The 39th (Deptford) Divisional Artillery (39th DA) was a Royal Artillery force raised as part of 'Kitchener's Army' in early 1915. Recruited in Deptford, South London, the units served with the 'Pals battalions' of the 39th Division on the Western Front for two years. They saw action at the Somme, Ypres, and the German spring offensive, including the Battle of the Avre, described as 'one of the finest artillery stories of the whole war'. The units then operated as an independent artillery formation during the Allied Hundred Days Offensive.
Background On 6 August 1914, less than 48 hours after Britain's declaration of war, Parliament sanctioned an increase of 500,000 men for the Regular British Army, and the newly appointed Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener of Khartoum issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward. This group of six divisions with supporting arms became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1'.Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 2 & 8. The flood of volunteers overwhelmed the ability of the army to absorb and organise them, and by the time the Fifth New Army (K5) was authorised on 10 December 1914, many of the units were being organised as 'Pals battalions' under the auspices of mayors and corporations of towns up and down the country.See, for example, Middlebrook, Somme, pp. 9–11; Inglis, pp. 13–6.
The 39th Division was one of the last K5 divisions to be formed, being authorised on 27 April 1915.Becke, Pt 3b, Appendix I. Most of the division's infantry units were Pals battalions raised from London and South Coast of England, with a few from other parts of the UK, and all the Royal Artillery (RA) units were raised in Deptford, South East London.Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 91–100.
Recruitment
The Metropolitan Borough of Deptford set up a recruiting committee in December 1914, and the Mayor, Councillor William Wayland, announced at a council meeting on 18 May 1915 that he had been approached by Kitchener with a proposal for recruiting an infantry battalion or artillery brigade, which the council endorsed. Next day the official War Office (WO) authorisation was issued to the Mayor and Borough of Deptford to raise a brigade of the Royal Field Artillery (RFA), to be numbered CLXXIV (174th). A recruiting office was set up in Deptford Town Hall and the local response was extremely good: 200 men had enlisted by 27 May. By August the borough had raised the whole artillery for an infantry division, including three more RFA brigades (CLXXIX (179th Bde), CLXXXIV (184th), and CLXXVII Howitzer (186th (H) Bde)), the 137th Heavy Battery of the Royal Garrison Artillery, and the Divisional Ammunition Column (DAC), with a total of 2500 men recruited from Deptford, Lee Green, Brockley, New Cross and neighbouring Greenwich.Frederick, pp. 552–3.Frederick, pp. 699–701.WO Instructions September 1915, Appendix VII.Wiebekin, pp. 1–7.Wiebkin, Appendix A.Farndale, p. 133.Recruiting at Lewisham in the First World War.Wayland at Lewisham in the First World War.
39th (Deptford) Divisional Artillery CLXXIV (Deptford) Brigade, RFA CLXXIX (Deptford) Brigade, RFA CLXXXIV (Deptford) Brigade, RFA CLXXXVI (Deptford) Howitzer Brigade, RFA 39th (Deptford) Divisional Ammunition Column, RFA 137th (Deptford) Heavy Battery and Ammunition Column, RGA
Each New Army RFA brigade consisted of four 4-gun batteries (designated A, B, C and D) and a Brigade Ammunition Column (BAC).
Training Major E.R. Phillips was promoted lieutenant-colonel to take command of CLXXIV Bde and set up headquarters (HQ) at the disused works of the former Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company in Blackheath Road. The other units were organised in Deptford and Lee Green. There was a great shortage of equipment, but the mayor and corporation managed to obtain uniforms for CLXXIV Bde within two weeks of the town meeting. They also obtained over 2000 horses before 39th DA left the borough, with those of 137th Hvy Bty being stabled in the London County Council Tramways yard. Early training was carried out with dummy guns and ammunition waggons on Blackheath before the first two guns (18-pounders) arrived in August.
Deptford held a farewell parade for 39th DA on Blackheath on 24 September 1915 and the units marched to Aldershot where 39th Division was assembling. It joined the division on 1 October when the Divisional Artillery HQ was formed under Brigadier-General C. Goulburn as commander, Royal Artillery (CRA). The units continued training as guns and equipment arrived. In November they moved to Milford Camp near Godalming in Surrey, with much trouble on the march caused by inexperienced drivers and horse teams. The full establishment of 18-pdr guns and 4.5-inch howitzers was received and towards the end of January 1916 the brigades moved in turn to Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain for target practice before being pronounced fit for service. On 2 March 39 DA (except 137th Hvy Bty) began entraining at Milford on for Southampton where CLXXIV–CLXXXVI Bdes and the DAC embarked for France on successive days, 4–8 March.Wiebekin, pp. 4, 7–10.
Western Front
After disembarking at Le Havre the units moved by train and road to the concentration area at Blaringhem. Almost immediately the brigades were sent up to the line to be attached to experienced units for instruction: CLXXIV and CLXXIX on 9 March and CLXXXVI (H) on 12 March, all to Estaires with 8th Divisional Artillery; CLXXXIV on 12 March to Steenwerck to join 34th Divisional Artillery. The brigades attached to 8th DA returned to their waggon lines on 23 March while CLXXXIV returned on 24 March. Next day they moved to the St Venant area, where they completed their equipment. The brigades went up for a second period of instruction 2–3 April to 14 April, three with 33rd (Camberwell) Divisional Artillery in the La Bassée area often used to train new arrivals, and CLXXXIV with 38th (Welsh) DA. 39th Divisional Artillery was then deemed ready to take over its own section of the line, and it relieved 38th (W) DA in the Festubert–Givenchy area between 14 and 16 April.Wiebekin, pp. 10–2.Macartney-Filgate, pp. 13–5.
Reorganisation The field artillery of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was undergoing reorganisation in the light of experience so far in the war. On 21 March the division was ordered to form a brigade of three medium trench mortar batteries (TMBs) under a Divisional Trench Mortar Officer (DTMO). In 39th Division the men were provided by the RFA gun brigades and DAC; X/39, Y/39 and Z/39 Medium TMBs were each equipped with four 2-inch medium mortars.Farndale, Annex G. On 20 May the BACs were absorbed by the DAC and on the same day the field brigades were reorganised as three batteries of 18-pdrs and one of 4.5-inch howitzers: CLXXIV Bde: B Bty became A/CLXXXVI, D Bty became B Bty, and A (H)/CLXXXVI joined as D (H) Bty CLXXIX Bde: C Bty became C/CLXXXVI, D Bty became C Bty, and B (H)/CLXXXVI joined as D (H) Bty CLXXXIV Bde: B Bty became B/CLXXXVI, D Bty became B Bty, and C (H)/CLXXXVI joined as D (H) Bty CLXXXVI Bde: joined by B/CLXXIV, B/CLXXXIV and C/CLXXIX, and retained D (H) Bty.
Battle of the Somme
From April to June the guns concentrated on registering the enemy's front line positions, machine guns posts and observation posts (OPs), shooting at enemy working parties, and firing in support of trench raids. On 29 June the guns began a preliminary bombardment and wire-cutting for an operation against a German position known as the Boar's Head. The small Battle of the Boar's Head on 30 June was a diversion from the 'Big Push' (the Battle of the Somme) that was due to begin next day. It was 39th Division's first attack, carried out by 116th Brigade comprising the three 'Southdowns' battalions of the Royal Sussex Regiment ('Lowther's Lambs'). The wirecutting was reported as very effective, and 39th DA began the final bombardment just before 03.00, the infantry going 'over the top' shortly afterwards. The guns then lengthened their range and put down an intense barrage. The divisional artillery fired over 20,000 rounds during the bombardment, but although the front line trench was reported to be full of German casualties when the British infantry entered, the second line was strongly held and the Southdowns were driven out of their gains with heavy casualties by the end of the day.Miles, 1916, Vol II, p. 544.Wiebekin, p. 13.'the Day Sussex Died' at First World War East Sussex.'Lowther's Lambs' at First World War East Sussex.
During June 39 DA HQ moved to Béthune and some of the batteries were moved around for special shoots, but in early August they were pulled out for rest before being sent south to join the Somme Offensive. A heavy TMB (V/39) equipped with 9.45-inch mortars was formed on 27 August, the personnel coming from Third Army School of Mortars.
39th Division went into the line between Beaumont-Hamel and the River Ancre on 28 August. On 3 September it made an attack to assist a larger attack on the other side of the river: 39th DA fired from 05.00 to 12.00, effectively cutting the wire and attracting considerable enemy counter-battery (CB) fire, though suffering few casualties. The division's infantry took the German front trench but most were unable to push on, being held up by machine gun fire from St Pierre Divion on the flank, and were withdrawn by the end of the day.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 279–82.Wiebekin, p. 14.
From 23 September 39th DA cooperated in the attack on Thiepval Ridge, firing from its flanking position on the Ancre against the river crossings and into the German rear. The assault on 26 September was partially successful, but the Germans retained possession of the Schwaben Redoubt. A follow-up attack on 28 September, again supported by 39th DA, captured part of this position, and attack and counter-attack fought over the ground until 30 September, the Germans suffering serious casualties from the British artillery. Meanwhile, the TMBs had been engaging targets in their immediate front, suffering their own casualties from return fire.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 393–4, 399–407, 417–22.Wiebekin, pp. 15–6.
At the beginning of October the batteries were repositioned south of the river for the Battle of the Ancre Heights. The TMBs were strongly reinforced for a special wire-cutting operation in front of Beaumont-Hamel on 9–10 October, firing over 3000 rounds; 24 out of 48 mortars were put out of action by retaliatory fire, but casualties to the men were not heavy. The Capture of Schwaben Redoubt was completed by 39th Division on 14 October. This was a difficult operation for the artillery, most of the targets being invisible from the OPs and the weather preventing much air observation. Two enemy counter-attacks next day and another on 21 October were broken up by barrages from 39th DA in response to the infantry's SOS signals. The complete Capture of Stuff Redoubt was achieved in half an hour on 21 October: the wire had been systematically cut by a methodical bombardment, and 39th Division advanced behind an 'excellent' Creeping barrage. Observation was better here, and enemy troops massing for counter-attack were heavily shelled.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 448, 454, 460, 463.