148th Siege Battery was a heavy howitzer unit of Britain's Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) raised in Essex and Suffolk during World War I. It saw active service on the Western Front at the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Messines and Ypres, and in the final Allied Hundred Days Offensive.

Mobilisation On the outbreak of war in August 1914, units of the part-time Territorial Force (TF) were invited to volunteer for Overseas ServiceBecke, Pt 2b, p. 6. and the majority of the Essex and Suffolk Royal Garrison Artillery did so. This unit had mobilised as part of No 14 (Essex & Suffolk) Coastal Fire Command at Landguard Fort, charged with defending the Haven ports of Harwich, Felixstowe and Ipswich and the associated naval base.Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, pp. 402, 409.Maurice-Jones, p. 185. 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 and providing cadres to form complete new units.Maurice-Jones, pp. 200–1.

In August 1915 Harwich was chosen as one of the depots for forming these units, under the command of Major G.W. Horsfield of the Essex & Suffolk RGA.The rest of the personnel were returning wounded Regulars, men of the Special Reserve, 'Kitchener's Army' volunteers and 'Lord Derby men'.Army List, August 1914.Penstone, pp. 9–14.

148th Siege Battery, RGA, was raised at Harwich under Army Council Instruction 1091 of 29 May 1916 with a cadre of 4 officers and 78 other ranks (ORs) – approximately a TF RGA company – from the Essex & Suffolk RGA.Army Council Instructions May 1916.Frederick, pp. 702–6.Raising of 140 to 149 Siege Btys RGA at Long, Long Trail.

Western Front Somme

The battery went out to the Western Front in August 1916, manning four 9.2-inch howitzers, and initially joined XIII Corps' Heavy Artillery. XIII Corps had been heavily engaged in the early part of the Battle of the Somme and was in the process of being relieved, so the battery was transferred to 33rd HAG under Fourth Army HQ.RGA at Long, Long Trail.'Allocation of Siege Batteries RGA', The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/5494/4.'Headquarters Heavy Artillery Groups', TNA file WO 95/5494/1.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 99–107.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 209–14.Miles, 1916, Vol II, p. 181.

XIV Corps took over the line from XIII Corps, and continued the Battle of Delville Wood with a carefully-planned attack towards Guillemont. Zero hour was fixed for 14.45 on 18 August and was preceded by a 36-hour methodical bombardment; the rate of fire was not to quicken before the assault so that the enemy would receive no warning. The infantry were then to advance to the first objective behind a curtain of fire provided by the lighter field artillery. There was then to be a 2-hour pause for consolidation while a fresh bombardment was fired at the second objective. The right attack was held up, but good progress was made on the left, where Waterlot Farm and Lonely Trench were captured and consolidated.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 215–20.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 190–3. Fighting continued in Delville Wood, with XIV Corps making a fresh attacks on 3 September (the Guillemont) for which the bombardment had begun at 08.00 the previous day. In the centre the German positions had suffered badly from the bombardment and were quickly taken, but the right attack was a disaster. The attack was renewed next morning and by 6 September Guillemont and most of the other objectives had been captured. XIV Corps then prepared to capture Ginchy on 9 September. The bombardment began at 07.00 with no increase in intensity before Zero at 16.45 to deceive the Germans as to the time of the attack and to deny them an opportunity to counter-attack before dark. The village was taken after heavy fighting, and trench fighting continued in front of the village for several days.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 251–61, 271–8.

Fourth Army's heavy artillery was massed for the Battle of Flers–Courcelette beginning on 15 September, but there was no space to move the heavies forward. The bombardment began on 12 September, with daily firing from 06.00 to 18.30 emphasising Counter-battery (CB) fire, and harassing fire (HF) at night. Each morning the bombardment began with a 'brisk' half hour, and Z day was no different, to maintain an element of surprise. XIV Corps' infantry crossed the Combles Ravine, but did not get beyond their first or second objectives and failed to take the Quadrilateral, a strongpoint on a reverse slope that the bombardment had missed. Over following days the heavy artillery continued to pound the objectives that had not yet been taken – the Quadrilateral fell on 18 September after an accurate bombardment – and minor operations were carried out to prepare for the next major attack (the Battle of Morval). Poor visibility hindered artillery observation, particularly for CB fire, but the attack on 25 September was well served by the guns. The infantry advanced methodically and captured Morval and Lesbœufs, followed by Combles next day.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 293–4, 306–18, 349–50, 356, 372–7, 381–4.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 151–2.Edmonds, 1916, Vol II Appendices: Appendix 20, p. 64; Appendix 23, p. 72.

On 1 October a deliberate bombardment was opened along the whole Fourth Army front at 07.00, which continued without increase in the rate of fire until Zero (15.15) when the Battle of the Transloy Ridges was launched. XIV Corps played a minor part in the attack, but took advantage of the hour's intensive bombardment from 15.15 to make some minor advances. But heavy rain and mud made it difficult to serve the guns as the battle continued. 31st HAG HQ moved in on 5 October to take over command of a group of siege batteries including 148th as the fighting continued on the Transloy Ridges. The bombardments and CB work continued, with frequent breakdowns to the worn guns. 31st HAG's batteries bombarded Le Transloy village for the attack on 23 October, but the infantry formations were very weak and made only minor gains. Zenith Trench was captured on 29 October after it was bombarded by 148th and other batteries.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 429, 432–3, 466–8.Farndale, Western Front, p. 154.31st HAG War Diary September 1915–September 1917, TNA file WO 95/221/1.

The end of the fighting on the Transloy Ridges also marked the end of XIV Corps' participation in the Somme Offensive. 31st HAG HQ left at the end of the month and 148th Siege Bty was transferred to 49th HAG on 29 October. At the time, the battery was at Guillemont. The battery commander, Major George Hugh-Jones (originally of the Essex & Suffolk RGA), was wounded on 4 November and Capt A.N. Street took command. 148th Siege Bty War Diary, November 1916–May 1917, TNA file WO 95/541/9. 148th Siege Bty came under 28th HAG on 2 December. There was some firing on most days, when weather permitted observation. The battery's regular targets included Sunken Trench and hostile batteries and strongpoints around Le Transloy. It was temporarily attached to 64th HAG while 28th HAG HQ and several of the other batteries went to a rest camp in January 1917. Routine CB and HF fire continued in the new year, with an increasing number of short destructive bombardments of specific trenches.28th HAG War Diary, July–December 1917, TNA file WO 95/541/3.28th HAG War Diary, January–July 1917, TNA file WO 95/541/2.

Vimy

The Left half-battery of 148th Siege Bty pulled out on 14 March 1917 for a move north, the rest following on 23 March. It officially joined 53rd HAG with First Army on 21 March. First Army was preparing for the Arras Offensive, with 53rd HAG deployed at Mont-Saint-Éloi supporting Canadian Corps in the opening Battle of Vimy Ridge. Left half battery was in action on 29 March and the whole of 148th Siege Bty was in position by 1 April to participate in the preparations. Its targets included the Ecole Commune, Spandau House, Thélus, Farbus and Vimy village, as well as specific trenches and dugouts. The attack went in at 05.30 on 9 April behind a heavy barrage: 148th Siege Bty laid a barrage on Bloater Trench and the roads behind the Ecole Commune. The Canadians overran three lines of German trenches and seized the crest of the ridge. That afternoon the battery was able to fire at enemy infantry on the move and against a hostile battery to prevent them interfering. Firing continued until 14 April as the Canadians consolidated the captured ground and carried out a limited exploitation.53rd HAG War Diary, March 1916–June 1917, TNA file WO 95/226/1.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 71–8.Falls, 1917, Vol I, pp. 306–7, 312–6, 321–39.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 164–6, 174–6, Map 23.Nicholson, pp. 248–9, 252–8.

On 15 April the battery officially came under 64th HAG, but there was no firing. On 24 April the Right half-battery took up new positions on the Lens–Arras road, targeting Arleux for the next phase of the offensive (the Battle of Arleux) and also carrying out wire-cutting for the infantry. The assault went in on 28 April but was not as successful as the earlier attacks. The battery then switched to targets at Fresnoy and Acheville for the Third Battle of the Scarpe on 3 May. After the initial barrage, the battery fired at German infantry moving up to counter-attack, causing many casualties. On 5 May the battery was firing at Oppy village when a German shell hit one of the ammunition dumps at the battery position, destroying a large number of cartridges. Fighting on this sector of the offensive died away thereafter, but the battery remained active, firing at Acheville Church, the brewery, and various trenches and machine gun posts, as well as feint barrages and at targets of opportunity. By now the guns were badly worn and needed recalibration, while one was sent to the workshops and the battery temporarily took over a gun of 1st Canadian Siege Bty. By 12 May three of the four guns were in the workshops, and the remaining one was put out of action by enemy CB fire that damaged the gun cradle and destroyed a great deal of ammunition. Only the Canadian gun could now be used, while the rest of the battery was pulled out.Falls, 1917 Vol I, pp. 418–24, 448–51.Farndake, Western Front, pp. 178–81.Nicholson, pp. 269–77.

Messines On 17 May the battery reverted to 53rd HAG, now under IX Corps, and moved to new positions at Loker, south-west of Ypres, where Second Army was gathering artillery for the Battle of Messines. From 27 May Right half-battery of 148th Siege Bty began registering its guns on Bogaert Farm and Huns Farm near Wytschaete and on dugouts; Left half-battery joined in on 31 May against Box House. By 3 June the batteries were firing practice barrages and demonstrations to confuse the enemy. The bombardment continued until the assault went in on 7 June, following the explosion of huge mines.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 79–87.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 185–91.Edmonds, 1917, Vol II, pp. 41–2, 44–9, 54–5.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 184–92.Wolff, pp. 111–4, 117–9. The results of the limited attack were spectacular, with the whole Messines–Wytschaete Ridge being captured. In the IX Corps area, the 36th (Ulster) Division captured the wreckage of two woods and Bogaert Farm in between, finding that 'the ground about the strongpoints had been literally ploughed up by the bursts of the high-explosive shells during the bombardment; the barbed wire entanglements which had protected this are below the crest lay piled in twisted heaps, and everywhere was the wreckage of once solidly built dugouts and shelters'.Edmonds, 1917, Vol II, pp. 64–5.

Ypres