WW1 Victory & British War Medals to 226266 GNR A.B. Berry R.A., Royal Field Artillery, wounded in action 21 March 1918

 WW1 Victory & British War Medals to 226266 GNR A.B. Berry R.A., Royal Field Artillery, wounded in action 21 March 1918

Albert Berry was from Horeham Road, East Sussex, the son of Ephraim and Fanny Berry, born circa 1898. Born into a large family, by age 13 (1911 census) he was already working as a general labourer. He enlisted on 17 March 1917 at Eastbourne aged 19 years and 11 months. He was given the regimental number 226266. In civil life he was a timber carter's boy, in the employ of James Best, Shepherds Hill, Buxted, Sussex. His next of kin was his father, Ephraim, of Tickerage Cottage, Framfield. Having been enlisted, he was posted to No.8 Depot, Royal Field Artillery at Hilsea and then shortly afterwards to 'D' Battery, 7th (Reserve) Brigade (Territorial Force). Having completed his training, around 21 November 1917 he was posted overseas, joining 223rd Brigade Royal Field Artillery in the field on 29 November 1917, shortly after the closure of Third Ypres. At this time the Brigade was in the Ypres sector, his battery having moved forward into the Stroombeek valley on 16 November, where it remained under orders of HQ 32nd Divisional Artillery until relieved by 'D' Battery of 317th Brigade at 9am on 29 November. 

He served as a gun layer with 'D' Battery of the 223rd Brigade - formerly A (Howitzer) Battery, 1/4th Home Counties (Howitzer) Brigade  - which was attached to 63rd (Royal Naval) Division. The unit operated the Coventry Ordnance Works 4.5" field howitzer, in three sections of two guns each. This piece, described by Hogg and Thurston as the best field howitzer in the world in 1914, fired a 35lb shrapnel shell 7,300 yards, each being manned by a 10-man detachment. 

The War Diary for December 1917 notes that the batteries of the Brigade remained in action near St Julien until 4/5 and 5/6 December, when they were taken out of the line to rest in the wagon lines until 13 December when they began to proceed by march route to join V Corps, Third Army at Lechelle towards the end of the month, the batteries being emplaced near Beaucamp.

Almost immediately the Brigade was in action, firstly providing day and night harassing fire and then responding to a S.O.S. call from the infantry in response to an enemy raid on the line at Welsh Ridge west of La Vacquerie on the 30th (the occasion of the famous John Nash painting, ‘Over The Top’. 1st Artists’ Rifles at Marcoing, 30th December 1917, © IWM (Art.IWM ART 1656)).

This entailed putting down fire on the enemy during the day and then covering a counter-attack which went in at 4.30 in the afternoon. The brigade remained in action here, principally engaged in further day and night harassing fire at an average range of 4,000 yards - interspersed with one Corps barrage on 11 Jan 1918 - until relieved again on 20 January. During this period, batteries also prepared forward positions as well as working on their main positions, which were equipped with the beginnings of mined (i.e. excavated by tunnelling) dugouts. 

Upon becoming V Corps Mobile Reserve Artillery at Equancourt the brigade took the opportunity to institute schemes of training in the morning as well as recreation in the afternoons and evenings, which Gnr Berry probably found welcome, as well as air-raid proofing (providing splinter protection) their huts and horse standings. Training included riding school, riding drill, [gun]laying, musketry, small box respirator drill and signalling. The Brigade returned to action again from 5-15 February at Beaucamp, 'D' Battery being under the command of 19th Divisional Artillery and then from 15-22 February back under control of 63rd Div Arty in the same position, moving (to the Trescault Valley?) to coincide with a shift of the divisional front on 22 February in the afternoon. The main activity was night firing (6pm to 6am) on roads, tracks, trench mortars (in particular), machine gun emplacements, wiring parties, new work and all approaches. Single 'sniping' guns were also moved forward under cover of dark to engage targets beyond the range of the main positions. 'D' Battery sent its gun forwards on the night of the 25th. 

The first ten days of March were noted in the War Diary as marked by great enemy movement, with the guns in the forward position and the 'sniping gun' "continually employed in engaging moving targets". On the 11th, 12th and 13th March each night the valley was shelled and drenched with gas, albeit with reducing numbers of casualties. Between 14 and 16 March, by contrast, the enemy was very quiet, whilst the British field artillery put down harassing fire on the enemy front line at dusk and dawn; a resumption of enemy activity in the daytime over the next three days gave renewed opportunities for sniping.

At the time of the commencement of the German Spring offensive, the 63rd division, part of Fanshawe's V Corps in Byng's Third Army, was occupying the vulnerable tip of the Flesquieres salient midway between Bapaume and Cambrai, west of Havrincourt Wood.

The carefully-planned enemy bombardment opened in the early hours of the morning, particular attention being paid to the rear of the British lines, not just to disrupt communications but also to destroy the British artillery. The Brigade War Diary narrates the attack as follows: "During the night of 20/21st the enemy was quiet until 4am 21st when he started a concentrated bombardment of gas shell on Ribecourt & forward & rear gun positions.  At 6.20am the enemy attacked & S.o.S. Signal was sent up by the Infantry, a good barrage answered this call. At 8am the gas shelling stopped & by 10am the ground was clear of gas. The result of this attack on our sector was that the enemy held a few of our posts. 

     During the day of 21st everything was quiet as our Infantry were preparing to counterattack. During the night the forward sections had orders to withdraw to the intermediate positions in Havrincourt Wood."

Meanwhile, some time on 21 March 1918, Gnr Berry suffered a shrapnel wound to his right leg, resulting in a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula, a piece of shrapnel having seemingly entered his leg via the shin. He was admitted to 149th Field Ambulance, and from there transferred to No. 48 Casualty Clearing Station, where 500 units anti-Tetanus serum was given, and the following day to the 7th Canadian General Hospital before his evacuation to England on 1 April for treatment at the Wharncliff[e] Hospital, Sheffield. His wound was recorded on War Office Daily List No. 5558, dated 6 May 1918, his next of kin address being recorded as 'Framfield'. Whilst nearing the end of his treatment at Wharncliffe  his wound was assessed as 30% disabling, the knee movement being not quite free, ankle movement fair and some wasting to the calf muscle. He also described himself as suffering (or having suffered) from pneumonia due to gassing and deafness due to gunfire. After fourteen months stay in hospital, due to his wound and subsequent 1/2" shortening of the leg, for which he required a special rest, he was discharged Physically Unfit, aged 22, on 12 June 1919, and awarded the Silver War Badge, number B229987. His address on discharge was Upper Honeys Green, Framfield, Sussex.