Underneath one of these jaunty caps can be found Gunner Clark of the No. 2 Company Mountain Battery Royal Garrison Artillery. While some Mountain Batteries served in India some spent time in France before moving on to either Salonika and/or Egypt. According to The Long, Long Trail No. 2 Coy was sent to France with III Corps in December 1914 and attached to the 4th Division in March 1915. They moved to Salonika in 1916 and then to India in 1919.
This set of three postcards may have been photographed in England prior to shipping out to France in December 1914. They are wonderful images, particularly the one showing the boys enjoying a pint with friends and family.
Categories: Photographs, Who Goes There?
Doing Our Bit 
These are fantastic, thanks for sharing them. I have been researching my Grandfather Charles Waterfield who served with 2 Mountain Battery throughout WW1. I am currently writing up all my research. Do you have any other documents relating to the Battery? I have worked my way through all the War Diaries but any other original material would be fascinating. It would be great to find a soldiers diary to give more colour.
Hi Clive … thanks for your comment. I’m afraid I don’t have any other documents on the 2 Mountain Battery, just the postcards which I obtained nearly 10 years ago. A soldier’s diary or memoir would be ideal. I checked my Canadian memoir reference book as there are several memoirs by men who served in the RGA at some point in their career but unfortunately 2 Mountain Battery wasn’t mentioned. I assume you obtained the War Diaries via the National Archives in which case you likely have checked to see if they had any other references? If I can think of anything else I will be in touch. Thanks again, Steve.
Hi Steve
Thanks for getting back to me. Yes i have checked the National Archives. I am also gradually working my way through references in war diaries to any other members of the battery and researching them to see if i unearth anything. Will let you know if i come across anything that adds to these picture.
Clive
Thank you for sharing. My grandfather was Captain James Price in the no. 2 Mountain Battery and I have his memoir, which was written in the 1950s, using his wartime diaries as sources. Sadly he destroyed the diaries. I would love to get hold of the official War Diaries for the battery, as I presume he would’ve written a lot of the entries.
Hi Beccy … thanks for your comment. The fact that your grandfather wrote a memoir and that you have it is fantastic to hear.
I had a look in the National Archives and I see that there are two First World War diaries for the No.2 Company Mountain Battery, RGA covering the period from Aug. 1, 1914 to Aug. 31, 1915 and Sept. 1, 1915 to Nov. 30, 1915.
They are the top two results in this search result:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_ps=60&_ser=WO+95&_rv=simple&id=C14303&_q=%222+mountain+battery%22
If you sign up for a National Archives account (it is free to do so) you can currently download up to 100 files per month for no charge.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Steve
Hello Everybody, I am a late starter here and am eager to find out more too. I’ve seen the War Diaries from the national archives and I’m guessing you have seen the info from the ‘Indians at Ashurst’ – worth a google. I have a post card from m GGF sent from Soon Docks on 9th Dec to his sweetheart. I also have a postcard from Solinka 1916 it all ties in! My GGF was Wilfred Short.
Let me know if there is any interest in the cards….
Was there any progress on soldier’s diaries etc from 2MB?