The 7th Belgian Field Artillery was a Belgian

field artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20t ...

regiment put at the disposal of the Australian, British and Canadian forces in the Ypres Salient between May 1915 and May 1917. While its official name in the Belgian army was ''7e Régiment d'Artillerie'', it was frequently referred to as 7th Belgian Field Artillery, in analogy with the names used in the armies of the British Empire for field artillery units, such as

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...

Canadian Field Artillery , colors = The guns of the RCA themselves , colors_label = Colours , march = * Slow march: "Royal Artillery Slow March" * Quick march (dismounted parades): "British Grenadiers/ The ...

. It was renumbered to ''13e Régiment d'Artillerie'' in December 1916 following a change in the Belgian army regiments.

Introduction

In January 1915 Belgium's King Albert agreed to a British request for artillery support for the newly created 28th Division of which the artillery was not fully equipped yet. In first instance, a temporary unit, called ''Régiment d'Artillerie Provisoire'' (RAP), was created, consisting of the artillery of the 18th and 19th Mixed Brigades of the Belgian 6th Division. This unit was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Dujardin. It was made up of six batteries, numbered 97 to 102, of each four 75 mm Krupp (1905) guns, a total of 24 guns. It joined the 28th Division on 12 February 1915. This unit participated in the fights at St.-Eloi, Hill 60 and supported British and French troops during the Second Battle of Ypres. The RAP left the Salient on 16 and 17 May 1915. It was awarded the battle honour 'Ypres 1915'.

History

The 7e Régiment d'Artillerie was formed on 3 March 1915. Like the RAP, it consisted of two groups of each three batteries with each four guns, a total of 24 field guns. The guns were of a different type, however: 75 mm Schneider-Canot (1904), coming from Portugal. The regiment relieved the RAP on 16 and 17 May 1915 and participated in the Battle of Bellewaerde (May 1915). The regiment played an important role in the actions for St.-Eloi craters (March - April 1916), where it accounted for over one quarter of the participating field artillery. During its stay in the Ypres Salient, the unit frequently shelled the areas of Hill 60 and The Bluff. Its guns worn out, the regiment was disbanded on 19 May 1917. The contribution of the Belgian field artillery to the defence of the Ypres Salient was not negligible and it has been estimated that in the period May 1915 to May 1917 the regiment represented up to ten percent of the field artillery in the Ypres Salient. The battle honour 'Ypres 1915, 1916, 1917' was awarded in 1930.

List of divisions to which the regiment was attached (non-chronological order)

Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC)

1st Australian Division The 1st Division is headquartered in Enoggera, a suburb of Brisbane. The division was first formed in 1914 for service during World War I as a part of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). It was initially part of the Australian and New Zealand ...

4th Australian Division The Australian 4th Division was formed in the First World War during the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) infantry brigades in February 1916. In addition to the experienced 4th Brigade (previously in the original New Zealand ...

British Expeditionary Force

* 3rd Division * 4th Division *

5th Division In military terms, 5th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions *5th Division (Australia) * 5th Division (People's Republic of China) *5th Division (Colombia) *Finnish 5th Division (Continuation War) *5th Light Cavalry Division (France) *5th Moto ...

* 6th Division * 9th (Scottish) Division *

17th (Northern) Division The 17th (Northern) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, a Kitchener's Army formation raised during the Great War. Formation history The 17th (Northern) Division was created under Northern Command in September 1914, just a m ...

* 28th Division *

46th (North Midland) Division The 46th (North Midland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of the Territorial Force, that saw service in the First World War. At the outbreak of the war, the 46th Division was commanded by Major-General Hon. E.J. Monta ...

50th (Northumbrian) Division The Northumbrian Division was an infantry division of the British Army, formed in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force with units drawn from the north-east of England, notably Northumberland, Durham and the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire ...

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...

1st Canadian Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ''1re Division du Canada'' ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short ...

2nd Canadian Division The 2nd Canadian Division (2 Cdn Div; french: 2e Division du Canada) is a formation of the Canadian Army in the province of Quebec, Canada. The present command was created 2013 when Land Force Quebec Area was re-designated. The main unit housed ...

3rd Canadian Division The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as all units extending westwards from th ...

Commanders

* Lieutenant-Colonel (later Major-General) Gaston Dechesne (March 1915 - July 1916) * Lieutenant-Colonel (later Colonel) Charles Greindl (July 1916 - December 1916) * Colonel Constant Moraine (December 1916 - May 1917) Source:

Landmarks

Because of its long stay around Ypres the Belgian artillery lent its name to a few landmarks:
Belgian Battery Corner Cemetery
from 1915 till 1917 several Belgian batteries were positioned around this spot and Belgian Battery Corner is mentioned on British trench maps. The cemetery itself, however, was started in June 1917. * The castle Frezenberg in Vlamertinge, currentl
Karmel
was called Belgian Chateau during the war and marked as such on British trench maps as early as 1916. A trilingual memorial plaque in the Jules Coomansstraat i

was inaugurated in 1934. Its text reads 'In memory of the glorious dead of the 13th Belgian Field Artillery, formerly 7th B.F.A. Incorporated in the British Army on 17 May 1915 till 17 May 1917, date at which it was withdrawn and disbanded, this regiment fought as an integral part of the British forces in the defence of the immortal Salient of Ypres.' Gaston Dechesne and Henri Jansseune, both veterans of the regiment, had streets named after them in their native cities
Saint-Hubert
an
Slijpe
respectively.

Bibliography

* J. FIEVYTS, ''Historique Succint des 6e et 12e Régiments d'Artillerie.'' Etterbeek, 1936. * T. JANSSEUNE, ''An introduction to the history of the Belgian artillery in the Ypres Salient during World War I.'' Journal of the Royal Artillery 127 (2000) 25-26. * T. JANSSEUNE, ''The Belgian Field Artillery. Ieper 1915 - 1917.'' 2023 () * R. LOTHAIRE, L'artillerie légère de campagne belge de 1900 à 1940. 2011 ()

Citations

{{reflist Field artillery regiments Artillery regiments of Belgium Military units and formations of Belgium in World War I Regiments of World War I