Royal garrison Artillery

[thehopefulrook]

Hi This is my first post.My Grandfather WATSON ALLISON was a Gunner in the Royal Garrison Artillery in WW1. Reg No 176900. How do I find when he was called up and when he was discharged from the Army. I have looked in the Burnt and Pension records on Ancestry but can't find him. I found his medal card which shows he was awarded the Victory and British medals. Anyone out there have any ideas:|banghead|

[Geoffers]

Welcome to the B-G forums


.My Grandfather WATSON ALLISON was a Gunner in the Royal Garrison Artillery in WW1. Reg No 176900. How do I find when he was called up and when he was discharged from the Army. I have looked in the Burnt and Pension records on Ancestry but can't find him.

Sadly, if his soldiers' document was amongst those burnt and he did not recieve a pension, the medal cards are basically all that is left - unless there is a specific pension listed on TNA's catalogue, it is easy to search.

Click on here - TNA's catalogue (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/search.asp)
In the word or phrase field enter - ALLISON
In the year range enter - 1914 to 1922
In the department or series code enter - PIN

If you find a likely match you can order a copy from TNA - click on the blue underlined file name (undr Title/Scope and content) then click on the highlighted 'Request this' button on the right of the screen and follow the instructions.

[Procat]

There is this entry in the National Roll Of The Great War - Section II London (West, Central & North London). It may or may not be him:

Allison, W.G., Gunner, R.G.A.

He joined in June 1916, and was almost immediately drafted to Salonika. Whilst overseas he took part in the Balkan campaign, and fought in many engagements. After the signing of the Armistice he returned home and was demobilised in August 1919.

He holds the General Service and Victory Medals.

113, Brackenbury Road, Hammersmith, W.6 10711.

[thehopefulrook]

TO GEOFFERS and PROCAT Thank you very much for your help. I tried the TNA catalogue and the National Roll and neither of the Allison's were my grandfather. Looks as if I'm doooomed to failure on this one

[Geoffers]

One other hope would be to try the National Roll of the Great War. It is not complete but there are a lot of entries in it - Each entry is a short paragraph about an individual and his participation in the war. It can be purchased on CD from suppliers to The Parish Chest (http://www.parishchest.com/) and also searched and viewes using pay-per-view sites such as findmypast.

[Procat]

The entry I found was on Findmypast. There was nothing else on there that appeared to be relevant. |sad1|

[DavidGreenall]

Nothing on the National Archives either although looking at his Medal Record Card it would appear that he was transferred to the Royal Engineers at some point.

Your best bet would be to try and see if they have a record of him at Woolwich where the RGA was based. The museum there has an extensive library which, if you're lucky, might have his service record and joining papers. I'm still trying to find my G Grandfathers as he was in the RGA too.

David

[Ladkyis]

My daughter's paternal great grandfather was in the RGA and he was in Gibraltar fromabout 1899 to 1918 so it might be useful to look for records there too.

[Peter Goodey]

Your best bet would be to try and see if they have a record of him at Woolwich where the RGA was based. The museum there has an extensive library which, if you're lucky, might have his service record and joining papers.

Have you had any success with the museum? The museum states categorically that "the personnel records for [the First World War] are all held at the National Archives".

[DavidGreenall]

Peter,

Not yet although I'm not going to quit that easy.

My Great Grandfather served in the 110th Heavy Battery RGA from 1914 to 1919, I've managed over the last 7 years to piece some of his movements throughout the war, but the bit I'm really interested in concerns Jan to Apr 1917 when he was awarded the Military Medal, for what we don't know as the Battery War Diary for that period was destroyed in counter battery fire.

All I know is that he was the CO's Batman, so how he came to be awarded the MM has me a little confused. There's no surviving citation with the medal and family folk law varies on the story.

I'm planning a trip down to Woolwich to see if I can find anything later this year.

David

[Peter Goodey]

I don't need to tell you that the Military Medal is a difficult one to research because citations weren't published in the Gazette. If the relevant war diary has gone that just about leaves regimental histories (at least the museum should have those) and newspaper reports. Oh that and the National Roll

[DavidGreenall]

Peter,

Have a copy of the Gazette and have looked in some of the newspapers but can't find anything on the National Roll, my options are running out fast.

I'm trying to find out who the Battery Commander was at the time on the off chance that he kept a diary with the million to one chance that he's mentioned.

A long shot I know but, hey it was the heavy artillery!!!!!

David

[thehopefulrook]

Thanks David peter and Procat for your replies.
Since I first posted about my Grandfather I have found an old notebook of his he used during WW1. He was a Porter on the Railways and didn't join the RGA until Sept 1917. He passed out Feb 1918 and arrived in France 2nd June 1918 He hasn't stated which Battallion he was in.
.On the 10th June he was in Hannescamps and then he has wriitten dates and places up till 11th Nov 1918,including Pas, Grevillers and Rossignol Wood. Is there any where I can find out what happened in all the places he fought. he transferred to the RE Dec 1918 and was still in France end of 1919. Why would he have stayed there so long? Any help would be appreciated:)

[DavidGreenall]

Try having a look on www.
ww1battlefields.co.uk for those places, the site gives quite good general descriptions of what happened and when.

From memory and numerous visits to the Somme area I think it's near a place called Gommercort which was fought over several times between 1916 and early 1918. I think the NZ Division were around there in 1918? so he may have been there in support to them in the counter attacks to the German 1818 offensive.

In fact, I think the other places you mention were in the same sector so, if you can find out which RGA batteries supported the NZ Division in 1918 it might give you a clue as to where to find him.

You could also try the "Western Front Association" forum, somebody on there will be more clued up than me or, Pen and Sword books do a series of individual books on the various battles on the Somme, I'd be surprised if they didn't do one on Gommercourt.

He most probably volunteered for the RE (or was transferred) to help with the clean up operations in France and Flanders that went on well in to the 1920's. Pretty dangerous work by all accounts, collecting and defusing munitions and relocating the fallen for re-burial.

Good luck.

David

[Terry Reeves]

His RE number means that he was transferred to one of the branches of the Railway Operating Division. If he was a skilled railwayman he could have been with a railway operating company, or light railway company. Other possibilities are a railway construction company, wagon erecting company, railway signal section or telegraph signal section to but a few.

Terry Reeves

[thehopefulrook]

To David and Terry, Thank you both so much for your help. I will certainly follow up on your informationand hopefully find some answers.

[DONARD]

Nothing on the National Archives either although looking at his Medal Record Card it would appear that he was transferred to the Royal Engineers at some point.

Your best bet would be to try and see if they have a record of him at Woolwich where the RGA was based. The museum there has an extensive library which, if you're lucky, might have his service record and joining papers. I'm still trying to find my G Grandfathers as he was in the RGA too.

www.firepower.org.uk

David
Hi David, I was interested in you message re 110 battery RGA. My Grandfather was in the battery when it was "posted" on the 31st August 1914.his reg no was 30315.
He went to another battery(114) later on.He seem to have been in serval batteries ,105, 93, 49,110 ,114, Trench battery 22, 32, 42, and finally on "Q" anti aircraft battery.
I was just wondering about the info you have on the 110 Battery RGA.I would be gratefull if you could share the info with me .
Regards
Gerry

[DavidGreenall]

Gerry,

I have very little information myself on the 110th it's proving a very difficult task to track them down as artillery records and books are not that common.

What dates are you looking at?

David

[reevemjr]

David Greenall

The 110 Heavy Battery was with the 9 HAG during 1915 as was the 71 Heavy Battery. - My interest is in the 121 Heavy Battery which was also in the 9 HAG (Heavy Artillery Group). Hope that will help, especialy if you can get the HAG diary.

110th Heavy battery went to France, 20 September 1914
71st Heavy Battery went to France, 14 February 1915
121 Heavy Battery went out to the Western Front in Feb 1915 Do you have any information on the 121 Heavy Battery?

I only have the following extract from the 9HAG diary (locations and targets quoted need to be verified)

1915 May 19 - – 9 HAG WAR DIARY – YPRES – Nothing doing, restrictions on expenditure of ammunition [9 HAG WAR DIARY – YPRES]

1915 May 20 – 9 HAG WAR DIARY – YPRES – ordered 110(H.B.) to fire 5 TS from each gun on O10d 8.2 & O10 a 10.5 [9 HAG WAR DIARY – YPRES]

1915 May 21 – 9 HAG WAR DIARY – YPRES - 9.35 pm SOS received 71 & 110 ordered to open fire at the German trenches S of Hill 60 with TS after 2 rdns of Battery fire ordered to Ceace Loading & empty guns. [9 HAG WAR DIARY – YPRES]

1915 May 22 – 9 HAG WAR DIARY – YPRES – Sergt (33397) R Shrive to England, as Segt. Major Instructor in Gunnery on probation. 17 heavy draught horses joined, 1 to Bgd Staff, 8 to 71 & 8 to 121. [9 HAG WAR DIARY – YPRES]

1915 May 23– 9 HAG WAR DIARY – YPRES – 11.25 am – Received JJ. O.g. & JJ. O gc 5.9. a minute later. – 13.32 – 71(HB) opened fire on Ogc.5.9 – 5.57 PM – JQ. Oqc.6.7 received followed by JQ at 6.4PM Bde Major states JQ meant JJ a mistake. [9 HAG WAR DIARY – YPRES]



Mike

[DavidGreenall]

Mike,

Many thanks for the information on the 110th in 1915, I don't think Charlie was there until later that year, September I think, even though he was a Regular (I found him with No 4 Coy RGA in Gibraltar on the 1911 Census).

I'm still planning a trip down to the PRO and Firepower, just money, time and the wife holding things up at the moment as she's run out of holidays.

Will let you know if I find anything.

Regards

David