178th Siege Battery was a heavy howitzer unit of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) formed at Edinburgh, Scotland, during World War I. It saw active service on the Western Front at Arras, Ypres and Cambrai. It distinguished itself in the fighting against the German Spring Offensive, and participated in the Allies' final Hundred Days Offensive.
Mobilisation and training On the outbreak of war in August 1914, units of the part-time Territorial Force (TF) were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service, and most of the Edinburgh-based Forth Royal Garrison Artillery did so.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 Army 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 units with 'New Army' (Kitchener's Army) volunteers.Maurice-Jones, pp. 200–1.
178th Siege Battery was formed on 23 June 1916 in the Forth Garrison under War Office Instruction No 1037 of 30 June 1916. To begin forming the battery a cadre of 50–60 volunteers was obtained from the Forth RGA. Another 20 or so men were transferred from 49th Company, RGA, at Bere Island, in Ireland, to which they had been drafted from the training depots in late 1915; they were sent to the RGA depot at Bexhill-on-Sea to train as signallers before joining the battery. Together with a few experienced officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) returned from the Western Front and completed by recruits from the depots, the personnel of the battery assembled at King's Park, Edinburgh, between 3 and 5 July. The signallers joined on 20 July. Training progressed despite the lack of equipment.Frederick, p. 703.Webber, pp. 3–4.Webber, pp. 85–8.
On 28 July the battery entrained at Waverley station and proceeded to Aldershot, being accommodated in Ramillies Barracks. Here the gunners were introduced to the 6-inch howitzer, and carried out field days and route marches. As a largely Scottish unit the battery was always preceded on the march by a piper. On 15 September Captain J.J. Saunders arrived from 109th Heavy Bty in France as officer commanding (OC) the battery. Then on 18 September the battery entrained for Larkhill where it carried out a firing course, and then went to Stockcross Camp near Newbury on 22 September to begin mobilisation for overseas service. It was equipped with four modern 6-inch 26 cwt howitzers, which were sent to Avonmouth Docks on 6 October. The rest of the battery embarked on SS Lydia at Southampton two days later.Webber, pp. 5–8.'Allocation of Siege Batteries RGA', The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/5494/4.
Service
The battery disembarked at Le Havre and once the guns and stores had arrived it entrained on 11 October for Savy, the railhead for the Arras sector. It then went into existing guns positions near Dainville, with Right Section on the Arras–Doullens road and Left Section in a sunken road near the railway station. The men were billeted in Dainville, but moved to dugouts alongside the guns when the village came under shellfire. Two observation posts (OPs) codenamed 'Opera Box' and 'Duchess' were established in the infantry's reserve trenches, later supplemented by 'Spaxton' in Beaumetz village. From 13 October, the battery formed part of 54th Heavy Artillery Group (HAG) with Third Army. 178th Siege Bty began registering its guns on Ficheux Mill, enemy batteries and other targets for VII Corps on 19 October. 54th HAG handed its batteries over to 47th HAG on 10 November and then the battery hauled its guns about up the Arras–Doullens road to positions near Berneville, where it joined 65th HAG on 15 November. Daily firing continued on various targets.'Headquarters Heavy Artillery Groups', TNA file WO 95/5494/1.Webber, pp. 8–12.54th HAG War Diary, TNA file WO 95/392/1.47th HAG War Diary March 1916–July 1919, TNA file WO 95/473/1.65th HAG War Diary, October 1916–December 1917, TNA file WO 95/322/6.
The battery reverted to the command of 54th HAG on 19 December, then 65th HAG headquarters took over again on 24 December, when the battery was ordered to move by motor transport to positions near the Arras–St Pol road, with the off-duty gunners billeted in Anzin-Saint-Aubin. New OPs were established at 'Ann', 'Eve' and '66', and later at 'Vulcan' on top of a chimney near Arras station. The group was now under VI Corps' Heavy Artillery (HA). Captain Saunders was promoted to major. On 6 January 1917, 178th Siege Bty took part in its first organised bombardment, covering a daylight trench raid, when the new '106' fuze proved excellent for destroying barbed wire, followed by counter-battery (CB) fire. On 15 January the battery transferred to the tactical command of 48th HAG while the other batteries in 47th HAG prepared new positions, but the work remained the same, mainly CB fire, sometimes in cooperation with observation aircraft. On 18 February VI Corps HA was reorganised, and 178th Siege Bty came under the command of 22nd HAG. The battery began digging new gun-pits at St Nicolas, a suburb of Arras, with the gunners billeted in the town.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 169–74.Webber, pp. 12–4.48th HAG War Diary August 1915–June 1917, TNA file WO 95/225/1.22nd HAG War Diary, TNA file WO 95/389/1.
Arras Third Army was now preparing for its Arras Offensive. 72nd HAG HQ moved into the area on 23 March and formed a double group with 22nd HAG, when 178th Siege Bty came under the new HQ. The gunners spent much of their time unloading lorry loads of ammunition, and then carrying it to the gun pits. Six thousand rounds were allocated to 178th Siege Bty, which was heavily engaged in neutralising CB shoots, though the Germans had gained air superiority and several British observation aircraft were shot down. They Germans also stepped up their own fire to disrupt the preparations, firing large numbers of gas shells into Arras. The main bombardment was planned to last for five days (V, W, X, Y and Z) beginning on 4 April. Given the mass of guns firing, the area bombarded was divided into small zones without overlapping fire, to help the FOOs spot the fall of shot of their own guns. However, visibility was poor on some of the days, so an additional day (Q) was inserted on 7 April and Z day for the attack (the First Battle of the Scarpe) became 9 April. During the bombardment the battery worked on a new OP ('Twickenham Ferry') in trenches south-east of Arras recently evacuated by the enemy; this came into use on the morning of Z day. The Forward Observation Officer (FOO) was wounded by a sniper, and the OP party captured a German in the trenches. VI Corps had captured Orange Hill and the Wancourt–Feuchy lines by the end of the day, an advance of . As a result, the howitzers in St Nicholas were out of range, and at 12.35 178th Siege Bty was ordered to move up to previously-reconnoitred positions at Blangy in the old British front line, coming back into action before the end of the day.Webber, pp. 14–7.72nd HAG War Diary November 1916–February 1919, TNA file WO 95/323/6.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 89–98.Falls, 1917, Vol I, pp. 182–5.Farndale, pp. 164–71, Map 23.
As the offensive continued, 178th Siege Bty fired in support of the attacks on Monchy-le-Preux, then moved forward again on 13 April to Tilloy, where it took over some captured deep dugouts. The battery received its first decoration for bravery when Gunner J. Arnold removed a live grenade booby-trap from one of these dugouts and was awarded the Military Medal (MM). The new gun positions were under enemy observation, so they were moved back behind a crest, just as enemy fire came down on the first positions. Heavy fire programmes continued, the battery often firing 700 rounds per day – 1203 on one occasion. A further three-day bombardment (X, Y and Z) preceded the Second Battle of the Scarpe on 23 April. On the night of 30 April the battery moved up to the old 'Brown Line' near Wancourt, its FWD Model B gun tractors pulling the howitzers into position in open fields, where the gunners soon built dugouts. Another three-day bombardment preceded the Third Battle of the Scarpe on 3 May, but the attack largely failed. As the offensive petered out, the gunners were sent for a few days' rest, first Right Section, then Left. On 25 May a German shell destroyed a dugout, killing and mortally wounding four men. The battery was pulled out of its exposed position into new camouflaged gunpits in 'Happy Valley' near Wancourt on 3 June. A Decauville Railway brought ammunition to the guns during the night. On 14 June the battery supported the successful attack on the 'Spur' and 'Hook' trenches in front of Wancourt. At 17.00 the FOO in the railway cutting OP spotted German troops concentrating for a counter-attack, and the battery dispersed this with shellfire.Farndale, pp. 172–74, 176–82.Webber, pp. 17–21, 72.
Ypres On 24 June an advance party of 178th Siege Bty left for the Ypres Salient, followed by the two guns of Right Section on 1 July and by 4 July the whole battery was concentrated at 'Asylum Corner' in Ypres, with the gunners billeted in Vlamertinge. After overhauling its guns and preparing positions, the battery joined 77th HAG on 10 July. This group had recently joined XIX Corps, which had come into the line with Fifth Army to carry out the planned Flanders offensive (the Third Battle of Ypres). The preliminary bombardment began on 12 June, with the full artillery preparation beginning on 16 July. The Germans still had air superiority and better OPs, and the British artillery in the Salient received considerable CB fire: on 18 July a heavy concentration came down on 178th Siege Bty, causing a number of casualties. However, the British build-up continued and as time went by the guns began to get the upper hand. Ammunition expenditure was prodigious: on the fist day the four guns of the battery fired over 1200 rounds between them, and one gun crew later managed 360 in a day. The delayed attack (the Battle of Pilckem Ridge) was launched at 03.45 on 31 July. 55th (West Lancashire) Division of XIX Corps succeeded in crossing the obstacle of the Steenbeke stream and pressed on past Hill 35 towards the third and fourth objectives, but found that the heavy artillery had hardly touched the concrete pillboxes on the higher slope. The Germans counter-attacked at 17.00, and although the guns fired their SOS tasks, causing heavy casualties, the British infantry had to relinquish Hill 35 and several strongpoints they had captured. Two OP parties from 178th Siege Bty which had established themselves in 'Plum Farm' and 'Apple Villa' were also forced to leave hurriedly. At the end of the day 55th (WL) Division held a line just across the Steenbeke and the guns kept up a harassing barrage throughout the night.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 111–120.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 243–6.Edmonds, 1917, Vol II, pp. 133–9, 157–8, 166–7, 172–4, Sketch 15.Farndale, pp. 199–204.Webber, pp. 22–5.Webber, pp. 74–6.Wolff, pp. 148–62.77th Bde War Diary December 1916–July 1917, TNA file WO 95/324/1.