94th Siege Battery, was a heavy howitzer unit of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) formed in North East England during World War I. It saw active service on the Western Front at the Somme, Arras, and Messines, on the Flanders coast, against the German spring offensive, and in the final Hundred Days Offensive.

Mobilisation

On the outbreak of war in 1914 the part-time Territorial Force (TF) was mobilised at its war stations, including the Durham Royal Garrison Artillery, a 'defended ports' unit at Hartlepool. Shortly afterwards TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service and on 15 August 1914, the War Office (WO) issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units. On 31 August, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. In this way duplicate companies and batteries were created, releasing the 1st Line units to be sent overseas.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.WO Instructions Nos 108 & 310 of August 1914.

By the autumn of 1914, the campaign on the Western Front was bogging down into Trench warfare and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) had an urgent need for batteries of siege artillery. The WO decided that the TF coastal gunners were well enough trained to take over many of the duties in the coastal defences, releasing Regular RGA gunners for service in the field, and 1st line TF RGA companies that had volunteered for overseas service had been authorised to increase their strength by 50 per cent.WO Instructions No 41 of September 1914 and No 248 of October 1914.

During 1915 the WO began to form new RGA siege batteries based on cadres from TF coast defence units. 94th Siege Battery (unofficially known as 94th (Durham) Siege BatteryCWGC record.) was formed at Tynemouth under WO Instruction 181 of 16 December 1915, with three officers and 78 other ranks (ORs) (the establishment of a TF company of the RGA) from the Durham RGA; the other 40 per cent of the personnel were regulars and New Army volunteers drawn from the Tynemouth Garrison. The battery was commanded by Captain Daniel Sandford, DSO, who was promoted to major.WO Instructions December 1915.Frederick, p. 702.Lowe, p. 15.

After basic training at Tynemouth, where Sandford laid special emphasis on signalling, the battery moved to Cooden Camp at Bexhill-on-Sea on 4 February 1916, where the gunners practised laying gun platforms and manhandling guns at night across country and over ditches. Then followed seven weeks from 8 March at Lydd Camp, where the battery practised shooting with 6-inch howitzers and was introduced to the BL 9.2-inch howitzer Mark I that it was to operate. Towards the end of April it went to Stockcross near Newbury, Berkshire, where it collected its four 9.2-inch howitzers and was joined by its ammunition column of the Army Service Corps (ASC), comprising four Holt 75 caterpillar tractors, 32 three-ton lorries and one Daimler car.Lowe, pp. 16–7.

Service Gommecourt The battery embarked at Folkestone and landed at Boulogne on 30 May. The following day the men began unloading their howitzers, tractors and lorries, which had arrived from Avonmouth Docks aboard the SS Hunsgate. On 5 June the battery moved out, the howitzers and tractors by rail, the personnel by lorry, to join Third Army on the Somme front. It began deploying north of Bayencourt Church on 7 June. After digging gun positions and assembling its howitzers, the guns were mounted on the night of 9/10 June and the battery began registering targets in preparation for the Attack on the Gommecourt Salient on the First day on the Somme. No 1 Sub-Section fired the battery's first round on 15 June.Lowe, Part VIII.Lowe, pp. 18–9.MacDonald, Pro Patria Mori, pp. 174–6.

The battery formed part of 35th Heavy Artillery Group (HAG), in VII Corps, being grouped with 93rd and 95th Siege Btys to make up No 2 Sub-group of 12 x 9.2-inch howitzers.MacDonald, Pro Patria, Appendix 1. The sub-group's main role was to use the high-angle fire of its howitzers to bombard German trenches and strongpoints facing 56th (1/1st London) Division's attack frontage on the south side of the Gommecourt salient. The specific targets assigned to 94th Siege Bty were the strongpoints at 'The Maze', the communication trenches codenamed Exe, Ems, and Epte, and the line of trenches codenamed Mess, Mere, Meed and Meet running along the top of the ridge into Rossignol Wood.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 89–98.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 175–8.MacDonald, Pro Patria, p. 188.

The bombardment programme was planned to spread over five days, U, V, W, X and Y, before the assault was launched on Z day. 94th Siege Bty opened fire on V day (25 June) with an allowance of 50 shells per gun per day (70 for Y day), but in practice it fell short of this allowance on all but one day of the bombardment. Because of poor weather on Y day, the attack was postponed for two days, and the additional days (Y1 and Y2) were used for further bombardment, but the battery failed to fire on Y1 and fired only 59 rounds on Y2.Edmonds, 1916, Vol I, p. 299.MacDonald, Pro Patria, pp. 179–81, 190–1. Overall, the damage caused to the German positions was insufficient to suppress the defenders.Edmonds, 1916, Vol I, p. 460.

On Z Day (1 July), the entire artillery supporting 56th Division fired a 65-minute bombardment of the German front, starting at 06.25. 94th Siege Bty succeeded in firing 100 rounds per gun in that time, a remarkable feat that caused significant damage to the howitzers' buffers and recuperators due to overheating. At 07.30 the guns lifted onto their pre-arranged targets in the German support and reserve lines as the infantry got out of their forward trenches and advanced towards Gommecourt.Lowe, p. 20.MacDonald, Pro Patria, pp. 258–63.

At first all went well for 56th Division. Despite casualties from the German counter-bombardment on their jumping-off trenches, the smoke and morning mist helped the infantry, and they reached the German front line with little loss and moved on towards the second and reserve lines. The Forward Observation Officers (FOOs) in their observation posts (OPs) reported the signboards erected by the leading waves to mark their progress. However, the OPs themselves came under fire from the German guns, which laid a Barrage across No man's land preventing supplies and reinforcements from reaching the leading infantry waves who had entered the German trenches. The OPs' telephone lines were continually cut by shellfire. By midday, the Germans were launching concerted counter-attacks from all directions, including Epte, Ems and Etch trenches, and by mid-afternoon 56th Division's slight gains were being eroded. 94th Siege Bty's OP party were able to turn the guns onto some of these counter-attacks, but all the remaining gains had to be abandoned after dark.Edmonds, 1916, Vol I, pp. 462–4, 471–3.MacDonald, Pro Patria Mori, pp. 528–30.Ward, pp. 37–44.

VII Corps' costly attack was only a diversion from the main BEF attack further south, and was not renewed after the first day. A truce was observed at Gommecourt on 2 July to allow both sides to collect their wounded. 94th Siege Bty remained in position at Bayencourt, but was transferred to the command of 46th HAG on 4 July. The battery did not fire again for a month, overhauling its guns and digging new gun positions at Hébuterne to support a proposed attack at Serre. However, after three weeks' work on these positions, the battery was ordered on 14 August to hand the guns and emplacements over to 143rd Siege Bty and take over that battery's equipment at Doullens. The exchange was made on 23 August, and 94th Siege Bty was then ordered to move by road to Albert, where it came under 45th HAG in I ANZAC Corps of Reserve Army (later renamed Fifth Army).Becke, Pt 4, pp. 111–9.Lowe, pp. 21–2.

Somme

45th HAG had been supporting the Anzacs in their attacks at Pozières, but the BEF was preparing for a new phase of the Somme offensive (the Battle of Flers-Courcelette). 94th Siege Bty was ordered to go 'into action' at once. It spent two days preparing a position on the western edge of Contalmaison, which had just been captured, but this was unsuitable, so the two guns of Right Section (RX) were mounted on 25 August behind the ruins of La Boisselle Church. On 3 September, Left Section (LX) moved into an exposed advanced position in 'Spring Gardens', a sunken road connecting Ovillers with the main Albert–Pozières road. It was while preparing these positions that the battery suffered its first casualties killed in action by shellfire.Lowe, pp. 22–5.Lowe, Part I.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 12, 288–90, 293–4.

On 10 September the ruins of Pozières windmill were finally captured. This small operation was accompanied by its own heavy bombardment, carried out by other batteries without prior registration. The 9.2-inch shells fell short, around 94th Siege Bty's OP in the British front trenches. Luckily, the battery signallers had a telephone line through to 45th HAG HQ, and the fire was redirected. The signallers then had to establish their OP in the ruins of the windmill, which gave clear observation down to Courcelette, but was under enemy fire. Having spent some days in registration, 94th Siege Bty joined in the methodical bombardment on 12 September. The whole German defence system between Morval and Le Sars was shelled, with LX of 94th Siege Bty, only behind the front line, concentrating on counter-battery (CB) fire, despite being under fire itself from gas shells. Directed by air observers, the CB fire in this battle was notably effective. At Zero hour (06.20) on 15 September, the guns began intense fire to support the infantry and (for the first time) tanks as they began their advance. Although there were some successes, the attack fell short of expectations, and fighting continued for several days. Bad weather hindered air observation and the roads began to collapse into mud.Farndale, pp. 151–2.Miles, 1916, pp. 295, 297–8, 343–58.

A new attack was made on 26 September (the Battle of Thiepval Ridge). 94th Siege Bty bombarded the Hessian, Regina and Kenora trench systems, and the villages of Pys, Irles and Miraumont in support of II Corps and Canadian Corps. Once again, LX in its advanced position carried out CB shoots, though the weather prevented air observation. The battery's FOO party, observing from a trench with the attacking battalions, was buried by a German 5.9-inch shell and had to be dug out, the signallers being evacuated with Shell shock.Farndale, p. 1512.Lowe, pp. 25–6.Miles, 1916, pp. 392–407.

Winter 1916–17 Apart from a minor operation to capture Regina Trench in October, active operations on this front were closed down for the winter except harassing fire. Between 13 and 16 November, Battery HQ and RX moved up to join LX at 'Spring Gardens' and the battery constructed deep dugouts and Nissen huts. Minor operations on the Ancre began in January 1917. On 3 February 94th Siege Bty transferred to 10th HAG and moved up to Thiepval village between 4 and 9 February, having to blast gun pits in the frozen ground with explosives and then move the guns through mud as the thaw set in. 10th HAG was assigned to CB fire for II Corps' attack on Miraumont on 17 February.Farndale, p 161.Lowe, pp. 27–9.Miles, 1916, pp. 463–5.Falls, 1917, Vol I, pp. 76–82.