RFA

Artillery was divided into three semi-autonomous parts – the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA), who supported the cavalry, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA), supporting the infantry, and the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA), who used the heavier-calibre guns. The standard configuration was called a battery, which was comprised of six guns. Batteries were subdivided into three sections each having two guns. Prior to 1914 batteries were attached to regiments – grouped in threes and fours under the regimental commander, who was a lieutenant-colonel. However, in 1914 batteries were mustered as ‘brigades’ and the brigade commander was a lieutenant-colonel. According to Allan Mallinson, in his book 1914 Fight The Good Fight, on page 87 he writes “The gunners were, indeed a magnificent arm – the RHA and RFA especially, with their six horse teams – and superbly practiced in their art.” When war broke out both the RHA and RFA were equipped with Royal Ordnance Quick Firing (QF) 13 and 18 pound artillery. Some RFA batteries used the 4.5 – inch howitzer (high-angle fire). The Royal Artillery preferred using shrapnel rounds for they delivered a large quantity of individual ‘bullets’; the shrapnel shells for the 18 pounders distributed 374 half-inch lead-antimony balls, which were lethal up to 300 yards from the burst site. The shells used a time fuse which exploded the shell, known as an ‘airburst’, above the ground thus acting like a shotgun. These shells were very effective in killing soldiers in the open but did little damage when they made contact with the ground since they didn’t have bursting power. They were used when the batteries could see their target, while standard shells could be fired from concealed positions. Shrapnel shells for the 13 pound guns had a range just short of 6,000 yards while the 18 pounders had a range of about 6,500. Firing at four rounds per minute, a battery could shower a target with 9,000 bullets while the Vickers machine-gun sections could fire 900-1000 per minute. This difference made the 18 pounder the weapon of choice for the infantry, while gunners were less enthusiastic because using these shells required line of sight, which meant that the enemy could spot the batteries well within their range of fire. RFA batteries were usually established a short ways behind the infantry they supported. If the infantry retired, the batteries had to move before the enemy’s guns and small arms got within range. This would leave the infantry unprotected so the only alternative was to wait until the last minute to pull the guns out, which would expose the battery crews to small arms fire. Howitzer batteries, which Fred served in, (distributed three per division, each having six guns), they carried three high-explosive (HE) rounds for every seven shrapnel. These batteries were used in infantry close support therefore they had to be willing to sacrifice itself. The Royal Artillery would win many a VC in August 1914 – and lose hundreds of men and horses. By 1914 the BEF had the advantage of using insulated wire called ‘field cable’ could be laid up to 6 miles in an hour by the Royal Engineers wagon and limber. They would connect corps headquarters too divisions and divisions to brigades. Field telephones were used within the artillery batteries and they required a lighter field cable, which was the responsibility of the batteries to lay. Until 1914 these units were not popular with the gunners for they supported the old tried and true methods of signalling using flags. During battle they discovered that visually flags could only be seen up to 1,500 yards and when the batteries were under bombardment it was impossible for signallers to stand up so field telephones were used extensively.