The Heavy Batteries of the Royal Garrison Artillery
A Heavy Battery of the RGA tows its 60-pounder guns along the roads of Northern France.
The role of the Heavy Battery
Heavy Batteries RGA were equipped with heavy guns, sending large calibre high explosive shells in fairly flat trajectory fire.The usual armaments were 60 pounder (5 ich) guns, although some had obsolescent 5 inch howitzers. As British artillery tactics developed, the Heavy Batteries were most often employed in destroying or neutralising the enemy artillery, as well as putting destructive fire down on strongpoints, dumps, store, roads and railways behind enemy lines. The armaments of each battery will be given as details are added.
The Regular and New Army Batteries
| Heavy Battery | First overseas | Remarks |
| 9th Heavy Battery | France, 11 May 1915 | |
| 10th | Gallipoli, July 1915 | |
| 11th | East Africa, 8 February 1916 | |
| 12th | France, 31 May 1915 | |
| 13th | France, 2 June 1915 | Later to Salonika |
| 14th | France, 20 May 1915 | |
| 15th | Gallipoli, 11 July 1915 | Later to Palestine |
| 16th | France, 10 June 1915 | |
| 17th | France, 7 October 1915 | |
| 18th | Egypt, 17 October 1915 | Later to Salonika |
| 19th | France, 15 July 1915 | Later to Italy |
| 20th | France, 7 August 1915 | |
| 21st | France | |
| 22nd | France, 31 August 1915 | |
| 23rd | France, 15 September 1915 | |
| 24th | France, 9 September 1914 | |
| 25th | Egypt, 11 January 1916 | Later to France |
| 26th | France, 16 August 1914 | |
| 31st | France, 22 August 1914 | |
| 35th | France, 18 August 1914 | |
| 38th | France, 30 March 1916 | |
| 48th | France, 18 August 1914 | |
| 71st | France, 14 February 1915 | |
| 72nd | Mesopotamia, 20 December 1915 | From India |
| 77th | Mesopotamia, 20 December 1915 | From India |
| 86th | Mesopotamia, March 1915 | From India. Captured at Kut, April 1916 |
| 2/86th | Mesopotamia, 5 March 1916 | From India |
| 90th | Gallipoli, June 1915 | Later to France |
| 91st | Gallipoli, June 1915 | Later to Palestine |
| 92nd | ||
| 1/104th | Mesopotamia, May 1915 | From India. Captured at Kut, April 1916 |
| 2/104th | Mesopotamia, 5 March 1916 | |
| 108th | France, 17 August 1914 | |
| 109th | France, 23 September 1914 | |
| 110th | France, 20 September 1914 | |
| 111th | France, 5 October 1914 | |
| 112th | France, 5 October 1914 | |
| 113th | France, 3 October 1914 | |
| 114th | France, 3 October 1914 | |
| 115th | France, 3 October 1914 | |
| 116th | France, 3 October 1914 | |
| 117th | France, April 1916 | |
| 118th | France, 6 November 1914 | |
| 119th | France, 6 November 1914 | |
| 120th | France, 27 March 1916 | |
| 121st | France, 14 February 1915 | |
| 122nd | France, 8 March 1915 | |
| 123rd | France, 8 March 1915 | |
| 124th | France, April 1916 | |
| 125th | France, April 1916 | |
| 126th | France, April 1916 | |
| 127th | France, May 1916 | |
| 128th | France, March 1916 | |
| 129th | France, 27 March 1916 | |
| 130th | Egypt, 7 February 1916 | |
| 131st | France, 9 March 1916 | |
| 132nd | France, March 1916 | |
| 133rd | France, 26 May 1916 | |
| 134th | East Africa, 26 December 1915 | |
| 135th | France, May 1916 | |
| 136th | France, 31 May 1916 | |
| 137th | France, April 1916 | |
| 138th | France, 14 April 1916 | |
| 139th | France, April 1916 | |
| 140th | France, April 1916 | |
| 141st | France, April 1916 | |
| 142nd | France, 21 March 1916 | |
| 143rd | Salonika, 25 July 1916 | |
| 144th | France, 18 June 1916 | |
| 145th | France, May 1916 | |
| 146th | France, June 1916 | |
| 147th | France, June 1916 | |
| 148th | France, 17 July 1916 | |
| 149th | France, 27 July 1916 | |
| 150th | France, 18 June 1916 |  |
| 151st | France, 19 June 1916 | |
| 152nd | France, 25 April 1916 | |
| 153rd | Salonika, 25 July 1916 | |
| 154th | France, 30 April 1916 | |
| 155th | France, 31 May 1916 | Later to Italy |
| 156th | France, June 1916 | |
| 157th | Mesopotamia, 11 July 1916 | |
| 158th | East Africa, 8 February 1916 | |
| 159th | France, June 1916 | |
| 160th | France, 30 July 1916 | |
| 161st | France, 27 July 1916 | |
| 162nd | France, 27 July 1916 | |
| 163rd | France, 30 July 1916 | |
| 164th | France, 30 August 1916 | |
| 165th | France, August 1916 | |
| 166th | ||
| 167th | France, 31 August 1916 | |
| 168th | France, 28 August 1916 | |
| 169th | France, 31 August 1916 | |
| 170th | France, 31 August 1916 | |
| 171st | France, 30 August 1916 | |
| 172nd | France, 30 September 1916 | |
| 173rd | France, 31 October 1916 | |
| 174th | France, 1 November 1916 | |
| 175th | France, 29 September 1916 | |
| 176th | France, 29 September 1916 | |
| 177th | Mesopotamia | |
| 180th | Salonika, 1 April 1917 | |
| 181st | Salonika, January 1917 | |
| 182nd | France, 29 September 1916 | |
| 183rd | France, 30 September 1916 | |
| 184th | France, 30 September 1916 | |
| 185th | Salonika, 12 January 1917 | |
| 188th | Salonika, 1 April 1917 | |
| 189th | Egypt, 1 June 1917 | |
| 190th | Salonika, 15 January 1917 | |
| 191st | France, 18 January 1917 | |
| 192nd | Salonika, 13 January 1917 | |
| 193rd | France, 5 January 1917 | |
| 194th | France, January 1917 | |
| 195th | Egypt, 3 March 1917 | |
| 196th | Salonika, 13 January 1917 | |
| 197th | France, 19 November 1916 | |
| 198th | France, 19 November 1916 | |
| 199th | France, 22 February 1917 | |
| 200th | France, 25 February 1917 | |
| 201st | France, 19 January 1917 | |
| 202nd | Egypt, May 1917 | |
| 203rd | France, January 1917 | |
| Richards Battery | Formed in France, 16 June 1916 |
The Territorial Batteries
| Heavy Battery | First overseas | Remarks |
| 1/1st Highland | France, 3 May 1915 | |
| 1/1st Lowland | France, 15 February 1916 | |
| 1/1st West Riding | France, 16 April 1915 | |
| 1/1st London | France, 2 March 1916 | |
| 1/2nd London | France, 15 March 1915 | |
| 1/1st Welsh | France, 2 March 1916 | |
| 1/1st Warwick | France, 30 March 1915 | Later to Italy |
| 1/1st North Midland | France, 28 February1915 | |
| 1/1st Essex | France, 13 March 1916 | |
| 1/1st Kent | France, 28 December 1915 | |
| 1/1st Northumbrian | France, 20 April 1915 | |
| 1/1st Wessex | France, 22 April 1916 | |
| 2/1st Lowland | France, 28 May 1916 | |
| 2/1st North Midland | France, 28 May 1916 | |
| 2/1st London | Remained in UK (see 71st Division) | |
| 2/2nd London | Remained in UK (see 71st Division) |
The Canadian Batteries
| Heavy Battery | First overseas | Remarks |
| 1st Canadian | France, 12 February 1915 | |
| 2nd Canadian | France, 16 September 1915 |
Source: Allocation of Heavy Batteries RGA. National Archives WO95/5494, with additions from Orders of Battle.
A note on titles
Once there were enough to require a higher organisation, the Heavy batteries were organised into Heavy Artillery Brigades. This title was altered to Heavy Artillery groups on 2 April 1916, but was changed back to Brigades on 17 December 1917. Having said that the two terms do seem to have been used quite interchangeably.
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