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See [[British Army Territorial Force troops arriving in 1914]] for some of the Royal Field Artillery Batteries which arrived at the end of 1914.
In 1916 and 1917 there was a renaming and renumbering of Artillery Brigades and Batteries. As an example, in 1916, the IV Wessex Brigade was renamed, becoming the 218th (IV Wessex) Brigade, RFA. In 1917, the component batteries were numbered, with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Devonshire Batteries becoming 1094th, 1095th, and 1096th Batteries. <ref>Hoplophile. [httphttps://1914-1918www.invisionzonegreatwarforum.comorg/forumstopic/100251-218th-rfa-in-india/index.php?showtopicdo=100251 findComment&comment=949775 218th RFA in India], ''Great War Forum'', 29 30 June 2008 . Retrieved on 8 Dec 201431 October 2019.</ref>
===Royal Artillery Mountain Batteries===
Also known as the Royal Garrison Artillery (Mountain Division). There were eight British Army batteries of mountain artillery in India, numbered 1 to 9, of which one was in Egypt, where the gunners were British, in comparison to the [[Mountain Artillery|Indian mountain artillery]] where the gunners were Indian. The designation changed to Pack Battery in 1920 and to Light Battery in 1927.<ref>Clifton, Ron. [https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/247013-royal-artillery-in-india-pack-battery-query/?do=findComment&comment=2488413 Royal Artillery in India, Pack Battery query] ''Great War Forum'' 28 January 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2019. Mentions the book ''A Norfolkman in the Raj : the Royal Artillery 1920-1933'' by Alan W. Roper.</ref> In 1937 these Batteries ceased to exist in their previous form, when they were transformed into Indian mountain artillery, when the British gunners were sent to other artillery units, and were replaced by Indian gunners.<ref> ''Seven Cantonments'' by Major S E G Ponder, see Historical books online, above.</ref>
==Recommended reading==
*''Tales of the Mountain Gunners: an Anthology compiled by those who served with them'' and edited by C. H. T. MacFetridge and J. P. Warren. Edinburgh : Blackwood, 1973. Second edition, with amendments 1974, which may be the preferred edition.
:An anthology of tales and short stories about one of the most unusual and colourful units in the history of the British Empire: the Mountain Artillery. Its reputation for action attracted a collection of adventurous, able and eccentric officers; usually with a combination of all three qualities. See [[Military reading list#Other| Military reading list - Army - Other]] - List of books recommended by Peter Moore. Another reader said "I cannot recommend too highly ''Tales of the Mountain Gunners''. It is simply enthralling, moving, funny, inspiring and wonderful. It would be in my top 10 books never to part with.<ref>Muerrisch. [httphttps://1914-1918www.invisionzonegreatwarforum.com/forums/index.php?org/topic/247013-royal-artillery-in-india-pack-battery-query/&?do=findComment&comment=2488531 Royal Artillery in India, Pack Battery query] ''Great War Forum'' 28 January 2017. Retrieved 29 January 201731 October 2019.</ref>:Chapters include: in the days work, good fighting, the soldier, the mule, the gun, some characters and more.<ref>[The no longer available link<nowiki> http://www.military-naval-history.co.uk/pages/artillery.htm </nowiki> Books on Artillery and Fortifications] from DP&G Publications.</ref>
*''Pick Up Your Parrots and Monkeys: The Life of a Boy Soldier in India'' by William Pennington. First published by Cassell UK 2003, paperback edition Phoenix, an imprint of Orion Books, London 2004 ISBN-10: 0753817837 ISBN-13: 978-0753817834
:This very interesting and ‘easy to read’ autobiography covers the Army career of Temporary Captain Joseph William Pennington, Royal Artillery, 151372, from his training in 1934 as a Boy Trumpeter at age 14 in England, his posting to India at age 15 where he remained until 1939, to his World War 2 experiences in Burma where he was awarded the Military Cross as a Forward Observation Officer. For more details, see [[History reading list]].
The most accessible soldiers’ records, including for soldiers of the Royal Artillery, are the WO 97 series [[British Army#Service and pension records|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.<ref>[httphttps://wwwdiscovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/cataloguedetails/r/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=3&CATID=13070&SearchInit=4&SearchType=6&CATREF=C14221 WO+10 TNA Catalogue description]</ref> 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 [httphttps://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/cataloguehelp-with-your-research/research-guides/british-army-muster-rolls-pay-lists-1730-1898/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=16#2 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. [[Stations_of_the_Royal_Artillery_in_India#Law.27s_Tables|Law's Tables]] can be useful for sorting out the correct titles.
Also refer to the guide produced by Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum called "Is There A Gunner In Your Family Tree?", see below.
**[http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/browse/C77785 Royal Artillery Registers of Deceased Soldiers. WO 69/583-597]
'''N.B.''' The Friends of the National Archives have transcribed details from the WO 69 Registers of Marriages and Baptisms described above. Some of these relate to men who were posted to India. Enter surname and reference "WO69" in the [http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/advanced-search/r Discovery Search Box]<br>
The records for WO 69/1-177, but excluding WO 69/63-73, together with WO 69/583-597 "Description books: Registers of deceased soldiers, with indexes" are available on [[LDS]] '''digitised microfilm''', (107 reels) with this [https://www.familysearch.org/engsearch/librarycatalog/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=170267&disp=Artillery+records+of+services+of+non%2Dc&columns=*,0,0 catalogue entry] (See [[FamilySearch Centres#Ordering microfilms|Ordering microfilms]]for viewing access).
*[http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/browse/C2697472?v=h WO 74: Army Purchase Commission Records. Royal Artillery:Bengal Bombay and Madras 1871-1891 WO 74/173]
*[http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/browse/C14324?v=h WO 116: Registers of the award of out-pensions]
The Salisbury Plain Heritage Centre will take over as The Home of the Royal Artillery Collection
Prior to Firepower closing it was advised there would be “controlled access” to the archive and library, prior to a move to Larkhill on Salisbury Plain, perhaps in 2020.<ref> dbf. [http://ww2talk.com/forumsindex.php?threads/topic/60315-firepower-is-closing.60315/?p=697189 FirePower is closing] ''WW2Talk Forum'' 27 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 201631 October 2019.</ref>
====Part of Library and Archive now at Larkhill====
==Indians in the Royal Artillery==
Prior to 1924, there were Indian soldiers serving in the Royal Artillery as drivers, and native gunners in ammunition columns serving as wagon-men.<ref>[http://www.archive.org/stream/armiesofindia00macmuoft#page/182/mode/1up Page 182] ''The Armies of India'' described by Major G F MacMunn (Painted by Major Lovett) 1911 Archive.org</ref>
During the [[First World War]], there are references to Lascars, see [[Gun Lascar]]. There is one reference<ref> Trevelyan [httphttps://1914-1918www.invisionzonegreatwarforum.comorg/forumstopic/14832-mountain-batteries-1914-and-1915/index.php?showtopicdo=14832findComment&pcomment=127779 Mountain Batteries, 1914 and 1915] ''Great War Forum'' 13 July 2004 et al. Retrieved 13 June 201631 October 2019.</ref> to a WW1 medal for an Indian Gunner in a British Mountain Battery, RGA. In 1924, [[Mountain Artillery|Indian Mountain/Pack Batteries]] became Batteries in the Royal Artillery, which was the situation until 1939 when the Indian Mountain Batteries were transferred from the Royal Artillery to the Indian Regiment of Artillery.
<br> C 1927 "Indians are employed as drivers and artificers in the Royal Horse and Field Artillery and in medium batteries, and as drivers, gunners and artificers in the Pack Artillery. In the Frontier Garrison Artillery they are employed as gunners and artificers and in the Indian Coast Artillery as gunners only".<ref>[http://digital.library.northwestern.edu/league/le0285al.pdf ''Armaments Year-Book : General and Statistical Information'' Volume: 4th (1928) Chapter: India] page 227.</ref>
==Regimental flash==
The flash, also known as a pagri (puggaree) badge, or Foreign Service Helmet badge, was generally affixed to the pagri on the sun helmet. The Royal Horse Artillery had a square red/blue flash divided diagonally (red to the front) and with a grenade badge affixed, the Royal Field Artillery had a rectangular flash of equal parts red/blue. The Royal Garrison Artillery had the same colours but in a diamond shape during the 2nd Boer War. Red always to the front.<ref> Stuart_Bates. [The no longer available link <nowiki> http://www.victorianwars.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=3267#p12850 </nowiki> Foreign Service Helmet Markings 84th Batt RA 1901] ''Victorian Wars Forum'' 14 May 2010. Retrieved 5 March 2016.</ref>
It is difficult to identify Foreign Service (Wolseley Pattern) helmet flashes because the type of black & white film used at that time distorted coloration. <ref>FROGSMILE. [httphttps://1914-1918www.invisionzonegreatwarforum.comorg/forumstopic/164297-help-needed-id-ing-unit-flash-on-pith-helmet/index.php?showtopicdo=164297findComment&pcomment=1597197 Help needed ID-ing unit flash on pith helmet] ''Great War Forum'' 30 May 2011. Retrieved 5 March 201631 October 2019.</ref>
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