71st (South African) Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery

71st (South African) Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery was a unit of the South African Heavy Artillery formed for service with the South African Overseas Expeditionary Force in World War I. It travelled to Europe and fought under British command on the Western Front from 1916 to 1918, seeing action at Mount Sorrel, the Somme, Bullecourt, Ypres and Cambrai, against the German Spring Offensive and in the final Allied Hundred Days Offensive.

Background

In July 1915 after the conclusion of the South West Africa campaign at the beginning of World War I, the South African Overseas Expeditionary Force was created to support the British Empire during the continuing war. The South African Heavy Artillery (SAHA) of five batteries was raised, mainly from volunteers who had seen service with a heavy artillery brigade in South West Africa. Among these was No 3 (Transvaal) Battery. The SAHA sailed from Cape Town on 28 August 1915, bound for Europe.Anon, Seventy-First, pp. 9–10.

Mobilisation and training The batteries landed at Plymouth on 15 September and went to Cooden Camp, Bexhill-on-Sea, for general training. The British War Office decided to equip the SAHA as siege artillery attached to the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA). Under War Office Instruction No 276 of 20 October 1915, 3rd (Transvaal) Battery was initially designated 71st (Transvaal) Siege Battery, RGA (later simply as 71st (South African) Battery) in the Northern and Central South Africa Siege Brigade. Captain H.C. Harrison was appointed officer commanding (OC). Although numbered as RGA units, the batteries retained their SAHA cap badges and national identity. They were to be equipped with tractor-drawn 6-inch howitzers.Crook.Anon, Seventy-First, p. 11.Frederick, pp. 702–12.Anon, Official History, pp. 185–9.

The batteries went to the RGA training camp at Lydd in December where they were introduced to modern heavy guns, but did gun drill on 9.45-inch Skoda howitzers from the Second Boer War and their actual field firing with 8-inch rifled muzzle-loading howitzers dating from 1879. Other units under training at Lydd at this time included 67th, 69th and 76th Siege Btys.Penstone, pp. 12–3.

On completion of training, Capt Harrison was promoted to major and the battery was equipped with four 6-inch howitzers of the latest 26-cwt pattern. Mobilisation then began: the Northern and Central Brigade mobilised at Woolwich on 8 March 1916 as 44th (South African) Siege Brigade, RGA, and 71st (SA) Siege Bty at Fort Fareham on 6 April. They sent their guns to Avonmouth Docks for despatch to France while the men embarked on the Manchester Importer at Southampton on 15 April and landed at Le Havre next day.44th (SA) Bde War Diary, March 1916–December 1918, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, WO 95/542/1.RGA Siege Btys at Long, Long Trail.

Service When the SAHA units arrived on the Western Front the policy within the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was to move batteries frequently between brigades, which were designated Heavy Artillery Groups (HAGs).Farndale, Annex E. 71st (SA) Siege Bty left 44th HAG shortly after arrival, and joined 1st HAG on 26 April.'Allocation of Siege Batteries RGA', TNA file WO 95/5494/4. 1st HAG was serving with VIII Corps in Fourth Army preparing for that summer's 'Big Push' (the Battle of the Somme). 71st (SA) Siege Bty parked its guns at Raincheval and the men began digging gun positions at Mailly-Maillet. The battery's new guns created considerable interest among the other units equipped with obsolescent 6-inch 30 cwt howitzers.'Headquarters Heavy Artillery Groups', TNA file WO 95/5494/1.

Mount Sorrel The battery completed its positions and came 'into action' on 25 May. The guns were registered on their targets and then remained silent and hidden for the planned offensive. However, the battery was suddenly ordered north on 2 June and joined Canadian Corps Heavy Artillery next day. The Canadians were engaged in the Battle of Mont Sorrel and needed reinforcements. The battery reached Ypres on 4 June and pulled into action near the Dixmude Gate under heavy hostile fire, immediately suffering its first casualties. It remained here until 14 June, almost continuously in action and most of the time under shellfire. It fired a large amount of ammunition – at one point No 1 gun team fired 81 rounds (each weighing ) in 29 minutes. By the end of this period the battery had suffered 35 casualties from a strength of 150 men.Anon, Seventy-First, pp. 45–6.Anon, Seventy-First, pp. 12, 50.Edmonds, 1916 Vol I, p. 238.Farndale, pp. 138–40.Nicholson, pp. 147–54.

Somme 71st (SA) Siege Bty returned to its previous positions at Mailly-Maillet on 18 June in time to take part in the Somme Offensive. The main bombardment was to extend over five days, U, V, W, X and Y, before the assault was launched on Z day. Tasks for the HAGs included counter-battery (CB) fire and direct bombardment of selected targets. Each day began with an 80-minute concentrated barrage, simulating the opening of the attack. The strenuous work of firing the heavy guns and howitzers was divided into 2-hour periods to allow the gunners to rest, forward observation officers (FOOs) to be relieved, and the guns to cool. The bombardment continued through the night, but half the guns were rested. U Day was 24 June, but on several days the weather was too bad for good air or ground observation and the programme was extended by two days (Y1 and Y2). The final bombardment began at 06.25 on Z Day (1 July), with a 65-minute barrage. VIII Corps' objectives were the villages of Serre and Beaumont-Hamel. Corps orders laid down a succession of lifts for the heavy artillery: off the front trench 10 minutes before Zero hour then onto the reserve trenches and each of the infantry's successive objectives in turn. Destruction of the enemy trenches was effective, but the CB fire less so, and many machine gun post were untouched. The assaulting infantry were cut down by fire within minutes of leaving their trenches and never reached most of their objectives. A second attack was hastily organised for the afternoon, with the heavy artillery bombarding the front line again from 12.00 to 12.25. This attack also failed and further attempts were called off that evening.Anon, Seventy-First, p. 13.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 179–83.Edmonds, 1916, Vol I, pp. 299–300, 304–5, 424–51.Farndale, pp. 144–8.Middlebrook, pp. 87–9, 115–6, 147–8.

The First day on the Somme had been a disaster for VIII Corps, and no further attacks were made on that part of the front until later in the year.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 3–4, 8–9. Accordingly, 71st (SA) Siege Bty moved south to Becordel on 5 July and joined 36th (Australian) HAG near Fricourt and Mametz, which had been captured by XV Corps on 1–2 July. From Becordel the battery fired in support of the further operations to capture Mametz Wood, Ovillers and Contalmaison. Major Harrison carried out several reconnaissances of Pozières when it was in No man's land, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO); he was also evacuated for a time with gas poisoning. The Battle of Pozières was fought by II Corps under Reserve Army, then on 10 September 71st (SA) Siege Bty together with several Australian batteries transferred to the command of 59th HAG under Canadian Corps. However, the battery remained at Becordel, firing during the Battle of Flers–Courcelette on 15 September, when the Canadians captured the sugar factory and gained a foothold in Courcelette, which was cleared over the next two days.Anon, Seventy-First, pp. 47–50.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 223–8.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 137–43.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 111–20.Farndale, pp. 150–2.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 7, 28–36, 43–58, 141–56, 338–43.Nicholson, pp. 169–71.59th Bde War Diary, August 1917–May 1919, TNA file WO 95/322/2.

On 20 September the battery moved forward to Bazentin, where the range to the enemy was shorter, but where mud was a serious problem. The battery's primary targets during the autumn were Courcelette and Regina Trenches and the Zollern Redoubt, which the Canadians attacked on 26 September (part of the Battle of Thiepval Ridge). During October (the Battle of the Ancre Heights) II Corps and the Canadians were held up at Regina Trench. One particular German bombing post proved a problem. The infantry were withdrawn to communication and support trenches while 71st (SA) Siege Bty's FOO, Capt A.E. Rann, and his signallers set up their observation post (OP) in the trench just from the target. From this dangerous position, over two days, he brought down accurate fire from the battery to render the German post untenable; Rann was awarded the Military Cross (MC). The Canadians completed the Capture of Regina Trench on 10 November. The Battle of the Ancre on 13–18 November was the final phase of that year's Somme Offensive. On 22 December 71st (SA) Siege Bty was pulled out to Beauval for rest and Maj Harrison, still suffering from the effects of gas, was evacuated to England leaving Capt Rann in command.Anon, Seventy-First, p. 14.Farndale, p. 154–6.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 460–5.Nicholson, pp. 190–2.

Ancre The battery returned to the line at Ovillers on 2 January 1917, firing on trench targets. The problems now were frost, leading to damage to gun carriages, and sickness. On 5 February 59th HAG went into reserve and 71st (SA) Siege Bty transferred to 2nd HAG next day.Anon, Seventy-First, p. 15.2nd HAG War Diary February 1917–November 1918, TNA file WO 95/296/1. Fifth Army (formerly Reserve Army) was continuing low-level operations on the Ancre, and on 17 February II Corps attacked Loupart Wood and Miraumont. For three days beforehand, the heavy artillery carried out CB shoots and barbed wire-cutting, the latter using the '106' instantaneous fuze. 2nd HAG was defined as a 'siege group' from Zero, bombarding the enemy's rear lines, machine gun emplacements, etc, as the infantry advanced at 05.45. The thawing mud slowed the infantry and German retaliation was fierce, and the operation fell far short of its objectives.Falls, 1917 Vol I, pp. 75–82.

On 8 March 71st (SA) Siege Bty moved two guns up to Thiepval to take part in a renewal of the operations against Loupart Wood and Miraumont, but just before the attack was due the Germans on this front began their withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line (Operation Alberich). The battery was among the forces that followed up: on 22 March it attempted to go cross-country to join the Albert–Bapaume road, the only one capable of taking heavy guns, but three of the guns were ditched on the way. The single gun that reached the road joined the stream of traffic going forwards, and went into action on 23 March at Ervillers, shelling Croisilles and Écoust. The battery had been ordered to come under 4th HAG on 21 March, but did not actually join up with it at Béhagnies, north of Bapaume, until 29 March, the rest of the group having been forbidden to use the fragile roads across the devastated zone. It was not until 3 April that the other three guns caught up, when the battery engaged tenacious German rearguards in Saint-Léger and Écoust until they were driven back within the Hindenburg Line.Anon, Seventy-First, p. 16.4th HAG War Diary, January–June 1917, TNA file WO 95/298/4.Falls, 1917 Vol I, pp. 93–5, 103, 113, 140, 145–9.

Bullecourt