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*Article [http://www.blackcountrybugle.co.uk/News/Son-tells-us-of-gunners-service-in-1930s-India-24052012.htm "Son tells us of gunner's service in 1930s India"] by Dan Shaw briefly mentions Albert Bakewell, stationed in India with Royal Artillery 17th Light Battery, between 1929 and 1936, a lot of the time in the tribal territories. blackcountrybugle.co.uk
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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> In August 1939 the existing 6 regular Indian Mountain Regiments were transferred from RA to the Indian Army, (units of the Indian Regiment of Artillery being authorised at the beginning of 1935). <ref>[http://nigelef.tripod.com/indregt.htm Field Artillery Regiments of the Indian Artillery in World War 2] from "British Artillery In World War 2" nigelef.tripod.com</ref>
See [[Royal Artillery#Other|External links]], below for "17 Pack Battery RGA in India". Albert Bakewell was later stationed in India with Royal Artillery 17th Light Battery, between 1929 and 1936, a lot of the time in the tribal territories.<ref> No longer available article "Son tells us of gunner's service in 1930s India" by Dan Shaw. <nowiki>http://www.blackcountrybugle.co.uk/News/Son-tells-us-of-gunners-service-in-1930s-India-24052012.htm</nowiki></ref>
A regimental account for the 6th Pack Battery is ''A Norfolkman in the Raj : the Royal Artillery 1920-1933'' by Alan W. Roper. Available at the British Library UIN: BLL01015383558 .
==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. [https://www.greatwarforum.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 31 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>
:There is a brief extract in "'Tales from the bushy-topped tree' A Brief Survey of Military Sketching", see [[Royal Artillery#External links|External links]] below.
*''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]].
*''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The years of defeat Europe and North Africa, 1939-41'' by Sir Martin Farndale 1996. UIN: BLL01012703884
*''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. The Far East Theatre, 1941-1946'' by Sir Martin Farndale (2000). UIN: BLL01012703977; revised edition ''The Far East Theatre, 1939-1946'', Farndale (2002). UIN: BLL01012703981
*''A Norfolkman in the Raj : the Royal Artillery 1920-1933'' by Alan W. Roper 2010. About the 6th Pack Battery, Mountain Artillery. UIN: BLL01015383558
*Indian Army
: ''History of the Regiment of Artillery : Indian Army'' edited by D. K. Palit. 1971 Indian edition, 1972 UK edition. UIN: BLL01001796726 and UIN: BLL01012130331
*[http://nigelef.tripod.com/index.htm British Artillery in World War 2] including [http://nigelef.tripod.com/regtsumm.htm Field Artillery Formations and Regiments of the Royal Artillery in World War 2]. Website by Nigel F Evans
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160331000254/http://ra39-45.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/index.html The Royal Artillery 1939-45] ra39-45.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk, now archived
*[https://www.paulgough.org/bushy.htm "'Tales from the bushy-topped tree' A Brief Survey of Military Sketching"] by Paul Gough. A version of this paper first appeared in the annual review of the Imperial War Museum, London, Nov. 1995. Includes references to the usefulness of this skill to the Royal Artillery, including Mountain Artillery.
=====Memorials=====
*[http://archive.org/stream/miscellaneagenea02bann#page/138/mode/2up Monument to those who died in Cawnpore 1892-1895, 31st Field Battery Royal Artillery]. Monumental Inscriptions from Cawnpur Cantonment Cemetery , page 139 ''Miscellanea Genealogica Et Heraldica: Fourth Series Volume 2'' 1908 Archive.org
*[http://www.king-emperor.com/Photographs%20-%2017th%20Pack%20Battery%20RGA.html 17 Pack Battery RGA in India] www.king-emperor.com. Contains photographs from an album belonging to Harry Lamming, Battery Sergeant-Major of the 17th Pack Battery RGA. The 17th Pack Battery served in India from 1920 to 1927, and was posted to various stations including [[Razmak]] in North Waziristan.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140829100253/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~derekboddington/album_5/slides/artillery_gp.html Photograph: A group of off-duty Artillerymen from No. 3 Bty, 3rd Bde relaxing in fatigues and solar "topees"] by Lance Sergeant Thomas Boddington, [[Quetta]], Baluchistan, about 1926. Family website, now archived.
*[http://www.raga.com/generalsirjohnwilton/generalsirjohnwilton.pdf "The Diary and Journal of General Sir John Wilton"] (born 1910) He was an officer in India and Burma from December 1931, initially with the 69 Fd Bty Royal Artillery (page 3) and left in May 1939 (page 12) www.raga.com
*Listen to the [http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80014873 1995 interview with Ronald William Swann] British NCO with 238 Bty, 115th Field Regt, Royal Artillery in GB, France and Belgium and India 1939-1942; served with 160th Jungle Field Regt, Royal Artillery in Bengal, India, 1943; officer served with artillery unit during Second Chindit Expedition in Burma, 1944 Imperial War Museums
