cutting by the field artillery's shrapnel shells was relatively ineffective. The fact that much of the wire across the Somme battlefield remained intact as our infantry went over the top on July 1st 1916 bears witness to this regrettable point.

Battery Action!

As soon as a target was ordered, the command post would give its guns the order, "Battery Action". This would rouse the gun crews from their dugouts. The guns were told the type of ammunition.

Shrapnel shells containing 374 small lead antimony balls were standard issue until early 1916 when new high explosive shells became more widely available. Specific Fuze types were ordered as ammunition types became more varied.

The guns would be given a range followed by the initial angle and elevation. An angle to the right of the zero line was prefixed by "One". "Three" indicated it was left of the zero line. If it was a ranging shoot the pivot gun would normally be selected to adjust the fire onto the new target and it would receive the order to load. The sequence of orders went something like this:

"The No 1 of No 3 gun would then repeat the ammunition order and range and would order "Load". The Nos 5 and 6 would prepare the round and hand it to the No 4 who would show it to his No 1. It was then loaded and the No 2 would shut the breech. The No 1 would repeat the angle and elevation settings to the layers. The No 3 set the angle and elevation on his sight and levelled it. Guided by his No 3, the No 1 would traverse the gun using its handspike to bring it roughly to bear on the line to target. The No 2 elevated the gun using the range [elevation] quadrant and range wheel until a rough elevation was achieved. The No 3 would then fine tune the elevation and line. The No1 would normally check the settings and would report, "No 3 Ready" to the command post.

Depending on the fire control orders given by the observer, the command post might give the order, "No 3 Fire". Usually the observer controlled a ranging shoot so would order fire when he was ready. On firing; the command post's telephonist would report "Shot" followed by the elevation and time of flight in seconds to the observer.

Having observed the shell burst, through the graticules in his binocular, the observation officer would give a left or right, more or drop correction, and a Fuze correction to bring the next shell on target. Shrapnel was most effective if it burst 30 feet above the ground. The Fuze correction would vary the fuze setting by tenths of a second. The command post would calculate the corrected firing data and would send it to the gun. It would fire again. Often three adjustments were required before the shell was on target.

Once on target the observer would either tell the command post to record the target data for another time or he might order effective fire. In this case No 3 gun's (the adjusting gun's) last set of data was applied to all the guns and the command post would order the number of rounds. Occasionally an observer would order the battery to fire in order. The guns would fire sequentially allowing the observer to pin point a suspected rogue gun.

Frequently WW1 field artillery engagements were danger close in support of the infantry. First time accuracy was paramount although never guaranteed. The 1st South Midland Brigade RFA (T) was regularly complemented on its shooting by the commanders of the infantry units it supported.

A good 18 Pounder gun crew could achieve a rate of fire of 20 plus rounds per minute. This was exhausting work and the guns quickly overheated. The mechanism that returned the barrel to its normal position after firing (Recuperator) often broke forcing the crew to return the barrel by hand. The "Buffer" absorbed the gun's recoil. These often caught fire after prolonged firing. During a heavy and continuous barrage, the guns were taken out of action one at a time to cool them down. Water was poured down the barrel. It came out boiling hot, which even in the height of battle, allowed the rested crew to have a hot wash.

Ammunition

As we have already mentioned, the field artillery started the war with only one type of shell for its guns. The gun's used a fixed type of ammunition, that is to say the shell and cartridge were supplied in one piece the propellant charge inside was standard. The required range could only be obtained by adjusting the gun's elevation.

This Shrapnel shell was fitted with a Fuze (No 80 Mk IV). The Fuze was set with the use of a Fuze key. The resulting explosion scattered 374 one-inch balls of made of lead and antimony in a forward and downward trajectory into the trenches and it caused many German casualties. The shrapnel shell was of little use against the machine gun posts, dugouts and hard targets.

Getting the Ammunition to the Guns

In the early days of World War One the amount of artillery ammunition (known by the batteries as "bombs") expended was strictly controlled. Often only 5 or 6 rounds were fired per gun per day. If this total was exceeded it generated a mass of paper work, but as the war progressed and the civilian work force at home was mobilised and the amount of ammunition produced increased.

The first line ammunition was kept on the gun position in the ammunition limber and numbered 24 rounds in total. The second line stock was held at the wagon lines in the ammunition wagon and totalled 38 rounds per gun. Third line stocks were held centrally at the Brigade Ammunition Column (BAC) and later at the Divisional Ammunition Column (DAC). The quantity of ammunition held by BAC and DAC varied from day today according to expenditure and supply. The scaling on the eve of the first battle of the Somme, July 1916, was 1000 rounds per gun.

The ammunition was distributed to the gun positions according to the prevailing weather conditions. Where mud was not a deciding factor - there was always mud - wagons pulled by teams of horses were used.

As conditions deteriorated horses and mules were used to get the ammunition through, carrying eight rounds each in bags slung over their backs. When the aforementioned could not get to the guns, because the conditions under foot were too treacherous the ammunition was carried by the gun crews. "Leg Pouches" (two rounds either side) were slung using straps across their shoulders, allowing each man to carry up to four rounds. The shell alone weighed 18.5 pounds and when mated to the cartridge case, with its propellant charge, each round weighed in excess of 25 pounds. Carrying 100 pounds over a mile or more of sodden uneven ground was incredibly tiring and dangerous. The mud would cling to the men's boots and puttees and they would sink up to their knees in the glutinous mire, stuck fast until rescuers came to their aid. Ammunition re-supply was a long and dirty business and was often conducted under enemy bombardment. Some men got lost in the dark on their way to the gun positions and fell into shell holes. Filled with water several feet deep, the hapless Gunner or NCO weighed down by mud and his burden faced an uncertain future. Drowning was a regular occurrence.

The Dangers

The Gunners were the World War One battle winners. During a large offensive they had to stand firm, keeping the guns in action under a continuous barrage of counter battery fire. Adding to this danger they were the number one target for enemy air attack. In the early years of the war, German aircraft regularly bombed and strafed British artillery positions. Unlike the infantry, who were afforded some protection by their trenches, field battery positions were often in the open and only a few hundred yards behind the infantry. The gun pits were poorly protection and the crews relied upon low sand bagged walls disguised by what camouflage the crew could scrape together. In sight of the enemy's artillery and mortar observers they received incoming counter battery fire from the enemy's heavy guns.

If an enemy attack reached the front-line trench it was not uncommon for the gun crews to pick up rifles to give covering fire as their comrades engaged the advancing infantry over open sights (direct fire). If the situation became untenable the detachments would be ordered to remove the breech mechanisms from the guns and then it was every man for himself. Throughout WW1 there were many stories of heroism connected with actions in defence of gun positions. These actions resulted in a number of Victoria Cross recipients. Sadly many of those awards were posthumous.

Generally casualties were not as high as suffered by the front line infantry battalions but the surviving 1st South Midland Brigade RFA casualty lists indicate that around 25% of its total strength was killed during the course of World War One. Many more were wounded or suffered the physiological effects of shelling.

A WW1 Field Artillery Battery Today

The establishment and equipment of the contemporary London-based ceremonial battery, The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery (RHA), is very similar to what is described above.

In The Great War the Royal Horse Artillery was equipped with lighter 13 Pounder guns and its role was designed to be a more mobile one in support of the cavalry.

Today, for practical reasons, The King's Troop RHA does not have the second line ammunition wagons and the additional teams of horses. The Troop has six gun subs. Swap their Napoleonic uniforms (worn on ceremonial duties) for khaki woollen great coats and felt caps and what you see is what a typical Battery of Artillery would have looked like in the 1914-18 war. (Take a trip to Wormwood Scrubs in winter when the Troop is practicing for its musical drive and you can see for your self.)

It therefore comes as no surprise that the King's Troop has been used as extras in films and period television dramas.

A visit to its St John's Wood barracks will also take you back to another time. Enter the harness rooms and you will see acres of gleaming leather and miles burnished steel. Even during periods of intense fighting the gun detachments of the 1st South Midland Brigade RFA paid particular attention to the harness. Keeping it clean and well oiled prevented breakages. During the long periods of inactivity, that were common at the front during WW1, this activity helped to preserve a reasonable level of morale. Regular harness inspections also developed healthy competition between the sub sections and instilled pride in the men against the backdrop of an otherwise depressing situation.

The Horses

I must mention the horses of the 1st South Midland Brigade RFA.

Prior to mobilisation in 1914 the Brigade only had sufficient horses to equip one gun detachment. These teams were stabled in " Lines" at its Whiteladies Road headquarters in Bristol. They were used for training purposes.

Throughout August 1914, horses were requisitioned in large numbers. In those days horses were still plentiful. They were taken from farmers, hauliers, fox hunts, businesses and private individuals.

They, like the volunteer gunners, required training and much time was spent on this prior to the brigade's deployment to France. And like the men they died at the front. Replacements and reinforcements, known as Remounts, were either sent out from England or were sourced locally. The batteries became very attached to their horses; in practical terms they couldn't move any distance without them. The bonds were strong. They were tended to on a daily basis at the wagon lines by the drivers and exercised when possible. They were all given names. Some horses remained with the batteries for the duration of the war. The horses suffered terribly from the appalling conditions experienced on the Western Front and their desperate plight affected the men nearly as profoundly as the suffering of their own kind. At times, despite the battery's best intentions, there was nothing they could do to help them.

Notes and Acknowledgements

Some WW1 terminology differs from the modern equivalent. A World War One Artillery Brigade is known today as an Artillery Regiment. This should not be confused with an Infantry Brigade, which was a battle formation comprising three Infantry Battalions, a Brigade of Artillery (three or four Batteries) plus other supporting units, such as Signallers, Engineers and Pioneers.

Sources and Resources

Header image: Canadians loading an 18 pounder WWI LAC (Wikimedia)

Derek Driscoll's original page

Gunner Shakespeare

Derek Driscoll's pages referenced in the text

1st South Midland Brigade - Overseas - Lt. Edward Leonard Gedye
1st (South Midland) Brigade RFA (T) 1915-1917 - Captain Francis Stanley Gedye MC
1st (South Midland) Brigade RFA (T) 1917-1919 - Captain Francis Stanley Gedye MC
240 Brigade WWI Nominal Roll
Early days of 1st (South Midland) Brigade RFA (T) - Colonel E. C. Boyce DSO
Opening Days of the Somme - Lt. Edward Leonard Gedye
Remembrance - Lest We Forget
Gunnery in World War I

Other References

An invitation to visit The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery
Early British Q.F. Artillery by Len Trawin, ISBN 1-85486-154-9, Nexus Special Interests Ltd., 1997.
Gun Drill for Q.F. 18 Pr Mark IV Gun: HMSO 1934