Gunnery Accident Mystery

[Mark Saunders]

I am investigating a 1941 ‘gunnery practice’ accident where a shell fell a 1000 yards short onto a house killing a lady in the coastal town of Shanklin (this is for Shanklin History Society). The newspaper report of the coroner’s inquest is light on detail for security reasons. Apparently a 'No 5 charge' was used which should have been satisfactory. However, the shortfall of 1000 yards was consistent with a 'No 4 charge' being used in error. Another detail is that they were observing the fall in the sea and had ‘shortened the range’. It seems there were four guns in the battery. That’s all I have. Could anyone hazard a guess as to what sort of gun was involved please? What were those types of charges used in? It appears this was not a coastal battery as it fired from behind town out to sea. Thanks, Mark.

 

[TimG]

Does the newspaper report mention which Royal Artillery unit was involved or any personnel?

Have you made a request of the Coroner's Office to see the original report?

There were "Accident Registers" for WWII, can you give me the incident date?

TimG

 

[Mark Saunders]

Thanks for having a look at this. No mention of unit but some names.

The accident occurred on Fri 19 Sep 1941 and was reported the following Thursday. “Captain Robert C Monteith, attached to the battery, engaged in firing practice on Friday morning over the town”. Sgt Major Gerald Miles was safety officer on No 4 gun. Lieut Alan James Morgan was officer in charge of guns.

I attach an extract from the paper which talks about the charges.

 

[reccetrooper]

Capt. Monteith appears to have been Capt. Robert Charles Michael Monteith, service number 55972, 156 Lanarkshire Yeomanry Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. Later a recipient of the Military Cross.

 

[reccetrooper]

Lieut. Morgan is likely to be Lieut. Alan James Stanley Morgan, service number 134393, commissioned as 2nd Lt. 1st June 1940, from Cadet, H.A.C. 121st or 125th Officer Cadet Training Unit R.A.

 

[Mark Saunders]

Capt. Monteith appears to have been Capt. Robert Charles Michael Monteith, service number 55972, 156 Lanarkshire Yeomanry Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. Later a recipient of the Military Cross.

Thanks for that. Initially I was asked a tech question: what type of gun might have been involved and where it was firing from. I had thought a 25 pdr battery but the reference to 5 charges had me foxed. Then gradually, it takes on a more human form and one feels for all involved. The inquest considered damp charges or miss-packaging at the factory. Let’s hope that helped the gunners. The article for Shanklin & District History Society will appear on our website in about six months (it goes to members first).

 

[reccetrooper]

Thanks for that. Initially I was asked a tech question: what type of gun might have been involved and where it was firing from. I had thought a 25 pdr battery but the reference to 5 charges had me foxed. Then gradually, it takes on a more human form and one feels for all involved. The inquest considered damp charges or miss-packaging at the factory. Let’s hope that helped the gunners. The article for Shanklin & District History Society will appear on our website in about six months (it goes to members first).

If you can accurately ID the personnel, this in conjunction with the incident date should enable identification of the unit involved, and from there possibly identify the guns the unit were equipped with at the time.

 

[TimG]

Monteith ended up as a Lt. Col and C.O. of 156 Lanarkshire Yeomanry Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. Later, they certainly used 25Pr, but what they used in the UK is not listed.

It would appear the Lanark Museum has information on the Regiment - lanarkmuseum@hotmail.com

TimG

p.s. see also - https://www.unithistories.com/units_index/index.php?file=/units_index/units.php

 

[Mark Saunders]

Excellent leads thanks. I now have a much better picture of the personnel and also have a plan. I am already onto the Coroner's Office and most impressed with unit-histories website. Your help was much appreciated.

 

[reccetrooper]

Don’t overlook that the newspaper says Monteith was “attached” to the Battery, that would be a temporary posting.
If he was attached from the156 Lanarkshire Yeomanry Field Regiment RA, and a regimental diary exists, it might mention the unit Monteith was attached to.

 

[reccetrooper]

Incident date was Friday 19th September 1941.
Firing was from a Fort.
Attached report from the Nottingham Evening Post 19/09/41.

 

[reccetrooper]

Arthur’s Hill is the location where the shell fell. Working backwards from the beach via Arthur’s Hill will give a general direction of the Battery location. Is/was there a fort along that line?