1st Field Artillery Brigade

Oct 1917. Australian artillery drivers and horses dragging 4.5 inch howitzers into position on Westhoek and Anzac Ridges, east of Ypres. AWM C00467

Farriers of the 1st Brigade of Australian Field Artillery shoeing the horses of the 2nd Battery in an improvised smithy, near Morcourt. AWM EO3086

Brief History

The 1st Field Artillery Brigade was formed in Australia prior to embarkation in late 1914 to support the newly raised 1st Infantry Division. It served from August 1914 until the cessation of hostilities and beyond. It was comprised of:

1st Field Artillery Battery

2nd Field Artillery Battery

• † Mark D'Esterre Brady 27 Mar 1917 - 15 Aug 1917 KIA
• Frederick George Gibbs 28 Oct - 7 Nov 1918

3rd Field Artillery Battery

101st Field Artillery (Howitzer) Battery
The 101st Howitzer Battery was raised as part of the 21st Howitzer Brigade, in March 1916. Howitzer Batteries were raised in Egypt for deployment to France as part of five Howitzer Artillery Brigades numbered 21-25 with the second digit corresponding to the number of its supported Division. T Something bigger was needed with greater weight of shell. The 4.5 inch Howitzer was the answer. Supply of howitzers was an issue initially and there weren't enough to go around, so the Howitzer Brigades were broken up and a Battery allocated to each Field Artillery Brigade to augment the Field Batteries in one of the many re-organisations that characterised the AIF artillery in WW1. The 101st was allocated to the 1st Field Artillery Brigade, with which it served out the rest of the war.

• William Ellis 30 Mar - 20 Sep 1917

1st Brigade Ammunition Column

It went on to serve in ANZAC: Defence of ANZAC, Egypt: Defence of Egypt, Western Front: Pozieres, Retreat to the Hindenburg Line, Bullecourt, Messines, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Passchendaele, Ancre, Villers Bretonneux, Hamel, Amiens, Albert, Hindenburg Line. One hundred and ninety three men died while posted to this unit.

Individual Honours

• 1 x Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
• 2 x Distinguished Service Order
• 16 x Military Cross
• 8 x Distinguished Conduct Medal
• 55 x Military Medal
• 4 x Bar to Military Medal
• 3 x Meritorious Service Medal
• 26 x Mentioned in Despatches
• 2 x Belgium Croix de Guerre
• 1 x Serbian Silver Obilich Medal for Bravery

External Links

Content for the history and honours sections has come from a combination of the Australian War Memorial website and wikipedia.