This list of dates and places served is based on the Brigade diaries. The locations for the Brigade may not always apply to all its batteries, guns or personnel which were temporarily attached to other units, as needed.
The 4th South Midland Howitzer Brigade was a Territorial Army unit, formed in 1908.
1908 Rugby Battery in temporary headquarter Messrs Willans and Robinson’s Engineering Works in Newbold Road, Rugby.
Annual training Camp Salisbury Plain – drill and manoeuvres
1909 April Brigade HQ and Ammunition Column at the Ordnance Works, Coventry.
Annual training Camp Great Yarmouth – firing practice
1910 New headquarters opened 72 Victoria Avenue Rugby, known locally as Rowland Street Drill Hall.
Annual training Camp Salisbury Plain – field manoeuvres
1911 Brigade HQ moved to Coventry Royal Artillery Barracks (temporary).
Annual training Camp Okehampton - firing practice.
1912 March, Brigade HQ and Coventry Battery moved to Quinton Road, Coventry.
Annual training Pembrey - firing practice
1913 Annual training Camp Salisbury Plain – field manoeuvres
1914 Annual training Lydd – returned to Rugby after being in camp for only 2 days.
6 August 1914 to Swindon to join the 1st South Midland Division (infantry). Frank wrote from Leighton Buzzard and Eddlesborough. But he reported that the Brigade was ordered to Essex to defend against a possible German attack.
19 Aug by road four days' march via Berkhamstead and Bushey
24 Aug 1914 to Great Baddow, Essex. where they stayed till March 30th 1915
14 October 1914 inspected by King George V at Hylands Park, Chelmsford.
14 Dec 1914 New recruits came in this evening.
1915
Jan 1915 to Salisbury Plain for training with infantry.
Feb 1915 back to Great Baddow.
To France
30 March 1915 to France from Southampton to Le Havre.
By train. Frank had 790 men on his train to Abbeville.
Then posted by train to Steenwerck, near Bailleul.
In Steenwerck reported to General Fox of the 4th Division
3 April Menegatte
Marched to Nieppe for a few days.
5 April 1915 into action for the first time at Petit Point, near Ploegsteert. Ploegsteert is in Belgium.
“Just about this time, the Brigade was split in two –half went to the S M (South Midland) Division and half was kept with the 4th". (Agatha West)
6 April 1915 the left section under Captain Field and Lt Hayes was attached to the 14th Brigade RFA, then commanded by Col. Ross-Johnson, and were positioned at Le Bizet.
11 April 1915 Bombardier T Hickman was killed, their first casualty. (Appendix to War Diary after Dec.1915)
18 April 1915 La Menegatte
11 May 1915 Commander Royal Artillery (Butler) of their Division was sent home and General Ross Johnson appointed whom Frank knew from the T.A. (Agatha West p42)
12th May 1915 Division renamed 48th (South Midland) Division.
13 May, two days later Frank took up his command again. Moved into a new billet at Chappel Farm near the windmill at Ploegsteert.
15 May 1915 Ploegsteert
26 June 1915 came out of action and moved to Ferfay, nr Lilliers, 25 miles south west of Ploegstreert.
27 June 1915 Bailleul
28 June 1915 Vieux Berquin
29 June Robecq
30 June Ferfay
20 July 1915 Thievres
22 July 1916 Authie
26 July 1915 The other three South Midland Brigades got the new 18 pounder guns. Until then they had been using 15-pounders, guns retired after the Boer war which had been given to the Territorials in 1906. New Howitzers for 4th South Midland did not arrive till Jan 1916
To Hebuterne
The Division took over this sector of the line from the French.
27 July Hebuterne and remained there until the Somme offensive 1 July 1916.
1916
6 Jan 1916 The Brigade handed in their 5 inch Howitzers and were issued with 4.5 inch Howitzers.
7 Feb 1916 The 4th South Midland Brigade was enlarged to 3 batteries. D Howitzer battery of 126 Brigade (37th Divison) was transferred to the 4th South Midland Brigade, D battery. (James p.45)
10 May 1916 came out of action and left Hebuterne
11 May 1916 and went to St Leger – wagon lines.
18 May 1916 renaming of all Artillery Brigades and re attachment of Howitzer batteries. All battieries which had been in the 4th South Midland now joined other Brigades.
1st Bde Gloucester was now numbered 240; its batteries 1,2 and 3 renamed A, B, C.
Its D Batt moved to 243 as A; 4th Warks How Batt joined as D.
2nd Bde was now numbered 241; its 1, 2, 3 Worcs batteries were renamed A, B, C.
Its D Batt moved to 243 as B; 5th Warks How Batt joined as D.
3rd Bde was now numbered 242; its 1, 2, 3 Warks were renamed A, B, C.
Its D Batt moved to 243 as C; D How Batt from 243 joined as D.
I4th Bde was now numbered 243, A, B, C batteries joined from other brigades as above.
The 4 & 5 Warks and D batteries moved to other brigades as above.
Brigade Ammunition Columns consolidated with the Divisional Ammunition Collumn.
From this point on, the 4th South Midland was the 243 Brigade RFA. It had no Howitzers and no Ammunition Column of its own. Of the former 4th South Midland Brigade, only Frank West and his staff remained with the new Brigade.
4 June 1916 Sailly au Bois
7 June It seems that for the purposes of the Somme battle, two artillery Brigades were grouped together. Frank West had command of a Left Group with guns from 243 Brigade and 240 Brigade. His later medal record at the PRO allocates him to 240 Brigade. However, some of his men , served with 242 Brigade and West himself for a time in September also took over command of Right Group artillery which had batteries from 240, 241 abd 242 Brigades.
13 June 1916 returned to wagon lines at St Leger
Frank West and 243 Brigade were "lent" to 29th Division. (had been billetted in and around Rugby in February-March 1915). VIII Army Corps was made up of 4 Divisions, 4th, 29th, 31st and 48th.
28 June Brigade less 3rd battery to Mailly Maillet. then returned to St Leger.
The Battle of the Somme
The following locations are those in the 243 Brigade Diary.
1 July 1916 Mailly Maillet. West's diary says they were in readiness behind Auchonvillers to support the 29th Division infantry attack but no ground was gained.
3 July St Leger
6 July Colincamps
10 July Courcelles au Bois. Brigade Headquarters moved to Courcelles au Bois.
21 July St Leger
22 July Aveluy
28 July Bouzincourt. Frank West handed over command of the Group to Col. Hext of 12th Dvision.
29 July Ampliers. Frank West took his Brigade back to near Doullens.
30 July St Ouen via Doullens, Fienvillers and Donart.
1 August 1916 St Ouen
9 August Ampliers
12 August Bouzincourt
13 August Ovillers. Back to the front. Frank West took over command of the Group again from Col. Hext.
18 August "We had a good battle with 143 Brigade taking German trenches four lines deep, 300 yards on a 600 line front. All Divisional artillery in my Group." West's batman, Barlow's, letter of 30 August suggests the 243 Brigade were fighting as part of 48th Division.
24 August 1916 supported the 25th Division attack on Hindenburg trench with one gun to 8 yds for barrage.
28 August Bouzincourt - but Frank's letters suggest Batteries may have been in action still at Mesnil.
14 Sept supported successful attack of 11th Division on Wonderwork, staying the night at Mesnil.
14 Sept 1916 242 Brigade diary reports that Lt Col Cossart (commander of Right Group artillery) was temporarily indisposed and Lt Col West Commander of 243 Brigade assumed command of 18 pounder Group.
16 September 1916 Ovillers
James's source reports that the artillery preparation for the attack on Theipval had been organised by Lt Col Frank West.
26 Sept - fall of Thiepval.
28 September 1916 Frank West was killed.
2 October 1916 via Bouzincourt, Louvencourt, and Authie to wagon lines at Warlincourt. Divisional artillery split into 2 18 pounder and one Howitzer group to cover the line along the southern edge of Gommecourt Park.
18 October 1916 243 Brigade was broken up.
A and 1/2 C Batts made up A, B and C Batts 240 Bde to six guns each;
B and 1/2 C Batts made up A, B and C Batts 241 Bde to six guns each;
C Bat 242 Bde was broken up to make A and B up to six guns each..
A newly raised battery, 531, jouined from England to become C How Batt 242 Bde.
January 1917
C Batt (formerly 531) 242 Bde was broken up to make D Batts of 240 and 241 Bdes up to six howitzers each.
A Batt 252 Bde joined as C Batt 242 to replace the former 531 Batt. Half of C Batt 188 Bde joined to make D Batt 242 up to six howitzers. 242 then became an AFA Brigade.
The changes in this and every other Division are set out by Major A F Becke (himself an officer of the RFA) in footnotes in his series of Order of Battle volumes, published to supplement the Official History.