More WW1 Casualty Info

[colin buckle]

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.

[ainslie]

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.

[phill100]

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

[toni*]

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 

[jds1949]

"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

[colin buckle]

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

[forester]

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

[colin buckle]

Thanks Phil. I'll need to make an appointment to view that at Kew,

Colin

[km1971]

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