The Cheshire Artillery Volunteers was a brigade of Volunteer artillery units raised in the county of Cheshire in the mid-19th century. Their successors served as field artillery in Palestine during World War I and as anti-aircraft (AA) gunners in the Middle East in World War II. They continued in the air defence role in the Territorial Army until 1955.
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. 163–168. A number of Artillery Volunteer Corps (AVCs) were quickly formed in Cheshire, and in June 1860 they were brought together into the 1st Administrative Brigade of Cheshire Artillery Volunteer Corps with headquarters (HQ) at Chester and the following organisation:Beckett, Appendix VIII.Frederick, pp. 651–652.Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 39–40.Army List, various dates. 1st (Birkenhead) Cheshire AVC (2 batteries), raised 30 December 1859 at Jackson & Brassey's Canada WorksBeckett, p. 74. 2nd (Earl of Chester's) Cheshire AVC (1, later 2 batteries), raised in Chester 8 February 1860 3rd (Seacombe) Cheshire AVC (1 battery), raised 10 February 1860 4th (New Brighton) Cheshire AVC (1 battery), raised 15 February 1860 5th (Laird's Iron Works) Cheshire AVC (3 batteries), raised at Birkenhead 1 March 1860 with William Laird junior as Captain Commandant
The commanding officer (CO) of the admin brigade was Major, later Lieutenant-Colonel, Henry A. Gray.
By November 1863, the following units had also been included in the 1st Cheshire Admin Brigade: 1st Shropshire AVC 1st Staffordshire AVC 1st Worcestershire AVC – joined June 1865
These units left in 1866 to form the 1st Staffordshire Admin Brigade, but rejoined in August 1867. They left once more in 1869 to form the 1st Shropshire Admin Brigade.
In 1873, another group of AVCs from outside the county joined the 1st Cheshire Admin Brigade: 1st Anglesey AVC – from 1st Anglesey Admin Brigade; disbanded 1875 3rd Anglesey AVC – from 1st Anglesey Admin Brigade; renamed 2nd Carnarvonshire 1878 1st Carnarvonshire AVC – from 1st Anglesey Admin Brigade 1st Isle of Man AVC – disbanded 1875
The 1st and 5th Cheshire AVCs were dependent upon low-paid workers from Birkenhead ironworks, and, as the numbers who could remain with the Volunteers declined, these units were disbanded in 1873 and 1869 respectively. In 1866, the subtitle 'Earl of Chester's' was formally conferred on the 2nd Cheshire AVC (the Earldom of Chester is held by the Prince of Wales). When the Volunteers were consolidated in June 1880, the 1st Admin Brigade became the 2nd Cheshire AVC, taking the number of its senior surviving corps, but within a month this had been changed to 1st Cheshire and Carnarvonshire AVC, with HQ at Chester and the following organisation: Nos 1, 2 and 3 Companies at Chester – from 2nd Cheshire AVC No 4 Company at New Brighton – from 4th Cheshire AVC No 5 Company at Seacombe – from 3rd Cheshire AVC Nos 6 and 7 Companies at Bangor – from 2nd Carnarvonshire AVC No 8 Company at Caernarfon – from 1st Carnarvonshire AVC
In 1886, the unit made an unsuccessful application for the subtitle 'Earl of Chester's' to be restored. In 1882, it was assigned to the Lancashire Division of the Royal Artillery, but when the divisional structure was reduced in 1889 it joined the Southern Division.
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 Cheshire & Carnarvon Volunteer Artillery were reorganised as 1 position (later 'heavy') battery and 7 garrison companies:Beckett, p. 178.Litchfield & Westlake, p. 6.
On 1 June 1899, all the Volunteer artillery units became part of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA). With the abolition of the RA's divisional organisation on 1 January 1902, the unit became the 1st Cheshire and Carnarvonshire RGA (Volunteers). The HQ was at County Buildings, Old Prison Yard, Shipgate Street, Chester.Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 4–6.Chester at Drill Hall Project. In 1904, the Carnavonshire companies were separated to form their own 1st Carnarvonshire RGA (V).
Territorial Force When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908,Dunlop, Chapter 14.Spiers, Chapter 10. part of the 1st Cheshire RGA (V) formed Nos. 5 and 6 Companies of the Lancashire & Cheshire RGA, a defended ports unit, while the remainder transferred to the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) with the following organisation:Frederick, p. 682.London Gazette, 20 March 1908.Litchfield, p. 31.
III Welsh Brigade, RFA HQ at Chester 1st Cheshire Battery 2nd Cheshire Battery 3rd Flintshire Battery 3rd Welsh Ammunition Column
The unit was the third field artillery brigade in the TF's Welsh Division. In 1912, the Flintshire battery was disbanded and replaced by a 3rd Cheshire Bty at Wistaston Road, Crewe. In 1913, the unit was redesignated Cheshire Brigade, RFA, when the ammunition column was similarly redesignated. The batteries were each issued with four 15-pounder guns.Crewe at Drill Hall Project.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 117–123.53 (W) Division at Long, Long Trail.
World War I Mobilisation After the order to mobilise was received on 4 August 1914, the units of the Welsh Division assembled at their drill halls. The Cheshire Brigade mobilised at Shiplake Street under the command of Lt-Col Frederick Bonnalie, TD, who had been CO since 1906.
By 11 August, the units had completed their concentration and TF members were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service. Four days later, the War Office issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units. Then, 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. In this way, duplicate batteries, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.
1/1st Cheshire Brigade, RFA
At the end of August, the Welsh Division concentrated at Northampton to continue its training. On 18 November, the division was warned for garrison duty in India, but this was cancelled and in December it moved to Cambridge, then to Bedford in May 1915. In July, the infantry of the division (now renamed the 53rd (Welsh) Division) embarked for service at Gallipoli, but the divisional artillery remained at Bedford. In October, the batteries were re-armed with modern 18-pounder guns and, on 8 November, they handed over their obsolescent 15-pounders to the 2nd Line, which had just arrived at Bedford.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 83–90.
53rd (Welsh) Divisional Artillery was now ordered to France to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front. It embarked on 20 November and had concentrated at Pont-Remy by 25 November, from where parties were sent to various divisional artilleries for instruction in front line duties.
Meanwhile, after suffering appalling casualties at Gallipoli, 53rd (Welsh) Division had been withdrawn to Egypt to refit. On 30 January 1916, the divisional artillery was ordered to rejoin the rest of the division. The batteries entrained at Pont-Remy, embarked at Marseille on 3 February and disembarked at Alexandria on 11 February. By 22 February, the artillery had rejoined the division at Beni Salama. For the rest of the year the recuperating division was stationed in the Suez Canal defences.Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, p. 73.
As senior brigade commanding officer, Lt-Col Bonnalie frequently acted as Commander, Royal Artillery (CRA), for 53rd (W) Division in 1915–16.
In May 1916, the TF field brigades were numbered, the Cheshire being designated CCLXVII (267) Brigade, RFA, and the batteries became A, B and C. Then, on 25 December 1916, the divisional artillery was reorganised: A Bty of CCLXVII Bde was broken up between B and C Btys (to make them up to six guns each) and they were redesignated A and B; A (H) Bty, equipped with four 4.5-inch howitzers, joined from CCLXV (H) Bde (the old 1st Welsh (Howitzer) Brigade, which was being broken up) and became C (H) Bty, and half of the 1st Welsh Brigade Ammunition Column (BAC) also joined. Finally, CCLXVII Bde took the now-vacant number of the 1st Welsh as CCLXV (265) Brigade, RFA, with the following organisation:Frederick, p. 694.Ward, p. 66. A Bty (6 x 18-pounders) – from 2nd Cheshire Bty + half 1st Cheshire Bty''' B Bty (6 x 18-pounders) – from 3rd Cheshire Bty + half 1st Cheshire Bty C (H) Bty (4 x 4.5-inch howitzers) – from 1st Glamorgan Bty CCLXV BAC – from Cheshire BAC + half 1st Welsh BAC
However, 53rd (W) Divisional Ammunition Column had remained in France, and was reformed in Egypt by abolishing the BACs.
Palestine
Early in 1917, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force launched the Sinai and Palestine Campaign by crossing the Sinai desert and advancing against Turkish forces at Gaza City. The First Battle of Gaza began during the night of 25/26 March when 53rd (W) Division advanced to cross the Wadi Ghuzzeh, with CCLXV Bde following 160th Infantry Brigade. Despite the darkness and morning fog, the infantry were in position by 08.30 and at 10.20 CCLXV Bde had two of its batteries in position and the third moving up. However, the attack orders were late reaching the infantry, and the bombardment did not begin until 12.00, and communication was poor. The artillery was supposed to be under divisional control, but heard nothing, and had to work through the infantry brigade HQs, who complained that the Forward Observation Officers (FOOs) could not be found. There was a shortage of telephone cable, and the FOO for B/CCLXV Bty reported that having followed the advancing 2/10th Battalion Middlesex Regiment and called down fire on 'The Labyrinth', he came to the end of his cable and although he went forward with the infantry he had trouble passing message back to his signaller stationed at the cable's end. Meanwhile, the battery had to shift its position six times during the day, laboriously crossing numerous wadis, but still fired 1511 rounds. The division's attack went well, but the artillery fire was too weak until reinforcements arrived from 54th (East Anglian) Division. The gunners were then able to subdue enemy machine guns on Clay Hill, while 160th Bde captured The Labyrinth. The division took all its objectives and its troops were in the eastern streets of Gaza when the attack was stopped for lack of water. Although 53rd (W) Division consolidated its position, it was withdrawn the following day.Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, pp. 81–84.MacMunn & Falls, Vol I, pp. 286–97, 301–303, 310–315.Ward, pp. 83–85, 90.