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[Page 12]
replacement of one Gun-faattery by one Howitzer-battery and some renumbering of batteries.
The Brigade's training was completed in December 1916. Then on 31 December 1916 the Brigade disembarked at Le Havre in France. Its 25 Battery was at this time comanded by Major J.B.W. James.
In January 1917 the 7th Brigade, A.F.A. was again re-orgairiised. The four gun batteries were expanded to six gun batteries including one howitzer battery. The Brigade then went into action organised as Brigade Headquarters, 25, 26 and 27 gun batteries and the 107 Howitzer Battery plus the 7th Field Brigade Ammunition Column, A.I.F. This re-organisation was necessitated by a shortage of Battery Commanders.
It is probable that the 7th Brigade, A.F.A. first went into action on the 17 January 1917 at Armentieres. Since the 2 October 1916 the Brigade had been commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel H.D.K. Macartney who was a permanent officer of the R.A.A.
On the 22 July 1917, while the 3rd Australian Division was in action, Major James was wounded. But he remained on duty. A series of battles on the Western Front in Europe in 1917 were given the general name of "The Battles of Ypres 1917" aand they extended from 31 July 1917 to 10 November 1917. The most important of these battles, from the point of view of the 3rd Australian Divisional Artillery, were the Battle of Broodseinde and the Battle of Passcheridaele.
On 17 December 1917 the London Gazette notified the award of a D.S.O. to Major James for gallantry in action earlier when under heavy shell fire, and after having moved the gun crew to safety, he extinguished a fire in a gun pit.
In the meantime some important changes took place in the organisation of the A.I.F. Godley's llnd Australian Corps was to be disbanded and its 3rd Australian Division was to be transferred to Birdwood´s 1st Anzac Corps. Concurrently, the 1st Anzac Corps was to be re-organised into the Australian