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62nd Siege Battery was a heavy
howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...
unit of Britain's Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) formed in Kent during World War I. It saw active service on the
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...
at the
Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...
and on the Ancre, at
Bullecourt Bullecourt () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region in France. Geography Bullecourt lies on the Upper Cretaceous plain of Artois between Arras and Bapaume and east of the A1 motorway. Thisatellite photographs ...
,
Messines Messines may refer to: * Mesen (in French: Messines), a village in Belgium ** Battle of Messines (disambiguation), World War I battles * Messines, Quebec, a municipality in Canada * Messines, a village in Portugal * Messines, Queensland, a sett ...
and Passchendaele. The battery was overrun and lost its guns during the German Spring Offensive, but was re-equipped and took part in the final
Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allies of World War I, Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (1918), Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Wester ...
.


Mobilisation

On the outbreak of war in August 1914, units of the part-time Territorial Force (TF) were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service and the majority of the
Kent Royal Garrison Artillery Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces t ...
did so. Nos 1 and 2 Companies of this 'defended ports unit' were stationed in the
Sheerness Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...
defences on the
River Medway The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald AONB, High Weald, East Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a to ...
. By October 1914, the campaign on the
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...
was bogging down into Trench warfare and there was an urgent need for batteries of siege artillery to be sent to France. The War Office decided that the TF coastal gunners were well enough trained to take over many of the duties in the coastal defences, releasing Regular Army RGA gunners for service in the field. Although the TF defended ports units never served overseas, the TF RGA companies that had volunteered for overseas service were soon supplying trained gunners to RGA units serving overseas and providing cadres to form complete units with 'New Army' (
Kitchener's Army The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army or, disparagingly, as Kitchener's Mob, was an (initially) all-volunteer portion of the British Army formed in the United Kingdom from 1914 onwards following the outbreak of hostilities in the Fi ...
) volunteers. 62nd Siege Battery, RGA, was formed at Sheerness on 21 September 1915 with a cadre of Territorials drawn from the Kent RGA.Frederick, pp. 702–6. Together with 61st Siege Bty it formed 'R' Siege Brigade on 18 October.Frederick, pp. 715–8. 643 Company, Army Service Corps (ASC), formed 25 January 1916, was attached to 62nd Siege Bty to provide its motor transport.Young, Annex Q. The battery was equipped with four 9.2-inch howitzers and was sent to the Western Front, arriving on 9 March 1916.'Allocation of Siege Batteries RGA'
The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/5494/4.


Service

After disembarking its guns at
Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...
, the battery went by road to join 19th Heavy Artillery Group (HAG) with Third Army on the
Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...
and went into billets at
Authieule Authieule (; Picard: ''Eutieule'') is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. See also *Communes of the Somme department The following is a list of the 772 communes of the Somme department of France. The c ...
on 15 March. Three days later, Right Section moved its first gun into position at St Amand near Pommier. By 20 March Right Section had positioned both guns, and Left Section was preparing its positions nearby at Monchiet. Right Section fired its first nine shells on 22 March to test its mountings and direction. By the end of the month all four guns were emplaced, but the front was quiet and the battery had little to do apart from registering its guns on various enemy trenches.'Headquarters Heavy Artillery Groups', TNA file WO 95/5494/1.
/ref>19th HAG War Diary May 1915–May 1916, TNA file WO 95/217/1.
/ref> The ASC company was absorbed into the brigade's ammunition column on 25 April. The battery was reassigned to VII Corps Heavy Artillery on 11 May. When 96th Siege Bty arrived from the UK it took over 62nd Siege Bty's 9.2-inch howitzers in their emplacements on 25 May. The battery's personnel then joined X Corps with Fourth Army on 8 June


Somme

X Corps was preparing for that summer's 'Big Push' (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 ...
). Its task would be to advance astride the River Ancre to capture the high ground in front. The corps heavy artillery's 'Northern Group', to which 62nd Siege Bty was attached, would support the attack of
36th (Ulster) Division The 36th (Ulster) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of Lord Kitchener's New Army, formed in September 1914. Originally called the ''Ulster Division'', it was made up of mainly members of the Ulster Volunteer Force, wh ...
up the Ancre valley and against the Schwaben Redoubt on the edge of the Thiepval plateau.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 99–109.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 193–7. The bombardment programme was to extend over five days, U, V, W, X and Y, before the assault was launched on Z day. The strenuous work of firing the heavy guns and howitzers was divided into 2-hour periods to allow the gunners to rest, Forward Observation Officers (FOOs) to be relieved, and the guns to cool. The bombardment began on 24 June, but on several days the weather was too bad for good air or ground observation and the programme was extended by two days (Y1 and Y2). At 06.25 on Z Day (1 July) the final bombardment began. When the infantry launched their assault at 07.30, 36th (Ulster) Division captured most of the German front and support positions without difficulty, and had advanced nearly a mile onto the ridge in the first hour, including the front part of the Schwaben Redoubt. However, St Pierre Divion had been hardly touched by the bombardment and machine guns in the village fired into the flank of the brigade trying to advance up the valley. The corps artillery plan was also too rigid: the heavy guns 'lifted' at set times from one objective to the next, and got away from some of the infantry, who received no benefit from their fire, while it hindered the successful Ulster brigade, which was ready to assault the German second line by 10.00 and had to wait under heavy fire until 10.10 for the barrage to cease. This allowed German reinforcements to arrive just in time. The division spent the rest of the day on the open plateau under heavy fire, with no support on its flanks and unable to get reinforcements or ammunition forward. German counter-attacks forced the abandonment of the redoubt that night. Over the next two days the gunners helped to collect the thousands of wounded left after the failed assault. X Corps continued fighting on the Somme through July, now under the command of
Reserve Army A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve f ...
, including the battles for Bazentin Ridge,
Ovillers Ovillers-la-Boisselle is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The commune of Ovillers-la-Boisselle is situated northeast of Amiens and extends to the north and south of the D 929 Albert–Bapaume ...
and Pozières Ridge. It then handed over to
II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...
, which took over the fighting for Pozières Ridge and then participated in the battles of Flers–Courcelette, Thiepval Ridge, and the
Ancre Heights The Ancre (; ) is a river of Picardy, France. Rising at Miraumont, a hamlet near the town of Albert, it flows into the Somme at Corbie. It is long. For most of its length it flows through the department of Somme. For a short stretch near Pui ...
(when the Schwaben Redoubt was finally captured), and lastly the Battle of the Ancre, which closed the Somme Offensive in November.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 137–43.


Winter 1916–17

62nd Siege Bty was still with Reserve Army (now renamed Fifth Army when 10th HAG took it over on 16 December. By this stage its two sections were widely separated, one still in the Ancre valley at the north east corner of Aveluy Wood (near group HQ at Bouzincourt), the other near Martinpuich, several kilometres to the east. Under 10th HAG the batteries continued harassing fire (HF) tasks against German positions – often against South
Miraumont Miraumont () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Current agricultural products include grains, potatoes, and beets. Geography Miraumont is situated on the D107 and D50 crossroads, some northeast of Ami ...
Trench for 62nd Siege Bty.10th HAG War Diary 1916, TNA file WO 95/300/2.
/ref>10th HAG War Diary 1917, TNA file WO 95/300/3.
/ref> Fifth Army renewed its operations on the Ancre in January 1917. On 9 and 10 January 10th HAG's fire swelled to a heavy bombardment in preparation for an attack by XIII Corps and by
11th (Northern) Division The 11th (Northern) Division, was an infantry division of the British Army during the First World War, raised from men who had volunteered for Lord Kitchener's New Armies. The division fought in the Gallipoli Campaign and on the Western Fron ...
of IV Corps. It supported another attack by 11th (N) Division on 17 January, where the heavy artillery suppressed most of the resistance before the infantry arrived. There was now a round of reliefs, II Corps taking over from IV Corps, but the operations continued, with 62nd Siege Bty still firing on South Miraumont Trench until the end of the month, when the whole of 10th HAG concentrated on Boom Ravine, Miraumont Brickworks and the trenches of the Puisieux blocking system. 62nd Siege Bty transferred to 40th HAG on 2 February 1917 when that HQ moved into Bouzincourt and changed over with 10th HAG, but the firing remained the same, with 62nd concentrating on South Miraumont Trench. 63rd (Royal Naval) Division attacked the almost-obliterated Puisieux Trench on 3 February and held it against several counter-attacks, which were broken up with the aid of artillery fire. The group continued pounding the Miraumont and Grandcourt trenches as the infantry pushed forward in minor operations, capturing one commanding point after another. The largest of these were the Actions of Miraumont, carried out by II Corps on 17–18 February with the aim of giving Fifth Army ground observation of the enemy battery positions. At Zero hour Fifth Army's siege groups including 40th HAG were to bombard the enemy's rear lines, machine gun emplacements ''etc'', but surprise had been lost and the Germans opened their own bombardment 45 minutes before Zero. Nevertheless,
18th (Eastern) Division The 18th (Eastern) Division was an infantry division of the British Army formed in September 1914 during the First World War as part of the K2 Army Group, part of Lord Kitchener's New Armies. From its creation the division trained in England u ...
forced its way into Boom Ravine, but 2nd Division was pushed back out of South Miraumont Trench. The main objective, Hill 130, remained uncaptured and casualties had been heavy. 62nd Siege Bty returned to shelling South Miraumont and Gudgeon trenches. It brought at third gun up to Martinpuich on 3 March and its fourth to
Courcelette Courcelette () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Courcelette is situated on the D929 and D107 crossroads, some northeast of Amiens. History Courcelette was a major tactical objective in the ...
on the night of 9/10 March, where it was later joined by one from Martinpuich. 2nd and 18th (E) Divisions made another attack on 10 March and took Irles and the nearby Grevillers Trench with the support of 40th HAG. Operations on the Ancre came to an end on 13 March 1917 when the Germans began retreating to the Hindenburg Line. This planned withdrawal ( Operation Alberich) had been brought forward by two weeks in this sector because of the British success at Irles. By 18 March they were out of range of all of 40th HAG's guns.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 153–60.40th HAG War Diary, January 1917–July 1919, TNA file WO 95/223/1.
/ref>


Bullecourt

Following the Germans caused huge problems for the artillery, which had to be dragged across the recent battlefields, and then the devastation caused by the retreating enemy. At the end of March 40th HAG moved north with V Corps where Fifth Army was to assist Third Army's Arras Offensive by attacking the end of the Hindenburg Line at
Bullecourt Bullecourt () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region in France. Geography Bullecourt lies on the Upper Cretaceous plain of Artois between Arras and Bapaume and east of the A1 motorway. Thisatellite photographs ...
, supported by every available heavy gun. The first heavy guns to arrive had to be used for wire-cutting because the field guns were initially kept out of range by German outposts. It does not appear that 62nd Siege Bty was able to join in until 21–22 April, after the First attack on Bullecourt, when it targeted a German anti-tank battery. On 23 April 40th HAG carried out vigorous
Counter-battery Counter-battery fire (sometimes called counter-fire) is a battlefield tactic employed to defeat the enemy's indirect fire elements (multiple rocket launchers, artillery and mortars), including their target acquisition, as well as their command a ...
(CB) fire to support an attack by the neighbouring VII Corps (part of Third Army's
Second Battle of the Scarpe The Battle of Arras (also known as the Second Battle of Arras) was a British offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British troops attacked German defences near the French city of Arras on the We ...
) with 62nd Siege Bty also firing into Fontaine-lès-Croisilles. The attack was a partial success. Over the next two days 62nd Siege Bty fired on a German strongpoint with the assistance of an observation aircraft, gaining several direct hits, and also participated in 'crash' barrages on hostile batteries. Thorough artillery preparation was undertaken for the renewed Battle of Bullecourt on 3 May. Roads had been improved, there was plentiful ammunition, and the CB fire was effective. But on V Corps' front 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division could not hold on to Bullecourt village, even with a protective barrage fired by the heavy guns. A fresh attack that evening by 7th Division was also driven back. The guns continued firing while further attempts were made over the next two weeks to take the village. It was finally evacuated by the Germans on 17 May. That night 62nd Siege Bty pulled out of its positions and began to move north to join Second Army in the Ypres Salient.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 111–120.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 161–7.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 175–8.


Messines

From 18 May 62nd Siege Bty was attached to 51st HAG with IX Corps at Loker. It arrived on 20 May and went into billets at Little Kemmel. Next day it lost three men killed and three other wounded when their billets were shelled. Second Army was preparing for the
Battle of Messines Battle of Messines may refer to: *Battle of Messines (1914) *Battle of Messines (1917) The Battle of Messines (7–14 June 1917) was an attack by the British Second Army (General Sir Herbert Plumer), on the Western Front, near the village of ...
with a huge artillery concentration. 51st HAG acted as a bombardment group, firing practice barrages across IX Corps' front from 1 June, and shelling the villages of
Messines Messines may refer to: * Mesen (in French: Messines), a village in Belgium ** Battle of Messines (disambiguation), World War I battles * Messines, Quebec, a municipality in Canada * Messines, a village in Portugal * Messines, Queensland, a sett ...
and Wytschaete and their neighbouring woods and strongpoints with observation by Kite balloons. 62nd Siege Bty suffered a few casualties from incoming fire. On Y Day (6 June) the tired gunners of 62nd Siege Bty were reinforced by half the men of the newly-arrived 312th Siege Bty to keep the guns firing. After this preparation the attack on 7 June was no surprise to the Germans; the shock element was provided by the explosion of 19 huge mines under their defences at 03.10. Simultaneously all the British guns began on their tasks, which for 51st HAG's batteries included adding their weight to the CB groups. There was little response by the German guns and IX Corps' infantry ( 16th (Irish), 19th (Western) and 36th (Ulster) Divisions) swept over the ridge past the Spanbroekmolen crater and captured the strongpoint of Wytschaete with ease. Artillery fire then broke up the German counter-attacks in the early afternoon. Second Army then pressed forward to take most of the German reserve trenches (the Oosttaverne Line) on the reverse slope of the ridge before nightfall.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 79–87.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 185–91.51st HAG War Diary August 1916–March 1919, TNA file WO 95/473/3.
/ref>


Ypres

After Messines the heavy artillery was reorganised for the forthcoming Third Ypres Offensive, with 62nd Siege Bty coming under the newly arrived 93rd HAG on 16 June. 93rd HAG transferred from IX Corps to XIV Corps with Fifth Army for the new operations. XIV Corps' heavy guns were positioned between Elverdinge and Woesten, north of Ypres. The artillery duel had already begun on 12 June, and intensified as batteries were moved into position. The British batteries were badly exposed and the Germans had excellent observation posts (OPs) on the higher ground surrounding the salient. Both sides suffered heavily in the exchanges of CB fire. The heaviest artillery preparation began on 16 July. After delays caused by poor visibility, the offensive opened with the Battle of Pilckem Ridge on 31 July. On the northern flank of the attack, XIV Corps' attack was successful, despite heavy casualties, with Guards and
38th (Welsh) Division The 38th (Welsh) Division (initially the 43rd Division, later the 38th (Welsh) Infantry Division and then the 38th Infantry (Reserve) Division) of the British Army was active during both the First and Second World Wars. In 1914, the division w ...
s advancing from their positions along the Yser Canal, pushing through Pilckem to their third objective and taking up a line along the Steenbeek stream. However, the attacks further south had been less successful, and during the afternoon heavy rain set in, flooding the Steenbeek.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 215–20. Resumption of the offensive on XIV Corps' front was delayed until 16 August (the Battle of Langemarck), when the infantry ( 20th (Light) and 29th Divisions) pushed out of the Steenbeek Valley to capture Langemarck itself. This, however, was an isolated success on an otherwise unsuccessful day. Next day 62nd Siege Bty came under the command of 23rd HAG, also with XIV Corps. The battery set up a joint OP with 41st Siege Bty and on 19 August the bombardment was renewed. Plans to move 62nd Siege Bty's howitzers up to the canal were shelved, to allow a CB battery to occupy the position. The batteries fired on 26–28 August in support of operations by the neighbouring corps, but almost no ground was gained. After the failures so far, Second Army took up the main direction of the offensive, and operations were paused for reorganisation. Meanwhile the guns continued firing on either side, taking a daily toll of casualties: on 4 September 62nd Siege Bty's commander, Maj W.H. Green, was slightly wounded but remained on duty. On the night of 11/12 September the whole of 23rd HAG was shelled with high explosive (HE) and gas.23rd HAG War Diary, November 1915; September 1916–September 1917, TNA file WO 95/469/2.
/ref> The offensive was renewed on 20 September with the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge. The new tactics emphasised stepwise attacks, allowing time for the heavy artillery to carry out CB tasks and to destroy concrete emplacements. 23rd HAG began a 'hurricane' bombardment on 19 September and continued until 08.40 next day, by which time XIV Corps' right-hand division (20th (Light)) had carried out its limited operation. The guns then fired a protective barrage as the infantry consolidated their gains. 23rd HAG then began bombarding concrete
dugouts Dugout may refer to: * Dugout (shelter), an underground shelter * Dugout (boat), a logboat * Dugout (smoking), a marijuana container Sports * In bat-and-ball sports, a dugout is one of two areas where players of the home or opposing teams sit whe ...
and strongpoints along the Broehmbeek to prepare for the next advance. 62nd Siege Bty got its first gun up to Boesinghe on the canal bank on 23 September, and a second next day. XIV Corps played a minor role in the next advance (the Battle of Polygon Wood, 26 September), with 23rd HAG firing a protective barrage across the divisional front. On 1 October 62nd Siege Bty was heavily shelled by German 5.9-inch howitzers for six hours: one gun was hit and its carriage damaged, some ammunition was set alight, and the fire spread to the ruins of Boesinghe, destroying several pairs of transport wheels; one gunner was killed. The Battle of Broodseinde on 4 October saw XIV Corps gain its limited objectives with very little opposition. Next day 62nd Siege Bty moved one of its howitzers across the Yser Canal, and a second two days later, but any movement of the heavy howitzers over the mud and shell-holes was extremely difficult and the ammunition lorries could not leave the road. The
Battle of Poelcappelle The Battle of Poelcappelle was fought in Flanders, Belgium, on 9 October 1917 by the British Second Army and Fifth Army against the German 4th Army, during the First World War. The battle marked the end of the string of highly successful Briti ...
on 9 October went well for XIV Corps, but the worsening conditions led to failure further south. By the time the attack was renewed on 12 October (the First Battle of Passchendaele) guns and ammunition were sinking in the mud, bombardments were thin and inaccurate, and CB fire had almost ceased, while the gunners continued to suffer casualties from enemy HE and gas. New forward positions selected for 62nd Siege Bty behind Abri Wood had to be cancelled on 17 October because the engineers could not lay a
Decauville Railway Decauville () was a manufacturing company which was founded by Paul Decauville (1846–1922), a French pioneer in industrial railways. Decauville's major innovation was the use of ready-made sections of light, narrow gauge track fastened to steel ...
to bring up ammunition. The battery struggled to get forward a section at a time – the
caterpillar tractors Continuous track is a system of vehicle propulsion used in tracked vehicles, running on a continuous band of treads or track plates driven by two or more wheels. The large surface area of the tracks distributes the weight of the vehicle b ...
became bogged – but orders arrived on 19 October to fire from whatever temporary positions they had reached. XIV Corps attacked in Houthulst Forest on 22 October with poor results. 23rd HAG was ordered to lay on a 48-hour bombardment for the next attack (the Second Battle of Passchendaele) on 26 October, but the infantry struggling through the mud failed to take their objectives.23rd HAG War Diary, October 1917–May 1918, TNA file WO 95/469/3.
/ref>


Winter 1917–18

Although the Battle of Passchendaele continued into November, 62nd Siege Bty took no further part. XIV Corps HQ was transferred to the Italian Front on 29 October, and 23rd HAG fell silent while the new headquarters took over. On 2 November the gunners of 175th Siege Bty arrived and relieved 62nd Siege Bty, taking over the howitzers where they were. The exhausted gunners went to a rest camp. During September 62nd Siege Bty had lost two officers and 14 other ranks (ORs) killed and wounded from a strength of 10 officers and 155 ORs, and in October another officer and 27 ORs. The battery then joined 42nd HAG on 12 November, transferring to 45th HAG on 20 December (joining it on 24 December). By now HAG allocations were becoming more fixed, and during December 1917 they were converted into permanent RGA brigades. For the rest of the war the battery was the heaviest element in 45th (9.2-inch Howitzer) Brigade, RGA, along with three
6-inch howitzer A 6-inch howitzer is a howitzer with a 6-inch bore Bore or Bores often refer to: *Boredom * Drill Relating to holes * Boring (manufacturing), a machining process that enlarges a hole ** Bore (engine), the diameter of a cylinder in a piston engine ...
batteries. 45th Brigade was located at Nouveau Monde Chateau, near Estaires, under First Army.Farndale, Annex M.45th Bde War Diary January 1917–December 1918, TNA file WO 95/224/2.
/ref>


German Spring Offensive

It was the end of January before 62nd Siege Bty got its last gun into position. There was little activity, apart from improving gun positions, firing a few registration shots, and occasionally supporting a trench raid. Enemy batteries became much more active in March and both sides engaged in CB fire, but the German Spring Offensive was directed further south, and First Army was hardly affected. However, when the second phase of the offensive (the Battle of the Lys) opened on 9 April it primarily hit First Army. It began at 04.15 with a violent bombardment of the British trenches and battery positions, and most communications were cut, although the line to 62nd Siege Bty lasted some time and it was used to pass orders along to nearby 32nd Siege Bty as the guns responded to SOS calls from the infantry. However, taking advantage of the morning mist, the Germans had overrun the 2nd Portuguese Division on XI Corps' front and were approaching the gun lines. At 62nd Siege Bty's advanced position one gun was out of action with parts in the workshop, but the other was kept firing until about 11.00, when the gunners manned their Lewis guns and buried the breechblock of their howitzer to prevent it falling into enemy hands. The two rearward guns survived in action until about 17.00 when their detachments removed the breechblocks and retired. The Germans crossed the River Lys near Estaires next day, and
Armentières Armentières (; vls, Armentiers) is a commune in the Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. The motto of the town is ''Pauvre mais fière'' (Poor but proud). Geogra ...
had to be evacuated, but by now reinforcements were arriving to shore up the line. The Battle of Estaires died down after 11 April and the Germans switched their attacks elsewhere.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 71–8. There was a period of stalemate in the Estaires sector. While the 6-inch batteries of 45th Bde conducted a CB duel with German guns over the following weeks, 62nd Siege Bty without guns remained out of action. Officers acted as brigade liaison officers to other units and formations, and some of the gunners were billeted with 208th Siege Bty, suffering a number of casualties on 30 April when the battery command post was badly shelled. 62nd Siege Bty was re-equipped and back in action by mid-May, the fourth gun coming up on 20 May. CB and HF shoots continued until the end of June. The German offensive having run its course, the BEF began small-scale offensive operations of its own. On the night of 26/27 June 62nd Siege Bty provided CB fire in support of a successful attack on Ankle Farm by 13th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment. Then on 28 June it supported XI Corps in Operation Borderland, a limited counter-attack on La Becque and other fortified farms in front of the Forêt de Nieppe, in what was described as 'a model operation' for artillery cooperation. The battery fired 376 CB rounds and also engaged several fleeting targets. After enemy CB fire came close to 32nd Siege Bty's positions during the night of 29/30 June, a retaliatory concentration was fired by every gun of the corps heavy artillery, with 62nd Siege Bty putting 30 rounds into the village of
Merris Merris () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is about west-northwest of Armentières, and about north of Béthune. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of th ...
, an HF task that it repeated over following days. On 1 July the camouflage netting over one of the battery's gun-pits caught fire, but 'gallant behaviour' by the gunners prevented it spreading to the cartridges and stores. The infantry put up an SOS on the evening of 4 July and 45th Bde fired for 25 minutes: the German attack was repulsed with heavy casualties. By now 45th Bde came under XV Corps of Second Army. During July Second Army advanced its line slightly in a series of minor operations (including the capture of Merris) and by 21 July 62nd Siege Bty was preparing to moved forward.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 223–8.


Hundred Days Offensive

The Allies launched their
Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allies of World War I, Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (1918), Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Wester ...
on 8 August and Second Army joined in on 18 August. For several days 62nd Siege Bty had been putting 50 rounds a day into Outtersteene, then on the day of the attack it carried out bombardments, answered SOS calls and harassed German counter-attack troops moving up. At the end of the day the Outtersteene Ridge was in British hands, and 62nd Siege Bty moved one of its guns up to a forward position, two more the following night. The remaining objectives were cleared up on 19 August and as a result of the Outtersteene operation the Germans began to withdraw from their most threatened positions across a wide front. XV Corps felt its way forward, the guns firing a few concentrations, and by 30 August the patrols had lost contact with the enemy. While 45th Bde advanced with the lighter 6-inch howitzers, the 9.2s of 62nd Siege Bty were left behind and the gunners rested. By 14 September it had moved further north and was temporarily attached to 1st Bde under XV Corps. It initially had two guns in action in the exchanges of CB fire on that front. On 18 September 31st Division carried out an operation to capture Soyer Farm, for which the howitzers provided a barrage, and then harassed the heavy traffic on the roads in the enemy's rear areas. 62nd Siege Bty pulled its other two guns up into position on 20 September, but enemy activity was slackening as they fell back towards the Hindenburg Line. 1st Brigade had 62nd Siege Bty's 9.2s pounding the Germans' temporary bridges over the Lys, and all the batteries began choosing forward positions in case of a general advance.1st Bde War Diary July–December 1918, TNA file WO 95/209/4.
/ref> The Allies now planned a coordinated series of attacks, with Second Army joining in on 28 September (the Fifth Battle of Ypres). 1st Brigade's guns fired in support of the attack on Messines, then kept up night and day HF on German communications. 62nd Siege Bty reverted to the command of 45th Bde on 30 September and remained with it for the rest of the war. 45th Bde had an OP in Messines overlooking the lower ground as far as Quesnoy-sur-Deûle and 62nd Siege Bty was ordered to reconnoitre positions in Ploegsteert ('Plug Street'). Meanwhile it continued with HF tasks against the Quesnoy road and station. On 3 October troops recrossed the Lys and pushed past Armentières, which was unoccupied. Next day the 6-inch batteries began to move back to the Saint-Omer area, while 62nd Siege Bty remained in position to shell enemy dumps at Quesnoy with the aid of observation aircraft. It pulled out on 5 October on the completion of this shoot and moved to Racquinghem, leaving guards on the guns at Ploegsteert. Second Army continued its pursuit with light artillery. The brigade carried out training at Racquinghem until 19 October when lorries arrived to transport the batteries back to the battle front, which had advanced considerably. Second Army was now planning a new set-piece attack across the Schelde. 62nd Siege Bty was billeted in
Steenwerck Steenwerck (; Dutch: ''Steenwerk'') is a commune, in French Flanders, in the Nord department in northern France. It is located about north of Lille and in 2013 had a population of 3519. People from Steenwerck are known as ''Steenwerckois''. I ...
, north of Lille, and the guns were brought up from Ploegsteert to
Linselles Linselles (; nl, Linsele; pcd, Linséles) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. On 17 August 1793, during the War of the First Coalition, it was the site of the Battle of Lin ...
on 25 October. However, the advance was now so rapid that it was difficult to bring heavy artillery into action, and XV Corps was being squeezed out of the narrowing battle front. The brigade remained in Linselles until 3 November when it moved to Tourcoing, and then to Lannoy on 6 November. Next day the batteries began moving by sections to action positions, but the caterpillar tractor towing one of 62nd Siege Bty's 9.2s became 'hopelessly ditched'. Reconnaissance parties went out to make contact with the infantry operating in front. By the time the guns were in position and the ammunition lorries had come up, orders arrived on 10 November to pull the guns out again. Next day hostilities were ended by the Armistice with Germany. After spending the winter in Lannoy 62nd Siege Battery, RGA, was disbanded in 1919. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists 29 members of the battery who died during the war (there may be others listed simply as RGA where the battery was not recorded). The majority (15) of the dead date from the period September–October 1917 during the Third Ypres Offensive.CWGC records.
/ref>


See also

* Newsreel film of a 9.2-inch howitzer being fired.


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, ISBN 1-847347-43-6. * Gregory Blaxland, ''Amiens: 1918'', London: Frederick Muller, 1968/Star, 1981, ISBN 0-352-30833-8. * Brig-Gen Sir
James E. Edmonds Brigadier (United Kingdom), Brigadier-General Sir James Edward Edmonds (25 December 1861 – 2 August 1956) was an commissioned officer, officer of the Royal Engineers in the late-Victorian era British Army who worked in the Intelligence Corps ...
, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium, 1916'', Vol I, London: Macmillan,1932/Woking: Shearer, 1986, ISBN 0-946998-02-7/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2021, ISBN 978-1-78331-615-1. * Brig-Gen Sir James E. Edmonds, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1917'', Vol II, ''Messines and Third Ypres (Passchendaele)'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1948/Uckfield: Imperial War Museum and Naval and Military Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1-845747-23-7. * Brig-Gen Sir James E. Edmonds, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1918'', Vol II, ''March–April: Continuation of the German Offensives'', London: Macmillan, 1937/Imperial War Museum and Battery Press, 1995, ISBN 1-87042394-1/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1-84574-726-8. * Brig-Gen Sir James E. Edmonds, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1918'', Vol III, ''May–July: The German Diversion Offensives and the First Allied Counter-Offensive'', London: Macmillan, 1939/Imperial War Museum and Battery Press, 1994, ISBN 0-89839-211-X/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1-84574-727-5. * Brig-Gen Sir James E. Edmonds, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1918'', Vol IV, ''8th August–26th September: The Franco-British Offensive'', London: Macmillan, 1939/Uckfield: Imperial War Museum and Naval & Military, 2009, ISBN 978-1-845747-28-2. * Brig-Gen Sir James E. Edmonds & Lt-Col R. Maxwell-Hyslop, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1918'', Vol V, ''26th September–11th November, The Advance to Victory'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1947/Imperial War Museum and Battery Press, 1993, ISBN 1-870423-06-2/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2021, ISBN 978-1-78331-624-3. * Capt Cyril Falls, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1917'', Vol I, ''The German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line and the Battle of Arras'', London: Macmillan, 1940/London: Imperial War Museum & Battery Press/Uckfield: Naval and Military Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1-84574-722-0. * Gen Sir Martin Farndale, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Western Front 1914–18'', Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1986, ISBN 1-870114-00-0. * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol II, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-009-X. * Alan MacDonald, ''A Lack of Offensive Spirit? The 46th (North Midland) Division at Gommecourt, 1st July 1916'', West Wickham: Iona Books, 2008, ISBN 978-0-9558119-0-6. * Col K. W. Maurice-Jones, ''The History of Coast Artillery in the British Army'', London: Royal Artillery Institution, 1959/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2005, ISBN 978-1-845740-31-3. * War Office, ''Army Council Instructions'', London: HM Stationery Office, various months. * Leon Wolff, ''In Flanders Fields: The 1917 Campaign'', London: Longmans, 1959/Corgi, 1966. * Lt-Col Michael Young, ''Army Service Corps 1902–1918'', Barnsley: Leo Cooper, 2000, ISBN 0-85052-730-9.


External sources


Commonwealth War Graves Commission records
{{refend Siege batteries of the Royal Garrison Artillery Military units and formations in Kent Military units and formations in Sheerness Military units and formations established in 1915 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919