A note on O/6 Battery, Royal Artillery.

Posts : 15 Join date : 2017-06-19

O Battery, 6th Brigade, Royal Artillery, had a less than glamorous war - not wishing to disparage anyone's service - and probably for that reason has not attracted a great deal of interest. The battery, under Major Duncan, provided ammunition columns in a variety of locations. However, looking at the medal roll I noticed that at least some of its men would have had a rather more exciting time.
The roll (Kew, WO.100.46) records that two Shoeing Smiths, one Collarmaker and no fewer than twenty Drivers were posted from O/6 to serve with Major John F. Owen's "Mounted Field Gatling Battery", (formally designated 10/7 R.A.) - the first of this type to serve in the British army. This novel battery saw considerably more action than O/6 ever did, culminating in its well-known service at Ulundi on 4 July.
Two of this group of O/6 men received medals with no clasp, presumably not proceeding across the frontier once the new battery had been put together and moved out of Durban. Interestingly, the actual medal roll for O/6 (also in WO.100.46) which names these men, does not cross-reference them to 10/7. The 10/7 medal roll is further marked that it has been sent "to Woolwich for medals of men marked with exception of men of O/6 R.A., 21/7/80".
The actual medals are named to 6th Bde. R.A. - and would be worth looking out for.

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» Lieutenant E A Elliott N Battery 6th Brigade Royal Artillery
» Lt.-Colonel A. Harness, Commanding "N" Battery, Royal Artillery