HISTORY OF THE 135TH SIEGE BATTERY R.G.A

The 135th Siege Battery came into being in May 1916, at Tynemouth, equipped with 8” Howitzers, four at first, made up to six in January 1918. Only three months after it had been formed the battery landed in France, in August 1916, and went straight into the Somme battle. Subsequently it was in action in the Arras sector from March to July 1917, then on the coast at Nieuport where it remained till December. From December 1917 to December 1918 it was part of the 83rd Brigade, R.G.A. and in that period it was in action at Vimy Ridge in support of the 47th and 56th Divisions. It played a significant part in the defence against and defeat of enemy assaults on that feature. At the end of July the battery moved to the Amiens sector to take part in the allied counter-offensive and in the final advance. All this activity is well covered in the narrative and well supported by maps, and diagrams with good photos.
Where this book scores highly is in the appendices and the information they contain, the first of which (most unusual) is the record of one of its howitzers, on display at the Crystal Palace after the war, in the form of a diary describing how it was employed between January 1918 and the armistice. There is a Roll of Honour listing the twenty-nine killed or died of wounds stating where and when the casualty occurred and where the dead man is buried. Another appendix lists all the wounded with date, nature of casualty and disposal. There is the monthly summary of casualties from August 1916 to October 1918 and there are tables showing monthly ammunition expenditure in 1916,1917 and 1918. Another table gives the record of the brigade in action between 8 August and 11 November 1918, showing its employment with dates, number of rounds fired, the nature of the action and casualty figures (150,051 rounds fired, total casualties 269). Finally there is the nominal roll of officers and men. A very workmanlike history.