Sussex Royal Garrison Artillery

The Sussex Royal Garrison Artillery and its successors were part-time coast defence units of the British Army from 1910 to 1932. Although the unit saw no active service, it supplied trained gunners to siege batteries engaged on the Western Front during World War I.

Origin

When the Territorial Force (TF) was created from the old Volunteer Force under the Haldane Reforms of 1908, the Kent and Sussex Royal Garrison Artillery was included as a new defended ports unit of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA). It was formed from companies drawn from the previous 1st Kent and 1st Sussex RGA (Volunteers) and its headquarters (HQ) was at Chatham, Kent.London Gazette, 20 March 1908.Litchfield, p. 234. However, two years later, the two Sussex companies were split off to form a separate Sussex Royal Garrison Artillery with the following organisation:Army List, various dates.Maurice-Jones, p. 165. HQ at 117 Gloucester Road, BrightonBrighton at Drill Hall Project. No 1 Company at Brighton No 2 Company at Watergate Lane, LewesLewes at Drill Hall Project.

The unit was responsible for the defended port of Newhaven in South Eastern Coast Defences, which was guarded by two 6-inch Mk VII guns mounted at Newhaven Fort.Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, pp. 402, 409.Maurice-Jones, p. 185.

World War I Mobilisation When World War I broke out on 4 August 1914, the TF coastal units mobilised and manned their defences. On 31 August 1914, the War Office (WO) authorised the formation of Reserve or 2nd Line units for each existing TF unit; each was prefixed '2/' to distinguish it from the 1st Line ('1/'). Initially these were formed from men who had not volunteered for overseas service, together with the recruits who were flooding in.WO Instructions Nos 108 & 310 of August 1914.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.

By October 1914, the campaign on the Western Front was bogging down into Trench warfare and there was an urgent need for batteries of siege artillery to be sent to France. The WO decided that the TF coastal gunners were well enough trained to take over many of the duties in the coastal defences, releasing Regular RGA gunners for service in the field.WO Instruction No 248 of October 1914. Soon, the TF RGA companies that had volunteered for overseas service were also supplying trained gunners to RGA units serving overseas. Although complete defended ports units never went overseas, they did provide cadres to form units from New Army ('Kitchener's Army') volunteers for front line service. The Sussex RGA supplied cadres for 69th and 122nd Siege Btys in 1915–16 (see below), and 134th Siege Bty, formed at Dover in 1916, is known to have had a nucleus of men from the Kent and Sussex RGA units. This may also have been the case for some of the numerous other siege batteries formed at Dover during the war.Frederick, pp. 702–8.Maurice-Jones, pp. 200–1.

This process meant a continual drain on the manpower of the defended ports units and, in April 1917, the coastal defence companies of the RGA (TF) were reorganised. By this stage of the war, the Dover and Newhaven Defences of Eastern Command consisted of 1/1, 1/2, 2/1 and 2/2 Companies of the Sussex RGA and 1/3 and 2/3 Companies of the Kent RGA (the remainder of the Kent companies being in the Thames and Medway defences). These six companies were reduced to just two (Nos 1 and 2 Companies, Sussex RGA), given a slightly higher establishment (five officers and 100 other ranks (ORs)), and the 1st and 2nd Line distinction was abolished.Army Council Instruction 686 of April 1917, with Appendix 131. At the end of the war, the two companies were in No 10 (Kent & Sussex) Fire Control at Newhaven.Frederick, pp. 646, 698.

The TF was demobilised in 1919 after the Armistice with Germany and the Sussex RGA entered suspended animation.

69th Siege Battery

A company from the Sussex RGA provided half the personnel for 69th Siege Battery, RGA when it was formed on 9 October 1915, the remainder being New Army volunteers.WO Instruction No 144 of October 1915. Major A.J. Martineau of the Sussex RGA served as second-in-command.69th Siege Bty War Diary March 1916–January 1918, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/478/4. The battery landed in France on 1 April 1916 equipped with four 9.2-inch howitzers and joined 27th Heavy Artillery Group (HAG) supporting III Corps in Fourth Army.'Allocation of Siege Batteries RGA', TNA, file WO 95/5494/4.'Headquarters Heavy Artillery Groups', TNA file WO 95/5494/1.

Somme Fourth Army was preparing for that year's 'Big Push', the Battle of the Somme, with III Corps facing the German redoubts in front of Ovillers. The final bombardment began at 06.25 on Z Day (1 July). However, the artillery had failed to knock out many of the machine gun positions, and as soon as the attackers went 'over the top' they began to take heavy casualties. 8th Division attacking up the Ovillers spur gained only a few footholds in the opposing lines, and it was impossible to renew the attack in the afternoon.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 99–107.Edmonds, 1916, Vol I, pp. 299–300, 304–5, 371–5, 385≠91.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 142–98.Farrar-Hockley, pp. 138–45. The battery continued to support Fourth Army while the Somme offensive continued into the autumn.

1917 At this period, RGA batteries were regularly switched from one HAG to another. In March 1917, 69th Siege Bty moved north for Third Army's Battle of Arras on 9 April. Before and during the attack, it carried out counter-battery (CB) tasks and fired on selected roads in support of XVII Corps. The corps' attack was largely successful, and large numbers of German prisoners were taken, demoralised by the bombardment.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 89–98.Falls, 1917, Vol I, pp. 179–86, 198–200, 225–36.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 164–72, Map 23. The battery supported the subsequent stages of the offensive, including the attacks on Oppy Wood.

The battery then joined Second Army, as part of the artillery build-up for the Battle of Messines. The bombardment continued until the assault went in on 7 June, following the explosion of huge mines. The results of the limited attack were spectacular.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 79–87.Edmonds, 1917, Vol II, pp. 41–9, 52–81.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 184–92.

69th Siege Bty was next sent to rejoin Fourth Army, which had assembled round Nieuport to carry out a planned attack along the Belgian coast in support of the Flanders Offensive. British preparations were disrupted by a German spoiling attack and there was no breakthrough at Ypres so Fourth Army's operation was cancelled. Over the following weeks the British batteries exchanged CB fire with their German opposite numbers, with numerous casualties to gunners and guns. This continued until 69th Siege Bty was pulled out in November.Edmonds, 1917, Vol II, pp. 116–22.

Spring Offensive The battery returned to the Arras sector where it joined 83rd HAG under First Army. By now, HAG allocations were becoming more fixed, and in early 1918 they were converted into permanent RGA brigades. For the rest of the war the battery was part of 83rd (Mixed) Bde, RGA.Farndale, Western Front, Annex M.83rd Bde War Diary February 1917–February 1919, TNA file WO 95/478/1. 69th Siege Bty was made up to a strength of six guns when a section from 504th Siege Bty arrived from England and joined on 16 March 1918.

On 28 March, the German Spring Offensive extended to First Army's front (the Third Battle of Arras), beginning with a massive bombardment. 69th Siege Bty was subjected to a barrage of high explosive (HE) and gas shells and suffered heavy casualties, including the officer commanding, Maj Cyril Scholefield, who was killed. However, the German attacks were devastated by the British field and heavy artillery and although the British infantry were forced out of their forward positions there was no breakthrough, and the battle was over by nightfall.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 71–8.Blaxland, pp. 84–5.Edmonds, 1918, Vol II, pp. 52–3, 59–60, 69–73.Farndale, Western Front, p. 275.

Hundred Days Offensive The guns resumed harassing fire (HF) against the Germans in support of Canadian Corps, which had taken over the line, and continued through the spring and early summer until Canadian Corps, now under Fourth Army, participated in the Battle of Amiens on 8 August. By mid-morning, the enemy had been driven back out of range of the heavy guns. 83rd Brigade was left behind, and it was not until 13 August that 69th Siege Bty caught up for the Canadians' follow-up attack on 15 August. 83rd Brigade also manned some captured German heavy guns, which it fired in support of the attack. The Allied Hundred Days Offensive was now well under way.Blaxland, pp. 159–62, 175–9, .Edmonds, 1918, Vol IV, pp. 40–51, 163–4.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 287–90.

During the Battle of Albert (23 August), 83rd Bde's batteries fired in support of the French XXXI Corps. By early September, hostile shelling was well below normal levels, and as the enemy pulled back out of range 83rd Bde's batteries were placed in GHQ Reserve. The guns then moved up to support the successful surprise attack of the Battle of Épehy (18 September), when the massed artillery crushed a German counter-attack.Blaxland, pp. 223–6.Edmonds, 1918, Vol IV, pp. 234, 294–5, 476–89. Fourth Army had now closed up to the Hindenburg Line. On 29 September, 83rd Bde supported 46th (North Midland) Division's attack on the St Quentin Canal: 69th Siege Bty's role was to breach the canal embankment in an attempt to drain the water. 46th (NM) Division swarmed over the canal across captured bridges and dams, using lifebelts and planks, and took its final objectives before nightfall.Blaxland, pp. 233–6.Edmonds & Maxwell-Hyslop, 1918, Vol V, pp. 101–5, 132–4.Peaple, pp. 151, 157–60, 166–73.

83rd Brigade now moved its lighter howitzers across the canal to support the pursuit, leaving 69th Siege Bty's heavy 9.2's behind. It was not until the night of 12/13 October that the battery caught up to support Fourth Army's next setpiece operation, the Battle of the Selle. The attack on 17 October quickly achieved its objectives; 83rd Bde's fire then helped to break up a German counter-attack before a fresh British attack made further progress in the afternoon. Next morning, the brigade put down heavy barrages in front of a renewed attack, after which the Germans retired across the Sambre–Oise Canal and destroyed the bridges behind them.14th Bde, RGA, War Diary, January 1918–March 1919, TNA file WO 95/468/4.Blaxland, pp. 249–52.Edmonds & Maxwell-Hyslop, 1918, Vol V, pp. 139, 159, 248–9, 295, 300–5, 354.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 307–8.

On 4 November, the battery supported 1st Division's attack across the Sambre–Oise Canal. Bridgeheads over the canal were established and the infantry pushed on beyond. Next day the German artillery could be seen pulling out and retreating. Again, 69th Siege Bty's heavy howitzers had to be left behind and it was still in reserve when the Armistice came into force on 11 November.Blaxland, pp. 254–7.Edmonds & Maxwell-Hyslop, 1918, Vol V, pp. 464–71, 490–1.Farndale, Western Front, p. 318.

69th Siege Battery was disbanded on 26 October 1919.

122nd Siege Battery