Gunner87 Posted May 29, 2023 Share #1 Posted May 29, 2023 I thought to share these interesting postcards depicting the Royal Artillery School of Gunnery and Experimental Branch at Shoeburyness, Essex. The first is outside the main gate in Central Road, second, the Staff Sergeants Quarters and Military Hospital. The third is an 11 inch Breach Loading Gun firing, the fourth a 110 ton Breach Loading Gun firing about 1912. The last photograph is my Great Grandfather on his Gunnery Course prior to the Great War. I've also added a real picture postcard sent from the Western Front depicting an artillery bombardment on German trenches sent by him just as the 'Kaiserschlachtm' was launched against the allies.... in addition a second sent of a wounded 'Tommy' and 'Chaplain'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCCE1854 Posted May 31, 2023 Share #2 Posted May 31, 2023 A great post! To add to your photos, here are a few from a gunnery class in early 1872. They were saved in a scrapbook that is now part of the collection of the Australian National Maritime Museum -- though the gent whose pictures they were came from England, served in India and then came back to England. These originally belonged to Lionel Pringle: http://eliotsofporteliot.com/pringles/pringle-alfred-lionel.html Having done some research on the names of the gents in the photos, here's the list in alphabetical order! Lionel Pringle’s Mates in the RA. Photos taken in early 1872 at Shoeburyness Gunnery Training School, Essex, England. ALVES, John Morison, R.A., 1844 Buck, England -1913 Southsea, England BROUGH, William Richard Charles, R.A. (late Madras Artillery), 1842 Ireland -1926 Dorset, England CONGDON, John James, R.A., 1844-1928 Folkestone, England Gusterson, Gabriel, R.A., (Sergeant) 1837 England - Discharged for Epilepsy in 1874 HANNAY, Ramsay William Rainsford, R.A., 1844 India -1933 Scotland HAY, Robert John, C.B., R.A., 1828 Scotland - 1910 Scotland HEBBERT, William Stanley, R.H.A. (late Madras), 1842-1926 HUNTER, Woodburn, R.A., 1844 India -1921 London, England JONES, Douglas Forde, R.A., (later Douglas-Jones), 1846 Norfolk, England - 1928 Worthing, England KEITH, James, D.S.O., R.A., 5 Nov 1942 Aberdeen - 5 Feb 1919 London LEWES, Price, R.A., 1840 Wales -1911 Wales MAINWARING, Alfred Robert, R.A., 1845 Germany - 1879 Wales MALET, Guilbert Edward Wyndham, R.H.A., 1839-1918 MALLOCK, Richard, R.A., 1843 Devon, England -1900 Scotland MARYLSKI, Robert M.A. de, R.A., 1845 France-1924 Hampshire, England MAYNE, Charles Hardinge Hawtrey, R.A., 1848 India -1907 Norwich, England PRINGLE, Alfred Lionel, R.A., 1845 Paris -1895 Surrey, England RAIKES, Percy Bury, R.A., 1839 India - 1921 London, England SIDDONS, Henry George Fombelle, R.A., 1843 India -1905 London, England SIMPSON, Simon, R.A., 1839 Scotland - 1918 Hastings, England SIRVETINS?, ????, R.A. (I cannot decipher this name, after many hours of trying.) STIRKE, William Reynolds, R.A., c. 1841 Ireland -1884 Enniskillen Ireland WICKHAM, Charles Brenton, R.H.A., 1843 Australia -1908 Ealing (London) YEATMAN, Arthur Godolphin, R.H.A., 1843 Dorset, England - 1898 India Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner87 Posted May 31, 2023 Author Share #3 Posted May 31, 2023 15 minutes ago, GCCE1854 said: A great post! To add to your photos, here are a few from a gunnery class in early 1872. They were saved in a scrapbook that is now part of the collection of the Australian National Maritime Museum -- though the gent whose pictures they were came from England, served in India and then came back to England. These originally belonged to Lionel Pringle: http://eliotsofporteliot.com/pringles/pringle-alfred-lionel.html Having done some research on the names of the gents in the photos, here's the list in alphabetical order! Lionel Pringle’s Mates in the RA. Photos taken in early 1872 at Shoeburyness Gunnery Training School, Essex, England. ALVES, John Morison, R.A., 1844 Buck, England -1913 Southsea, England BROUGH, William Richard Charles, R.A. (late Madras Artillery), 1842 Ireland -1926 Dorset, England CONGDON, John James, R.A., 1844-1928 Folkestone, England Gusterson, Gabriel, R.A., (Sergeant) 1837 England - Discharged for Epilepsy in 1874 HANNAY, Ramsay William Rainsford, R.A., 1844 India -1933 Scotland HAY, Robert John, C.B., R.A., 1828 Scotland - 1910 Scotland HEBBERT, William Stanley, R.H.A. (late Madras), 1842-1926 HUNTER, Woodburn, R.A., 1844 India -1921 London, England JONES, Douglas Forde, R.A., (later Douglas-Jones), 1846 Norfolk, England - 1928 Worthing, England KEITH, James, D.S.O., R.A., 5 Nov 1942 Aberdeen - 5 Feb 1919 London LEWES, Price, R.A., 1840 Wales -1911 Wales MAINWARING, Alfred Robert, R.A., 1845 Germany - 1879 Wales MALET, Guilbert Edward Wyndham, R.H.A., 1839-1918 MALLOCK, Richard, R.A., 1843 Devon, England -1900 Scotland MARYLSKI, Robert M.A. de, R.A., 1845 France-1924 Hampshire, England MAYNE, Charles Hardinge Hawtrey, R.A., 1848 India -1907 Norwich, England PRINGLE, Alfred Lionel, R.A., 1845 Paris -1895 Surrey, England RAIKES, Percy Bury, R.A., 1839 India - 1921 London, England SIDDONS, Henry George Fombelle, R.A., 1843 India -1905 London, England SIMPSON, Simon, R.A., 1839 Scotland - 1918 Hastings, England SIRVETINS?, ????, R.A. (I cannot decipher this name, after many hours of trying.) STIRKE, William Reynolds, R.A., c. 1841 Ireland -1884 Enniskillen Ireland WICKHAM, Charles Brenton, R.H.A., 1843 Australia -1908 Ealing (London) YEATMAN, Arthur Godolphin, R.H.A., 1843 Dorset, England - 1898 India Great pics and information, thank you. I also spent time at Shoeburyness when serving in the Royal Artillery. I was on a recruiting tour and we took a US made M109 onto the sea front and it sank into the road surface which didn't earn us any friends at the local council Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCCE1854 Posted May 31, 2023 Share #4 Posted May 31, 2023 1 hour ago, Gunner87 said: Great pics and information, thank you. I also spent time at Shoeburyness when serving in the Royal Artillery. I was on a recruiting tour and we took a US made M109 onto the sea front and it sank into the road surface which didn't earn us any friends at the local council Oops! I bet that was something talked about for a long time! Not your average daily event . . . Since you served in the Royal Artillery, do you know what type of practice is going on in the second and third photos there? Is that for gunnery of some kind or setting up some kind of emplacement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner87 Posted May 31, 2023 Author Share #5 Posted May 31, 2023 A little bit before my time but the majority of photographs where large guns are being tested and evaluated at Shoeburyness have these structures over the top. They are blocks and tackle to get the guns into place. The first photograph is of gunners practicing using such structures.Second is one in pace. Also attached is a fantastic book on the history of Shoeburyness. It is free to view on the 'Internet Archive' once you register https://archive.org/details/gunsgunnersatsho0000hill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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