Passchendaele and the 277th RFA

A Royal Field Artillery unit setting up a position prior to the Third Battle of Ypres. Courtesy of the Imperial War Museum Collections. (Q5723) Note the flat land - difficult to hide from German reconnaissance spy planes.

The Battle of Passchendaele began exactly one hundred years ago today. It was probably the most significant battle in which the 277th RFA took part. The sheer horror and level of casualties is incomprehensible to those of us living today. That would have been bad enough in itself, but when the final goal of the Battle had been achieved i.e the taking of Passchendaele Ridge, General Haig finally realised that he had not achieved his goal at all - that of flattening out the Ypres salient (an inconvenient bulge in the front line, which exposed the British troops to German fire on three sides), but had actually extended the salient so that it now extended further into enemy held territory. 
The Bloody Goal of Passhendaele Ridge, once achieved, was promptly abandoned and a quiet ignominious retreat followed.
As far as the 277th RFA was concerned, it is my belief that this where my Grandfather Henry Hunt was gassed, He was probably one of the lucky ones. The graveyards of Brandhoek contain too many bodies of his fellow Gunners.

Below I give a copy of the War diaries for June, July and August 1917. As far as I am aware there is no other digital copy of them elsewhere (I hope I am wrong!). The original diary entries are missing from the National Archive Records for the 277th. I obtained photocopies from the RFA museum when it was at Woolwich. I'm not sure where the records are now.

The records by themselves are interesting to those who have been on the ground, or are experts on the subject, but can be a bit dry for those who are new to the subject. They cover the periods of the Battle of Messines and the first monthe of the Battle of Passchendaele. In the next few posts I will try to explain where the 277th were, what they were trying to do, and what happened to some of the men involved. 

This is my way of paying tribute to these poor brave men. I hope it is also a warning to those who have power over men's lives. General Haig will always be remembered as the 'Butcher of Passchendaele', despite all the apologists' words. I  am reminded of the line from Julius Caesar  'The evil that men do lives after them;'

One of the many graveyards around the town of Ypres. This one is near the Lille Gate

That evil may be witnessed in the thousands of graves which surround the little town of Ypres in Flanders, Belgium. Many of the graves of the men of the 277th can be found at Brandhoek cemeteries (qv) The good we can do is remembering the sacrifice these men made, and the suffering of the wounded. The hidden suffering of the families is often forgotten - though I never knew my Grandfather, his injuries meant an early death, his children growing up without a father, relative poverty, and few opportunities for the clever boy who became my father. Yes the First World War is still relevant today.

277th Army Brigade RFA War Diary

(Messines and early Passchendaele)    

Gas have been left where the writing is illegible, or a ? question mark inserted

June 1917     Sheet 1

RENINGHELST area

1st  2nd Lieut R R McCartney returned from course at Second …......... in Artillery School.

       2nd Lieut  JJ Dawson …................... on course at Second Army Signal School.

2nd Capt F F Bragley B/277 Battery , returned from 10 days leave in the UK

8th 2nd Lieut A J Garry (?) C/277 Battery wounded in action admitted to hospital and struck off strength.

11th 2nd Lieut A Sketch C/277th Battery Granted 10 days leave in the UK

        Major J O M Williams DSO D/277 Battery assumed command of the Brigade.

        vice Lieut Col J E C J Cochrane DSO  To officers Red Station … HAZEBROUK

        Lieut L Talbot A/277 Battery admitted by hospital

12th 2nd Lieut W Allen A/277 struck off the strength with effect from 19/2/1917 having been 

         indirectly (?) boarded in England. Authority A G Advd (?) GHQ D/4075/2

         Lieut W G McCanley A/277 and 2nd Lieut W N O'Neill D/277 wounded in action, and   

         admitted to hospital (struck of the strength)

14th On the night of 14th/15th B/277 and C/277 relieved B/72 and C/72 in the line.

15th On the night of 15th/16th A/277 and D/277 relieved A/72 and D/72 in the line.

         All the batteries came under command of Lieut Col Cardew ''A Group''

         Headquarters MOATED GRANGE O 1a. 60.35 (sheet 26 NW)

         Gun positions A/277 O2 b 65. 15 (?)  B/277 I32 c 50. 40 (?)   C/277 I 32 d 05.00

         D/277 I 32 c 70.05

        

         The Wagon Lines of the Brigade all at about M 4 b

16th  Major MT Bibby (?) A/277 battery Granted 10 days leave to UK

18th  Lieut Col N P R Preeston (?) A/277 Battery RFA (from 24D AC) assumed command of the    

          Brigade vice Major Williams DSO vice Lieut Col JECJ Cochrane DSO

          Major JC Williams DSO re-assumes command of D/277 Battery

Sheet 2  (277th Army Brigade RFA)

June 1917

21st  The Brigade exchange Wagon Lines with the 52nd Army Brigade RFA at about N 3 c (?)      

         (Sheet 28)

         2nd Lieut RR McCartney B/277 Battery Granted 10 days leave to the UK

          Lieut (Temp Capt) JJJ Bell (?) MC Bde Amm Col posted to 315th Army BDE RFA

23rd  On the nights 23/24 and 25/26th batteries moved out of action to respective wagon lines at

         N 3 C  A/277 relieved by A/190 D277 relieved by D/190  B/277 and C/277 left positions    

         vacant.

25th  Lieut Col JECJ Cochrane returned from Officers Red Station and re-assumed command of the    

         Brigade

         Lieut Col NPR Preeston RFA   relinquished command of the Brigade and proceeded to take  

         over command of OOSTHOEK GROUP

26th  2nd Lieut GS Hodgkinson posted to A/277 battery vice Lieut L Talbot to hospital

         2nd Lieut RPE Roberts posted to D/277 vice 2nd Lieut WND Hull to hospital

27th  2nd Lieut N Morgan Bde Amm Col Granted 10 days leave to UK

27th  2nd Lieut SH Graham joins the Brigade and posted to A/277 battery

         2nd Lieut GW Pye joins the Brigade and attached to A/277 battery

         2nd Lieut EB Quibell  joins the Brigade and attached to C/277 battery

         Lieut L Talbot re-joined from hospital and attached Bde Amm Col

28th  The Brigade moves from N 3 c to about M4 n 8 . 5 (Sheet 29)

RENINGHELST

July 1917

2nd 2nd Lieut JE Alexander RFA, joined the Brigade, and attached to D/277 battery

5th  6 other ranks (re-inforcements) joined the Brigade from the Base.

6th  2nd Lieut DA Gardner RFA B/277 Battery, promoted Lieutenant with precedence from 1/1/16  vide London Gazette at 6/7/1917

7th  685028 BQMS Matthews C/277 battery. Awarded DCM for gallantry in the ''Field''

       2nd Lieut  RPE Roberts D/277 battery, 2nd Lieut JA Milne RFA D/277 battery + 2nd Lt W M Hill

       Awarded the Military Cross for gallantry in the Field on June 7th, June 4th and June 12th 1917    

       respectively.

8th  The 'Brigade' moved into the II Corps, Fifth Army, and attached the the 8th Divisional Artillery for    

       tactical purposes. Administered by II Corps RA.

       Location as follows:- (Sheet 28) Hd Qrs  G 22 b 3.9  'A' Battery G 17 d 8.4  'B” Battery G 17 d 1.6

       'C' Battery G 17 c 1.1   'D' Battery G 22 b 9.9  Bde Amm Col G 22 b 6.3

9th  Lieut W C McCauley RFA Rejoined the Brigade and posted to 'A' Battery

       

10th  BSM Hall posted to the Brigade from the 26th BAC and posted to C/277

11th  5 Reinforcements (other ranks)joined the Brigade from the Base

13th  2nd Lieut DA Harvey RFA (Adjutant),  promoted Lieutenant with precedence from 1/6/16 (vide

         London Gazette)

14th  2nd Lieut AJ Whelan joined the Brigade, on appointment to Commissioned Rank and attached to

         'C' Battery

16th  63427 Sgt Saunders JA  'A' Battery, awarded the 'Military Medal' for gallantry in the Field

14th  'A' and 'B' batteries ordered into action with “C”  Group 8th Divisional Artillery

         Gun positions: Sheet 28, I 16 a 11.40  'A' Battery,  I 15 b 44.40  'B' Battery

 

19th  2nd Lieut HJ Sketch RFA C/277 retained in England whilst on leave and struck off (Authority 

         AG D/4223)

20th  Capt (a Major) AH Bibby RFA 'A' Battery promoted Major with precedence from 1/6/16 (vide London Gazette)

20th 2nd Lieut J Lock RFA joined the Brigade on appointment to first commission and posted to 'A'  

        Battery

277th Army Brigade RFA  War Diary

RENINGHELST

July 1917

21st  Lieut WC McCauley RFA 'A' Battery. Awarded the 'Military Cross' for conspicuous gallantry in

         the field.

24th  2nd Lieut (/ Lieut) JH Hudson RFA 'D' Battery, promoted Lieut with precedence from 1/6/16

         (vide London Gazette)

24th  20 (other ranks) reinforcements joined from the Base (signallers)

27th  2nd Lieut AS Edge RFA 'B' Battery promoted Lieut with precedence from London Gazette (vide

         London Gazette)

2nd Sheet (dates as indicated – reason for the discontinuity not known)

7th  Lieut EV Pratt RFA 'C' Battery proceeded on leave to UK

        2nd Lieut RPE Roberts D/277 proceeded on leave to UK

11th 2nd Lieut HR Pratt BAC proceeded on leave to UK

         Capt CP Rimmer D/277 proceeded on leave to UK

13th Lieut DA Gardner RFA B/277 proceeded on leave to UK

17th  Lieut WC McCauley RFA A/277 proceeded on leave to UK

29th  Capt M Ravenscroft MC proceeded on leave to UK

31st Lieut Col JSCJ Cochrane DSO RFA carried out the duties of Senior Liaison Officer for the

        Artillery Group

        8th Divisional Artillery attacked the enemy in Railway Wood, 'A' and 'B' Batteries participated,

        be attached to 'C' Group 8th DA, 'C' and 'D' Batteries supplied 3 guns and 2 Hwrs respectively as

        'guns of opportunity' to forward and operate.  

        Capt CG Ashton RFA joined from the Base and attached to 'C' Battery

Casualties Personnel

24th 2nd Lieut GS Hodgkinson RFA 'A' Battery killed in action

        2nd Lieut  WG Pye RFA 'A' Battery killed in action

        Capt WS Durward MC 'A' Battery wounded in action

        12 other ranks killed in action during month

         35 other ranks wounded in action during month

Casualties Horses     15 horses killed by shell fire during month

August 1917          Reninghelst

1st  339321 Pte A Roberts (RAMC) A/277 awarded the Military Medal for Gallantry

2nd  'C' and 'D' Batteries relieved B/232 and D/232 in the line. Became 'B' Group under 25th   

         Divisional Artillery. Gun positions: 'C' Battery I 16 c 45.05,  'C' Battery I 16 c 9. 9

3rd  154766 Sgt DJ West, 'B' Battery. Awarded the Military Medal for gallantry in the field.

4th  Lieut JA Milne D/277 battery. To be Lieut with precedence  from 1/6/16 (vide London Gazette)

8th  Lieut JH Hudson D/277 Battery. Awarded the 'Military Cross' for gallantry in the field

        100393 Sgt TB Murray late D/277 Battery awarded DCM for gallantry in the field

        687129 Bdr HW Dixon D/277 Battery Awarded the Military Medal for gallantry in the field.

13th Lieut DA Harvey to be acting Captain whilst holding the appointment (with pay and allowance of   

        Lieutenant) with effect from 3/5/17

        Lieut WC McCauley A/277 Battery. To be Acting Captain, whilst second in command of 6 gun

        battery (A/277)

14th  Capt (a/Major) AW Gossage C/277. Awarded Military Cross for Gallantry in the Field

         Brigade transferred to 18th Div Artillery Group

17th  Guns of 281st Brigade RFA taken over by 277th Brigade

         Brigade came under orders of 8th Div Artillery for tactical purposes

18th  Major AH Bibby A/277 Battery assumed temporary command of the Brigade vice Lt Col JECJ

         Cochrane DSO granted 10 leave UK

21st  685110 Sgt H Smith and 685698 Sgt Harrison S of C/277 battery Awarded Military Medal for

         Gallantry in the Field

25th  The Brigade moved to NOORDPEENE en route to St MOMELIN AREA

26th  The Brigade moved from NOORDPEENE to St Momelin area and occupied billets in St

          Momelin

28th  Rations were supplied by 5th Corps Troops Supply Column

31st  Ammunition Park Section and Supply Column came under orders of 'O' Corps Ammunition Park  

         V Corps lorries moved to WATTEN

Casualties during month: Personnel

Officers: 2nd Lt AJ Whelan C/277 Gassed and admitted to hospital

O/R killed (GSW) 14;  killed (Gassed) 5

O/R wounded (GSW) 53;  wounded (Gassed) 18

Horses and Mules    Killied 22 LD and Mules by hostile fire

The RFA - what it was in WW1

18 pounder gun in action. courtesy of the Imperial War museum © IWM (Q 106737)

The Royal Field Artillery was a branch of the Royal Artillery during World War War 1. There were two other branches of the Artillery during The Great War, The Royal Horse Artillery, the so-called elite branch of the Artillery; and the Royal Garrison Artillery, which mainly used the larger guns and developed 'technical' Gunnery (qv). The heavy guns were crucial to the final victory, as they had longer range and carried larger shells which were needed to destroy enemy fortifications. The Royal Horse Artillery and the Royal Field Artillery were developed initially as battlefield units, operating at the front line, giving direct fire on the enemy lines, supporting infantry and cavalry attacks. Up to the First World War their mobility was considered to be one of their primary assets. Even in the Boer War, the ability to manoeuvre quickly was considered to be a primary tactical advantage. These ideas about how to conduct War were primarily based on the experience of the Army during the Napoleonic Wars. However, Field guns had two serious disadvantages, power and range, which were relatively low in both cases. In a static war such as WW1, which was largely fought in trenches, the ability to fire heavy shells long distances became a crucial factor. However, most of the warring parties had little idea that this was to be the nature of this war at the beginning, and were thus nearly all short on the so-called 'heavy guns', and the tactics needed to utilise them efficiently.

To illustrate the importance of the Artillery in bringing the War to victory for the Allies, the number of men serving in the Artillery grew from 93,000 in 1914 to 549,000 in 1918. In contrast, the Cavalry was reduced from a high of 132,000 in 1916 to 84,000 in 1918. These changes in personnel indicate that the command finally got to grips with the concept of modern industrialised warfare as the war progressed. The combined use of all the forces available (Infantry, Aircraft, Artillery,Tanks, Gas Poison and Cavalry) was finally adopted in 1918 and led to the so-called 'last hundred days' which finally achieved victory. The intelligent co-ordination of artillery with these other forces was crucial to that victory.(Information from: Learning curves and Opportunity curves on The Western Front by Mike Senior, from Stand To! No. 93, Western Front Association)
 

All members of the Royal Artillery are Gunners, from the highest ranking to the lowest. The rank of Gunner is assigned to the equivalent of Private in the Infantry, who is a member of a Gun crew; similarly,  Bombardier is equivalent to Corporal. A Driver sat astride the left  horse in a pair of horses within the team of six horses which pulled the gun. Therefore, there would be three Drivers per gun. All other ranks are similar to those of the Infantry, with a few additional trade specific ranks like Shoeing-smith, wheeler, and fitter. Officers needed to be clever rather than rich (as was the usual prerequisite for the more elite Regiments), as technical skills were required for accurate deployment of the guns; ability in Mathematics and Geography were valued more highly than social connections and skill on the hunting field (though these did help as well).

The Regiment was divided into Brigades, and were numbered to identify each functioning unit. At the beginning of the War each Brigade was attached to a Division (Henry's Brigade was the 277th Brigade of the 55th West Lancashire Division TF), but in 1917 the Royal Artillery was re-organised and many units became came under the command of a centralised Command structure. Brigades were divided into Batteries commanded by an officer (theoretically a Major, if one was available), each Battery having four, six or eight guns. There were normally (but not always) four batteries in each Brigade, three with 6 eighteen pounder guns and one  6 piece howitzer battery.

A Gun is the modern name for a cannon. It has a long barrel and is used for firing high-velocity shell. It's trajectory is relatively low. The eighteen pounder gun, common to most batteries, was designed to be a mobile offensive weapon, and thus it was transported between positions by being hooked up to the back of a Limber (shell carrying trailer), which was in turn, pulled by a team of six horses. Three of the horses of the team had a member of the crew on it's back, called a driver. They controlled the horse they were mounted on and the horse next to it.

A Howitzer is a short, large bore piece, tossing a heavy shell into a high curve. Most RFA batteries were equipped with a 4.5 inch Howitzer.

Remembrance Sunday

Today we remember all those who died in Wars. I think we should also remember all those who suffer injuries in wars; some so badly injured that they will never lead normal lives again. They and their families live with daily grief which does not lessen with time.

'At the going down of the sun, and in the morning,

We will remember them'

Laurence Binyon

The 277th Brigade RFA

The 277th Brigade RFA

Horses of an Artillery Brigade awaiting embarkation on a train. The whole of the army was dependent on horses for most of its transport needs. Each Field artillery gun was usually pulled by six horses.
Picture courtesy of the Imperial War Museum Collection Q3042

The 277th RFA started life as the 12th, 13th and 14th Lancashire Batteries and were originally attached to the 55th West Lancashire Division, Territorial Forces. These eventually were renamed the 277th Brigade in May 1916, after they rejoined the 55th West Lancashire Division (January 1916)

After the Boer War, the Government and Army realized that the small standing Army of the Empire was insufficient for modern needs, and in 1908 the Territorial Forces came into being, and trained and were equipped as the Regular Army. Though they were raised to serve on the home front only, at the outbreak of World War 1, many volunteered for service at the front. 

The 277th did not go into action immediately, and when they did go off to France in late 1915, the West Lancashire Batteries were attached to the 2nd Canadian Division who were still getting their artillery up to strength and a suitable level of competence. Before embarkation they exchanged their rather out-dated 15 pounder guns for the standard 18 pounders (qv).

The 277th saw action on the Somme in 1916, but were moved again in January of 1917 to become an Army Brigade under the more centralized command of the newly re-organised Royal Field Artillery. Logistically, this made sense, because moving vast numbers of horses, guns and men to different sectors of the front (traditionally following their parent Division), on a fairly regular basis, did not make much sense as it was a highly dangerous and frequently complicated exercise.

The Brigade saw action in all of the major battles from October 1915 to the Armistice in November 1918, including The Battles of the Somme, the latter Battles of Ypres (Including Passchendaele).

In order to clarify what happened and when, I am going to start a page attached to this Blog which gives a transcription of the official War Diaries, the originals of which are housed in the National Archives and the Royal Artillery Museum at Woolwich. As these were handwritten, there may be some items which are difficult to interpret. These will be indicated by (?) sign. I hope you find them interesting and useful.

The War Diary Page will be updated, regularly. I hope to be able to post commentaries on the diary to show how the action of the Brigade fitted into the way the War was unfolding, as it progresses.
In addition, I will be producing a page about men in the 277th Brigade, and some notes on various technical issues such as map references and technical terminology.

Prepared for war?

Though those in power were perfectly aware that Germany had been building it's military capabilities for some time, to my mind, Great Britain and it's Empire seemed remarkably unprepared for War in 1914. 
The exception to this lax attitude was the Navy - it had been built up in response to the huge fleet that the Germans had constructed. Indeed there had been a very public competition going on between Britain and Germany for several years before the War. The Kaiser wanted to have an Empire to rival Britain's, and presumably, that would necessitate ruling the waves too, which up till the end of the 19th century had been Britain's boast.

It's when you look at the Army and the fledgling Royal Flying Corps (then a part of the Army) that you realize that somewhere along the way, someone was not thinking ahead. It seems hard to believe now that Britain's vast Empire was kept in it's place by a relatively small Army. It managed to do this by setting up small Garrisons in its Colonies (manned largely by local recruits), which really acted as a local police force. 

When you consider the million plus conscript armies of both France and Germany, the ninety odd thousand of the British Army seems a bit inadequate, by comparison. The Kaiser even had the effrontery to call it 'A contemptible little Army' (hence the phrase The Old Contemptibles, a phrase adopted by the rump of the Regular Army, which survived the slaughter of those first few months of war). The politicians and army chiefs, of course, were perfectly aware of these numeric imbalances - presumably they believed that the quality of the British soldier was sufficient to address this deficit. They must have done so, because we had not only guaranteed Belgian neutrality in the early nineteenth century, but also given guarantees to the French about defending their ports, just prior to the declaration of War.

Royal Field Artillery Cap Badge

Not everyone had been quite so confident, of course. After the Boer Wars, some had pressed for a reserve home Army to be formed. This became the Territorial Army, which had been set up in 1908. Trained and equipped as the Regular Army, this part-time force was to become vital to Britain's war effort once the War started. Though Territorials were raised to be there to protect the country at home, on the outbreak of War, the Territorial Divisions all volunteered to serve abroad.

The 55th West Lancashire Division was a Territorial Division, of which the 277th Brigade RFA (Henry's Brigade) was a part. They had been on annual manoeuvres at the outbreak of war, and it's various parts started to prepare for active duty almost immediately.
To be continued

Remembering Henry

On August 4th, one hundred years ago, we declared war on an increasingly militant Germany, and the whole horror of the Great War was unleashed on an unsuspecting generation. Most families will have at least one member who served in the First World War; most will have somebody who was either killed, maimed or injured during it. To this day, the wounds of that particular conflict are still raw, and it's effects echo down the generations. For sheer brutality and stupidity, some would would say it has never been equaled. 

Henry Hunt

My Grandfather, Henry Hunt served as a Bombardier in the 277th Royal Field Artillery. He didn't do anything that tens of thousands of others didn't do - he was just an ordinary soldier, serving his country. My Dad knew very little about his father's war service. He was only six when Henry died of pneumonia and heart failure. His lungs and health had been permanently damaged by mustard gas at a place called 'Wipers'. Dad told me all this when I was about seven or eight. I remembered it because I thought Wipers was an odd name for a place - we now know it as Ypres. Looking into the records, I think he was probably gassed at the Third Battle of Ypres, better known as Passchendaele (q.v.)

But, for now, I'd just like to remember Henry's war service, and his short life. He has no other memorial anywhere else, but here on the Internet. 

I shall be posting here regularly over the next few years about the Great War, the Royal Field Artillery, the 277th Brigade, and what I personally feel about the war. These brave men should not be forgotten.