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1st (Nottinghamshire) Battery Royal Horse Artillery
Encyclopedia
The 1st Nottinghamshire Battery, Royal Horse Artillery (Territorial Force) was a horse artillery
unit of the British Army active during World War I
.
It was formed in 1908 at the creation of the new Territorial Force
. It was attached to the Notts & Derby Mounted Brigade, which in turn formed part of 2nd Mounted Division.
The battery was equipped with the 13 pounder Quick Firing gun
. The battery's original CO was Colonel J.F. Laycock
.
At the outbreak of World War I the 2nd Mounted Division were posted to guard the coast of Norfolk
from an expected German invasion. In March 1915, in common with most TF units, the battery formed a second-line unit to take over home defence which would release the parent battery for overseas service. The 1st Notts thus became the 1/1st Notts. The 2/1st Notts RHA would also eventually fight abroad in Mesopotamia
.
The battery left England on 9 April 1915 and joined the Imperial Mounted Division, which later became the Australian Mounted Division
. It guarded the Suez Canal
at Ismailia
until 18 November 1915 and then fought the Senussi at Mersa Matruh until December 1916 with the Western Frontier Force
.
In January 1917 the division went to Palestine in time for the first battle of Gaza
, and was the battery that supported the famous charge of the Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade
at the Battle of Beersheba.
The England test cricketer Harry Elliott
served with the battery, having worked for Col. Laycock before the war.
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
unit of the British Army active during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
It was formed in 1908 at the creation of the new Territorial Force
Territorial Force
The Territorial Force was the volunteer reserve component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army.-Origins:...
. It was attached to the Notts & Derby Mounted Brigade, which in turn formed part of 2nd Mounted Division.
The battery was equipped with the 13 pounder Quick Firing gun
Ordnance QF 13 pounder
The Ordnance QF 13-pounder quick-firing field gun was the standard equipment of the British Royal Horse Artillery at the outbreak of World War I.-History:...
. The battery's original CO was Colonel J.F. Laycock
Joseph Frederick Laycock
Brigadier General Sir Joseph Frederick Laycock KCMG, DSO, TD was a British soldier, and Olympic sailor.Laycock was the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire in 1906....
.
At the outbreak of World War I the 2nd Mounted Division were posted to guard the coast of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
from an expected German invasion. In March 1915, in common with most TF units, the battery formed a second-line unit to take over home defence which would release the parent battery for overseas service. The 1st Notts thus became the 1/1st Notts. The 2/1st Notts RHA would also eventually fight abroad in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamian Campaign
The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, mostly troops from the Indian Empire, and the Central Powers, mostly of the Ottoman Empire.- Background :...
.
The battery left England on 9 April 1915 and joined the Imperial Mounted Division, which later became the Australian Mounted Division
Australian Mounted Division
The Australian Mounted Division was a mounted infantry division formed in Egypt during World War I. When the British forces in the Middle East expanded in late 1916, a second mounted division was created called the Imperial Mounted Division...
. It guarded the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
at Ismailia
Ismaïlia
-Notable natives:*Osman Ahmed Osman, a famous and influential Egyptian engineer, contractor, entrepreneur, and politician, was born in this town on 6 April 1917....
until 18 November 1915 and then fought the Senussi at Mersa Matruh until December 1916 with the Western Frontier Force
Western Frontier Force
The Western Frontier Force was a force of British Empire troops formed in response to the Senussi Uprising and coming under the command of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force....
.
In January 1917 the division went to Palestine in time for the first battle of Gaza
First Battle of Gaza
The First Battle of Gaza was fought in and around the town of Gaza on the Mediterranean coast in the southern region of Ottoman Palestine on 26 March 1917, during World War I...
, and was the battery that supported the famous charge of the Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade
4th Light Horse Brigade
The 4th Light Horse Brigade was a mounted infantry brigade of the First Australian Imperial Force serving in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. The brigade was formed in March 1915 and shipped to Egypt without their horses and was broken up in Egypt in August 1915...
at the Battle of Beersheba.
The England test cricketer Harry Elliott
Harry Elliott
Harry Elliott was an English cricketer who kept wicket for Derbyshire from 1920 to 1947 and for England between 1927 and 1934 and was an international Test umpire....
served with the battery, having worked for Col. Laycock before the war.