D56 Brigade RFA

[truebritmega]

Hello...

I need to re look over My grandads ww1 war record.. but I was just skipping across it and Im a little confused.. he was william thomas smith.. early on it has him as 4Brigade.. but further on it has him in D56 bridage?... Im not too sure which he is then? sorry if thats vague lol...

(he was a driver in the rfa)

[truebritmega]

and am I right in thinking.. 56 is the brigade.. and the D.. is the batterry one the 56th?

[MaxD]

Yes D Battery 56 Brigade.  If you are looking for unit records, concentrate on the Brigade.

Bit about it here LVI Brigade  http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-royal-artillery-in-the-first-world-war/batteries-and-brigades-of-the-royal-field-artillery/liv-to-lvii-howitzer-brigades-of-the-royal-field-artillery-10th-divisional-artillery/

MaxD

[truebritmega]

probably a dumb question.. but what does the LV1 bit mean?

[MaxD]

Latin numerals for 56.  The RFA Brigades were alternatively known by latin numerals so for 56 you will find often LVI.

MaxD

[truebritmega]

ahh ty.. I qwas just looking through it again (ancestry has the diary for the reg) and I was just trying to match him up to where he was lol.. it looks like he was pushed around between batterries.. but as a driver.. I guess thats not unusual? I assume he would be "driving"  for where needed?...

On some parts in the record, it says OC.D/56  (28/5/17) then, another has OC.A/56 present with unit (NR)

what does the OC and the (NR) mean?

(is there perhaps anywhere online with a list of terms?)

[MaxD]

You are obviously referring to his record not the war diaries. 56 Brigade diaries on Ancestry only cover the time in Gallipoli August 1915 to Jan 1916 (he wasn't with them then) and France April 1918 to Mar 1919.  The remainder of the time they were in Mesopotamia and Palestine. 

Looking at his record, compare the middle line which says posted A/56th Bde (B 213) and the ones above and below.  The middle one is recording his move between batteries and says that the move is recorded on an Army Form B 213.  The other two are simply first recording he was on the Nominal Roll of D/56 on 1st May 1917 (the right hand date is when it happened) and with A/56 on 1st Oct 1917.  NR were periodic nominal roll returns sent to higher authority and covered everyone in the battery. 

Your man wasn't pushed around between batteries much.  He was D Battery from leaving Devonport in Jan 1916, posted to A Battery in June 1917 and remained with them until discharge.

MaxD

[DavidJP]

Hi,

what does the OC and the (NR) mean?

OC = Possibly 'Officer Commanding'?

Hope this helps.

Kind regards

David

[MaxD]

Forgot to put it in.  It does indeed mean Officer Commanding as DavidJP says.  The authority for anything in D Battery was its OC.

MaxD