The Finsbury Rifles was a unit of Britain's Volunteer Force and later Territorial Army from 1860 to 1961. It saw action at Gallipoli, in Palestine and on the Western Front during the First World War. In the Second World War, it served in the Anti-Aircraft (AA) role during the Battle of Britain and the Blitz, then in North Africa, Sicily and Italy.
Volunteers The unit began as the Clerkenwell Rifles, formed in the Clerkenwell and Finsbury districts of London during the invasion scare of 1859–60 that led to the creation of hundreds of Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs).Beckett.Frederick, p. 244.H.R. Martin, p. 1. It was adopted by the Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex as the 39th Middlesex RVC, and he issued the first officers' commissions on 6 March 1860, the commanding officer (CO) being Lieutenant-Colonel Colvill, Governor of Coldbath Fields Prison and a former Captain in the 71st Foot. The corps was based at 16 Cold Bath Square, Clerkenwell. Colvill was later obliged to relinquish the command by the Middlesex magistrates, who considered it incompatible with his prison duties.Westlake, p. 174.Beckett, p. 94 and Appendix VII.H.R. Martin, p. 2. He was replaced as CO by Major Henry Penton (1817–1882) of the 3rd (Royal Westminster) Middlesex Militia, a local landowner in Clerkenwell whose grandfather had developed the district of Pentonville.Monthly Army List. The unit's headquarters later moved to 17 Penton Street in Pentonville,Finsbury Rifles at Stepping Out. and it became known from the beery ways of its members as the 'Pentonville Pissers'.Holmes, p. 109.
Together with the Central London Rangers, the Clerkenwell unit initially formed the 3rd Middlesex Administrative Battalion of RVCs, but because both units soon consisted of eight companies they were made independent battalions and the administrative battalion disbanded. In 1862 The Finsbury Rifle Volunteer Corps was officially added to its title, and it continued to expand, reaching a strength of 10 companies in 1870. Other Middlesex RVCs had been less successful and disappeared, so the Finsbury Rifles became the 21st Middlesex RVC in a general renumbering carried out in 1880.
Following the Childers Reforms the Finsbury Rifles became the 7th Volunteer Battalion of the Kings Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC) in 1881, but without changing its title. It had already adopted the Rifle green uniform with red Facing colour of the KRRC.H.R. Martin, pp. 4–5.Barnes, Appendix III. The Stanhope Memorandum of December 1888 proposed a Mobilisation Scheme for Volunteer units, which would assemble in their own brigades at key points in case of war. In peacetime these brigades provided a structure for collective training.Beckett, pp. 135, 185–6.Dunlop, pp. 60–1. Under this scheme the Finsbury Rifles formed part of the North London Brigade which would assemble at Caterham under the command of the CO of the Coldstream Guards.
During the Second Boer War the battalion was increased from ten to 12 companies, and formed a service company of volunteers to serve alongside the Regulars in South Africa, earning the Battle honour South Africa 1900–1902.Leslie.
Territorial Force The Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908.Dunlop, Chapter 14.Spiers, Chapter 10. The Borough of Finsbury had been incorporated into the new County of London since 1900, and so the unit joined the newly-created London Regiment, which consisted entirely of TF infantry battalions, with no Regular component. It became the 11th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (Finsbury Rifles), with its headquarters and all eight companies located at 17 Penton Street. The North London Brigade became 3rd London Brigade in the TF's 1st London Division.Barnes, Appendix IV.James, pp. 113–7.H.R. Martin, pp. 6–7.London Regiment at Long, Long Trail.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 141–7.56th (1st London) Division at Long, Long Trail.
First World War Mobilisation Annual training for 1st London Division had just started when war was declared on 4 August 1914, and the Finsbury Rifles promptly mustered at Pentonville for mobilisation. In mid-August it moved with 3rd London Bde to Bullswater Camp, near Pirbright in Surrey, and in Septyember to Crowborough in East Sussex. The TF was intended to be a home defence force and its members could not be compelled to serve outside the UK, but on 10 August TF units were invited to volunteer for overseas service and the majority did so. On 31 August 1914, the formation of Reserve or 2nd-Line units for each existing TF unit was authorised. Initially these were formed from men who had not volunteered for overseas service, and the recruits who were flooding in. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. In this way duplicate battalions, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas. Later they were mobilised for overseas service in their own right. Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6. the Finsbury Rifles formed its own second line on 3 September 1914.
Several battalions of the division were soon posted away to relieve Regular Army garrisons in the Mediterranean or to supplement the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front. By January 1915, only the 1/10th (Hackney) and 1/11th (Finsbury Rifles) Battalions remained with the artillery and other support elements of the division, and these were attached to the 2nd-Line TF division (2/1st London Division) that was being formed.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 9–15.58th (2/1st London) Division at Long, Long Trail.
1/11th Battalion Suvla Bay In April 1915, the 1/10th and 1/11th Battalions were sent to Norwich to join 162nd (East Midland) Brigade in 54th (East Anglian) Division, which was being prepared for overseas service.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 125–31.54th (East Anglian) Division at Long, Long Trail. On 29 July 1915 the battalion embarked at Liverpool aboard the bound for the Mediterranean, and arrived at Mudros on 6 August. After transferring to a smaller vessel it landed on 11 August at Suvla Bay on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The Gallipoli Campaign had been in progress for several months and had reached stalemate. The Landing at Suvla Bay on 6 August had been a flank attack designed to manoeuvre the Turks out of their defences, but it too became bogged down in trench warfare.Westlake, Gallipoli, pp. 241–2.
On 15 August the battalion took part in the action at Kiretch Tepe Ridge, where 162nd Brigade's task was to protect the flank of the two attacking brigades. Little fighting was anticipated. There was no time to reconnoitre and the brigade advanced towards the lower slopes of the ridge with 'no information about the probable whereabouts of the enemy'. After about 400 yards the leading battalion, the 1/5th Bedfordshire Regiment, came under increasing rifle and machine-gun fire in the gullies and lost cohesion. Early in the action, Brigadier-General de Winton was wounded and Lieutenant Colonel Byrne took command of the Brigade with Major G.F.M. Davies assuming command of 1st Battalion. Captain Crosbie, the Adjutant, was also wounded early. Parties of the 1/10th and 1/11th Londons were 'dribbled forward' to reinforce the line.Aspinall-Oglander, p. 322. The battalions breasted the gully-riven slopes of the ridge, and ultimately advanced the left of the line to the south-western shoulder of Kidney HillNorth, pp. 178–9. but they were unsupported, and withdrew that night to positions in Lone Tree Gully. Major G.F.M. Davies of 1/11th Londons was killed while covering the retreat of the rear partyAspinall-Oglander, p. 323. and Captain Lewer assumed command. Lone Tree Gully was shelled all the next day. Captain Lewer was wounded with Captain Windsor taking command. During the night the positions were consolidated as far as possible. The battalion's total casualties in the two days were about 360, including nine officers.
Over the next two months the 1/11th Battalion alternated in the firing line with the 1/5th Bedfords; when not in the line the battalion was in reserve at 'Finsbury Vale'. In October the dismounted 1/1st Suffolk Yeomanry were attached to the Londons for training, and then relieved the battalion, which went into a rest camp dubbed 'Penton Hill' from 26 to 31 October. During November the battalion alternated with the Suffolk Yeomanry in the line. The 1/11th Battalion was evacuated to Mudros on 3 December, and shortly afterwards the Gallipoli operation was closed down.
Egypt The 54th Division, very weak from battle casualties and sickness, was re-embarked on 13 December and landed at Alexandria in Egypt on 18 December. After recuperating, most of the division moved into the Suez Canal defences at the end of March 1916. It stayed there under the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) until the beginning of 1917.Sainsbury, pp. 46–50.
Palestine
By mid-January 1917, 54th Division had been concentrated at Moascar for the start of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. After a difficult crossing of the Sinai Desert, the division closed up to join the EEF's attack on Gaza.Burrows, pp. 112, 133.Sainsbury, pp. 50–4. 162nd Brigade had only a peripheral part in the First Battle of Gaza (26–27 March), when 161st (Essex) Brigade took the objective but due to confusion was pulled back after dark.Bullock, pp. 44–6.Burrows, pp. 143–77.
For the Second Battle of Gaza, 54th Division was to advance and then wheel left to attack the Ali Muntar ridge outside Gaza. 162nd Brigade, with 1/11th Londons as support battalion, formed the division's left, with its flank on the point where Wadi Mukkademe crossed the Gaza-Beersheba road. The advance began promptly at 07.20 on 19 April, but it soon became clear that the bombardment of the enemy trenches by artillery and naval guns had failed in its effects. The division's leading battalions came under well-directed artillery fire and intense machine gun fire as they approached the trenches. 162nd Brigade attacked towards the trench complex known as 'The Beer' and made the furthest advance but were forced back at the end of the disastrous day.MacMunn & Falls, pp. 336–9.Bullock, p. 49.
Capture of Gaza The EEF did not make another attempt to take Gaza until November, after months of preparation. As part of the operation to clear the Gaza–Beersheba Line (the Third Battle of Gaza, 27 October–7 November), 54th Division attacked directly towards the town on 2 November. It was a holding attack but the leading brigades made such good progress that 162nd Bde was able to pass through by 06.00 to move on to the final objective, Sheikh Hasan, which it secured after a 15-minute bombardment. The attack was continued on 7 November, with 162nd Bde heading towards Turtle Hill, north west of Gaza town. Supported by powerful artillery, the infantry walked through the defences to find that the Turks had evacuated Gaza.Bullock, p. 75.Burrows, pp. 213–5.Sainsbury, pp. 62–8. The EEF pursued the defeated Turks back to the Jaffa–Jerusalem defence line, and Jerusalem fell on 7 December.Bullock, pp. 77–81, 89–94.
Jaffa