The 1st Norfolk Artillery Volunteers was a unit of Britain's Volunteer Force raised in the County of Norfolk in 1859 as a response to a French invasion threat. It became part of the Territorial Force in 1908 and served under various designations as field artillery in Palestine during World War I, and as heavy anti-aircraft artillery in North Africa and Italy during World War II. It disappeared in a merger in 1955.
Artillery Volunteers 1859–1908 The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle, Artillery and Engineer Volunteer units composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need.Beckett. The 1st Norfolk Artillery Volunteer Corps (AVC) was formed at Great Yarmouth on 29 September 1859, with further batteries being added on 23 February and 4 June 1860, and 26 December 1862. In January 1864, several AVCs from Essex and Suffolk were attached to the 1st Norfolk for administration, and in November that year the 1st Administrative Brigade, Norfolk Artillery Volunteers, was formed with the following composition:Frederick, p. 666.Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 67, 135 & 156.Beckett, Appendix VIII.Norfolk and Suffolk Artillery Volunteers at Regiments.org. 1st Norfolk AVC – two batteries at Great Yarmouth 2nd Norfolk AVC – two batteries formed from the Norwich men of the 1st Norfolk AVC 1869 1st Essex AVC– formed at Harwich on 18 February 1869 1st Suffolk AVC – formed at Lowestoft on 19 July 1860 2nd Suffolk AVC– formed at Walton, Suffolk on 15 October 1860; disbanded 1871 3rd Suffolk AVC– formed 1864 at Aldeburgh from 21st Suffolk Rifle Volunteer Corps (raised in June 1861). 4th Suffolk AVC – formed at Beccles on 14 July 1868
In the early years, the corps used large coastal artillery guns at Great Yarmouth.Trafford.
When the Volunteers were reorganised in April 1880 the 1st Norfolk Admin Bde was consolidated into a single unit with headquarters at Great Yarmouth. The batteries were distributed as follows: 1st and 2nd Batteries – Great Yarmouth, Norfolk 3rd and 4th Batteries – Norwich, Norfolk (former 2nd Corps) No 5 Battery – Harwich (late 1st Essex Corps) No 6 Battery – Lowestoft (late 1st Suffolk Artillery Volunteers) No 7 Battery – Aldborough (late 3rd Suffolk Artillery Volunteers) No 8 Battery – Beccles (late 4th Suffolk Artillery Volunteers)
However, the Essex volunteers were unhappy with the arrangements and left, so the Suffolk batteries were renumbered as Nos 5, 6 and 7. The unit became the 1st Norfolk (Norfolk & Suffolk) AVC, and was attached to the Eastern Division of the Royal Artillery (RA) in 1882.Army Lists, various dates.
As well as manning fixed coast defence 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 refused to pay for the upkeep of field guns for Volunteers and they had largely died out in the 1870s. In 1888, 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, the 1st Norfolk Volunteer Artillery were reorganised as three position batteries and seven garrison companies:Beckett, p. 178.Litchfield & Westlake, p. 6. HQ and No 1 Battery – Great Yarmouth Nos 2 and 3 Batteries – Norwich No 4 Company – Beccles and Harleston Nos 5 and 6 Companies – Lowestoft No 7 Company – Aldeburgh and Orford No 8 Company – Beccles No 9 Company – Southwold No 10 Company – Harleston
The Artillery Volunteers were transferred to the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) in 1899. When the RA's divisional structure was abolished on 1 January 1902, the unit was redesignated as the 1st Norfolk RGA (Volunteers). An affiliated Cadet Corps was formed at Beccles in 1906.
Territorial Force In 1908, on the formation of the Territorial Force, the Norfolk batteries of the 1st Norfolk became the I East Anglian Brigade Royal Field Artillery (TF). (The I (1st) Brigade was going to have been numbered II (2nd), but this was changed by October 1908.) At the same time, the Suffolk batteries formed the III East Anglian (Howitzer) Brigade, comprising the 1st and 2nd Suffolk (Howitzer) Batteries and the 3rd East Anglian Ammunition Column.Frederick, p. 675.Litchfield, p. 135.London Gazette, 20 March 1908.Litchfield, p. 217.Norfolk Artillery Volunteers at Regiments.org.
The new brigade was organised as follows:Osborne, p. 204 HQ at The Barracks, Surrey Street, Norwich 1st Norfolk Battery at Nelson Road, Great YarmouthNelson Drill Hall at Great War Centenary Drill Halls 2nd Norfolk Battery at Norwich 3rd Norfolk Battery at Norwich 1st East Anglian Ammunition Column at Norwich
The Commanding Officer (CO) of the 1st Norfolks since 1888 had been Colonel the Earl of Stradbroke, VD; he became Honorary Colonel of the new unit (while remaining CO of the III East Anglian (H) Bde).
The brigade formed part of the East Anglian Division of the TF. By 1914, the batteries were each equipped with four 15-pounder guns.Becke, Part 2a, pp. 125–31.54 (1st EA) Div at Long, Long Trail.
World War I Mobilisation The East Anglian Division began its annual training on 27 July 1914 and by 3 August the divisional artillery had concentrated at the Redesdale training area in Northumberland. When the order to mobilise was given on 4 August, the units returned to their headquarters and then moved to their war stations. By 10 August, the division had concentrated around Brentwood, Essex. On 20 August, it moved to Chelmsford and formed part of the coast defences of the UK until the following May. Meanwhile, the formation of duplicate or 2nd Line TF units from Home Service men and recruits had been authorised and, towards the end of 1914, the 2nd East Anglian Division came into existence at Peterborough. The original (1st Line) I East Anglian Brigade became the 1/I and its 2nd Line became the 2/I East Anglian Brigade.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 91–8.69 (2nd EA) Div at Long, Long Trail.
1/I East Anglian Brigade The 1st East Anglian Division was employed on coast defence until May 1915, when it was concentrated at St Albans preparatory to going overseas as the 54th (1st East Anglian) Division. However, when the infantry departed for the Gallipoli Campaign, the divisional artillery was left behind. In August it joined the 2nd Line at Thetford and Brandon, Suffolk, rearmed with modern 18-pounder guns and handed over its obsolete 15-pounders to the 2nd Line batteries.
On 17 November 1915, the 54th Divisional Artillery embarked for France, where it joined 33rd Division, a 'Kitchener's Army' division whose artillery were still under training.Becke Pt 3b, pp. 31–9.
After a month on the Western Front, during which parties of officers and men had been attached for training to other divisions in the Front Line, 54th Divisional Artillery was warned that it was to be transferred to Egypt to rejoin its parent division, which had been withdrawn from Gallipoli. Embarkation began at Marseille on 30 January 1916 and disembarkation was completed at Alexandria by 14 February. The divisional artillery rejoined 54th Division at Mena Camp near Cairo and in April moved into No 1 (Southern) Section of the Suez Canal defences.
On 29 May 1916, the 1/I East Anglian Brigade was renumbered CCLXX (270) Brigade RFA and its batteries became A, B and C. It was renumbered again on 21 December, becoming CCLXXII (272) Brigade RFA, and was reorganised into two six-gun batteries, with C Battery split up between A and B.Frederick, p. 687.
The infantry battalions of 54th Division were slowly brought back up to strength with drafts from home during 1916 and, by mid-January 1917, the whole division had assembled at Moascar in preparation for the British invasion of Sinai.Burrows, pp. 112, 127–8. After crossing the Wilderness,Burrows, p. 133. the division took part in the First (26–7 March) and Second Battle of Gaza (17–9 April)
Between 26 June and 1 July 1917, the brigade was reorganised, with A Bty transferred to CCLXIV Bde of 52nd (Lowland) Divisional Artillery and C (Howitzer) Bty (originally the 1st Suffolk Battery, see above) joining from CCLXXI (1/II East Anglian) Bde. Henceforward, the brigade comprised six 18-pounders in B Bty and four 4.5-inch howitzers in C Bty.
The campaign was renewed in the autumn at the Third Battle of Gaza (27 October – 7 November) and the final capture of Gaza (1–7 November). At the end of the year the division was engaged in the Battle of Jaffa (21–22 December).
54th Division was next engaged in the action at Berukin (9–10 April 1918). Finally it took part in the opening stage of Allenby's final offensive (the Battle of Megiddo), known as the Battle of Sharon (19–23 September).
The division was then taken out of the line and concentrated at Haifa, where it was engaged in repairing communications for the rapidly advancing army. It next moved to Beirut, where it was concentrating when the Armistice of Mudros was signed with Turkey and hostilities ended on 31 October.
In late November 1918, the division was ordered to return to Egypt, the artillery proceeding by sea and arriving in mid-December. Demobilisation began in January 1919, and the TF units were slowly reduced to cadres. In March and April, when its guns had been handed in and about one-third of its men had left, 54th Divisional Artillery was converted into an ad hoc cavalry regiment to act as mounted police during disturbances in Cairo. Demobilisation recommenced in May and was completed in June.Sainsbury, Hertfordshire Batteries, p. 88.
2/I East Anglian Brigade Training for the 2nd Line artillery was hindered by the shortage of equipment, and several months passed before guns, horses and harness were received. Even then, only obsolete French De Bange 90 mm cannon were available for training. Early in 1915, the 2nd East Anglian Division (which was numbered 69th in August 1915) concentrated round Thetford, where it formed part of First Army in Central Force. The divisional artillery was distributed around Brandon, Cambridge and Tuddenham. In November, the divisional artillery took over the 15-pounder guns released by its 1st Line (see above).
The division's role throughout the war was to train drafts of reinforcements for units serving overseas. In May 1916, the 2/I East Anglian Brigade was numbered CCCXLV (345) Bde, the batteries became A, B and C, and it was joined by 2/1st Suffolk (Howitzer) Bty from 2/III East Anglian Brigade, which became D (H) Bty. The following month the division was transferred to Northern Command and moved to Harrogate in North Yorkshire.
On 1 September 1916, C Bty changed places (and designations) with 533 (Howitzer) Battery, RFA, at Cowshott (near Aldershot). In November 1916, B Bty was broken up to bring A and C Btys up to six-gun strength. However, the following month the whole brigade was broken up, with A and D (H) Btys becoming B and D (H) Btys in CCCXLVIII (2/IV East Anglian) Bde and C Bty becoming B Bty in CCCXLVI (2/II East Anglian) Bde.
3/I East Anglian Brigade A 3rd Line Depot brigade (3/I East Anglian Brigade) was formed early in March 1915. At first, training had to be carried out without any guns, harness or horses. In May, the unit was affiliated to No 4 TF Artillery School at High Wycombe, which took over training while the 3/Ist became a holding and draft-finding unit. The 3rd Line East Anglian brigades were merged into the school in August 1916, when it became 4th Reserve Brigade, RFA (TF).Sainsbury, Hertfordshire Batteries, pp. 93–5.
Interwar years 84th (1st East Anglian) Field Brigade