page_title: Gloucestershire Volunteer Artillery
section_title: 1/I South Midland Brigade
hierarchical_section_title: Gloucestershire Volunteer Artillery / World War I / 1/I South Midland Brigade
caption_attribution_description: Photograph of British QF 4.5 inch howitzer, World War I vintage, at the Royal Artillery Museum, Woolwich, London.
context_page_description: 266 Battery Royal Artillery is a Royal Artillery unit of the British Army Reserve. It was first formed in Bristol in 1859 and served through World War I as field artillery and World War II as anti-aircraft artillery.
context_section_description: The South Midland Division was ordered to France on 13 March 1915, and the artillery embarked at Southampton for Le Havre on 29 March, disembarkation being complete by 1 April. By 4 April the division had taken over a section of the front line near Neuve Eglise in Belgium. It was redesignated 48th (South Midland) Division on 12 May 1915. The batteries were re-equipped with modern 18-pounder guns on 21 July.
  The brigade was redesignated CCXL Brigade, RFA, (240 Bde) on 18 May 1916. At the same time the batteries were redesignated A, B and C, a new D Bty having already been formed on 3 April. D Battery with its 18-pounders was then swapped for D (Howitzer) Bty of CCXLIII (IV South Midland) Bde. This battery had previously been 4th Warwickshire Bty, and was equipped with 4.5-inch howitzers. Brigade Ammunition Columns were also abolished at this time. On 18 October 1916 the 18-pounder batteries were brought up to six-gun strength when the brigade's former D Bty (now A/CCXLIII) returned and half of C/CCXLIII Bty joined. Similarly, D (H) Bty was brought up to a strength of six howitzers when half of C (H)/CCXLII  (III South Midland) Bty joined on 16 January 1917.
  CCXL Bde supported 48th Division in the following actions:
  1916
  Battle of the Somme
  Battle of Albert (1 July)
  Battle of Bazentin Ridge (15–17 July)
  Capture of Ovillers (17 July)
  Battle of Pozieres Ridge (23–27 July, 13–28 August)
  Battle of the Ancre Heights (3–11 November)
  Battle of the Ancre (13–18 November)
  1917
  German retreat to the Hindenburg Line (Operation Alberich) (14 March–5 April)
  Occupation of Peronne (18 March)
  Third Ypres Offensive
  Battle of Langemarck (16 August) Although this battle was disastrous overall, the artillery support for 48th Division was good and it captured some ground before being held up by a group of fortified farms. On 20 August 48th Division took advantage of a spell of dry weather to attack the troublesome strongpoints that had held them up: Hillock Farm, Maison du Hibou, Triangle Farm and the Cockcroft. Seven tanks moved up the firm St Julien–Poelcapelle road covered by a smoke and shrapnel barrage, with a High Explosive (HE) barrage ahead, and subdued the strongpoints that were then captured by infantry platoons. A repeat of this attack two days later was less successful.
  Battle of Polygon Wood (28 September–3 October)
  Battle of Broodseinde (4 October)
  Battle of Poelcappelle (9 October) This was the division's last attack on the Western Front. Its role was to advance up a ridge to the outskirts of the village of Passchendaele. Ground conditions were bad, and many batteries were bogged down, so the preparatory barrage was feeble, many of the HE shellbursts being deadened by the mud. Casualties among the gunners were also severe because they were exposed to German observers on the ridge.
  On 10 November, 48th Division was ordered to move to move to the Italian Front. Entrainment began on 21 November and by 1 December the division concentrated round Legnago in the Adige Sector. On 1 March 1918 the division relieved 7th Division in the front line of the Montello sector on the Piave Front, and held the line until 16 March. On 1 April it moved westward into reserve for the middle sector of the Asiago Plateau Front. It remained in Italy for the remainder of the war, taking part in the following operations:
  1918
  Battle of the Piave River:
  Fighting on the Asiago Plateau, 15–16 June 1918
  Battle of Vittorio Veneto:
  Fighting in the Val d'Assa, 1–4 November 1918
  On 3 November 1918, at Osteria del Termine, the division surrounded and captured a large force of Austrian troops including the corps commander and three divisional commanders. By 15.00 on 4 November, when the Armistice with Austria came into force, the division had pushed forward into the Trentino. After the conclusion of hostilities the division was withdrawn to Italy for the winter. Demobilisation began in 1919 and was complete by 31 March.
caption: 4.5-inch howitzer at the Royal Artillery Museum.
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