The East Anglian (Essex) Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery was a part-time unit of Britain's Territorial Force formed in 1908 from part of an existing Essex volunteer artillery unit. It fought on the Western Front during World War I, at the Battles of Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele, during the German Spring Offensive, and at the Battles of Amiens, Épehy, the St Quentin Canal, the Selle and the Sambre. It was merged into a medium artillery unit from Suffolk in the postwar Territorial Army.

Origin

When the Territorial Force (TF) was created in 1908 by the Haldane Reforms, each of the new force's infantry divisions was allocated a heavy battery of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA). The East Anglian Division was provided with a battery formed from part of the 1st Essex Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers). While the bulk of the Essex artillery volunteers from the London suburbs transferred to the Royal Field Artillery as the 2nd East Anglian Brigade, the East Anglian (Essex) Heavy Battery remained with the RGA.Frederick, pp. 657, 675.Litchfield & Westlake, p. 67.Litchfield, p. 66.Army List, various dates.London Gazette 20 March 1908.East Anglian (Essex) Hvy Bty at Regiments.org. Both units continued to share a headquarters at Artillery House, Stratford Green.Stratford at Drill Hall Project.

The new heavy battery was officially formed on 6 July 1908 and gained its 'Essex' subtitle in March 1909. It was armed with four 4.7-inch guns, together with a dedicated ammunition column.Frederick, pp. 683, 699–701.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 125–31.Conrad 1914.

World War I Mobilisation The East Anglian Division began its annual training on 27 July 1914, with the divisional artillery travelling to Redesdale Training Area in Northumberland. When the order to mobilise was given on 4 August, the units had to return to their headquarters by train and then move to their war stations. The battery mobilised at Stratford under the command of Major S.E. Wood. By 10 August the division had concentrated around Brentwood, Essex, and on 20 August it moved to Chelmsford and formed part of the coast defences of the UK.54th (EA) Division at Long, Long Trail.Sainsbury, p. 39.

On the outbreak of war, TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service. On 15 August 1914, the War Office issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units, and on 31 August, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. In this way duplicate units were created, mirroring those being sent overseas. The parent battery was designated 1/1st East Anglian (Essex) Heavy Battery (usually referred to simply as '1/1st Essex') and the new unit recruiting at Stratford became the 2/1st Battery.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 91–8.

1/1st East Anglian (Essex) Heavy Battery The 1st East Anglian Division was employed on coast defence until May 1915, when it was concentrated at St Albans preparatory to going overseas as the 54th (1st East Anglian) Division. However, when the infantry departed for the Gallipoli Campaign, the divisional artillery was left behind in England. In July 1915 it was attached to the 2nd East Anglian Division at Thetford (which became the 69th (2nd East Anglian) Division in August). Although the 54th (EA) Divisional field artillery went out to the Western Front in November 1915 and later rejoined its division in the Middle East, 1/1st Essex Hvy Bty remained with the 69th (2nd EA) Division, where it was joined by the 2/1st Essex Hvy Bty from Stratford.Sainsbury, pp. 44–7.

1/1st Essex Hvy Bty left 69th (2nd EA) Division on 1 March 1916 to mobilise for overseas service. It disembarked at Le Havre on 14 March and two days later it joined XVII Corps Heavy Artillery (HA) on the Western Front. It was assigned to 23rd Heavy Artillery Group (HAG) on 20 March.Allocations of Heavy Batteries RGA, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/5494.

Vimy Ridge XVII Corps was in the process of taking over the northern sector of Third Army's front. The sector was largely quiet except in the Vimy Ridge area, where there was constant Trench warfare and Mine warfare, including a serious German attack on 21 May.'Headquarters Heavy Artillery Groups', TNA file WO 95/5494/1.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 89–98.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 233–8. In June the battery transferred to the command of 50th (South African) HAG in the same sector. Positioned at Marœuil it was engaged in counter-battery (CB) fire, and was targeted in turn by hostile batteries: on 7 July it was heavily bombarded by 8-inch armour-piercing shells, which destroyed an unoccupied gun position. After being shelled again on 8 July the battery moved into positions previously occupied by 1/1st Wessex Heavy Bty, before returning later in the month. It carried out test firing of Shrapnel shells with two new fuzes: these were unsatisfactory, with numerous premature shell burst, and further tests had to be carried out in the autumn. The gunners spent much of the summer constructing gun positions for other units of XVII Corps HA, and sending its worn-out guns to workshops for replacement.1/1st Essex Heavy Bty War Diary, July 1916–January 1918. TNA file WO 95/477/10.50th (SA) HAG War Diary, June 1916–March 1919, TNA file WO 95/225/5.

In December 1916 the WO decided that all heavy batteries should be composed of six modern 60-pounder guns.Farndale, Annex E. On 28 December 1916 the battery finally handed in its old 4.7-inch guns and received four 60-pdrs to replace them. Then on 23 January 1917 it was joined by a section from 191st Heavy Bty ready to bring it up to a strength of six guns. In late February 1/1st Essex Bty battery was ordered to move its four guns to a new position where two additional guns were already in place; it required two Holt 75 caterpillar tractors in addition to the horse teams to move the guns.

By the end of 1916 First Army and Canadian Corps had taken over command of the Vimy sector, and in early 1917 they began preparations for the Battle of Vimy Ridge to open the Arras Offensive. As well as preparing the new positions, the battery carried out CB tasks and supported trench raids by Canadian troops. On 1 April 1/1st Essex Hvy Bty fired 500 rounds on CB targets and from then on it was firing night and day as part of the preliminary bombardment. On 3 April it supported a raid by 34th Division, otherwise it fired on Thélus and Vimy villages, and continued the CB tasks. On 7 April it received an extra 60-pdr gun on loan from the Ordnance Gun Park to increase its firepower, though by Z day only four guns were in action, the others having damaged buffers. The artillery preparation for the battle was highly successful, with most German batteries destroyed or neutralised. The attack went in at 05.30 on 9 April with a heavy barrage and bombardment; the Canadians overran three lines of German trenches and seized the crest of the ridge. During the day 1/1st Essex Hvy Bty's four serviceable guns fired about 1400 rounds, latterly firing in response to 'Zone Calls' requested by the observation aircraft from No 16 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, and at fleeting targets; the German counter-attacks were broken up before they were even launched.Becke Pt 4, pp. 71–8.Cave, pp. 113–27.Falls, 1917, Vol I, pp. 303, 306–7, 312–3, 321–39.Farndale, pp. 174–6, Map 23.Nicholson, pp. 248–9, 252–8.

That night the battery bombarded Vimy with 300 gas shells before it was captured the following morning. Firing continued over subsequent days as the Canadians consolidated the captured ground and carried out a limited exploitation. 1st Essex Hvy Bty pushed a section forward to Neuville-St Vaast on 12 April, where it continued CB fire, but the rear section was soon practically out of range. Rear Section went forward to Neuville-St Vaast on 20 April when Forward Section took up positions on top of the captured ridge itself – proudly proclaiming itself the first heavy battery of Canadian Corps HA to get there. The Arras Offensive on Third Army's front was becoming bogged down but on 28 April Canadian Corps carried out a relatively successful attack on Arleux-en-Gohelle (the Battle of Arleux) during which 1/1st Essex Hvy Bty neutralised hostile batteries and engaged German forces that 16 Sqn RFC spotted massing for counter-attacks. The battery was heavily shelled on 30 April, with two guns put out of action and 1000 rounds of ammunition destroyed, but it was able to carry out its usual CB tasks when Canadians captured Fresnoy-en-Gohelle on 3 May, and attacked the power station at La Coulotte on 10 May and Hill 70 on 2 and 28 June.Falls, 1917, Vol I, pp. 423–4, 448–50.Nicholson, pp. 270–81.

Batteries were regularly moved from one HAG to another, so 1/1st Essex Bty was unusual in having remained with 50th HAG for over a year. However, on 14 July it was transferred 78th HAG with XIII Corps, but remained at Thélus on CB tasks in the Vimy sector, which was now quiet apart from occasional trench raids. At this period the battery was commanded by Maj H. Jolly. At the end of July it began work on a new concrete forward position at the sugar factory on the Arleux road, moving three guns in on 23 September while work continued. In October it also constructed winter standings for the horses.78th HAG War Diary, November 1916–February 1918, TNA file WO 95/229/1.

Passchendaele

On 19 October, the battery had to leave the positions it had worked on all summer when it was sent to reinforce Fifth Army fighting in the Third Ypres Offensive. Leaving the guns behind, the horses and transport marched by road, while the gunners were taken in motor lorries. On arrival at 'Essex Farm' in the Ypres Salient the battery was assigned to 65th HAG with XVIII Corps. It relieved 16th Hvy Bty and took over its guns in position east of the Yser Canal facing Langemarck.65th HAG War Diary, October 1916–December 1917, TNA file WO 95/322/6.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 111–20.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 239–42.

Although the autumn battles (the Menin Road (20 September), Polygon Wood (26 September) and Broodseinde (4 October)) had been highly successful because of the weight of artillery brought to bear on German positions, the tables had turned as the offensive continued: British batteries were clearly observable from the Passchendaele Ridge and were subjected to intense CB fire, while their own guns sank into the mud and became difficult to aim and fire. 65th HAG needed a working party from the infantry to help it move up the quantities of ammunition being fired. As well as its CB and harassing fire (HF) tasks, 1/1st Essex Hvy Bty took part in two days of bombardment before the attack of 26 September (the Second Battle of Passchendaele) and assisted with barrages during the assault, but it went badly for the infantry of XVIII Corps, struggling through the mud. II Corps HQ relieved XVIII Corps on 2 November but the fighting continued. The attack of 6 November against Passchendaele village was carried out by Canadian Corps, supported by II Corps HA, 1/1st Essex Hvy Bty firing hundreds of HE and gas shells. However, the road up to the forward position that Left Section was trying to prepare was now impassable, and one of the guns was unserviceable. The battery was in action again when the Canadians finally captured Passchendaele on 10 November.Edmonds, 1917, Vol II, pp. 351–9.Farndale, pp. 211–13.

Winter 1917–18