The History of 49 Inkerman Battery

Royal Artillery  

This area of the site contains details of 49 Battery. From its conception to the current day.

49 Inkerman Battery   Summary of Service

1779-1819.  Variously served in Woolwich, Jamaica, Canada and Belgium.  Saw service in The War of 1812, and present with the Duke of Wellington's Army in Brussels, 1815.  Disbanded in 1819.

In suspended animation: 1819-1848.

1848-1870.  Reformed 1848.  Variously served in England, the Crimean War (designated G Bty, 2nd Division.  Coy.  Sgt Andrew Henry Awarded the V.C for heroism at the Battle of Inkerman), and Canada (participated in Garnet Wolseley's Red River Expedition, 1870).

1870-1905.  Variously served in England, South Africa (participated in the Zulu War, 4th July 1879.  Took part in the Battle of Ulundi at the final defeat of Zulus, 4th July 1879.  Also 1900 South African War, present at Spion Kop, Vaal Krantz, Tugela Heights, and crossing of Tugela), and India

1905-1914.  India

     First World War, 1914-1918.    1914-1915 - France and Flanders (including Neuve Chapelle and Loos).  1915-1917 - Mesopotamia.  1918 - Egypt.  1918 - France and Flanders.

1919-1939.  England - motorized: 1922.

Second World War, 1939-1945.  1939-1940 - France.  1940-1942 - England.  1942-1943 - Madagascar.  1943 - India.  1943-1945 - Burma.

1946-To Date.  1946-1947 - India.  1948-1949 - England (Larkhill).  1949-1952 - Far East (Kowloon and the Territories and Korea).  1952-1954 - England (Tidworth).  1954-1955 - Egypt (El Ballah).  1956-1960 - England (Barton Stacey)  1960-1962 - Cyprus.  1962-1964 - England (Pembroke Docks).  1964-1969 - W Germany (Lippstadt).  1969-1971 - England (Devizes).  1971-1977 - W Germany (Fallingbostel.  1977-1982 - W Germany (Gutersloh).  1982-1986 - W Germany (Lippstadt).  1986-1990 - England (Topcliffe).  1990-1993 - W Germany (Dortmund).  1993-1998 - W Germany (Hohne).  1998-presant - England (Topcliffe)

The Summary of Service was donated by Mr Julian Nassau-Kennedy

WINGATE, Orde Charles (1903-1944), Major General

 From 1933-1936 Lieutenant  O.C. Wingate served in 19 Field Battery being posted in from the Second Sudan Defence Force 

General Sir Michael Wilkes KCB, CBE

Documents of Interest

  The Illustrated London News 30th December 1854

St Johns, New Brunswick, April 1862

Sir,

     Having been instructed by the Officer Commanding 4th Brigade in North America to send in a full report of the passage of my Battery from England to this Country on board the steam ship "Calcutta". I have the honour to state that the whole of the Battery with its stores and horses having embarked from the pier at Woolwich on the 29th December 1861 (it was thus quickly effected owing to there being two hatchways at which loading could be carried on simultaneously) nothing of interest to report till the ship left Cork having stayed there 3 days and taken on board a wing of the 96th Regiment, on the evening of the 8th January, the signal for an expected storm flying in the harbour at the time. We then encountered continually increasing head seas and wind, the later amounting to a hurricane by the 10th, the ship laying to under close reefed main trysails and steaming to keep head of wind, but labouring very heavily I convinced myself, in the early part of this gale, that keeping slings on the horses in rough weather caused them to be knocked about much more then they would be left free to help themselves to the up most power of their legs and they were without slings doing their best, on the night of the 10th when I found the increasing motion threw several of them completely out of their stables on to the middle of the deck, some coming over the breast beam, some under.  Under the circumstances I had the slings passed under all the horse, but without the breast or breech straps, so as not to touch them but to prevent their being thrown quite down.  I also assigned additional men to hold onto those horse which appeared likely to come out  over the breast beams, landing back by main force those that had been thrown out.  From this time forward I kept at least one Officer and a stable picket in addition to one man per horse always present in the stables when the weather was really bad, and 1 found great advantage from the numerical strength of my Battery enabling me to tell off as many relief's as 1 thought fit.

Stable hours were regularly observed and hand rubbing practised when feasible.  The weather was much the same throughout  generally blowing hard against us with a very high sea, and increasing occasional to a hurricane blowing all around the compass (during which times the crews exhibited great want of spirit and had to be kept to their stations by the troops) till it was determined that the ship must make for St Johns Newfoundland as the nearest port, having lost the better part of her sails, spars and boats, and running short of coal and water.  I took the opportunity of every short lull to put the slings fairly on the horses, and let them rest, but there was not much of it till about the 29th January, when we began to derive much shelter from the ice-fields about Newfoundland.  The principal evil to which the horse were liable on the voyage was the infliction of  extensive contusions and galls from the posts, beams and bails, against which they were so continually thrown.  The cushions originally fitted on these parts through good, could not prevent the injury inflicted in such a long course of violent motion, and I found the only means of relief I could adopt to be continual altering of and adding to these cushions, so as to remove gall to a fresh place, the adoption of a rolling cushion (a sort of fender) between the horse and the side bails, and the removal of the managers when not feeding.  I directed every attention to this matter, and by the 28th January I had lost five horses principally from the above mentioned injuries.  The last 1 destroyed for sanitary conditions through the Veterinary Surgeons opinion did not coincide with mine, as explained in my letter of January 29th, up to this time they were all suffering more or less from contusions.  We anchored in Newfoundland on 31st January, not being able to get into St Johns harbour owing to Ice blockages February 3rd and leaving it again refitted on the 8th.  Had a smooth voyage, calling at Halifax for an hour or two, to St Johns New Brunswick arriving on the 13th and disembarking on the 14th. here it took 2 days to get anything out of the ship, as the pier was only suited to work one hatchway at a time.

The horse recovered their condition very quickly from the time of first getting into sheltered water near Newfoundland and on the day of disembarkation were all fit for work.  The health of the men was generally good throughout as also their behaviour.  The horse fittings I found everything that I could wish with the following exceptions:- I believe sheepskin coverings to the cushions would have been better then canvas, and that a supply of spare sheepskins and stuffing would have been of great advantage for the alterations and repairs.  I supplied their place fore the purpose by men's blankets drawn on requisition from the Transport Agent on board.  There was also an opportunity for slight improvement in the form of iron piers screwing the binder ends of the bails which frequently jammed, instead of affording a ready means of disconnection as was intended, and whether regarded as a fitting for men or horse.  I think there should have been two pumps for fresh water instead of one, and one pump was frequently out of order and would require in the rough weather several days for repair, all fresh water had then to be passed in buckets by hand from the tanks, but the passage thither  was so very intricate and inconvenient that the watering all the troops and horses kept relief's of men at work almost without intermission day and night.

The forage was good with exception of the oats which appeared to have been kiln-dried and became rather sour.  I think it would have been advantageous to the service if the Officer Commanding on board with the horse had the discretionary power of ordering an increase on the sea rations of forage for special purposes, such as putting strength into the horses after great exhaustion in rough weather, or restoring their condition preparatory to landing.  In concluding this detailed report of the voyage I think it is my duty to state (as I have already reported to the Officer Commanding Royal Artillery here) that I have received great assistance from Captain Hall my Second Captain, throughout: and in many times of considerable hardships, and discouragement the example of his unfailing alacrity and zeal were of great advantage to the Service.

Since disembarking on the 14th February my Battery has remained in this place the men in barracks partly permanent, partly temporary but exceedingly crowded there being less then half the cubical space per man prescribed for barracks in temperate climates.

The 35 horses are in good stables adjoining the barracks but I cannot get harness or store rooms.  The guns are in good gun-sheds, I hear nothing about receiving more horses, but I was lately informed that either the whole or part of the Battery was likely to be ordered to Frederick-town in this province early summer.  I immediately wrote to the Officer Commanding Royal Artillery here to mention that in my opinion the capabilities of this place were more suitable to a Field Artillery Battery than those of any station in B.N. America and especially Frederick-town  where there is I believe no ground whatever for manoeuvres whilst here more than a square mile of sand between high and low might afford both a drill ground and a practise range, and I beg to bring the same to your notice.

I have the honour to be

sir

your most obedient Servant

(sd.) H.Smyth Captain. R.A