Royal Artillery

History

Chronology

• 1716 two companies of field artillery raised at Woolwich
  
• 1720 first called Royal Artillery
  
• 1748 Presidential Artilleries of Bengal, Madras and Bombay formed
  
• 1793 Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) raised to provide fire support for the cavalry
  
• 1862 absorbed artillery of the British East India Company (21 horse batteries & 48 field batteries) bringing its strength to 29 horse batteries, 73 field batteries and 88 heavy batteries
  
• 1899 divided into Royal Horse Artillery, Royal Field Artillery and Royal Garrison Artillery
  
• 1924 amalgamated again into one regiment Royal Artillery
  
• Today Royal Regiment of Artillery comprised of Royal Horse Artillery (King's Troop & 3 regiments) and Royal Artillery (18 regiments)

Service in India

The first company of the Royal Artillery to serve in India sailed in November 1747. During the 1800s the service in the East Indies was mainly in Ceylon, until the Indian Mutiny in 1857. In 1859, the companies of the Royal Artillery in India were formed into the 11th, 13th and 14th Brigades.

Absorbing the Company artillery regiments

In December 1861, General Orders were issued concerning the amalgamation of the Bengal, Madras and Bombay Artillery with the Royal Artillery.

“In accordance with the instructions of her Majesty's Government, the Bengal, Madras, and Bombay Regiments of Artillery will be formed into the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Royal Horse Brigades, and the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, and 25th brigades of Royal Artillery.

The 2nd Royal Horse Brigade will be formed of seven troops of Bengal Horse Artillery, the 3rd brigade of the four troops of Madras Horse Artillery, the 4th brigade of the four troops of Bombay Horse Artillery, and the 5th brigade of six troops of Bengal Horse Artillery.

The brigades of Royal Artillery will be formed:—16th of 5 companies of Bengal Artillery ; 17th of 6 companies of Madras Artillery; 18th of 6 companies of Bombay Artillery ; 19th of 5 companies of Bengal Artillery; 20th of 5 companies of Madras Artillery ; 21st of six companies of Bombay Artillery ; 22nd of 5 companies of Bombay Artillery; 23rd of 5 companies of Madras Artillery ; 24th of 5 companies of Bengal Artillery; 25th of 4 companies of Bengal Artillery".

1861 onwards

History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery Duncan, vol 2, (1873) lists the batteries in existence in 1872. The names of the Horse Artillery Brigades have changed since 1861, and the 24th and 25th Brigades are no longer in existence.

For information for the period 1863-1911, refer Stations of Royal Artillery in India

Records

FIBIS resources

• Royal Regiment of Artillery 1747-1749 - 135 officers and soldiers of the RA who sailed for India to fight with Admiral Boscawen
• Royal Artillery Muster Rolls 1748 pay list related to above source
• K Battery, Royal Horse Artillery, Memorial at Bandariabagh (photo)

The National Archives

The most accessible soldiers’ records, including for soldiers of the Royal Artillery, are the WO 97 series Royal Hospital Chelsea pension records, many of which are available online.

Muster rolls (effectively a pay list register of soldiers in a company) can provide excellent information, however it must be noted that there are almost no muster rolls for the Royal Artillery in India, except a few in very early years. However, checking the rolls for the period before and after an artilleryman is in India can be very useful. The National Archives has an online guide covering British Army muster rolls and pay lists. Be sure to know the brigade and battery of your man before you attempt to find the muster roll and be aware that name changes did occur. Law's Tables can be useful for sorting out the correct titles.

Records at the National Archives can be confusing to navigate at first, and you might like to read one of the detailed published guides. National Archives publications include:

• Tracing your Ancestors in The National Archives by Amanda Bevan 2006 (576 pages) which is stated by the National Archives to be the only exhaustive guide to TNA’s holdings. Available at the British Library or from the FIBIS Amazon Shop.
• Army Records: A Guide for Family Historians by William Spencer 2008 published by the National Archives. Mainly about records in the TNA and the India Office at the British Library. Contains chapters 'Royal Artillery' and 'The British Army in India' and the 'Indian Army'. Available at the British Library or from the FIBIS Amazon Shop.

Also refer to the guide produced by Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum called "Is There A Gunner In Your Family Tree?", see below.

The main record series, with catalogue entries, are:

• WO 10: Commissary General of Musters Office and successors: Artillery Muster Books and Pay Lists 1708-1878. Arranged by unit; often battalion and company, or brigade and battalion.
• WO 16 War Office: Muster Books and Pay Lists 1878 to 1898. From 1888 onwards the series consists of muster rolls only.
• WO 54 Ordnance Office and War Office: Entry Books and Registers. WO 54 subgroups include:
  • WO 54/260- Description Books
  • WO 54/317-Discharges, Transfers and Casualties
• WO69 Royal Artillery Records of Service and Papers 1755-1917. A large number of volumes were destroyed during World War 2. WO69 subgroups include:
  • Royal Horse Artillery Registers of Marriages and Baptisms 1859-1877 WO 69/63-73
  • Royal Artillery Description Books WO 69/74-80
  • Royal Artillery Records of Service WO 69/81-177

Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum

Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum has a Library and Archive with extensive holdings including battery records. A research service is available. Note that charges apply to consult records in the Reading Room.

Firepower has produced a guide for family history researchers called "Is There A Gunner In Your Family Tree?" The sixteen page guide outlines how the Museum's extensive archives can help researchers. It also details the other main UK sources and archives to explore when researching army service. Available from the Firepower Museum Shop.

British Library

For items in the India Office Records refer India Office military records at the British Library.

Published histories on the catalogue include:

• The History of the Royal Artillery, Crimean period by Colonel Julian RJ Jocelyn (1911)
• The History of the Royal and Indian Artillery in the Mutiny of 1857 by Julian RJ Jocelyn (1915). Available from the FIBIS Amazon Shop
• The History of the Royal Artillery : from the Indian Mutiny to the Great War by Sir Charles Callwell and Sir John Headlam (1931, 1940)

Volume 1, 1860-1899, Volume 2, 1899-1914, Volume 3, Campaigns 1860-1914. Available from the FIBIS Shop Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3.

• History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery : Western Front 1914-18 by Sir Martin Farndale (1986)
• History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery : the Forgotten Fronts and the Home Base 1914-18 by Sir Martin Farndale (1988)
• History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery : Between the Wars, 1919-39 edited by BP Hughes (1992) (Nb: the catalogue entry does not use the subtitle)
• History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The years of defeat Europe and North Africa, 1939-41 by Sir Martin Farndale 1996
• History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. The Far East Theatre, 1941-1946 by Sir Martin Farndale (2000), revised ed The Far East Theatre, 1939-1946, Farndale (2002).

In addition to the books available through the FIBIS Shop, some of the Histories have been reprinted by the Naval and Military Press.

Other books on the catalogue:

• Battery Records of the Royal Artillery compiled by M. E. S. Laws. Volume 1, 1716-1859 and Volume 2, 1859-1877 published in 1950 and 1970 . Also known as ‘Laws Tables’.
• Minutes of Proceedings of the Royal Artillery Institution. Volume 1 (1858) -Volume 32, no. 3 (June 1905). Volume 12 is missing. The name then changed to
• The Journal of the Royal Artillery, Vol 32, no. 4 (July 1905). This was published monthly, 1905-July 1924; quarterly Oct 1924-1958; 3 times a year, 1959-1961; half-yearly, 1962-.
• General Report of the Practice in the Royal Artillery, Poona Circle (Annual Report on Royal Artillery Practice, Bombay Command) for the season of 1894-95 (1896-97-1899-1900)

Royal Artillery Historical Society

The Royal Artillery Historical Society has meetings four time a year. In 2003 they held a presentation "The History of 10 Assaye Battery, Royal Artillery", which was originally part of the Bombay Artillery. The paper may be accessed on the RAHS site.

Regimental journals

The Gunner has been published monthly since 1919. Its aims include providing a record of regimental history, social affairs, sporting activities, equipment, dress etc

The Royal Artillery Journal is published twice annually, and offers a more in-depth, scientific look at continuing operations and lessons that can be learned from previous campaigns, as well as features on memorable moments and characters from the Gunners' 300 year history. Originally published from 1858 as Minutes of Proceedings of the Royal Artillery Institution, the name was changed in 1905. Both series of journals are available at the British Library.

External Links

Royal Artillery Wikipedia
Royal Regiment of Artillery Wikipedia
British Army Artillery Victorians at War Website
Bombardier Wikipedia

Individuals

• Photographs from Soldiers of the Queen: The Jewel in the Crown
  • Lt. John Keith, R.A. and the newspaper article relating to his death after being attacked by a wounded tiger. He was commissioned into the Royal Artillery on 1 April 1861 and was assigned to the 13th Brigade, 8th Battery in Secunderabad, India on in May 1861. He died 24 April, 1867 at Nagpore. He was stationed at the nearby cantonment of Kamptee where he was buried
  • Bombardier Sturgeon of the 3rd Mountain Battery, Royal Artillery Quetta, c 1890's
  • Gunner George Thomas Sida of the Royal Artillery served in India with "F" Battery, Royal Horse Artillery.for only a few months - from 11 March, 1893 to 4 July, 1893 before he died from being kicked by a horse at Mhow.
  • Royal Artillery Gunner Bombay c 1900
  • Leonard George Watkins Bombay 1886, with previous information on the Home page. He was appointed a Gentleman Cadet at the Royal Military Academy on 20 September, 1878 Although is seems the Watkins remained in the Royal Artillery for his entire career to c 1914 it was while seconded to the Indian Ordnance Department
• Colonel James William Howard Fitzmayer , born 1813, with his wife spent nearly six years in India from 1864, first in command of the Artillery at Meerut until January 1866, then at Benares, and in command of an army division at Oude until April 1867, during which time he was promoted to the rank of Major-General. Photo-sleuth,blogspot.com

Historical Books on-line

• England's artillerymen: an historical narrative of the services of the Royal Artillery from the formation of the Regiment up to the amalgamation of the Royal and Indian Artilleries in 1862 by James Alexander Browne 1865 Archive.org including
  • "The Royal Artillery in the East Indies"
• History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery Vol I by Major Francis Duncan 1879 Archive.org. Covers the period to the peace of 1783.
• History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery Vol II by Major Francis Duncan 1873 Archive.org. Covers the period 1783 up until the Battle of Waterloo 1815.
• History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery 1815-1853 by Henry W.L. Hime 1908 Archive.org
• List of Officers of the Royal Regiment of Artillery from the Year 1716 to 1899 by John Kane, William Harrison Askwith, 4th edition, 1900 Archive.org
• Remarks on the Organization of the British Royal Artillery by Charles James B. Riddell 1852 Google Books
• Minutes of Proceedings of the Royal Artillery Institution
  • Volume 1 1858, Contents Google Books
  • Volume 2 1861 Google Books including
    • "Desultory Notes at Takoo. By an Officer of the Siege Train"
    • "The Royal Artillery at Canton"
  • Volume 6 1870 Archive.org including
    • "Central Asia and our Military Position on the North West Frontier of India"
    • "The Field Gun for India"
• The Life of Alexander Alexander Volume 1, page 100 by Alexander Alexander and edited by John Howell 1830 ( Google Books). The author arrived in Ceylon in 1803 with the Royal Artillery