The 16th Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, was a unit recruited as part of 'Kitchener's Army' in World War I. It served on the Western Front from 1915 to 1918, supporting different formations of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). It participated in the battles of the Somme, Arras, Messines and Ypres. The battery was forced to destroy its guns to prevent their capture during the German Spring Offensive of 1918. It later took part in the Allies' victorious Hundred Days Offensive. It briefly continued in the postwar Regular British Army.
Mobilisation and training
On 6 August 1914, less than 48 hours after Britain's declaration of war, Parliament sanctioned an increase of 500,000 men for the Regular British Army, and the newly-appointed Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener of Khartoum issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward. This group of six divisions with supporting arms became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1'.War Office Instructions No 32 (6 August) and No 37 (7 August).Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 2 & 8, Appendix I. Recruitment was rapid and the 'K2' units followed shortly after, including 16th (Irish) Division authorised on 11 September. The divisional artillery for this formation (16th (I) DA) was quickly raised at Cahir, Fermoy and Kilkenny in September 1914, though few of the original gunners were actually Irish. The establishment for an infantry division at the time was four Royal Field Artillery (RFA) brigades equipped with 18-pounder guns and 4.5-inch howitzers, together with a heavy battery of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) to be equipped with four 60-pounder guns. 16th Heavy Battery, RGA (16th HB) was consequently raised as part of 16th (I) DA.Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 61–9.Denman, p. 52.Farndale, Annex E.Frederick, pp. 700–1.
The training of 16th (I) Division progressed slowly, and to begin with the artillery 'had neither guns, dial sights, directors, nor harness for the horses'. It was some months before the batteries were able to obtain even 15 horses each, let alone guns. Eventually 16th HB was fully equipped with guns and its own battery ammunition column (BAC). In a change of policy heavy batteries were removed from divisional artillery in 1915 and 16th HB was transferred to 21st Heavy Brigade, RGA, forming at Charlton Park near Woolwich in England. The brigade mobilised on 9 July and embarked at Southampton Docks two days later.'Allocation of Heavy Batteries RGA', The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/5494/2.'Allocations of Heavy Batteries to higher commands, 1st to 30th' at Long, Long Trail.Frederick, p. 711.21st Hvy Bde War Diary June 1915–July 1919 (January 1916–April 1917 missing), TNA file WO 95/469/1. (Most of the rest of 16th (I) DA also left the division soon afterwards and became Guards DA in France.)
Western Front 21st Heavy Bde HQ arrived in France on 12 July, and reached its billets at Muncq-Nieurlet near Saint-Omer on 15 July, where it found 16th HB already billeted under the command of Major C.G. Pritchard. 16th Heavy Bty was designated as HQ Bty of the brigade. After spending some time training, the brigade entrained on 28 July at Audruicq, 16th HB filling the second train while its BAC travelled with Brigade HQ. They detrained at Mondicourt in the Arras sector and marched to Thievres, where they came under the orders of 4th Divisional Artillery (4th DA) in VII Corps of Third Army. The batteries took over positions from the French Army in the Somme sector, with 16th HB at the end of a wood on the east side of the village of Mailly-Maillet. 21st Heavy Bde described this as 'almost an ideal position', screened by a false crest in front. German guns had 'searched' behind this crest for a dummy battery placed by the French, but the French battery alongside 16th Hyv Bty had been undisturbed for several months. 16th Heavy Bty established its observation post (OP) in the front line near Mesnil and the waggon lines, gun teams and BACs were placed at Acheux, the BACs later moving further back to Sarton to obtain water for the horses. 16th Heavy Bty suffered its first casualties On 11 August when a stray enemy shell fell in the officers' billets, killing and wounding three officers.
Trench warfare 16th Heavy Bty opened fire on 29 August, bombarding a German position in conjunction with the 4.5-inch howitzers of 4th DA, 'with considerable effect'. However, 16th HB, like all 60-pdr units at the time, experienced trouble with fractured buffer springs of their guns due to faulty manufacture and poor quality oil. During September the battery settled into the routines of trench warfare, registering its guns on reported enemy battery positions around Beaumont-Hamel. On 10 September it advanced one gun to within of the front line and dug it in. The objective was to engage an enemy observation balloon at Irles that was outside normal range. The gun's buffers were filled with pure glycerine to allow it to fire at high elevation, a special range table compiled, and an OP established at Auchonvillers cemetery. When the balloon was hauled down, the gun opened fire with high explosive shells, the fourth round causing the balloon to deflate rapidly, apparently the result of shell splinters. The gun then turned on the balloon hanger and damaged it. The range for this special shoot was recorded as , and the Germans moved their balloons out of rangek, where they were less effective.
From 21 to 24 September 16th HB's guns were moved to Gaudiempré to act as a reserve for 19th Bde, RGA, during the preliminary bombardment for a forthcoming Anglo-French offensive in the north (the Battle of Loos). Afterwards Right Section returned to the Mailly position, but Left Section was positioned in the open near Colincamps. The Loos attack came on 25 September, and 4th DA joined in the diversionary operations by bombarding the lines opposite; Left Section of 16th HB fired on communication trench exits in front of Serre, Right Section on a trench strongpoint and communication trenches in front of Beaucourt. There was little activity on VII Corps' front during October, but the batteries did a considerable amount of registration in conjunction with observation aircraft from No 8 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps. 16th Heavy Bty concentrated both sections at Mailly in early November. The work of the 60-pdrs was mainly counter-battery (CB) fire, but as more ammunition became available battery commanders had freedom to fire on targets of opportunity identified by the OPs, and in general bombardments by 4th DA.
On 12 March 1916 21st Hvy Bde was transferred to the command of the new Fourth Army, which was being formed to take over the Somme front. At this time 16th HB left and joined XVII Corps, which was taking over the Arras sector from the French Army. It remained with XVII Corps Heavy Artillery (HA) until 1 June, when it returned to the Somme where Fourth Army was preparing for that summer's 'Big Push ' (the Battle of the Somme).Becke, Pt 4, pp. 99–109.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 233–8.
Somme
16th Heavy Bty under the command of Capt J.A,M. Cummings joined 4th Heavy Artillery Group (HAG) at Orville on 10 June 1916. Next day it established its advanced waggon lines at Coigneux, and that night it pulled its four guns into position. Half the men were billeted at Sailly, and half at Chateau Haie. On 17 June it began ranging its guns on 'Pendant Copse' and consolidating its positions. 4th HAG was supporting VIII Corps on the left (north) flank of Fourth Army's attack. The corps' role was to capture the enemy trenches along the Grandcourt Ridge in front, including the fortified villages of Beaumont-Hamel, and Serre, and to form a defensive flank facing north.'Headquarters Heavy Artillery Groups', The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/5494/1.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 179–83.4th HAG War Diary, January–July 1916, TNA file WO 95/298/2.
The bombardment programme was to extend over five days, U, V, W, X and Y, before the assault was launched on Z day. The main work for the 60-pdr batteries was CB fire, firing for 'destruction' rather than 'neutralisation' and using aircraft observation to pinpoint their targets. The results on VIII Corps' front were reported to be excellent. When not engaged in this the 60-pdrs added their fire to attempts to cut the barbed wire obstacles in front of the opposing trenches. The strenuous work of firing the heavy guns 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 began on 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), particularly to complete the wire-cutting. Z Day was therefore 1 July.Edmonds, 1916, Vol I, pp. 299–305, 424–8, Sketch 23.Farndale, pp. 147–9, Map 21.
On Z Day the 60-pdr batteries of VIII Corps commenced their CB fire at 05.00 as usual. The whole bombardment reached high intensity from 06.25 until 07.20 when it ceased on VIII Corps' front while a mine was fired under the German 'Hawthorn Redoubt'. The infantry then 'went over the top' at Zero (07.30). It was difficult to assess whether the intense CB fire had been successful in keeping down enemy artillery. At Zero the Germans ceased their own CB fire and concentrated every surviving gun onto the attacking infantry, together with fresh heavy batteries behind the Beaucourt Ridge that had previously been silent, as well as machine guns brought up from shelter in deep dugouts. During the morning 4th HAG's OPs reported heavy enemy fire from in front of Serre and from the north, and that the troops of 31st Division were held up in the opposing second and third lines, which the Germans were shelling. 4th Division's attempt to get beyond the 'Quadrilateral' strongpoint in the German front line had completely failed. Meanwhile, the Germans were shelling the British front line, preventing reinforcements and supplies getting through to the attackers. A fresh bombardment by the 'heavies' was ordered for 12.00–12.25, and 16th and 112th HBs were turned onto enemy-held trenches that enfiladed the attack, but the attack could not be renewed. About 14.30 16th HB came under enemy gas shelling. By now no British infantry could be seen in the German positions and it was clear that the attack had failed. The heavy batteries resumed their CB fire. Next day was quiet as both sides cleared their wounded and reorganised. 16th HB only had one gun in action (probably after the gas shelling) and fired just 88 rounds. On 3 July it was heavily shelled again.Edmonds, 1916, Vol I, pp. 314–5, 429–51, Sketch 23.Farndale, p. 146.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 3–5.