The 1st Worcestershire Artillery Volunteers was a part-time unit of Britain's Royal Artillery dating back to 1865. As part of the Territorial Force it served on the Western Front and in Italy during World War I. In World War II it served in the Battle of France and was evacuated from Dunkirk. It later fought in Tunisia and Italy. After a series of postwar mergers, it continues as a battery in today's British Army Reserve.
Volunteer Force The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Volunteer Corps composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need.Beckett.Spiers, pp. 163–8. One such unit was the 1st Worcestershire Artillery Volunteer Corps (AVC) formed at Worcester on 6 June 1865 under the command of Henry M. Turnor replaced as Captain Commandant on 16 February 1867 by William Stallard. Initially, the new unit was attached to the 1st Administrative Brigade, Cheshire Artillery Volunteer Corps, then briefly to the 1st Administrative Brigade, Staffordshire Artillery Volunteers before returning to the Cheshire brigade. It was increased to one and a half batteries on 17 February 1869, and from June that year was attached to a new 1st Shropshire Administrative Brigade. The 1st Worcester AVC formed a second battery on 29 April 1871 and a third on 16 November that year. From November 1873 it was attached to the 1st Monmouthshire AVC, which the following year became an administrative brigade in its own right. However, by 1878 the 1st Monmouth AVC was down to just two batteries, so the brigade was renamed the 1st Administrative Brigade, Worcestershire Artillery Volunteers, with its headquarters (HQ) moving to Worcester. William Stallard was promoted to lieutenant colonel to command it.Beckett, Appendix VIII.Frederick, pp. 666–71.Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 172–5.Army List, various dates.Worcestershire Artillery Volunteers at Regiments.org.
When the Volunteers were consolidated into larger units in 1880 the brigade became the 1st Worcester (Worcester & Monmouth) Artillery Volunteers on 16 March, with the following organisation: HQ, Nos 1, 2 and 4 Batteries at Worcester No 3 Battery at Malvern Nos 5 and 6 Batteries at Balsall Heath Nos 7 and 8 Batteries (ex 1st Monmouth) at Griffithstown Malvern College Cadet Corps formed 1884
The unit became part of the Welsh Division of the Royal Artillery (RA) from 1 April 1882. By July that year it had 10 batteries and they were increased to 12 on 24 May 1884. Over the next few years recruitment picked up again in Monmouthshire and by 1890 that county's artillery volunteers were strong enough to reform their own corps (the 1st Monmouthshire AVC) on 4 October. The 1st Worcester dropped its 'Worcester & Monmouth' subtitle and began recruiting in Warwickshire: by 1892 it was listed as the 1st Worcestershire and Warwickshire Volunteer Artillery with eight garrison companies. When the RA's divisional structure was reorganised on 1 July 1889, the unit joined the Southern Division.Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 4–5.
As well as manning fixed garrison artillery, some of the early Artillery Volunteers manned semi-mobile 'position batteries' of smooth-bore field guns pulled by agricultural horses. But the War Office (WO) refused to pay for the upkeep of field guns for Volunteers and they had largely died out in the 1870s. Later the 'position artillery' concept was revived and some Volunteer companies were reorganised as position batteries to work alongside the Volunteer infantry brigades. On 14 July 1892 six of the 1st Worcestershire and Warwickshire VA's eight garrison companies were reorganised into three position batteries and by 30 September 1894 the remainder had converted, giving the following organisation:Beckett, p. 178.Litchfield & Westlake, p. 6. HQ and No 1 Bty at Worcester No 2 Bty at Malvern, Kidderminster and Worcester Nos 3 and 4 Btys at Balsall Heath
In 1897 the 1st Worcestershire & Warwickshire VA were photographed manning 20-pounder Rifled Breech-Loading guns at their annual camp.Litchfield & Westlake, Plates 34 & 35. By 1900 the Warwickshire elements of the brigade at Balsall Heath had expanded enough to form their own corps, the 1st Warwickshire Volunteer Artillery on 30 May; the 1st Worcesters continued with four position batteries, redesignated 'heavy artillery' in May 1902. From 1 June 1899 all the Volunteer artillery units had become part of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) and with the abolition of the RA's divisional organisation on 1 January 1902, the unit became the 1st Worcestershire Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers). By then its HQ was established at Southfield Street, Worcester.Worcester at Drill Hall Project.
Territorial Force
When the Volunteer Force was subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908,Beckett, pp. 247–53.Spiers, Chapter 10. the unit became the II (or 2nd) South Midland Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (TF) with the following organisation:Frederick, p. 680.Litchfield, pp. 246–7.London Gazette 20 March 1908.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 77–83.48th (SM) Divisional Artillery at Long, Long Trail. Brigade HQ at 24 Southfield Street, Worcester 1st Worcestershire Battery at Southfield Street 2nd Worcestershire Battery Battery HQ and Left Section at 47 George Street, Kidderminster,Kidderminster at Drill Hall Project. Right Section at Drill Hall, Clarence Road, MalvernMalvern at Drill Hall Project. 3rd Worcestershire Battery at Easemore Road, RedditchRedditch at Drill Hall Project. II South Midland Brigade Ammunition Column at Clarence Road, Malvern
The Malvern College Cadet Corps became part of the Junior Division of the Officers' Training Corps.
The brigade formed part of the divisional artillery for the TF's South Midland Division and was equipped with four 15-pounder field guns to each battery.48th (SM) Division at Long, Long Trail.
World War I Mobilisation On the outbreak of war in August 1914 the units of the South Midland Division had just set out for annual training when orders recalled them to their home depots for mobilisation. II South Midland Bde mobilised at Worcester on 5 August under Lt-Col E.C. Bullock, who had commanded it since 27 July 1912. The division then concentrated around Chelmsford in Essex where it formed part of Central Force, with II South Midland Bde at Ingatestone.
On 10 August, TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service. On 15 August 1914, the WO issued instructions to separate those men who had opted for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units. On 31 August, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix and would absorb the flood of volunteers coming forwards. In this way duplicate batteries, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.WO Instructions Nos 108 & 310 of August 1914.
1/II South Midland Brigade
The training of 1st South Midland Division proceeded satisfactorily, and it was selected for service on the Western Front. Orders arrived on 13 March 1915 and II South Midland Bde entrained on 29 and 30 March for Southampton, where it embarked on the transports City of Dunkirk, Munich and Archimedes, landing at Le Havre on 31 March. By 3 April the division had concentrated near Cassel, and II South Midland Bde's batteries were attached to the Regular RFA brigades of 6th Division in the Armentières sector for introduction to frontline procedures. The batteries were allocated a small number of shells for registering the guns. Then on 15 April the brigade took over its own section of front. On 12 May the division was designated the 48th (South Midland) Division. On 21 July 1/II South Midland Bde was re-equipped with modern 18-pounder guns. It then went back into the line near Authie in the Somme sector, where 48th (SM) Division joined a new Third Army.II South Midland Bde War Diary April 1915–October 1917, The National Archives (TNA) Kew, file WO 95/2749/4.
Lieutenant-Col Bullock retired to the TF Reserve on 14 March 1916, having been Mentioned in dispatches, and was succeeded as commanding officer (CO) by Lt-Col J.R. Colville, a Regular officer. On the night of 23/24 March 1/II South Midland Bde fired shrapnel and high explosive (HE) barrages to support a major trench raid by 143rd (Warwickshire) Infantry Bde. 1/II South Midland Bde formed an additional battery, D Worcester Bty, on 3 April, a number of the men being transferred to it from the Brigade Ammunition Column (BAC), which was abolished and merged into the Divisional Ammunition Column as its 2nd Section on 15 May. Then on 18 May the brigade was redesignated CCXLI (or 241st) Brigade and the old batteries became A, B and C. At the same time D Bty transferred to CCXLIII (IV South Midland) Bde in exchange for 5th Warwickshire Howitzer Bty, equipped with four 4.5-inch howitzers, which became D (H) Bty.Frederick, p. 692.
Somme After a long period of low-level Trench warfare, 48th (SM) Division's first offensive operation was in the Battle of the Somme. The bombardment began on 24 June and D (H) Bty took part. The 18-pdr batteries moved into prepared positions close behind the line on 28 June ready for the attack planned for next day, but Z Day was delayed by two days while the bombardment continued and the brigade stood fast. The battle was launched on 1 July 1916. Most of 48th (SM) Division was in reserve, only two battalions being engaged, but the brigade fired in support of 29th Division, with Lt-Col Colville acting as artillery liaison officer to 87th Infantry Bde. A Battery fired on Beaucourt Chateau in the final round of bombardment from 06.25 to H Hour at 07.30, when the infantry went 'over the top', then B and C Btys opened fire as part of the Creeping barrage at 07.30. 87th Brigade assaulted 'Y Ravine', but found that the long bombardment by 29th Divisional Artillery (DA) had failed to cut much of the barbed wire hidden in hollows. The attack crumpled in the face of unsuppressed German machine guns and was over by 08.05. A Battery was ordered to resume firing for a second assault, but this also failed and 29th Division stopped its attacks at 15.00. B and C Batteries had ceased fire at 09.30, expecting to move up, but D (H) Bty continued firing all day.Edmonds, 1916, Vol I, pp. 426, 433–7.