100 Years Ago Today - 16 April 2017

​One hundred years ago, on 16 April 1917,
31st Battery, Canadian Field Artillery, Canadian Expeditionary Force was a sub-unit of the 8th Canadian Field Artillery Brigade in the 3rd Canadian Division. The Brigade war diary records:
Berthonval Farm F4 d9.1 Sheet 5.c  The 40th Battery registered four guns and moved two guns further forward in VIMY. The other four guns being drawn for ward that day and night and registered at once. The LENS-ARAS Road and the town of VIMY were under intermittent hostile shelling, several 40th Battery horses were lost. The Batteries kept gun limbers and teams in VIMY for a time. Horses stabled in old houses.
Most of the wells have been poisoned by arsenic by the Germans.
Group Headquarters moved forward to a position S.30.c.6.1 in German dugouts below the LENS ARRAS Road.
On the night of the 16th/17th the 35th Battery moved forward to a position in the south west outskirts of VIMY and registered on the 17th. Lieut. Boyd 40th Battery went forward to Battalion Headquarters (43rd) at BOIS DE LA CHAUDIERE for Liaison Duty. Communication with infantry was established that night.
 
58th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery, Canadian Expeditionary Force was a sub-unit of the 14th Canadian Field Artillery Brigade in the 5th Canadian Division. The Division was training in England and the Brigade war diary records:
WITLEY - WITLEY - GR BULLEN left for WOKING. MUSKETRY carried out daily this week except SAT. at MYTCHETT RANGES. The parties from each Battery were 43 men & 8 from BDE HQ. Yesterday LTS LONGWORTHY & RALEY proceeded on command for SIG Course, also Lt MACHEN went to WOOLWICH on “PEL. MAT, & RGE FIND COURSE.”​
 
5th Canadian Siege Battery, Canadian Artillery, Canadian Expeditionary Force war diary records:
Mt St Eloy - Enemy entirely out of range.
 
The 15th Field Artillery Regiment RCA perpetuates the following sub units:
31st Battery, Canadian Field Artillery, Canadian Expeditionary Force,
58th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery, Canadian Expeditionary Force,
5th Canadian Siege Battery, Canadian Artillery, Canadian Expeditionary Force,
68th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery, North Russia Expeditionary Force, was not authorized to be formed until 3 August 1918, and
85th Battery, Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force was not authorized to be formed until 12 July 1918.

15th Fd Regt Museum & Archives 982.394.1uu Unknown unit and location from World War I