Editing Ammunition column (section)

==The British Army and Dominion Artillery prior to May 1916==
Ammunition Columns, Brigade or Divisional, were officered and manned by the [[Royal Artillery]] and national equivalents. Intended for direct affiliation to their Brigades, and Divisions, they were additionally called upon to furnish ammunition to any unit requiring it during an action. The Officers and Gunners of the R.A. employed with an Ammunition Column were, as a matter of course, immediately available to replace casualties in the batteries.<ref name="EB1911"/> Working mostly at night, moving forward, the Brigade Ammunition Columns ammunition wagons were interchangeable with a Firing Batteries own ammunition wagons (one per gun), so full wagons could be easily dropped-off, being unhooked and taken away for reloading.<ref>[http://islandnewspapers.ca/islandora/object/guardian%3A19160313-001 ''The Charlottetown Guardian'', March 13, 1915, Page 1. Reviewed 30.11.2015]</ref>

The Horse Artillery and Heavy Brigades of Artillery each had their own Brigade Ammunition Column (BAC), organized in much the same way and performing similar duties. The Brigade Ammunition Column of the Heavy Brigade was divisible into three sections, so that the three batteries, if operating independently, have each a section at hand to replenish the ammunition expended. The Horse Artillery Brigade Ammunition Columns carried, besides S.A.A. for corps troops, other than artillery, the reserve of [[QF 1 pounder pom-pom|pom-pom]] ammunition.<ref name="EB1911"/> The Field Brigade Ammunition Column numbered 158 heads, commanded by a captain, with three Lieutenants or Second Lieutenants.<ref>[http://www.1914-1918.net/whatartbrig.htm Chris Baker, The Long, Long Trail, The British Army of 1914-1918{{snd}}for Family Historians, What was an artillery brigade?  Accessed 24.02.2016]</ref>

The Howitzer Brigade Ammunition Column (BAC) included ammunition wagons (with limber), one wagon per howitzer, and one GS wagon for stores, with at least 132 horses (riding and draft, using six per wagon). The Columns operational task was to have available a constant supply, and bring forward, forty-eight rounds per howitzer, to a firing Batterys entrenched position, or to supply it to the Batterys own ammunition wagon lines.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/organizationadmi00languoft#page/128/mode/1up Officers Overseas: Canadian Artillery 1914–1918, Cdn Artillery Assoc., Ottawa, ON June 1922. Appendix XVII Rounds per Gun, Page 128. Reviewed 18.10.2015]</ref>  The Howitzer BAC was divided into two sections, they commanded by Lieutenants, each tasked to two Batteries, and included a Battery Sergeant-Major, a Battery Quartermaster Sergeant, a Farrier-Sergeant, Shoeing Smiths (of which 1 would be a Corporal), 2 Saddlers (driver equipment), 2 Wheel-Wrights, a Trumpeter, 4 Sergeants, 5 Corporals, 5 Bombardiers, 3 Gunners acting as Batmen, Signalers, Drivers, and The Gunners.<ref>[http://www.1914-1918.net/whatartbrig.htm What was an Artillery Brigade? Brigade Ammunition Column. Reviewed 16.10.2015]</ref>

Some miles to the rear were the Divisional Ammunition Columns, which on the one hand replenish the empty wagons of the Columns in front, and on the other draw fresh supplies from the depots on the line of communication.<ref name="EB1911"/> The Divisional Ammunition Columns also are in artillery charge; to replenish each of Brigade Ammunition Columns.  An Infantry Division, Divisional Artillery, and Divisional Ammunition Column was organized around three Field Artillery Sections, and a fourth Howitzer Section, bringing forward scaled levels of field artillery, howitzer, and small arms ammunition, for each of the Brigade Columns.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/organizationadmi00languoft#page/28/mode/2up Organization, Administration and Equipment: Col W.R. Lang MSC. Toronto: The Copp, Clark Company Limited, August 1917, Page 29. Reviewed 15.10.2015]</ref> According to the April 1915 War Establishment Organization Tables: New Army (40/WO/2425), it would have 12 Officers, 1 Warrant Officer, 10 Sergeants, 32 Artificers and 473 Other Ranks: Total 528 (and a Base Detachment of 49); seeing some 140 in No, 1,2,3 Sections and 84 in No. 4 Section plus a total of 683 horses. The Fifth Section: Heavy Portion for 60-pounder ammunition, were removed from the BEF DAC establishment in early in 1915 when the 60-pdr guns were withdrawn from Divisions.

The Divisional Ammunition Column collected ammunition from the Army Service Corps Divisional Ammunition Park, as the higher movement and supply of ammunition was coordinated at Corps level.  A second scale of ammunition was stored in the Divisional Ammunition Park whilst a third scale was stored in the Corps Ammunition Park, which received and held replenishment from the Corps Ordnance Depot. Mechanical transport companies of the Army Service Corps carried out ammunition supply for RGA Heavy and Siege Batteries, given one company was included within each Army and Corps. 
 
The Brigade Ammunition Columns and Divisional Ammunition Columns thus carried ordinarily seven or eight kinds at least of field, horse, howitzer and heavy gun [[Shrapnel shell|shrapnel]], howitzer and heavy gun lyddite shells, cartridges for the four different guns employed and pom-pom cartridges for the [[cavalry]], in all twelve distinct types and varied small arms and machine gun ammunition. Consequently, the rounds of each kind in charge of each ammunition column must vary in accordance with the work expected of the combatant unit to which it belongs.<ref name="EB1911"/>

Thus, pom-pom ammunition is out of place in the Brigade Ammunition Columns of field artillery, and S.A.A. is relatively unnecessary in that attached to a Heavy Artillery Brigade. Under these circumstances, a column may be unable to meet the unique wants of troops engaged in the vicinity; for instance, a cavalry [[regiment]] would send in vain to a heavy artillery ammunition column for pom-pom cartridges. The point to be observed in this is that the fewer the natures of weapons used, the more certain is the ammunition supply.<ref name="EB1911"/>