WW1 Royal Horse Artillery

The Airfix 1:76 scale Royal Horse Artillery appears to be based on Fortunino Matania‘s painting of the Affair of Néry, 1 September 1914, a dismounted action which ensued when the British 1st Cavalry Brigade was surprised in camp by elements of the German 4th Cavalry Division. L Battery, RHA, was put out of action by counter-battery fire within minutes, except for a single gun which continued to fire until all the ammunition was expended. Captain Bradbury, Battery Sergeant-Major Dorrell, and Sergeant Nelson were awarded the Victoria Cross for their heroic action at Néry.

Contents

14 Figures in 10 Poses – 22.5 mm Height equals 171 cm

• No. 1 Gun Commander with Binoculars, standing
• No. 2 Breech Man / No. 3 Gun Layer, seated (2)
• No. 4 Fuse Setter with Shell, sitting (2)
• No. 5 Ammunition Man with Shell, kneeling (2)
• No. 6 Coverer with Shell, crawling (2)
• Gunners, Royal Foot Artillery, seated on Limber (1+1)
• Lead Driver, Royal Horse Artillery, looking forward
• Center Driver, Royal Horse Artillery, looking right
• Wheel Driver, Royal Horse Artillery, looking left

6 Horses in 3 Poses

• Leaders
  • Near Side Lead Horse
  • Off Side Lead Horse
• Centers
  • Near Side Center Horse
  • Off Side Center Horse
• Wheelers
  • Near Side Wheel Horse
  • Off Side Wheel Horse

Field Guns and Limber

• Ordnance QF 13-pounder Field Gun (2)
• Limber (1)
• Wheel – 19.8 mm ⌀ equal 59″ (6)
• Trace (2)

Evaluation

Excellent choice of subject, Airfix World War One British Royal Horse Artillery is unique in this scale.

Apart from the standing gun commander, the gunners are serving their Ordnance QF 13-pounder field gun in shirt-sleeve order, without steel helmet. Airfix modelled the gunners without bases, to allow the figures to be placed closely to each other around the gun model. The breech man (No. 2; right-hand seat) and gun layer (No. 3; left-hand seat) are the same figure pose. This can actually work, but the gun layer needs to have his head turned to face the enemy. In a diorama of the Affair at Néry, consider deploying the gun commander (No. 1) as acting breech man, and leave the gun layer facing the rear, too, calling for ammunition.

The gunners and drivers are wearing puttees, instead of the regulation leather gaiters worn by horse artillery, which were found to be uncomfortable on campaign. The drivers seem to have had time to dress properly, they are equipped with the Bandolier, 50 rounds (Mark I).

The Ordnance QF 13-pounder gun carriage assembly – measured from the front of the wheels to the tip of the trail spade at the rear – is 3700 mm long, or 49 mm in this scale, which Airfix got right. However, the gun model looks wrong, because Airfix attached the pole trail directly to the breech, instead of to the axle tree assembly below the center of gravity. As a result, the pole trail rises more steeply and it comes up so high that it dwarfs the crew on either side of it. A simple fix involves slicing the pole trail off the breech and welding it to the axle tree instead.

The Airfix Ordnance QF 13-pounder Field Gun consists of only four parts, the gun with shield and pole trail, a simplyfied axle tree assembly, and two 59″ wheels, instead of the required 60″ wheels. The barrel is 2 mm longer than it should be, it extends well beyond the recuperator, and there are no seats on either side of the pole trail for gunners No. 2 and No. 3 to sit on. This collection of errors is quite surprising, considering that Airfix designers and sculptors must have been aware of the Néry Gun (Gun No. 6, L Battery RHA) on display at the Victoria Cross and George Cross Gallery, Imperial War Museum London. Wargamers may want to use the Airfix Gun as an 18-pounder of Royal Artillery, or cut its barrel back 2 mm if a Royal Horse Artillery 13-pounder is required.

To this day, Royal Horse Artillery gunners are individually mounted on saddle horses, to be able to keep up with the cavalry. If gunners precariously sat on the limber, the entire gun section would be slowed to the pace of foot artillery, which the Airfix limber riders above must, therefore, represent.

As befits the Affair of Néry, the Airfix gunners are shown serving their gun under intense counter-battery fire, where everything seems to be going catastrophically wrong around them, either hugging the ground or crawling towards the gun with a shell cradled in their arms.

Noticeable flash and mould lines need to be removed prior to painting.

Compatible with EMHAR, and Revell.

Historical Employment

• British Royal Horse Artillery, 1914–1916
• British Royal Foot Artillery Limber Team, 1914–1916

Possible Conversions

• British Royal Horse Artillery in Steel Helmets, 1916–1918
• British Royal Foot Artillery Limber Team in Steel Helmets, 1916–1918

Bibliography

• Hogg, Ian: Twentieth-Century Artillery, p. 25

Airfix Royal Horse Artillery of World War One are a must-have for wargamers interested in raising a British force for the early part of the Great War.

Sample from HäT Industrie

Miniatures of World War One