Calcutta Volunteer Battery

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The Calcutta Volunteer Battery was established during the First World War to serve overseas.

There appear to be three distinct groups in the Calcutta Volunteer Battery, one group which served in Africa, one which served in Mesopotamia, and one which served in Egypt and Palestine.

The group of volunteers who served in East Africa during the First World War as the Calcutta Volunteer Battery was formed from Volunteer regiments based in Calcutta, the Calcutta Port Defence Volunteers and the Cossipore Artillery Volunteers.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists three deaths in Africa where the regiment is listed as Indian Defence Force Artillery Calcutta Volunteer Bty., Calcutta Port Defence Volunteer Corps.

There is also one death listed on the Basra Memorial where the regiment is listed as Indian Defence Force Artillery, 1st (Calcutta Port Defence) Group Garrison Artillery. Another death is listed at the Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery. These men fought in Mesopotamia as part of the Volunteer Artillery Battery who fought at Kut[1] and became Prisoners of War - see Prisoners of the Turks (First World War).

There is a War Diary for service in Palestine, April 1917 to December 1918. In July 1917, when stationed at El Arish (Arish), Egypt, (this part of) the Calcutta Volunteer Battery was renamed 204th "Calcutta" Battery RGA [2]

Note: For some Army record purposes, it seems this Battery had no formal existence, and the men are regarded as part of their original Volunteer Regiments.

Also see

Records

External links

References

  1. charlie962 Online 1916 article re Calcutta Volunteer Battery Great War Forum 22 March 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  2. Porter, David Online 1916 article re Calcutta Volunteer Battery Great War Forum 11 March 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2015
  3. charlie962 Online 1916 article re Calcutta Volunteer Battery [Artillery]-East Afr Great War Forum 23 March 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2017.