63rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery

   LXIII Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, served with 12th (Eastern) Division which was formed in August 1914 as part of Kitchener's First New Army. The Division concentrated in late August with the artillery being near Shorncliffe. Final training was undertaken near Aldershot from the 20th of February 1915. They proceeded to France between the 29th of May and 1st of June 1915 landing at Boulogne, they concentrated near St Omer and by 6th of June were in the Meteren-Steenwerck area with Divisional HQ being established at Nieppe. They underwent instruction from the more experienced 48th (South Midland) Division and took over a section of the front line at Ploegsteert Wood on the 23rd of June 1915. They were in action in The Battle of Loos from the 30th of September, taking over the sector from Gun Trench to Hulluch Quarries consolidating the position, under heavy artillery fire. On the 8th they repelled a heavy German infantry attack and on the 13th took part in the Action of the Hohenzollern Redoubt, capturing Gun Trench and the south western face of the Hulluch Quarries. During this period at Loos, 117 officers and 3237 men of the Division were killed or wounded.By the 21st they moved to Fouquieres-les-Bethune for a short rest then returned to the front line at the Hohenzollern Redoubt until the 15th of November, when they went into reserve at Lillers. On the 9th of December, 9th Royal Fusiliers assisted in a round-up of spies and other suspicious characters in the streets of Bethune. On the 10th the Division took over the front line north of La Bassee canal at Givenchy. On the 19th of January they began a period of training in Open Warfare at Busnes, then moved back into the front line at Loos on the 12th of February 1916. In June they moved to Flesselles and carried out a training exercise. They moved to Baizieux on the 30th June and went into the reserve at Hencourt and Millencourt by mid morning on the 1st of July. They relieved the 8th Division at Ovillers-la-Boisselle that night and attacked at 3.15 the following morning with mixed success. On the 7th they attacked again and despite suffering heavy casualties in the area of Mash Valley, they succeeded in capturing and holding the first and second lines close to Ovillers. They were withdrawn to Contay on the 9th July. They were in action in The Battle of Pozieres on the 3rd of August with a successful attack capturing 4th Avenue Trench and were engaged in heavy fighting until they were withdrawn on the 9th. They moved north and in 1917 were in action at Arras in The First Battle of the Scarpe, The Battle of Arleux and The Third Battle of the Scarpe. They remained in the Arras sector until the 30th of October when they moved to Hesdin for the Cambrai offensive in which the Division suffered heavy losses. In March 1918 they moved by motor lorry from Busnes to Albert and were in action in The Battle of Bapaume and spent the spring engaged in heavy fighting a the enemy advanced across the old Somme battlefields. On the 1st of July 1918, they attacked Bouzincourt. but were repelled by the enemy. They were relieved on the 10th and moved to the area south of Amiens. They were in action in The Battle of Amiens and were engaged in heavy fighting from the 22nd pushing the enemy back and capturing Meaulte, Mametz, Carnoy, Hardecourt and Faviere Wood with in a week. In September they were in action in a successful attack on Nurlu and pursued the enemy back to Sorel Wood. They were in action during The battles of the Hindenburg Line, including The Battle of Epehy and The Battle of the St Quentin canal. In October they fought in The Final Advance in Artois reaching the Scheldt Canal by the 27th. They were withdrawn for rest on the 30th and after the Armistice moved to the area east of Douai and were engaged in battlefield salvage and sports until demobilisation began.

27th September 1915 Orders

27th September 1915 Orders

27th September 1915 Orders

25th Jan 1917 Lecture

1st Jan 1918 Training

2nd Jan 1918 Training

3rd Jan 1918 Training

4th Jan 1918 Training

5th Jan 1918 Moves

6th Jan 1918 Moves

7th Jan 1918 Training

5th of October 1918 Orders

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There are:5244 items tagged 63rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery available in our Library

These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.

Those known to have served with
63rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
during the Great War 1914-1918.

Bennett Edwin William George. Lt.
Clarkson Harry. Sgt.
Heathcote Eric Whiteley. Gnr. (d.15th July 1917)
Hickman Herbert Frank. (d.10th September 1918)
Howard Nathaniel William. Gnr. (d.5th Oct 1917)
Johnson Albert Bertram. Bdr.
Park Richard. Gnr. (d.13th Sep 1918)
Price William. A/Bmdr. (d.14th April 1917)
Robinson Henry George. Spr.
Smith Alexander. Gnr. (d.21st May 1917)

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264031

Lt. Edwin William George Bennett 59th Brigade, 188 Bty. Royal Artillery

Edwin Bennett served with 59th Brigade, 188th Battery, Royal Field Artillery.
2/9/1914 - Enlisted in Bristol
11/9/1914 - Completed Training
2/7/1915 - Embarked for Alexandria
15/7/1915 - Arrived Alexandria
4/2/1915 - Promoted to Bombardier
1/8/1915 - Embarked for Gallipoli
9/8/1915 - Arrived Gallipoli
18/11/1915 - Promoted to Corporal
10/12/1915 - Embarked for Alexandria
22/12/1915 - Arrived Alexandria
26/4/1916 - Posted to B Battery XI Division
28/6/1916 - Embarked for Marseilles
7/7/1916 - Arrived
8/4/1917 - Returned to England for Officer cadet training
6/10/1917 - Commissioned Lieutenant
7/12/1917 - Attached to 3sec 63rd Brigade
8/2/1918 - Posted to 223rd Brigade
2/6/1918 - Act. Captain
29/11/1919 - Attached to Horse Stationary Camp, V111 Corps
25/4/1919 - Posted to 223rd Brigade
7/6/1919 - Posted to 317th Brigade
1/7/1919 - Demobilized
Norman Pester

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263138

Gnr. Alexander Smith C Bty. 63rd Brigade Royal Field Artillery (d.21st May 1917)

Alexander Smith was unmarried, the eldest son of Alexander and Jessie Smith who lived in the small village of Letham, north of Dundee.

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262066

Herbert Frank Hickman D Battery, 63rd Brigade Royal Field Artillery (d.10th September 1918)

Herbert Hickman is buried in Woodmansterne, St Peter's Church.

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257003

Spr. Henry George Robinson 79th B.G.R.W. Coy. Royal Engineers

Harry Robinson, an apprentice engineer at GWR Swindon, volunteered in August 1914 and served with B Battery, 63rd Brigade Royal Field Artillery going to France in June 1915. Following shrapnel wounds and later catching diphtheria, Harry was treated at the Isolation Hospital at Etaples before being transferred in the summer of 1917 to the Royal Engineers Waterways and Railways and served with 79th B.G.R.W. Company where he served until the end of the war. Harry remained with the Army in France until 1920.
Jonathan Blair

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255271

Gnr. Eric Whiteley Heathcote B Bty. 63rd Brigade Royal Field Artillery (d.15th July 1917)

Registered at birth as Herrick, he became known as Eric Heathcote. My father, Eric John Heathcote, in 1920, was named after his late uncle.
David Heathcote

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246150

A/Bmdr. William Price 63rd Brigade, B Bty. Royal Field Artillery (d.14th April 1917)

William Price was the son of Mrs.Elizabeth Price of 4 Brookfield Street, Belfast, Ireland. He served with B Battery, 63rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery . He was killed in action on 14th April 1917 age 22 years and is buried in Cagnicourt British Cemetery, France.
Caroline Hunt

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242769

Bdr. Albert Bertram Johnson 63rd Brigade, C Bty. Royal Field Artillery

My paternal grandfather, Albert Bertram Johnson was born in Peterborough on the 15th November 1886 to William and Elizabeth Jane Johnson.
He worked on the railways before enlisting on 8th August 1914 as one of Kitchener's New Army. He joined the Royal Artillery 63rd Brigade C Bty., part of the 12th Eastern Division and was posted to France on the 1st June 1915. He spent the majority of the war years in France, fighting in the first and second battles of Ypres. He was wounded in action on the 4th May 1917 but no details noted on his record.
He contracted influenza in July 1918 and was admitted to Graylingwell Hospital, Chichester on the 1st August 1918 from Number 11 Stationary Hospital at Rouen. On the 17th August 1918, he was admitted to a convalescent hospital at Eastbourne, possibly Summerdown. He was discharged on the 7th December 1918 and returned to his Unit on the 16th December 1918.On the 3rd February 1919 he was sent to a dispersal centre and on the 5th March 1919 he was transferred to Class Z Army Reserve. He was demobbed on the 31st March 1920 and his address was given as 116 GN Cottages, New England, Peterborough, He was 31.
He had married Rose Hannah Webb on the 5th November 1917 at Northampton. They had two children, Bertram Walter born on the 4th April 1920 and Muriel born 1924. He returned to work on the railways at Peterborough as a shunter but was tragically killed in a shunting accident at the East Station, Peterborough on the 5th November 1929, his 12th wedding anniversary.
Vanessa Christie

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220407

Gnr. Richard Park 63rd Div. Ammunition Col. Royal Field Artillery (d.13th Sep 1918)

Richard Park was my great grandfather. He served with the 63rd division ammunition column, Royal Field Artillery . He died on 13th September 1918 and is buried at Varennes Military Cemetery in France. I unfortunately do not have any photographs of him, however my Aunt in Australia does have a letter that he sent to his wife from the trenches a few months before he was killed.
Dawn Osguthorpe

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63rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
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63rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery

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Those known to have served with63rd Brigade, Royal Field Artilleryduring the Great War 1914-1918.

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Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project
- 63rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery during the Great War -

Those known to have served with
63rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
during the Great War 1914-1918.