Weaponry Used In The Great War 1914-18
The Royal Horse Artillery
- The Royal Horse Artillery(RHA) was responsible for
light, mobile guns that provided firepower in support of the cavalry. It
was the senior arm of the artillery, but the one that developed and grew
least. In 1914 the establishment was one battery to each Brigade of
Cavalry. A battery had six 13-pounder field guns and included 5 officers
and 200 men. Motive power was supplied by the battery's 228 horses. The
original British Expeditionary Force included only one Division of
Cavalry of 4 Brigades, and thus it had four batteries RHA, which were
organised into two Brigades.
RHA units of the regular army
As with all elements of the regular army, these units were after being mobilised in August 1914 manned by a mixture of serving regulars, army and Special reservists. From around October 1914 they began to be supplemented by wartime recruits and by the war's end the majority of the complement of most regular units were not career soldiers. The regular Brigades were generally under command of the Cavalry or Indian Cavalry Divisions, but a shortage of field artillery by late 1914 meant that some were at first joined to the newly-formed 7th, 8th and 29th Infantry Divisions.
The British 18 pounder Mark II field gun was one of Britain's mainstay artillery guns in World War One. The 18 pounder would have been a frequent sight to many British soldiers in World War One.
Facts:
**The 18 pounder was first produced in 1904.
**In August 1914, the British Army had 1,226 of them
**Such was it reliability, that by the end of the war, the army had 9,424 in service
**The 18 pounder could fire shells of high explosives of between 4.6 kg and 8.4 kg.
**Each gun weighed 1,279 kg
**The 18 pounder had a range of 5,966 meters
18 Pounder Horse Artillery Crew
18 Pounder Horse Artillery Crew
Brigade HQ
The Brigade was usually commanded by an officer with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. Brigade HQ also had two other officers : a Captain or Lieutenant filled the role of Adjutant (in charge of administration); similarly a Captain or Lieutenant was the Orderly Officer (responsible for stores and transport); an officer of the Royal Army Medical Corps was attached, as was an officer of the Veterinary Corps.
Brigade HQ also included a Sergeant-Major plus two Corporals, two Bombardiers, nine Drivers, 7 Gunners, a Clerk, and aTrumpeter. These filled roles as signallers, telephonsists and assisted with range-taking duties. A Corporal and 3 privates of the Royal Army Medical Corps were attached for water duties; 8 Gunners acted as Officers Batmen (personal servants), and 2 as Orderlies for the Medical Officer. The Brigade HQ was in command of 3 Batteries and an Ammunition Column.
Batteries
Usually lettered A to D, each of the Batteries numbered 198 heads at full establishment. Each was commanded by a Major or Captain, with a Captain as Second-in-Command, and 3 Lieutenants or Second-Lieutenants in charge of 2-gun sections. Battery establishment also included a Battery Sergeant-Major , a Battery Quartermaster Sergeant , a Farrier-Sergeant, 4 Shoeing Smiths (of which 1 would be a Corporal), 2 Saddlers, 2 Wheelers, 2 Trumpeters, 7 Sergeants, 7 Corporals, 11 Bombardiers, 75 Gunners, 70 Drivers and 10 Gunners acting as Batmen.
Brigade arms and equipment
At the outbreak of war, field gun batteries of the regular army had 6 guns, and those of the Territorial Force 4 guns. The standard weapons, which did not alter during the war other than by technical improvements, were the 18-lbr field gun, and the 4.5-inch howitzer.
Royal Horse Artillery Moving Guns
Royal Horse Artillery
Royal Horse Artillery