Henry Murray, Driver RFA An overview of his work

It has been very surprising and interesting to research and discover the work of a Driver. It
turns out that it has very little to do with driving as we know it today. A Driver (DVR) was
a military rank used in the British Army and the armies of other Commonwealth countries. It
was equivalent to the rank of Private. The rank was initially used in the Royal Artillery for
the men who drove the teams of horses which pulled the guns. It was phased out after the
First World War when all Royal Artillerymen of the lowest rank were re-designated as
Gunners.
The Royal Field Artillery was the largest arm of the artillery. They used horse-drawn
carriages to move the medium calibre guns and howitzers deployed close to the front line,
these guns were reasonably mobile.
At the outbreak of war, field gun batteries of the regular army had 6 guns. These standard
weapons did not alter during the war other than by technical improvements. The guns used
were the 18-lbr Field Gun, and the 4.5-inch Howitzer. The table below illustrates the amount
of ammunition required for each gun. Uncle Harry would have been involved not only with
driving the horses pulling the guns, but also transportation of ammunition to them.
Ammunition stock (rounds per gun, planned)

18-lbr 4.5-inch How.

At the battery position

176

108

With the Brigade Ammunition Column

76

48

With the Divisional Ammunition Column

126

44

At the Divisional Ammunition Park

150

80

Other reserves, on Lines of Communication

472

520

Total rounds per gun in the field (minimum)

1000

800

In my research I have found that there were two categories of Drivers. Firstly, there were a
small number of Army Supply Column Drivers whose sole job was to drive horses and they
were found in the Supply and Baggage Columns. Secondly, there were Gunners and Drivers
of the Royal Field Artillery. Gunners were used as Drivers and Drivers were used as
Gunners - their roles were to some extent interchangeable however, Drivers were best suited
as gun team Drivers because of their extensive training. In Uncle Harrys case, I believe that
he would have been a Royal Field Artillery Driver in the Ammunition Columns and at the
front line on a gun team - wherever he was needed.
The number of Drivers and Gunners assigned to each Battery were usually equal in number about 70 men of each designation. Each gun team had three drivers (one per pair of horses)
and six Gunners, one of whom would probably be the Bombardier. More senior ranks rode
individual horses and any remaining Drivers and Gunners would be with the ammunition
wagon.
Research shows that men already skilled in handling horses were specifically directed to the
Royal Field Artillery to work as Drivers. We know that Uncle Harry had a pony at home and
could ride before enlisting. All Drivers had to undertake a specialist driving course before
receiving the designation of Driver and would have to demonstrate a high level of
competence handling and controlling horses in very difficult environments. The gun
carriages would be approximately a ton apiece and manoeuvrability of such would have been

daunting. Additionally, new recruits would certainly be encouraged to take part in routine
animal husbandry and the maintenance of tack and associated equipment.
To become a Driver took a great deal of confidence, patience and hard work on both man and
horse to become a team. Each Driver was allocated two horses, they would have been no
smaller than 15 - 16 hands high and weigh about 1200 lbs. These horses would be the
responsibility of the Driver. Each pair of horses and Driver where trained for the position
they would hold in the gun team. Before a Driver could embark on riding he would have to
learn the following harness drill:
The Drivers Gospel:
The Head Collar fits over the horses head true and parallel behind the cheek bone. Two
fingers between the noseband and nose, one finger between brow band and brow. The throat
lash so adjusted to prevent the head collar slipping over the horses head.
The bit is placed flat and smooth in the horses mouth one inch behind the corner toothtwo
inches behind the corner tooth of a mare.
The Britching (Breast Collar) hangs horizontal from the padded neck strap, one hands
breadth above the play of the shoulder.
The Blanket (on a team horse) placed rough edges near and off (inside).
The Saddle is placed on the horses back, one hands breadth behind the play of the shoulder.
The reasonthe horse has eight true ribs and ten false. The saddle rests on its true ribs.
The Girth is placed flat and smooth around the horses barrel (belly) and should be tightened
one hole at a time.
The Surcingle is placed flat and smooth around the girth and should be as tight as the girth
and no tighter.
The Britching hangs horizontal from the hip in line straps and should be 16 inches below the
root of the dock and one inch clear when pulling.
The Curb Chain is turned from left to right, first link from nail up and must be two fingers
clear.
Driver's conducted their training at their designated Battery. Junior Non-Commissioned
Officers would attend a senior riding course at a riding establishment such as The Riding
School at Bordon in Hampshire.
A standard gun team comprised 6 horses and three Drivers. The Driver sat astride the horse
on the left hand side of the team. Training for the men and horses was progressive. During
training the men learned to ride a single horse bareback and then with a saddle before moving
on to teams of 4 horses and then teams of 6.
It was a similar setup for the horses. Heavier built or the strongest horses where positioned at
the rear of the team and called Wheelers. As the gun pulled away it was the strength of
these horses that initially moved the gun carriage, they were also the brakes of the gun team.
Horses of middle build were placed in the middle and called Centres. The Driver looking
after the Centres had to ensure that the horses didnt become entangled in the traces (leather
straps between the pairs) when the gun team went into a turn.
The final pair of horses were of a lighter build they were called Lead horses, one was
usually ridden by a Sergeant. There would have been a Corporal that rode a horse on the left
of the gun team that would take over in the event that the Sergeant became a casualty. For all
the horses where trained for a specific position, the Drivers would have to know each other
Drivers job as well as their own.

The failure rate for both man and horse was high but those men that passed joined their
Battery as a designated Driver.
I would think that in battle Drivers would have to unharness injured or dead horses and find
any horse to replace it. This would add to the chaos and panic as the new horse in a harness
position that was unfamiliar, as well as working with a team of horses he did not know would
prove very difficult for the Driver and the other horses. During battle Driver's pulled the
guns into line and once the guns were ready, each Driver moved his team of horses to safety.
Once at the front, guns tended to be more or less static in gun pits for periods of time and the
Drivers then worked with the horses in Ammunition Columns. It would appear that at some
point during the Somme battles front-line gun teams would swap places with other gun teams
not at the front. When this happened, the team not supplying ammunition for the front-line
guns was responsible for horse care, grooming and harness cleaning at the wagon lines.
To give protection to his inside leg a Driver strapped a Leg Iron to his calf. The leg iron
was a large gaiter that buckled over the top of the Drivers puttees. A steel bar ran through
the leather material and prevented his leg being crushed by the centre pole in a tight turn.
During World War 1 the daily rate of pay for a Drivers and Gunners in the Royal Field
Artillery was 1s.2d. The Royal Horse Artillery Gunners received 1s.4d. and their Drivers
1s.3d. The higher pay for both Drivers and Gunners in the Royal Horse Artillery compared
with Royal Field Artillery may well have had something to do with their different role. Royal
Horse Artillery Batteries were brigaded with Cavalry units. With their lighter 13-pounder QF
Mk1 guns, they were trained to pull the guns at a gallop and across open country. In one of
his television programmes, Richard Holmes describes the Royal Horse Artillery gun-teams as
amongst the finest horsemen in the country.
One anecdote I found is as follows:
Before joining the Royal Field Artillery as a Gunner my grandfather was a draper's assistant
whose only experience of horses was listening to stories told by his father who served with
7 Hussars. I well remember my grandfather's graphic description of learning to ride in the
Royal Field Artillery. Apparently training involved riding bare back with no reins on a cinder
track. So at least in his experience Gunners also rode.
Uncle Harry would have found his work very distressing to see horses in such appalling
conditions, he was an animal lover and would have found it heart-breaking day in day out.
The terrible conditions for man and beast cannot be imagined. Without doubt, the work of a
Driver has not been given the credit it justifiably deserves.

Helen Murray-Holmes
December 2014

Royal Field Artillery

18 lbr Gun Team

18 lbr Gun Team

4.5 inch Howitzer Field Gun