The Berkshire Royal Horse Artillery

 

The Berkshire RHA was another local TF unit created in 1908. Each Yeomanry Brigade included a horse artillery battery and at the outbreak of war  the Berkshire RHA was brigaded with the Berkshire Yeomanry as part of 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade and shared its headquarters at Yeomanry House in Reading. The Brigade was initially part of 1st Mounted Division but in September 1914 was transferred to the newly created 2nd Mounted Division and like the Berkshire Yeomanry spent the early months of the war on coastal defence in Norfolk.

 

In September 1914, as with many others, the Regiment was duplicated to create a first line unit (the 1st/1st) and a second line unit (2nd/1st). The general intention was that the first line units were for overseas service and the second line ones were for home service only. However, as with the 2nd/4th Royal Berkshires, the 2nd/1st Battery Berks RHA also saw overseas service.

 

The 1st/1st Battery sailed with the Berkshire Yeomanry from Avonmouth to Alexandria in 1915. They were initially used at Ismailia on the Suez Canal defences but then moved to Aden where a sharp action, which ended Turkish hopes in that area, was fought at Sheikh Othman on 20 July. The battery returned to Egypt where it remained when the rest of the division went to Gallipoli as dismounted troops. The Battery rejoined the rest of the Division when it returned and remounted in December 1915 but in January 1916 it was transferred with the rest of the 2nd Mounted Brigade to the Western Frontier Force in the Western Desert during the Senussi Campaign. In January 1917 the Brigade (now designated as 6th Mounted Brigade) was one of those selected to form the Imperial Mounted Division for the campaign in Sinai and Palestine where it took part in the Battle of Megiddo and the capture of Damascus in the final months of the war.

 

The 2nd/1st Battery joined 2/2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade in September 1914 replaced the 1st/1st on coastal duties when they went overseas. They remained in England until May 1917 when they landed at Boulogne and served in France until the end of the War. It is not known that any Englefield men served with the Berkshire RHA.