WAR DIARY and ROLL OF HONOUR 14TH HEAVY BATTERY R.G.A. IN FRANCE, BELGIUM, GERMANY – 1915-16-17-18-19

Originally formed in August/September 1914 as 8 Hy Bty, the first heavy battery of the New Armies to be raised after the outbreak of war, the designation was changed to 14 at the beginning of October 1914. When the battery went to France in May 1915 it was equipped with 4.7” guns but in June 1916 it was re-equipped with 60-pounders, just in time for the Somme. Usually War Diaries were not opened till the unit went on active service but in this case the diary begins on 3 October 1914 so we learn something about training and preparation in the UK. We haven’t seen an awful lot in print about Royal Garrison Artillery units in action so this publication makes interesting reading. There is a very useful map showing the part of the Western Front where the battery fought and marking positions in which it was in action. The sites are numbered and the accompanying key identifies the location and gives the dates the battery was there. The Roll of Honour lists all casualties, dead, wounded and gassed, often with details of the wound, e.g. ‘gunshot wound right leg’. Honours and Awards give citations for all awards. Finally there is list of officers who served with the battery with brief service details including date of arrival and departure(with reasons such as wounded, evacuated sick, posting etc).