115 Locating Battery, Royal Artillery

When I first came across BFG/Baor Locations I called myself 'locating'. I suppose this was because I found my time in 115 Locating Bty such a good part of my life.
Not many write about the unit. I suppose this is because old members of the battery are getting scarce. I was in or of the battery from spring 1958 to September 1959.
It would be good to read someone else's reminiscences rather than my own...
Locating

Forgive this scaly ignorance but what did a locating battery do?

Hmmmm Locate things?????????

Gordon. wrote:

Hmmmm Locate things?????????

Would that be with a big gun or a white stick? I've lost some keys, would they be able to help?

Still don't get the artillery connection with locating though. Recce troops perhaps but arty!

I would have thought it had something to do with locating targets,but no doubt i`ll be proved wrong

Now if you had kept your keys on your lanyard which all good siggys do,you would not have lost them

Oh dear..i`m a WO1 Hope i`m not an RSM

Watch it lads,Gordon's a WO1.
He'll have a mess meeting before you know it ![/img]

The Royal Artillery's connection with 'locating' stemmed from its role in Counter-Bombardment, attacking our opponents' artillery, including mortars.
When I can find it I will give a reference to what I wrote about it some time ago. Meanwhile, briefly, the equipment used was of two types:
1) Radars capable of locking on to enemy mortar bombs and deducing the grid references of the sites from which the bombs were fired. I believe 94 Locating Regiment RA used this technique against Serbian mortars during the attempt to protect Bosnians and UN personnel during events during and after the dissolution of Jugoslavia.
2) Lines of Microphones recording the sound of guns in such a way as to deduce the points from which the guns were fired.
Enough for the time being!
Yours
locating

Makes more sense but still think they could have given it a more suitable name.

Keys were on my lanyard but lost that as well Gordon! :-)

At the top of the page it gives the option 'STOP WATCHING THIS TOPIC'.
Clearly a good idea....

What's this ?.....Teabag, a Captain ? Did I nod off ?

A more suitable name for a locating Regt.,... how about, " Find 'em and blow the shite out of 'em Regt." ?
Have you ever watched any of that stuff ? Absolutely terrifying !

brum

Now THAT never occurred to the School of Artillery at Larkhill...!

(Maybe it would be better to not mention it to them, eh?)

I would have thought that "Locating" was a descriptive enough title. They used to be called "Observation" which sounds a whole lot more passive.

Mike

Locating. What happened to 115 Bty? I have been doing some on/off research into the post 1947 renumbering of the RA and the last info I have on 115 is that they became part of 94 Loc in 1958.

Did they stay with 94 and go into SA at the same time or did they rerole to another regt?

Mike

Dear mjm34,
What evidence/date have you for 115 joining 94 Locating Regt in 1958?
I know it did join sometime in my service with 115 in 1958-Sept 1959, but I cannot remember when. 115 battery stayed in the barracks in Menden until after I was demobbed in Sept 1959. It continued to be commanded by Major Fraser Scott RA.
Regards
locating

locating wrote:

Dear mjm34,
What evidence/date have you for 115 joining 94 Locating Regt in 1958?
I know it did join sometime in my service with 115 in 1958-Sept 1959, but I cannot remember when. 115 battery stayed in the barracks in Menden until after I was demobbed in Sept 1959. It continued to be commanded by Major Fraser Scott RA.
Regards
locating

Hi again Locating
The info I have is as follows:

01-Jan-1958: 115 Div Locating Bty in Menden and 157 Div Locating Bty in Hildesheim taken under command of 94 Loc Regt, Taunton Bks, Celle.

This implies, but doesn't actually state, that these 2 Btys remained in Menden and Hildesheim i.e; they just lost their Independent Bty status.

The source is 94 Regts Unit history, National Archives document WO 305 1918.

Hope this helps.
Cheers Mike

Most interesting and puzzling!
It felt very different to a junior soldier. On joining the unit I was given 2 Division flashes showing crossed keys on a black background which I understood to mean that we (115) were part of 2 Division. Much later 115 were required to remove their 2 Div flashes, replacing them with the flash of 1 British Corps, a white spear point on a red background which I thought much less smart.
The change of flash was, I thought, explained by 115 joining 94 Locating Regiment, as the Locating Regiment for the whole Corps.
This now seems to have been a naive belief.
Unfortunately I am called away now and must resume my tale later.

locating wrote:

Most interesting and puzzling!
It felt very different to a junior soldier. On joining the unit I was given 2 Division flashes showing crossed keys on a black background which I understood to mean that we (115) were part of 2 Division. Much later 115 were required to remove their 2 Div flashes, replacing them with the flash of 1 British Corps, a white spear point on a red background which I thought much less smart.
The change of flash was, I thought, explained by 115 joining 94 Locating Regiment, as the Locating Regiment for the whole Corps.
This now seems to have been a naive belief.
Unfortunately I am called away now and must resume my tale later.

Actually Locating, apart from the timescale maybe, that makes complete sense. 115 Div Locating Bty would indeed have been 2 Divs Loc unit. When 94 Regt became the Loc unit for the whole Corps Arty the previously Independent Div Loc Btys would have been absorbed into it and the personnel of the Btys would have given up their Div flashes for the 1 Corps spear. A similar thing happened to my Dad when 12 LAA Regt gave up the 7 Div Rat for the Corps spear.

Cheers Mike

I intend to pause here to ask whether anyone interested in this topic has easy access to the UNit History of 94 Locating Regiment RA. This is in the National Archive as WO 305 1918. The relevant section should be quite small.
Thanks to all
Locating

Always interested as a unit I visited on SDS duties from Verden-Aller in the late 60s all we seem to have is here
http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/94th_Regiment_RA.aspx
Cheers
Steve

Thank you Steve for this reference to 94 Locating Regiment 19 to 1960 (from British Army Units 1945 0n Locations and Dates).
It refers to 115 Bty only under 1960 and in a very compressed text:
152 Bty (late of 43 Regt, indep 10/6/59) resus by 115 Bty of 52 Regt)
I continue to say (for whatever it is worth) that 115 Bty seemed to be independent when I joined it in Menden early in 1957. Later, we thought we were to be taken over and 'gripped' by a (Lieut?-) Colonel of fierce reputation based in Celle. We changed our flashes but I still cannot ray when.
We were still in Menden in September 1959 when I was demobbed. I have no evidence to offer on our status at that time (but I will look further if I can).

Hi Locating

From elsewhere and the website mentioned for 115 Battery
WW2 – 55 (Suffolk and Norfolk) Anti-Tank Regt RA (TA) – 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division – Polar Bears

May 45 – Ubique Barracks Dortmund to 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division Sep 46 to 2nd Infantry Division Feb 47 renamed 53rd Anti-Tank Regt RA disbanded Sep 48 – 115 Battery to 52nd Observation Regt RA to Larkill 1958???

1951 – listed in 2nd Infantry Division Troops Dortmund by 1956 location unknown (now known to be Northumberland Barracks Menden) and by Sep 57 not listed as 94 Locating Regt Celle but you confirm by being in both locations...needs to be recorded

Will not attempt to work deeply on RA BAOR history but interested as 115 Battery was in Dortmund and Menden my main area of research

Cheers
Steve

Thank you, Steve.
Can you trace 115 Bty via its CO Major Fraser Scott, RA. I believe his period of command includes Spring 1958 to Sept 1959 ie the period (excluding courses) when I belonged to 115.
Regards
Locating

Locating
As said not an expert with RA units so unable to help but just found this:
http://www.duffy-eu.com/94loc/history.htm#1956
Very interesting found an unrecorded Signal Troop there but no mention of 115 Bty
Cheers
Steve

locating wrote:

I intend to pause here to ask whether anyone interested in this topic has easy access to the UNit History of 94 Locating Regiment RA. This is in the National Archive as WO 305 1918. The relevant section should be quite small.
Thanks to all
Locating

Hi again Locating
If, as seems to be the case, you are specifically interested in only 115 Loc Bty then the various, and there are lots more than 1, 94 Loc Regt unit histories would probably be of little or no use to you.

I haven't checked, but as 115 were at the time an Ind Loc Bty then their own unit histories may well be lodged with the National Archives.

Mike