Help with finding details of war service WW1 - gunner RFA?

[jim1]

What you really need is a Brigade.
Where was he at the outbreak of war.
Leominster or Lancs. ?

[MaxD]

LLT has 4 brigades arriving in France on 1 Oct 1915 -  the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th West Lancashire Brigades RFA which became 275, 276, 277 and 278 Brigades RFA, all formed in 1908.

A west Lancashire connection would possibly put him in one of these but that would be about as far as one could go without his service record.

maxD

[jim1]

Can't see a Hereford RA TF anywhere at present. This is where he was in 1911.

[Gwil]

LLT has 4 brigades arriving in France on 1 Oct 1915 -  the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th West Lancashire Brigades RFA which became 275, 276, 277 and 278 Brigades RFA, all formed in 1908.

A west Lancashire connection would possibly put him in one of these but that would be about as far as one could go without his service record.

maxD

And his number denotes a 3rd West Lancs RFA man

675001 – 680000: 285 Brigade, RFA/ 2/1 West Lancashire
680001 – 685000: 276 Brigade, RFA/ 1/2 West Lancashire
680001 – 685000: 286 Brigade, RFA/ 2/2 West Lancashire
685001 – 690000: 277 Brigade, RFA/ 1/3 West Lancashire
685001 – 690000: 287 Brigade, RFA/ 2/3 West Lancashire (BROKEN UP FEB 17)
690001 – 695000: 278 Brigade, RFA/ 1/4 West Lancashire (BROKEN UP OCT 16)
690001 – 695000: 288 Brigade, RFA/ 2/4 West Lancashire

see
http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/renumbering-of-the-territorial-force-in-1917/renumbering-of-the-tf-artillery-in-1917/


Lots of pointers toward the man in the Medal Card being the man in the photo but still needs  a clincher I'd say.
Just to cover the point can you confirm there is definitely no number on his marriage cert. Also, are there any children during wartime/shortly after? Their birth certs may have a number.

[Ali Smith]

Marriage

13 May 1916 • Aigburth, St Anne, Lancashire, England- father Albert Price - busman - her father Evan Watkin Labourer - his residence 3 Mersey Street Garston - hers Elmhurst? Bankhill Road - gunner RFA - witnesses Matilda Watkin Matthew Bennet and Laurie Fry?

Garston is Liverpool but in 1911 census he was a porter living in Leominster - the ancestry public tree is probably mine

First child was born in 1920 but died that year - Mary - my dad was born 1921 Albert Evan Price

[jim1]

55 Div. RA war diaries are on Ancestry if you have a sub.
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01j7f/ 
They were on the move until Feb. 1916 when 3 Bde. took over the old French positions here.
The red lines on the right of this map are the German trenches.
The 3rd. started shelling the German positions in square 34 pretty much straight away.

[Ali Smith]

This is all so exciting - I love how it is bringing a whole new episode of my granddads history to life
Thanks so much for your help - I can see some visits to archives coming up - does anyone know if there are photos online of the regiment

[jim1]

Just to clarify RA didn't have Regiments they had Brigades.
Your man's Brigade was the 3rd. Brigade 55th. Division. Later renumbered 277 Bde.
I believe they were manning 18 pound guns.

[ainslie]

Hello
I have done some research into 3rd (West Lancs) Brigade RFA, TF, later 277 Brigade.  If you stick around I'll look through my notes and see what his number might reveal.
A