Unit marked P14 (1913) Bayonet.

[Flying10uk]

I have owned this unit marked P14 bayonet for a long time but I have never been able to identify which unit the markings relate to. I wondered if any Forum members could identify which unit the pommel markings are abbreviations of, please. Thanks for any information.

Information

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[Peter Laidler]

RGA = Royal Garrison Artillery. I don't know how these differed from the usual Royal AQrtillery or the Horse Artillery but there you go. I mean........ what on earth do we still have a Royal Horse Artillery for........

[old-smithy]

same reason we still have grenadiers and fusileers, tradition ;-)

[bigduke6]

same reason we still have grenadiers and fusileers, tradition ;-)

Problem with tradition it only relates to certain Regiments etc, When you think of the old City Regiments and also the Battalions that were raised during WW1 such as the Pals etc, although a lot of TA remained up to a certain point now these have all but gone.....
Duke of Lancaster Regiment now incorporates all or most North Western regiments that existed..... although the Kingsman (Pte) remains its still a long way from the past in my eyes, My neighbour was in 4 Lancs ( reserve battalion) and was in a mortar Platoon which still worn the Tam o'shanter which was the last remnants of the Liverpool Scottish........ I'm all for moving forward etc, but think a small flash or similar to indicate the previous regiment wouldn't be too much trouble. Maybe the only saving grace for the future is we avoided being integrated into a European Army.......

[browningautorifle]

Royal Garrison Artillery

We had a Garrison Artillery here in Victoria about 170 years ago...posted to the area of the inner harbor, guarding the entrance to the then Royal Navy yard at Esquimalt. That was about 1845... They had nothing to do with the field so they weren't Field or Horse arty...they were fortress arty...

[bigduke6]

79 coy relates to = No. 79 Company ; Bombay. 6th (Poona) Division. ??

[Flying10uk]

Thanks for identifying the markings, Peter, and others for the additional information. The history surrounding these militaria items is fascinating.

[Surpmil]

After the Royal Garrison Artillery left in 1906, Canada manned the forts with the newly-constituted Canadian Garrison Artillery.

Straight from Wiki:

The Royal Garrison Artillery came into existence as a separate entity when existing coastal defence, mountain, siege and heavy batteries of the Royal Artillery were amalgamated into a new sub-branch. A royal warrant provided that from 1 June 1899:

"... the mounted and dismounted branches of the Royal Regiment of Artillery shall be separated into two corps... to be named respectively (a) the Royal Horse Artillery and the Royal Field Artillery: (b) the Royal Garrison Artillery."[2]

The RHA were originally created to accompany the cavalry I believe: lighter guns and limbers and therefore faster.

There were forts and batteries all over the Empire coasts that needed artillerymen, particularly where there where RN bases, as there was in Esquimalt: the base of the Pacific Squadron until 1905.

[browningautorifle]

Royal Garrison Artillery left in 1906

Right... But we were trying to talk about what they were more than when they were here...

[Peter Laidler]

I'm more interested in why we still have the remains of these obscure regiments........ Royal Horse Artillery - with horses and 1910 towed guns. And horse mounted bands........... horse mounted anything! Esppecial;ly when the Army is already under strength in manpower and kit! Oh, don't get me going......