The carnage among the British troops by the Boers (apart from new infantry tactics) led to the necessity to level indirect fire. It was a highly significant change employing new technology and its application. These embraced by the Royal Artillery included methods of signalling, remote adjustment of fire, methods of predicting the effects of weather conditions on shells in flight (meteor), and the requirements for good mapping and survey. All were to harness the power of the gun as to maximize its utility. The science of gunnery was advanced considerably.
It further followed that with the greater use of maps, the expertise of the surveyor became an essential prerequisite. For with accurate and effective gun fire the opposing forces could be destroyed at a distance and infantry deploy successfully across a broad and open field (such as was much of the terrain the Boer War was fought over.) It became even more necessary in other subsequent wars when accurate counter fire against enemy guns or mortars was quickly required in mobile battles. There the whole situation was fluid and mortars and mobile guns could be brought rapidly into action, fire, and move elsewhere.
Thus the job of a Royal Artillery Survey regiment was twofold, first to provide survey data to points behind the guns that gun regiment Technical Assistants could carry further forward to the gun positions for general fire; and second to enable an individual troop, battery, regiment or larger formation of guns to provide precise counter fire on selected targets. For all this Royal Artillery Surveyors needed special skills. They were thus trained in pure survey techniques to bring information to the guns, and additional specialist skills for counter fire by flash spotting or sound ranging. A surveyor required a quick, agile, and logical mind, a good knowledge of mathematics, especially trigonometry, a facility with numbers, the ability to solve problems, an eye for the lie of the land and the capacity to work in adverse conditions.
The Survey Regiment was formed as all artillery regiments are into batteries and troops. As I understand it a regiment would form part of a Corps – the largest tactical unit of an army, the batteries assigned to Divisions – a section of an army under one commander and the troops within each battery followed their specialties of, in my day, survey, flash spotting (FS) and sound ranging (SRG). In 1949, when I joined the Royal Artillery, this was structure that I became a part of with the lessons of WW1 and WWII absorbed.
Today’s Royal Artillery Surveyor undoubtedly uses different tools with the changes from technology. But it remains a constant that to hit a target, the gun needs its own position to be accurately established as must that of its target. This is where the skills and techniques of the surveyor are essential. It could not be done otherwise.
Next Stop Larkhill
Training as a Surveyor RA occurred at 192 Survey Training Battery, at the School of Artillery, Larkhill on Salisbury Plain. So after my initial two weeks at Oswestry, and a Passing Out parade on the Square before the OC where we gave a show of looking like soldiers, I found myself with several others whom I came to know very well, and a Bombardier as escort, on a train to Andover where we were picked up by truck and taken to Larkhill.
Hi John
I have already told you how much I have enjoyed this account of your National Service days…….it has brought back many many memories………albeit mine were in the infantry!
A minor point, the Warrant Officer in charge of the Regimental stores at Oswestry where you were issued with your Uniform would be an RQMS…..Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant……..not Sergeant major although as a WO1 he would be equivalent in rank to an RSM
The NCO in charge of the Battery or Company stores would be a BQMS.
Our paths continue to intertwine……. as a cadet I attended a PT course at Oswestry……staffed by fearsome corporals clad in the red and black striped sweaters you so accurately describe
Later, when in the army proper, I spent 3 months at Netheravon on Salisbury plain at the Small Arms School Medium Machine Gun Course so I became very familiar with the NAAFI club in Salisbury!
I only served in the UK and Germany but later in life I visited Hong Kong on a number of occasions. I thoroughly enjoyed your descriptions of trips from Kowloon on the Star Ferry, shopping in Nathan Rd etc
The whole account was an enthralling read….couldnt put it down!
Kind Regards
John
Hi John,
Thanks for those comments and I’m glad you enjoyed the read. With that kind commendation I hope others will too.
Your experience and service I take note of and there, I believe, one or two other matters will be the better for your further pertinent and welcome remarks. Let’s get things correct, the site is present and ready for inspection.
Kind regards,
John..
Hi John, really enjoyed your account of national service days, they sound so familiar as my dad Tommy Stevely is always telling me about his NS days. Like you he joined the Royal Artillery and served from ’49 -’51 and went to Oswestry ,Rhyl , Woolwich and Hongkong (sailed out on the Dunera) Most of his service was as a driver, (possibly because one of the driving instructors during training was a Jim Morrison from his home town Kilwinning, Ayrshire) During some of his time in Kowloon his duties were to transport the senior NCO’s to and from the ferry, also did some time as a PTI.
I look forward to letting him see your memoirs,
Cheers Alastair
Hi Alastair,
Yes, your father and I must have shared many experiences being about the same vintage and serving in Hong Kong, thank you for getting in touch. I also learned, from an instructor how to drive and the art of double de-clutching a jeep along with what seemed at first perilous excursions on mountain tracks and roads busy with rickshaws, carts and Chinese drivers. However, there, I was spared the attentions of those energetic gentlemen in in red and black striped jerseys-the PTI’s.
I hope your father enjoys the website and that the memoir will bring back a few memories for him. If it does would he be prepared to share them here? I’m sure others would be interested, for example, what was his unit and where stationed.
Kind regards.
John.
Hi again John, just to let you know my dad has enjoyed reading your memoirs it has brought back so many memories for him. I’ve had to print it out for him as he has never come to grips with the computer age, I’ve just the last chapter to give to him.
My dad served with 94 Battery, 25 Regiment and spent some of his time in Whitfield Barracks but moved when he became driver taking the senior nco’s back and forth to the ferry each day.
Cheers Alastair
I was at oswestry from 18th march 1954.and looking for any photo’s of this passing out parade,thanks.bill
Hi Bill,
Always happy to hear from another Gunner and thank you for responding; when you can find the photos please post them.
Also post about your service, what unit, where and your experiences.
I, and others, will be interested.
Regards,
John.
I was in this intake on the 18th of March 1954,I remember it well and on collection of all our equipment,the NCO lined us up on the parade ground arms aching with holding all our bedding etc, asked if we were cold and stupidly we all said yes,which resulted in us having to run around the parade square holding all our gear
Hello Brian,
It’s anecdotes like that which bring a smile to one’s face and so typical of army humour. Thank you for it.
Can you say something more about yourself and your service? I have no doubt there’s something of interest there.
Glad you found your way to my website.
Regards,
John.
Hi John’Yes I did have many funny things happen in my service and I will be happy to share them,I also have many photos that I have gathered over the years from other members of my old regiment ,which was the 35th LAA S/L regiment,which was based in Oldenburg Germany,I noticed that there was a gunner by the name of Jolly,that emailed in to your column,and I would be interested in contacting him as he was in the same intake as me at Oswestry,on the 18th of march 1954,All the best I will keep in touch
I enjoyed reading the memoir. My dad did National Service with the Royal Artillery. He was initially based at Oswestry and then was stationed in Aden. His name was Mervyn Tilley, and he used to tell us many storiestof his army days.
Hello Teresa,
I’m glad you enjoyed the memoir and thank you for telling me so and that your father was a fellow Gunner. As they say: once a Gunner, always a Gunner.
I have sympathy for his service in Aden. Not the most hospitable of postings. I visited twice, once whilst travelling out to Hong Kong, the other on my return. I only got ashore the once on the outward journey and was not impressed, a great bare lump of rock broiling under a very hot bright sun. But it was an experience and was glad of the opportunity.
You say your father had some tales to tell. Would you be prepared to share them on here? Others would I’m sure be pleased to hear of them. Not only of those who also served there but those who never had the experience of NS. It’s part of history.
Kind regards,
John.