IWM London - Royal Artillery WW1

The Great War became dominated by Artillery.

In August 1914 the British Expeditionary Force deployed to France with 342 guns. The emphasis was on manoeuvre,  13 pounders and 18 pounders providing direct support to the infantry and the cavalry.

Imperial War Museum 13 pounder Gun

The first round fired on the Western Front was fired by E Battery RHA on 22nd August 1914

First British Artilley round on Western Front

By the end of the war over 170 million rounds had been fired.

Imperial War Museum Artillery Shells

The transition to trench warfare called for heavy artillery and the expansion of the Royal Artillery.  By the end of the First World War there were 6,437 guns in France.

In 1914 the Royal Artillery fielded 3 Siege Batteries. In 1918 there were 400 Siege Batteries.

Imperial War Museum 9.2 inch Howitzer