94th Siege Battery, was a heavy howitzer unit of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) formed in North East England during World War I.

[2][3] By the autumn of 1914, the campaign on the Western Front was bogging down into Trench warfare and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) had an urgent need for batteries of siege artillery.

Towards the end of April it went to Stockcross near Newbury, Berkshire, where it collected its four 9.2-inch howitzers and was joined by its ammunition column of the Army Service Corps (ASC), comprising four Holt caterpillar tractors, 32 three-ton lorries and one Daimler car.

[11][13][16] The sub-group's main role was to use the high-angle fire of its howitzers to bombard German trenches and strongpoints facing 56th (1/1st London) Division's attack frontage on the south side of the Gommecourt salient.

94th Siege Bty succeeded in firing 100 rounds per gun in that time, a remarkable feat that caused significant damage to the howitzers' buffers and recuperators due to overheating.

At 07.30 the guns lifted onto their pre-arranged targets in the German support and reserve lines as the infantry got out of their forward trenches and advanced towards Gommecourt.

By midday, the Germans were launching concerted counter-attacks from all directions, including Epte, Ems and Etch trenches, and by mid-afternoon 56th Division's slight gains were being eroded.

It spent two days preparing a position on the western edge of Contalmaison, which had just been captured, but this was unsuitable, so the two guns of Right Section (RX) were mounted on 25 August behind the ruins of La Boisselle Church.

Between 25 February and 3 March the two guns of RX were hauled by five tractors across 2 miles (3.2 km) of open country, covered with shellholes full of water and intersected by numerous trenches, to reach a position near Grandcourt.

Once RX arrived, it fired in support of the operations to take Irles and the Loupart Line, including a highly effective CB shoot with air observation on a hostile battery near Achiet-le-Grand.

Captain F. Grant (from North Scottish RGA, who had recently joined the battery) accompanied the advanced infantry patrols as they entered Achiet-le-Grand, and when they were held up at the exit of the village he took a Lewis gun up into the church ruins and drove off the enemy, for which he was awarded a Military Cross (MC).

[11][45] 94th Siege Bty came back into action on 6 April, on the north-western outskirts of Vaulx-Vraucourt losing two lorries hit by shellfire and burnt out during the move in.

The rest of the month and first half of May were spent by 94th Siege Bty in CB work while several further attempts were made to take Bullecourt and breach the Hindenburg Line.

The CB duel with the Germans guns was intense, with 94th Siege Bty amongst others receiving gas shelling almost every night, while nearby batteries had their ammunition dumps blown up, 'with awesome detonations that made one's blood run cold'.

[11][12][49][50][51] The British artillery was repositioned after the battle, 94th Siege Bty moving into Le Bizet, a suburb of Armentières, with the guns mounted on the banks of the River Lys by 10 June.

Fourth Army having lost its bridgehead over the River Yser to the German spoiling attack, and the BEF having failed to break through at Ypres, Operation Hush was called off.

The battery was also increased to six guns when a section joined on 15 January 1918 from 190th Siege Bty, an experienced unit that had been on the Western Front since November 1916.

This involved constructing gun platforms in the chaos of the old German front line and laying a light railway to bring ammunition up over the shellholes.

The battery was officially back in action on 22 January, but shortly afterwards 23rd Brigade moved south to join Fifth Army, with 94th Siege Bty entraining at Poperinghe on 9 February.

The night of 24 March saw the gunners digging positions, but were then ordered to move on to Wiencourt; on the way they picked up a new 9.2-inch howitzer from the workshop, giving the battery seven instead of six guns.

Although three guns began firing, there were now only stragglers and scratch forces in front to slow the Germans, and exhausted 94th moved back to Boves, nearer to Amiens.

Left Section of 94th Siege Bty was emplaced on the western edge of Bresle Wood by 3 May, RX on the NE outskirts of Franvillers by 7 May, and CX at the chalk pit 1,000 yards (910 m) N of Ribemont-sur-Ancre by 9 May.

To increase its effective range, RX was moved up to join CX at Ribemont on 12 July, but shortly afterwards 23rd Bde passed to III Corps' Heavy Artillery with Fourth Army, involving a change of positions.

Its guns were pushed well forward before the attack, with LX and CX of 94th Siege Bty in an advanced position in the village of Ribemont and RX about 2,000 yards (1,800 m) N of Buire-sur-l'Ancre.

In late August 1918, acting as the battery's forward observation officer, Capt Somerville found two abandoned German 7.7 cm field guns near Maricourt.

Because of the semi-mobile nature of the fighting during the Hundred Days Offensive, the 9.2-inch howitzers had to be sited well forward amongst the field gun lines to keep the enemy in range for as long as possible.

The tractors dragged the guns over 20 miles (32 km) in a day to reach these positions, and they were mounted under shellfire by reduced crews (the gunners loaned o other batteries not yet having returned).

[12][91] From Villers-Faucon, 94th Siege Bty supported the minor operations by which Fourth Army closed up to the Hindenburg Line, followed by the Battle of Épehy and the capture of Ronssoy (18 September).

During this battle, on 23 October, Lowe also led a party from 94th Siege Bty close behind the infantry attacking through Pommereuil, with the role of turning captured guns on the enemy.

94th Siege Bty transferred to 47th Bde, RGA, and proceeded with its ASC column to billets in Beauvois, between Le Cateau and Cambrai.