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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: colin buckle on Wednesday 25 November 09 20:16 GMT (UK)
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I always remembered my grandmother telling me that 4 of her brothers died in WW1 and when i started my family history research I made a point of finding out as much as I could. Details are on http://www.colin.buckle.btinternet.co.uk/ellisfamilyandworldwarone.htm
I'm particularly interested in finding more information on how William Ellis (details including CWGC link from page above) was killed. Because of the date he died and where he is buried (Outtersteene) I'm assuming he died during the Battle of the Lys. But I don't really know! I've also got his medal card but that doesn't really tell me anything. Is there any way of finding more?
I'm also interested in what a Serjeant in the Royal Field Artillery would have done. I assume that he would have led a group of men operating a howitzer or similar medium sized piece of artillery. Yet again any further information appreciated.
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RFA would not have howitzers which were handled by Royal Garrison Artillery on the whole, but something a little smaller. A sergeant would most likely lead a detachment [not a team, which was the horses] of 6 to 8 men handling the loading, laying, firing and maintenance of an 18-pounder under the direction of a junior officer as section commander, within a battery, within a brigade.
Have you looked at the Long Long Trail website - click on the Royal Artillery bit on the left side of its opening page. There's lots there.
<http://www.1914-1918.net/>
Afterthought: RFA DID have howitzers after a shake-up in mid war, but in more general terms you should think of the 18-pdr field gun.
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Regarding finding out about what happened to individuals; the people at the following website did some very thorough research for me (not cheaply, but the product was worthwhile - though the after-sales service was a bit slack in that they did not respond to an additional (small) question)
http://www.fourteeneighteen.co.uk/
Hope that helps
Phill
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service records of those who served pre 1921 are at TNA if they survived the fire of WW2
you could try to contact the imperial war musuem to see if they have any war diaries from that particular regiment
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"Soldiers Who Died in the Great War" has the information that William Ellis, Sergeant, 85245 ROYAL REGIMENT OF ARTILLERY ROYAL HORSE AND ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY SECTION 2 (D-H) was "Killed in Action" on the 13th April 1918.That usually means that he died on the field of battle and not subsequently elsewhere.
jds1949
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Thanks all some really useful information there. I'll follow those up and contact the Imperial war Museum regarding diaries, I'd rather try to find anything myself if I can, that's part of the challenge. I'd more or less discounted him dying in Outtersteene Field Hospital, I found out recently it was closed by then (and was probably in German hands at the time). I guess the Battle of the Lys is the most likely explanation.
Colin
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Hello Colin,
The war diary for 64 Brigade RFA, for the period in question, is held at Kew under Catalogue Ref. WO 95/295
http://www.rootschat.com/links/07jo/
By this time, they were an Army Brigade. There is an earlier war diary for the period when the brigade was part of 12th Divisional Artillery. WO 95/1838.
Phil
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Thanks Phil. I'll need to make an appointment to view that at Kew,
Colin
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Hi Colin
A RFA battery would normally have seven sergeants - one per gun plus one helping the Battery Sgt Major. The ones working the guns would each have 20-25 men under him.
Ken
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Colin, greetings. My grandfather William George Miller was in the same unit as William Ellis, namely 'D' Battery (4.5" howitzers) 64th Bde RFA, in fact he was wounded on 9 April 1918 during the same action W Ellis was killed in, that is the Battle Of The Lys, second phase of the German Spring Offensive of 1918, otherwise known as Operation Georgette. My grandfather was lucky though, he caught a 'Blighty One' and survived the war, which is how I come to be typing this message!
I've got a fair proportion of the war diaries of 64th Bde RFA photographed, plus some other bits and pieces which may interest you. Please feel free to contact me if you wish via nick316@hotmail.com and maybe we can sort out some information transfer arrangements.
All the best,
Nick Miller.
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Nick, Thanks that sounds really interesting. I'll drop you an email this evening.
Colin