23rd Brigade Army Field Artillery

[Johnny]

Help needed!

My Great uncle served in WWI from August 1914 until his death in action on 2nd October 1918.

He started his service in 42nd Bde, Royal Field Artillery (part of 3rd Division of the BEF). The CWGC shows that he was killed in action whilst in 108th Battery, 23rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery.

At the start of the war 23rd Brigade was also part of 3rd Division BEF but my research shows that they left the 3rd Division in Jan 1917 and became an 'Army Field Artillery Brigade'.

Clearly he moved Brigades (but within the same division) at some point during the conflict.

Try as I might I cannot seem to find any reference to 23rd Brigade after Jan 1917 (either as a Royal Field Artillery or Army Field Artillery unit).

Does anybody know anything about 23rd Brigade (Field Artillery) or what formation it belonged to after Jan 1917?

Also, does anybody know anything about 'Army Field Artillery' units and what made them different to Royal Field Artillery units?

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I hope it makes sense!

Johnny

[Graham Stewart]

By the end of 1918 23rd Army Bde, R.F.A. were serving with the Army Field Artillery of the 2nd Army. The composition of these Brigades was different to those who served as Divisional Artillery by the fact that they had a larger numbers of guns allocated to each Army Brigade. In the case of 23rd Army Bde, R.F.A. their gun establishment had risen to 18 x 18pounders and 6 x 4.5inch Howitzers.

Even the organization within the Bde differed in that although it had four batteries, two were numbered and two lettered. The two numbered batteries were I believe the 18pdr batteries and the lettered batteries the 4.5in Howitzers and they were numbered and lettered thus;-

107th Battery, 23rd Army Bde, R.F.A.

108th Battery, 23rd Army Bde, R.F.A.

'C' Battery, 23rd Army Bde, R.F.A.

'D' Battery, 23rd Army Bde, R.F.A.

[leigh kitchen]

Post his details, name, number, anything else & let's check for his Medal Index Card, Service Records etc?

[Johnny]

Graham and Leigh,

Thanks to both of you for the interest you've shown in this topic!

His name was Walter Charles Vockins b, 1895 in Ramsbury, Wilts. He was a Gunner 74087 and his unit details were as listed. He is buried at Vadencourt British Cemetery, Maissemy, France (ref 1. A. 23).

I'm also interested in two other soldiers who appear to be buried with him;

Gunner 217558 John Clunie Stobie

Sgt 54895 Charles John Blackmore

They appear to be buried in a distinct group of 3, offset from the other burials in the same row. They were also 108th Battery and were killed on the same day, my assumption being that they were perhaps members of the same gun crew killed by a shell or similar. (I have a photograph of the burials which i shall try to find and upload to illustrate my point).

I would love to know where his unit was located when he was killed but don't know whether information with that kind of detail is available all these years later. Are there likely to be maps still in existence which show locations of batterys etc?

I have been considering a visit to Kew to see if i can locate a unit diary. I have never done anything like that before so don't really know what information one might hold, but i'm hoping that an incident like that resulting in at least 3 deaths might warrant a mention. You might be able to advise me whether that would be a wild goose chase or not?

Any help or advice you can offer that would assist me in discovering more about my Great Uncle would be really appreciated.

Thanks again

Johnny