1st Notts RHA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A 13pdr gun crew in 1918 on the Western Front. Not the Notts battery, but this shows their principal weapon

The 1st Nottinghamshire Battery, Royal Horse Artillery (Territorial Force) was a horse artillery unit of the British Army active during the Great War. 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 WW1 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.^[1] 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 4th Australian Light Horse Brigade at the Battle of Beersheba.