105th Siege Battery was a unit of Britain's
Royal Garrison Artillery
The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) ...
formed during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. It served on both the
Western Front, including the Battles of the
Somme,
Arras
Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...
and
Passchendaele, and the
Italian Front, where it participated in the repulse of the Austrian
Summer Offensive of 1918 and the crushing victory at
Vittorio Veneto
Vittorio Veneto is a city and ''comune'' situated in the Province of Treviso, in the region of Veneto, Italy, in the northeast of Italy, between the Piave and the Livenza rivers, borders with the following municipalities:
Alpago ( BL), Belluno ...
.
Mobilisation and training
105th Siege Battery was formed at
Fort Burgoyne
Fort Burgoyne, originally known as Castle Hill Fort, was built in the 1860s as one of the Palmerston forts around Dover in southeast England. It was built to a polygonal system with detached eastern and western redoubts, to guard the high ground ...
,
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
, on 13 January 1916 under Army Council Instruction 145 of 19 January 1916 with the establishment for a battery of towed
12-inch Mark II Vickers Howitzers.
Major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
C.E. Eady was in command. The battery was sent by rail to
Horsham
Horsham is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...
, and then to the artillery ranges at
Lydd
Lydd is a town and electoral ward in Kent, England, lying on Romney Marsh. It is one of the larger settlements on the marsh, and the most southerly town in Kent. Lydd reached the height of its prosperity during the 13th century, when it was a co ...
for training. Among the officers appointed to the battery was the artist and illustrator
E. H. Shepard, commissioned as a
Second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
.
[Frederick, pp. 702–4.][Shepard's summary, in Campbell, pp. 122–5.]
Western Front
On 18 April the unit was ordered to change to the establishment for a battery of 8-inch howitzers. The battery proceeded to France on 17 May under the command of
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
P.B. Simon. The men travelled with complete stores but without guns. On arrival they were sent to
Le Parcq near
Hesdin
Hesdin (; vls, Heusdin) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.
Geography
The N39, from Arras to Montreuil, used to be the main thoroughfare of the town. In the 1950s, a circular route was created to help traffic flo ...
where they were issued with four French
120 mm long guns, which were hated by the inexperienced gunners trained on howitzers.
['Allocation of Siege Batteries RGA', The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/5494/4.]
/ref>
The battery was under the command of XVII Corps' Heavy Artillery in Third Army and was assigned to 50th Heavy Artillery Group (HAG). After the officers and gun No 1s had undergone a short course on the unfamiliar 120mm, the battery first went into action on 10 June in front of Mont-Saint-Éloi
Mont-Saint-Éloi (; vls, Sint-Elooisberg) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.
Geography
Mont-Saint-Éloi is situated northwest of Arras, at the junction of the D341 and the D49 roads, on the ...
near Arras
Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...
, firing on enemy trenches at Vimy
Vimy ( or ; ; Dutch: ''Wimi'') is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Located east of Vimy is the Canadian National Vimy Memorial dedicated to the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the Canadian soldiers ...
, where there had recently been heavy fighting.['Allocation of HA Groups', TNA file WO 95/5494/1.]
/ref>[Becke, p. 92.] Captain Simon was invalided home on 29 June and Captain D'Arcy J. Richards, the battery captain, took over command as Acting Major.[
]
Somme
On 3 July the battery was transferred south to Fourth Army, which had just launched the Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...
. It joined 29th HAG the following day and spent 6 July digging in at Bronfay Farm, where the HAG's HQ was located. For the next 10 days it was firing on Owzentin, Trônes and Longueval
Longueval () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
Geography
Longueval is located northwest of Amiens on the D919 road, at the junction with the D8.
Longueval is found in the north-east of the départeme ...
during the Battle of Bazentin Ridge
The Battle of Bazentin Ridge was part of the Battle of the Somme on the Western Front in France, during the First World War. On 14 July, the British Fourth Army (General Henry Rawlinson) made a dawn attack against the German 2nd Army (Gen ...
and the Capture of Trônes Wood in support of XIII Corps.[Becke, pp. 102–4.][Becke, p. 211.][Campbell, pp. 63–4.] On 16 July the battery moved forward to Maricourt Orchard, but had to be withdrawn following heavy casualties from High explosive
An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An exp ...
(HE) and gas
Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma).
A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...
shells. Shortly afterwards the signals officer, 2nd Lt M.G. Herbert, and Corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...
Dell won the Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC i ...
(MC) and Distinguished Conduct Medal
The Distinguished Conduct Medal was a decoration established in 1854 by Queen Victoria for gallantry in the field by other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military decoration, ranki ...
(DCM) respectively for their bravery in tackling a fire among live hand grenades
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade ge ...
at Maricourt Chateau.[
On 23 July the battery moved to a fresh position behind 'Copse B' (Aromme Avenue), which had just been captured. Here it remained until September, although it was transferred to the command of 57th HAG on 14 August when ]XIV Corps 14 Corps, 14th Corps, Fourteenth Corps, or XIV Corps may refer to:
* XIV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* XIV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World ...
took over that section of the front during the fighting for Delville Wood
The Battle of Delville Wood was a series of engagements in the 1916 Battle of the Somme in the First World War, between the armies of the German Empire and the British Empire. Delville Wood , was a thick tangle of trees, chiefly beech and ...
.[Becke, p. 215.] The battery was relieved on 18 September and was issued with four modern British 6-inch howitzers. It moved up to positions near Guillemont
Guillemont () is a commune approximately east of Albert in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
It, like much of the surrounding area, is primarily an agricultural community, but is known for its large Commonwealth War ...
and joined 28th HAG, with which it saw out the fighting on the Somme until November, including bombardments of the German third line at Morval, Lesbœufs
Lesbœufs () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
Geography
Lesbœufs is situated on the D74 road, about from the A1 autoroute, some northeast of Amiens and north-east of Albert.
History
The village was ...
and Le Transloy
Le Transloy () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.
Geography
Le Transloy is situated south of Arras, at the junction of the N17 and the D19 roads.
Population
Places of interest
* The churc ...
.[
The battery moved forward to a position by Leuze Wood on 10 December and came under the direct command of Guards Division around ]Sailly-Saillisel
Sailly-Saillisel is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
Geography
The commune is situated some northeast of Amiens, on the N17 and D172 roads, close to the border with the Pas-de-Calais.
History
* Theatr ...
and St Pierre Vaast Wood. It stayed in this position through the winter. On 19 February 1917 A/Maj Richards won an MC for maintaining communications during a trench raid conducted by the neighbouring French troops.[
]
Arras
After the German retirement to the Hindenburg Line
The Hindenburg Line (German: , Siegfried Position) was a German defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to Laffaux, near Soissons on the Aisne. In 191 ...
(Operation Alberich
Operation Alberich (german: Unternehmen Alberich) was the code name of a German military operation in France during the First World War. Two salients had been formed during the Battle of the Somme in 1916 between Arras and Saint-Quentin a ...
), 105th Siege Bty was transferred to 73rd HAG in Third Army on 22 March in preparation for the forthcoming Arras Offensive.[ Right Section moved first, taking up position at Chat Maigre; Left Section joined a fortnight later. Despite the protection of the embankment of the Arras–]Bapaume
Bapaume (original Dutch name Batpalmen) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France.
The inhabitants of this commune are known as ''Bapalmois'' or ''Bapalmoises''.
Geography
Bapaume is a far ...
railway, the gun positions were very exposed and gun flashes from German-held Monchy-le-Preux
Monchy-le-Preux () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.
Geography
Monchy-le-Preux is situated southeast of Arras, at the junction of the D33 and the D339 roads. Junction 15 of the A1 autorout ...
were clearly visible. The battery had been carrying out daily bombardments on the Hindenburg Line in preparation for the attack when on 5 April a lorry delivering ammunition was hit by a German shell and left burning a few yards from No 4 gun. Major Richards called for volunteers and together with Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
R.J.H. Hambly kept the gun firing until the lorry blew up a few minutes later, causing a dump of 200 HE shells to explode. The gun detachment was knocked down and the gun put out of action. Despite being badly shaken, Richards continued to direct the fire of the rest of the battery until the bombardment task was completed. Major Richards was awarded a Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...
(DSO), Lt Hambly an MC, Cpls Wady and Evans DCMs, and Sergeant
Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
s Griffiths and Black Military Medal
The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. The award ...
s (MM).[
The Battle of Arras was launched on 9 April 1917 and the battery moved forward to ]Mercatel
Mercatel () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.
Geography
Mercatel is situated south of Arras, at the junction of the D34 and the N17 roads.
Population
Places of interest
* The church of S ...
later that day. On the morning of 23 April, while the fighting near Arras continued, the battery was heavily shelled and Maj Richards and a number of others were seriously wounded. 2nd Lieutenant Shepard found himself in temporary command on the battery position. That evening he went back into the front line at the battery's observation post (OP) under heavy shell and machine gun fire. He was awarded the MC and promoted to A/Captain for that night's work. Captain L.F. Garratt was posted in to command the battery on 5 May. The battery moved to Hénin-sur-Cojeul
Hénin-sur-Cojeul () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.
Geography
A farming village situated southeast of Arras, at the junction of the D33 and the D5 roads.
Population
Places of interest ...
on 9 May, and subsequently into the captured Hindenburg Support Line at Fontaine-lès-Croisilles
Fontaine-lès-Croisilles is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.
Geography
A farming village situated southeast of Arras, at the junction of the D9 and the C2 road.
Population
Places of interes ...
.[
105th Siege Bty remained with Third Army until the Arras offensive petered out in June, coming under the command of 46th HAG on 13 May, 39th HAG on 28 June and 59th HAG on 29 June. On 9 July it was transferred north to 67th HAG with First Army, arriving on 13 July. The sections were split between ]Cambrin
Cambrin () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.
Geography
A farming and light industrial village some east of Béthune and southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D166 and the N41 roads, by ...
and Vermelles
Vermelles () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.
Geography
Vermelles is situated southeast of Béthune and southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D39, D75 and D943 roads and by the banks ...
in the Lens
A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements''), ...
sector.[
On 4 September the battery collected two extra howitzers, and on 22 September it was joined by a section from the newly-arrived 440th Siege Bty, bringing its personnel up to the establishment numbers for a six-gun battery.][ The men were moved to St Pierre-Lens where they were engaged in digging gun-pits at St Pierre-Lens in October for an operation that was cancelled.][
]
Ypres
The battery moved to the Ypres Salient
The Ypres Salient around Ypres in Belgium was the scene of several battles and an extremely important part of the Western front during the First World War.
Ypres district
Ypres lies at the junction of the Ypres–Comines Canal and the Ieperlee. ...
on 29 October to join 6th HAG with VIII Corps 8th Corps, Eighth Corps, or VIII Corps may refer to:
* VIII Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars
* VIII Army Corps (German Confederation)
* VIII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Ar ...
. This was part of Second Army, which had taken over direction of the faltering Third Ypres Offensive and fought a series of successful battles employing massive weight of artillery.[Becke, pp. 84–5.] But as the offensive continued with the Battle of Poelcappelle and First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and Second Battles of Passchendaele, the tables were turned: British batteries were clearly observable from the Passchendaele Ridge and were subjected to counter-battery (CB) fire, while their own guns sank into the mud and became difficult to move and fire. 105th Siege Bty came into action near Zillebeke
Zillebeke (also known as Zellebeck) is a village in the Flemish province of West Flanders in Belgium. It is a former municipality which is now part of Ypres.
History
On 3 March 1914 the then municipality was granted the arms of the last Lords o ...
. On 9 November the camouflage netting of No 1 gun caught fire, which was extinguished under enemy fire by Sgt Walton (who was awarded the MM). The following day (the last day of the battle), while carrying out barrage fire, No 2 gun blew up, killing or wounding the whole detachment.[ Next day after the battery reverted to a four-gun establishment and on 12 November it joined 24th HAG.][
]
Italian Front
The battery was expecting some home leave after the Ypres Offensive, but following the disastrous Battle of Caporetto
The Battle of Caporetto (also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, the Battle of Kobarid or the Battle of Karfreit) was a battle on the Italian front of World War I.
The battle was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Central ...
on the Italian Front, Second Army HQ and several of its sub-formations were sent to reinforce the Italian Army. 24th HAG left with XIV Corps 14 Corps, 14th Corps, Fourteenth Corps, or XIV Corps may refer to:
* XIV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* XIV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World ...
on 17 November 1917, travelling via Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
and Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
, arriving at Verona
Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...
on 25 November. By 6 December its guns went into action on the Montello Hill, supporting the Italian army, which had been critically short of heavy artillery. The situation was stabilised by the end of the year, but XIV Corps and 24th HAG remained in Italy.[
Apart from some CB shoots, there was little activity through the winter months. In February 1918 the HAGs became permanent RGA brigades: 24th Bde consisted of one heavy battery ( 1/1st Warwickshire Bty) and three other 6-inch howitzer siege batteries ( 172nd, 229th and 247th) in addition to the 105th.][
]
Piave
At the end of March 1918, 105th Siege Bty moved to a position south of the Asiago
Asiago (; Venetian: ''Axiago'', Cimbrian: ''Slege'', German: ''Schlägen'' ) is a minor township (population roughly 6,500) in the surrounding plateau region (the ''Altopiano di Asiago'' or '' Altopiano dei Sette Comuni'', Asiago plateau) in ...
plateau supporting VIII Italian Corps. The gunsites were in wooded mountainous terrain and the guns had to be manhandled into position. They carried out trench bombardment while awaiting the next Austrian offensive (the Second Battle of the Piave River
The Second Battle of the Piave River, fought between 15 and 23 June 1918, was a decisive victory for the Italian Army against the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I. Though the battle proved to be a decisive blow to the Austro-Hungaria ...
). This finally came on 15 June. Despite some initial Austrian gains, 48th (South Midland) Division held its main positions. The battery was at Monte Torle and was heavily engaged all day. Gunner Stubbs was awarded the MM and Gnr Taylor the Italian Silver Medal of Military Valor
The Silver Medal of Military Valor ( it, Medaglia d'argento al valor militare) is an Italian medal for gallantry.
Italian medals for valor were first instituted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia on 21 May 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, ...
for keeping communications open during the day. The British heavy howitzers systematically destroyed the Austrian guns on the Asiago, notwithstanding poor visibility early on (Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
observation aircraft were able to direct the fire later) and the Austrian offensive failed all along the front.[
]
Vittorio Veneto
Preparations then began for the final battle on the Italian Front, the stunning success of the Battle of Vittorio Veneto
The Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought from 24 October to 3 November 1918 (with an armistice taking effect 24 hours later) near Vittorio Veneto on the Italian Front during World War I. After having thoroughly defeated Austro-Hungarian troop ...
. The British were relieved in the Asiago sector and moved to join the British-commanded Tenth Italian Army near Treviso
Treviso ( , ; vec, Trevixo) is a city and ''comune'' in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 84,669 inhabitants (as of September 2017). Some 3,000 live within the Veneti ...
. 24th HAG supported a number of British and French raids during September and October, then on 23 October the preliminary attacks began, supported by 24th HAG's howitzers. The main British assault crossed the River Piave on 27 October, with the heavy guns engaging all known Austrian gun positions and providing a protective barrage on either flank. A bridge was ready by 29 October and the heavy guns crossed the river. By 1 November the Austrian army had collapsed and the pursuing British troops had left their heavy guns far in the rear. Austrian signed the Armistice of Villa Giusti
The Armistice of Villa Giusti or Padua ended warfare between Italy and Austria-Hungary on the Italian Front during World War I. The armistice was signed on 3 November 1918 in the Villa Giusti, outside Padua in the Veneto, Northern Italy, a ...
on 3 November, ending the war in Italy.[
After the Armistice, 24th HAG was involved in securing prisoners. Shepard was promoted to Major in command of the battery, and given the duty of administering captured enemy guns. ]Demobilisation
Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and militar ...
of the batteries in Italy began at Christmas 1918 and by March 105th Siege Bty was down to cadre strength. It handed in its guns and proceeded to Le Havre
Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...
, where was disbanded on 30 March 1919.[Campbell, pp. 106–19.]
Footnotes
Notes
References
* Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 4: The Army Council, GHQs, Armies, and Corps 1914–1918'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1944/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, .
* James Campbell, ''Shepard's War: E.H. Shepard, The Man who Drew Winnie-the-Pooh'', London: LOM Art, 2015, .
* Brig-Gen Sir James E. Edmonds, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium, 1916'', Vol I, London: Macmillan,1932/Woking: Shearer, 1986, .
* Cyril Falls
Cyril Bentham Falls CBE (2 March 1888 – 23 April 1971) was a 20th Century British military historian, journalist, and academic, noted for his works on the First World War.
Early life
Falls was born in Dublin, Ireland, on 2 March 1888, the eld ...
, ''Caporetto 1917'', London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1966.
* Gen Sir Martin Farndale
General Sir Martin Baker Farndale, (6 January 1929 – 10 May 2000) was a British Army officer who reached high office in the 1980s.
Military career
Educated at Yorebridge Grammar School, Askrigg, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Farnda ...
, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Western Front 1914–18'', Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1986, .
* Gen Sir Martin Farndale, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Forgotten Fronts and the Home Base 1914–18'', Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988, .
* J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol II, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, .
* ''Purnell's History of the Second World War'', London: Purnell, 1969–71.
* Mark Thompson, ''The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front 1915–1919'', London: Faber & Faber, 2008, {{ISBN, 978-0-571-22333-6.
* War Office, ''Army Council Instructions Issued During January 1916'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1916.
* Leon Wolff, ''In Flanders Fields: The 1917 Campaign'', London: Longmans, 1959/Corgi, 1966.
Siege batteries of the Royal Garrison Artillery
Military units and formations established in 1916
Military units and formations disestablished in 1919